The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-02

defy any one here to say look older. jim
is right. woman is as old as she looks.
Girls. confidentially, Bob is only twenty
six. See my point? / am here at your
mercy. I can only trust you to shield me
by due prevarication if you are asked about
my presence at this particular gathering"
The serious-minded young person shifted
audibly. Fluff, why don't you make Bob
grow a Vandyke-and be honest"
The Beauty looked at her mournfully.
you don't know Bob she said. "Bob's-
ah-strength of character is twenty years
I'm advance of his age. My real consolation
is. girls. that 1 am of the Professional
Beauty type-genus Pattius. you know. 1t
shows only the odd birthday in the three
or four. 1t wears we'll And, besides, a
wise woman's age lies one-half in her
power. 1 think, therefore. in summing up
that L am safe in taking Bob.
Now, plain woman. knowing she is
plain, is bound to grow palmer Why? Be-
cause. knowing she is plain. she will take
no pains to preserve herself. Knows-or,
rather, thinks-its of no USE
Like me- soliloquized the sensible young
person.
Clara" said the Beauty, "you will OBJ
serve just here that the floor is mine at
present. To proceed-a plain woman hasn't
usually the wisdom to refuse to acknowl-
edge her lack of beauty. She forgets that
there are supplements to beauty that even
the most beautiful must in the course of
time, fall back on if they would continue
fascinating. This, my dears, is what we
call personality. Cultivating charming
personality the years will ind her only
growing more and more attractive.
Now, this is what i call sensible life
motif When my cheval shows me these
eyes. this skin, this hair, beginning to fade.
to lose the freshness of youth in middle age,
L shall begin-or. rather, shall cultivate
more assiduously than ever-the twin sister
to beauty-charm. That subtle. evanescent
something. that shuns sharp words like
cucumbers in hot weather, and jealous
thoughts like other peoples poor relations
In place of face lotions 7 shall cultivate
sympathy; in place of vivacity, expressive
rerose.
And, my dears," continued the Beauty
blandly, When you spoken of as old;
when you are set back in comfortable Nor
ris chairs, while your daughters are taken
into the conservatory to see the night
blooming Serious as Aunt Dinah says
shall be right on the floor with the daugh-
tiers. OF course / shall no longer be The
Beauty. but L shall be preserved to the
best of my abilities and purse, l shall be
something nearly as good. My dears-I
shall be charming"
The speaker looked back upon her back
breadths of chiffon and silk to see If they
were in right condition to be sat upon.
But the hostess started to her feet with
sparkling eyes.
Here's to Adelaide." she cried excitedly.
Three cheers for Adelaide. girls! Hasn't
she said the last word upon the subject?
How has it come that we have lived these
many years and never knew that the wis
dom of the sphynx lay within the pretty
head of our Beauty? Here's to Adelaide!"
She raised her white arm and the little
sparkling glass aloft, waving 1t around the
table. and at its signal each guest arose
and lifted her glass high.
Here's to Adelaide, girls, and our re-
ceding birthdays. Here's to our next, girls!
Our twenty-ninthi''