Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-25
BEAUTY AND IT'S OPPOSITE,
The Pretty Girl, the HOmeIy Girl and
the Man,


As Star writer was talking to a retired
colonel in front of an uptown hotel few
days ago very handsome woman passed
them, and the writer's eyes went after her
almost as fast as the coloners did.
BY Zucks,' exclaimed the writer isn't
she pretty?"
Rather" admitted the colonel, but
beauty is something you can't most always
sometimes tank on. Especially the beauty
of a womanS face or figure"
We'll, it's always good TO look at any
how
OF course, and sometimes it's lasting and
actual, but oftener the very pretty woman
is not the most attractive
Still, there's L charm in beauty in
sisted the writer, as he strained his eyes
around the corner to get farewell view
of the tieeting vision.
Now here's where l come in with 4
story, laughed the colonel, who always
makes his points with a story. When L
was a man of thirty-five | was on one oc-
casion going down the Ohio river from
Cincinnati to Louisville. AS / passed into
the cabin of the steamboat that was 10
carry me, l saw two young women, of
twenty-five and twenty, say, standing on
the guards, evidently waiting for some one.
L noticed them because one was SO pretty
that man would have been reasonable to
all his manlineSs not to have seen her. She
was gray-eyed, with beautiful complex
ION, SO1t Sllken halr and a fgure which
grace itself. AS the young of today
would say, she was a corker. Her COM
panion was as homely as the other was
pretty; so homely that | felt sorry that she
had to carry such q face around with her
Who or what they were 1 had no means of
knowing, but 1 was glad that I was going
on the same boat with them, for the sake
of the pretty girl.
Il went back to nv state room and in a
few minutes thereafter | heard women's
voices in the cabin near my door. | noticed
then that had left it open, and as | closed
1t L saw that the two young women had
the state room adjoining mine and were
just entering it. They didn't see me, and
| closed the door. feeling elated over the
idea that as soon as possible / would
make the acquaintance of my pretty
neighbor. Then, as / began to slick up for
the conquest, l heard voices in the next
room One was sharp and angry, the other
soft and pleading. L could only catch an
occasional word but L learned they were
sisters, and one of them was reading the
riot act to the other, and the other was
taking it very meekly, indeed
After a while one of them stepped out
On the guards, and though I didn't care to
Teep out L could hear her abusing every
thing in sight. She was outside only a
minute or two, returning to begin her
TRADE inside. Inwardy l thanked my stars
that had been thus placed because by the
nlerest chance | had been let into the Sc
crets of the dispositions of these two sis
ters. and / wondered why it was that beau
~ couldn't carry other charms as well. At
the same time, L made up my mind that
the conquest l was on the point of making
or hoping to make, would be indefinitely
postponed. AS the boat pulled out l went
forward to look at the city we were leav-
ing, and when / came into the ca bin again
the supper table stretched away down the
length of it and L caught the appetizing
Odor of ham and coffee and that sort of
thing.
Il knew the captain, and he invited me
to a seat at his table, and when / sat
down. behold. my two young women sat
opposite. The captain. of course. knew
tfem, and at once presented me. They were
rather quiet at first. and most of the talk
was carried on by the captain and myself
! was watching the homely girl now be-
cause | was afraid | would have to run up
against the temper of the pretty one. and |
didn't want to be any further disiiuson-
lied. 1t was enough to simply look at her
beauty. But 1 was hungry. and as 1 was
getting my supper in eating shape 1 stopped
talking, and all at once the tones of the
voice / had learned in my state room filed
the vacancy my voice had left. | was al
most afraid to look up, but / did, because
1t wasn't the pretty girls voice at all. |
l:ever felt SO relieved in my life and that
night sat on deck in the moonlight T
told her all about it and q whole lot more"
And was she up to her beauty in all re-
spects?" inquired the writer.
The finest woman l ever met" said the
colonel. heartily.
why did you let her escape?"
who sail 1 did," laughed the colonel
showing the writer a beautiful medallion of
his wife, which he carried with him always