The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1903-02-19

a good thing freedom was she'd stick to
It? But s'pose IL she did that she
| wouldn't be woman. Lavinia want
no exception. She hadn't more'n go4
good an used to dom without her shac-
kles than she made up her mind to put
on some more. 1t appeared she was
sort Of fated, Lavinia was. You'd be
surprised to see the man she settled on.
Tom Wofford. Oh, yes, of course, you
know him. He don't live far from you.
I'd forgotten that. Well, he was the
man. OF all the onnery men that ever
lived in this town, with the exception
Of her first husband, he is the onneriest.
I amt meanin' s far IS moneys con-
sarned or clothes or way of ivin', but
disposition. ....
"Heigh, no! I'll never forget the night
Lavinia come over here after he'd gone
an, without sayin' word-Lavinia an
me g such friends that words amt allus
necessary atWeen uS-walked to the
mirror over the mantelpiece there an,
takin' up the light, raised it above her
head, gain at her eyes. From where I
set, which was jest about where I'm
settin' now, could get glimpse Of her
face, the prettiest pinky white complex
ion you ever see, with a bow mouth
like a child's an dimpled chin, an
nothin' the matter with it at all but
them there wrinkles under the eyes. s
far s I was consumed them wrinkles
didn't make no difference. 1 couldn't
see 'em half the time for the shine of
the eyes. But Lavinia, she puts the
lamp back on the table where she got
it an, turnin', stares at me.
"'He says she commences, that I
would be pretty, awful pretty, if it
want for these here wrinkles under
my eyes
'Lavinia,' l admonishes, you're
pretty enough as it is. Don't you be
worryin' a mint about them wrinkles
under your eyes,
"She promised she wouldn't an went
away. But 'twa'nt many days before
back she come again, an, takin' that
little stool you've got under your feet,
puts it close to me, same S you're set
tin now an lays her head on my knee.
l rests my hand on it, silentlike, COM
fortin' of her. 'Twa'n't the first time.
A woman can get along all right gener-
ally till she falls in love with a man.
Soon s that happens she begins to need
comfortin'.
"'He says she begins by an by,
that there are doctors up in New York
what can take the wrinkles out from
under the eyes. 'Tain't no trouble he
says. All they've got to do is to cut
away some pieces Of flesh an sew up
the places. Then when it's well the
wrinkles is gone, an they never come
back no more; never no more
"Lavinia, says 4, answerin', better
let well enough alone. Better stay g
the Lord made you. He knows best.
He knows what he's about, if it does
seem sort of strangelike at times the
way lie manages. When he put them
wrinkles in your face, he meant for
them to stay there till he gets ready to
smooth 'em out.
"'Anyway. Lavinia,' l goes on after
a mint of studyin'. If this here young
man of your'n don't love you enough
to forget them wrinkles under your
eyes he amt much good to tie to.
That's my opinion. l give it to you for
what it is WORTH
"'But want to be beautiful! she
sort of means. L want to he bea utifulv
"Well. when woman once makes
up her mind to win mans love there
amt nothin' short of chopin off her
head goin' to stop her. SO l want to
say surprised when Lavinia come run
min over a day OF two after a-tellin'
me goodby an sayin' as how she was
about to take little trip up to New
York to look up them doctors Tom
Wofford had been talkin' to her so
much about.
"'When l come back she smiles, but
with scared look in her eyes, Il shall
be bea utiful.'
'sWhile she was gone l got to inquir-
in about them New York doctors what
cut an slashed into peoples faces so
reckless, smOothin' out wrinkles put
there by the hand of God, shapin' noses
over, settin' back ears an takin' reefs
out Of double chins to make 'em single.
An what l heard about 'em, Sally,
didn't tend to encourage me much
about Lavinia, l can tell you that. On
the other hand, it scared me about her.
If you could "a heard some of them
tales they told me, your hair would "a
stood straight up. One feller's nose,
they said, had been made good enough
shape, but what with tinkerin' away on
it, the same's if it had been wood, it
had got SO delicate he was afraid Of
blowin' it, afraid it would come to
pieces altogether an he wouldn't have
no nose. Another had his ears set back
too far. The flesh clean covered the
hole he had to hear out Of an made
him deaf as a post natcherally. Why
shouldn't it?
"You can understand, then, Sally,
that it want nothin' but natcheral-
hearin' all these stories an more what
haven't got time now to tell you'll
was gettin' mighty Uneasy about La
vinia an them wrinkles of her'n. In q
Jew weeks she come back alive, though,
IN of course, her an me bein' such fast
friends, the first thing she does is to
.ome straight over here to me. There
lint a sweeter soul in this here town
han Lavinia. Well, she stands stin
light here facin' the winder with tho
light foodin' her like an says to me:
lis the wrinkles gone, Annr
"Now, Lavinia had eyes-they had
eft her eyes-an', havin' eyes, she could
zee them wrinkles of her'n jest the
ame as could see 'em. She could see
hat they was jest as bad as they allus
vas, if they want to say worse. So !
when I didn't say nothin' at all to her.
eein' 1 couldn't say nothin' comfortin',
he walks to the winder an looks out |
,itiful like an says, s if she was talk |
a. to herself, me settin' by mute, actin
lummy: .--
AN the pain of it! The awful pain
f it! An all for nothin'! Fool, idiot! !
When wake up in the mornin', it's the
lrst thing l call myself an the last
hing at night-idiot, fooly
1r,'% III