The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1897-06-02
VERDICT: NOT PRETTY


first degree, ever revolted against YER
dict with stronger feelings than did Het-
ty Hardman from what she knew to be
the unanimous verdict of her friends and
acquaintances.
And as is usually the case, that which
she did not possess she coveted above
everything else. The beautiful, or even
the moderately attractive woman, can
afford to seem Indifferent about her
charms, but for the hOmely woman to
pretend not 20 care, is too self-evident a
case of soIr grapes.
Hetty aid care, and she rebelled against
her fate with tears and signs. She suf-
fered more poignant grief on account
of her LONELINESS whenever it coupled it
self in her mind with the name of John
Belington, as alas, it too often did. She
could have endured to be thought plain
or even ugly by every one else in the
world, if only John could have found
some redeeming quality. But alas! how
could that be? There was no possibility
of such a thing. Would John ever think
her pleasing to look upon, and a vision
of her features, her eyes, her hair, ever
float through his mind?
Preposterous! And she looked in the
glass again to assure herself that there
was no possibility of a mistake in this
judgment. The picture she saw, certain
ly had very little to dispel the gloomy re-
Election.
In the first place her figure was under
size; too short for it's BREADTH or too
broad for it's length; and what there was
OF
gether without the slightest regard for
what the dressmaker considers the ele-
ments of good form.
But the art of the dressmaker might
have done much to overcome the effect
of her figure. if only her features, COM
plexion, hair and eyes had been attrac-
tive. But alas! her skin had leathery
Sodden appearance. Her nose was fiat
and a little turned up. Her eyes were a
Watery-grey, and lacked force; and her
hair was schaggy and brick-colored
Whether she wore it in net, or whether
she went to the trouble of curling it on
irons or in papers, or whether she sought
to conceal it's lack of quantity and at
Effectiveness by the help of an artificial
switch, still the people of Quartz Gulch
alluded to- her as that "sandy-haired
girl with-a turned-up nose.''
''Oh, DEAR oh, dear!' she sighed to her
self, in her little room over the piazza of
the Gulch House, why was nature so
cruel to me? Why am I denied all those
charms by which other girls endear
themselves to the hearts of the other
sex?'
John Belington was a tall, 1.-the young
fellow of athletic build, with wavy black
hair, eyes like Goals, cheeks blushing
with the hues of health, square built and
muscular, and the very picture of man
Illness. She idealized him in her heart
with all the graces of perfection. There
was no woman who could begin to be
worthy of him.
John had good paying claim of his
own and was able to marry at any time
he chose. But if he had chosen, or even
shown any marked inclination for so do
ing, no one has yet observed it. He look
at Hetty as she called off the bill of fare,
but she was too shy to notice it,
81 don't know he said to Dan Cuth-
bert, as they sat on the piazza of the no.
tel one evening talking about their luck
and the girls, as usual, I've been too
busy all my life to thing much about
anything but hard pegging at it,
"Pshaw! was Dams easy rejoinder,
there isn't another fellow in the Gulch
well fixed as you are. I know what
ails you, though. The girl you left be-
hind you in the east. One of these days
you will be fitting away to her. Tell us
a hpantW9