The Anaconda standard., 1899-03-26
THE LENTEN GIRL.
De Bernebruch Sketches the Damsel of
the Sackcloth and Ashes Period.

the Sackcloth and Ashes Period.
Written for the Sunday Standard.
1.-THE Lenten girl unused the city
editor: Il wonder what she does when
the curtain descends on the gay sea-
son. Is she a little hypocrte playing
nun and living in a secret whirl of
wordlness, or does she really put on
sackcloth and ashes and sit all day 4
picture of penitence for angels to ad-
| mire? / wonder-but what | wonder
others must be wondering, too. The
mystery must be solved, and this news
paper must solve it," And so it came
about that I got orders to go and
study the Lenten girl and tell all I
| could about her.
I found many types of the Lenten
girl and have endeavored to picture her
as she is. / wandered into church,
passing on my way gentleman
whose immaculate patent leatheIs fail
ed to hide the unmistakable shape OF
the coven hoof and from beneath
, whose silken headgear there protrudel
a pair of short horns. 1t was his sa-
tanic majesty lounging at the sacrel
portals. waiting 20 offer his services
when the Lenten music ceased and the
world the flesh and the devil held sway
once more, but the presence Of the
horned and hoofed attendant was not
noticed by the Lenten girl. She knelt
in an attitude of rapt DEVOTION and as
l rapidly sketched the pretty figure |
could scarcely blame the iounger at the
door for wanting to claim such prize.
1t seemed to be genuine devotion, too.
One would have thought, to watch the
bent head, the moving lips and the
clasped hands that earth possessed no
charms for this ETHEREAL creature. ] re-
marked something to the same effect to
| the lounger of the cloven hoof as |
| l,;,, ell +f,I, sci
Both the remark and the sketch seemed
| to amuse him immensely, for he smiled
a sardOnc smile and continued his Wig
| il. l would have preferred to wait with
| him and see the thing out, but there
were other Lenten girls and | had to go.
/ met my next subject walking de-
murely along, with hands in muff and
the grave sweet face of girl who has
found the pleasures of the world turn
to ashes in the month and has said
good-by forever to the barren wilder
ness of wordliness. Sylph-like and
beautiful she looked. with just the
slighte est suggestion of coquetry in the
curve of her little nat and the carriage
of her graceful body. At any other
time but Lent 1 should have gazed ad
miringly at her. The dignity of the
| feeling but that of respect and 1
| sltetched her with the same over
| whelming emotion that the true artist
! experiences when making drawings
| from lay figure.
| l next met the Lenten girl as she
came from a shopping tour, with her
arms full of bundles and her pretty
| brow creased into distressed frown
| as she mentally tried to make her
| change come right while holding her
dress, her pocketbook and a mscellan-
eous collection of articles and trying to
avoid stepping in the puddles. | longed
to relieve her of her bundles and ask
her how she reconcied the pleasures Of
shopping with the strict keeping of the
Lenten season. Not seeing my wa3
clear to perform this little act of gal
lantry, l contented myself with making
a sketch of the pretty shopper as she
tripped demurely by and continued my
pilgrimage.
At home | found the Lenten girl
very quiet and sedate young person.
-! She wrote and she wrote and she wrote
again. Was she compiling a list of the
temptations to which she had fallen a
victim in the worldly season? Was she
making a written confession of her
shortcomings? 1t wasn't very polite of
me. but the city editors orders were
imperative So I stole behind her and
looked over her shoulder Her con-
| fessions began: My Dear Julie-Lent
is positively the only time ! have to
write letters. There is so much to be
done except at Lent that one doesn't
get a chance to attend to correspond
ence. But I'm going to make up for it
now by writing every day to every ac
quaintance | have, L will help to make
time pass quickly between this and the
end of the Lenten season, 1t can't pass
too Quickly --."
I had read enough. 1t was evident
that the Lenten girl put on her cloak of
piety with the same profundity of feel
ing with which she would don black
dress to attend the funeral of a distant
relative who had willed all his money
to charitab BILE institutions InstinCtively
my mind reverted to the lounger at the
church door.
What a cinch he has on the Lenten
girl" | remarked to myself. as I out
lined my last sketch and went home to
ink it in.
The Fountain of Wisdom.
~, Vii,