The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-04
THE BEAUTY MASK.
The Way Young Kentucky Girl
Happened to Meet General U. S.
Grant.
BY N. NJ. SAVER.

I was Is; fair and freckled. I thought
1 would be pretty if those detestable lit
tie disfgurers could be gotten rid of. An
opportunity presented itself. There was
to be a barbecue at Gainesville, KY,
which was the county seat, and about
tWenty-one miles distant All the neigh
bors on the bank had gone to attend
the frolic, L being the only white person
for mics around who had to stay al home.
l was feeling very Infused in consequence.
In this loW-spirited state of mind L
met the colored housekeeper coming
through the hall with broom and dust
pan N her hand Now Miss Mamie
quenciouS dis mornin'?' Agnes or Aunt
Agnes rather, never used a small word
when large one could be squeezed in.
O nav has gone off an lef' me to see
to de preparin' OBJ dinnah for about
twenty-five guests tomorrow. Besides,
L got de paWlahs TO put III ordah, and L
was jest a-thlnzin' how nice it would be
II you was to holp me little. Dey is
nothin like getten3 up a puspiration for
maxim young folks look pretty, and eff
you'll do de dustin of dem chany things
1nlstus thinks so much of and dlsarrange
de books, and gather some flowers for de
mantel, III go and get some sour dough
OATS a layin on de biscuit boad top OBJ
de flour bahrel an'ell make you a beauty
mask. Aatn make you winter an eny
OF dem Hlys out yandah."
My tears were soon dried, and the
beauty mask was fastened on, holes were
made fer the eyes, nose and mouth, and
l was beginning to exert myself to the
desired pitch of starting the 'puspira-
ton" Our house was an oId-fashioned
one, built in southern style, and hal a
long. wide hall running through the CEN
ter. The front door always stood invit-
ingly open in good weather.
The drawing rooms were upon the left
side, and being busy, 1 didn't hear any
one enter; but upon looking up, saw three
forms dressed N soldier clothes and
three pairs of eyes looking at me in
amazed horror Uttering scream that
would have aroused the famous seven
sleepers, l made a. bound, rushed past
the three figures and fled upstairs as fast
as my feet could carry me- Soon l heard
peals and shouts of laughter. My face
was crimson as 1 clutched the fatal
beauty mask, handful at a time, and
as I could get rid of it. Soon Agnes came
in, her fat sides still shaking with sub
dued laughter.
Don't come near me- 1 screamed. Il
laughing, and you were laughing at me,
tool l know, oh, 1 know iti''
Now, jes lissun an I'll tel you de
Whoie animosity OBJ de affair, for de ne
returned the old woman. Dem ossifers
said dey saw de front doah open, and
stepped into de hall eXpectin' to knock
when dey saw what dey thought was a
IL,
dey was skeered nearly to def. But when
ya'' Jumped so high and hoIlered so loud
and tore up stairs as eff de blood hounds
were aIter you, l just had to tell dem all
about it. especially, when dey all axed
at once, Is de young purson crazy, or only
got a flt?' Now my device i'll de mattahs
for you is to dress yo' SET as nice as you
kin, and walk down steirs like a prodigy
queen and don't let on to dem yankers, as
it was you at all. 1 done tole EN- de
young lady wild de dough face had tuck
10 dc woods, and we wouldn't hear no
more outer her that day
l did as she told me, especially as she
said they had asked to stay to dinner
and descended the stairs and entered the
room where they were sitting with as
much grace and Indifference to what had
gone before as l could summon. The
three gentlemen rose and bowed politely
and introduced themselves, but 1 noticed
an odd twinkle in the corners of three
pairs of eyes, and a quiet smile on three
pairs of lips, and although 1 bore myself
as bravely as possible, under the circum-
stance, L had a lingering suspicion that
the tale that the young lady with the
dough face had tuck to de woods" had
not found Judgement in their minds And
that IS how L first made the acquaint-
ance of General U. S. Grant.