The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1904-04-21
Beauty Ut; and nd
y The Man
By Keith Gordon
Copyright, 1903, by T. G. Mcclure.

I ...COpyrlgbe, l9OS, BY L. Z. MCCLURE. Z
In the long talks that those two ex-
cellent friends-Baird Dunham and
Barbara Somers-had from time to
time about life, the world and the men
and women therein he had more than
once confded to her that never could
he fall in love with a woman who was
not beauty.
II can't exactly explain how feel
about it," he said one day as they sat
together in an art gallery, where his
worshiping eyes returned ever and
again to a pictured face of rare beauty
that looked down upon them from the
warm red walls. 1T isn't that think
they are the most fascinating. Wit
and beauty are not too fond Of each
others company. Besides. the most
attractive woman I've ever known was
ugly-so ugly that at first she made
you gasp After that-we!l. she was
your criterion of charm. When you
left her things became stale and life
less. All the color and sympathy went
from the scene. You simply hungered
for her."
He paused and turned toward his
companion with waiting, expectant
look. as If he wanted to be sure that
she understood, and she answered the
unspoken question Of his glance with
a slow smile that did not betray, by so
much as n flicker, the warm, rcproach-
full, woman wrath in her heart.
She had heard practically the same
thing from him before, but today fer
the first time her patience gave way
utterly. Apparently all sense Of her
womanhood had been sunk in their
comradeship. Instead of rejoicing in
this state Of affairs, feeling of injury.
Outrage, suddenly flared up in her
heart.
Did he think that because her fea-
lures were irregular and her complex
ion dull she was girl who did not
need to be reckoned with? Did he
suppose she was the less Il woman be-
cause she was plain? Had he no idea
of the sting in the remarks he was for
ever making about feminine beauty?
These were the questions she asked
herself hotly. but her voice-that low.
vibrant voice that thrilled one with
its rich difference from other voices
betrayed in its full evenness no trace
Of the resentment that surged within
her
You are right" she agreed. with i'm
personal candor. "All women should
be beautiful''-there was a slight pause,
a hesitation just marked enough to give
force to the conclusion Of her sentence
'.just as all men should be big and
strongr'
Dunham glanced at her, quickly. For
one startled moment he half thought
But, no; Barbara was too good fellow
to give man a fleck on the raw like
that. It was mere coincidence.
Dunham was but five feet six, and,
though he was well knit and substan-
tial. with clean bred look that was in
itself a recommendation, he was a
trife sensitive on the score of the six
additional inches of height that he
felt should have been his.
"A mans appearance isn't of much
consequence he observed, somewhat
stifliy. "His field is action. 1t is what
he Is rather than how he looks"
There was more heat in his tone
than he liked, but he wasn't able to
suppress it. Somehow he didn't enjoy
being made to feel that he was not
at all like her ideal man. even though
they were. nothing but friends.
Perhaps you are right" was the
mild reply. and the conversation drift
ed to other and safer subjects. But
there was q speculative look in Bar
bara's eyes for the rest of the after
noon, which would have told careful
observer that she was turning some
plan over in her mind.
Her usual hour of rest before dinner
she spent lying at full length on the
divan in her room, with her hands
clasped under her head and her eyes
fixed ON the open fire, thinking.
So Baird could never love any one
but beauty! She carefully refrained
from asking herself why this should
pique her particularly, since her plain
ness had never interfered with their
friendship, and he spent far more time
with her than with any of the pretty
girls of their set. Still
well, I don't care" she said aloud
as, glancing at the clock, she arose and
began to roll up the masses of her
dark hair. sticking the great shell pins
in here and there with reckless indif-
ference. "I'm tired of hearing him
talk that way. He deserves to be pun
islled. Beauty may be the greatest
thing, but it isn't greater than all other
things put together.
"a few weeks of Amy will be good
for him." she soliloQuized as she went
on with her dressing. Then. when she
was ready for dinner. she sat down at
her desk and wrote letter to former
schoolmate-the beauty of her class
urging her to make her long promised
visit.
In the course of a week or two the
invitation had been -:cceotcd. and Miss