The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-03-18
WOMAN AT HER BEST.

t'Why is it." l asked, sitting down
IN Polly's trunk and dangling my legs
over the side, chat woman is al
ways at her best when she is acting",
Polly lifted her .haresfoot and care
fully spread a delicate coating OF
rouge under one eye before replying.
'I'll tell you," she said at length,
Gaming back and squirting into the
mirror to get the effect, when you
-ell me why it is that a man, know
ing that, never is satisfied until he
goes behind the scenes and sees the
rouge wiped off and the wrong side OF
the calcium"
ooh, bosh," said I, chats easy.
Didn't you ever want to see the wheels
30 round, or stick a pin into your doll
20 get at the sawdust, or wonder what
was on the other side of the moon,
when you were youngster? Every
hing attractive is always on the 9th
sr side,' even heaven"
"Well," said Polly, touching the tip
ind of her nose with dash Of pow
der, 80 Is a woman-when she is
most attractive. But, Mr.. Heavyfeath-
9r, the lady manageress would object
af she knew that you were bothering
around the stars dressing room, even
IL this Is only an amateur perform
ance. I've got that rouge on quite
srooked, and can't find my curling
longs, and you're spelling my temper
and shattering your illusions"
SGT coid
Gling myself well back on the slippery
edge of the trunk and lighting Gig
arette with grim determination.
N'that woman's attraction is all in
the perspective"
81 don't" said Polly, rubbing the
cold cream into her nose and eyes un-
til they were nothing but smudge.
IF you mean that you won't go away.
A woman is most attractive when she
is most engaged. 1t doesn't make any
difference whether she is playing Ju-
aiet or making biscuits"
"Or 'malling-up.'" declared, look
ing admiringly at Polly through a
cloud of smoke "a man ought al
ways to watch a woman 'making-up'
If he really wants to see her at her
best"
"a man." said Polly, scrubbing her
cheek violently with towel, never
sees any woman at her best. That is
the sad part of it. The minute a man
somes around, the average girl drops
her rollingpin, or her ping-pong rack
ct. or her water color brush. or her
powder puff, and Immediately begins
to try to be fascinating. If she would
only go on just being herself, regard
less of his presence, and would look
at life and at what she is doing
through transparent medium COM
posed of his head and body, he would
Mr.. Heavyfeather, will you please
stop playing tit-tat-toe on that trunk
and hand me the big hat with the
feathers? You are distracting me so
why don't you look at what you
are doing through transparent me-
dunn composed of my head and
'body?" I asked sweetly, as l held the
hat out by one feather
Some men," said Polly, ignoring
my suggestion as she rescued the
Feather and put the hat down careful
ay out of reach of my boots, fancy
that 1t is youth that makes a woman
attractive"
THAT depends" remarked, ION
whether you like them at sixteen,
when they are unsophisticated and I'M
conscious, or at thirty-six, when they
know how to wear their frocks prop
serly and hide their emotions"
Exactly" said Polly; sit is merely
the difference between getting the
raw material and the finished arti
Gle, or ordering your dinner on the
European plan and eating at a table
'd'hote. 1t is all matter of taste. Be-
sides, there are lots of women who
ARE fascinating from the time they be-
gin to crow In the cradle until the
crows feet begin to come around their
eyes,"
"And yet" said I. watching Polly
dust the rice powder over her nose.
there is always time when a woman
Ss most beautiful"
THAT is not necessarily the time
'When she Is most fascinating" re-
coined Polly, as she moistened her lit
nle finger between her lips and wiped
the powder OF one eyebrow. Beauty
rs only powder deep, you know.
never found that snub nose and a
few freckles prevented m anybody
from filling dance programme, nor
that lack of height or the want of
Titan locks made a man less anxious
to have-anybody lay her head on his
coat lapel"
That's So" said L; 1--WE seen doz-
ems Of raving beauties in Paris gowns
standing round against the wall trying
to look comfortable while red-head.
ed little thing with green eyes and
a badly fitting frock had to divide her
dances into quarters, and even six
teenths, to satisfy"
"And 1t is always the pest looking
women" broke in Polly, who make
Tho worSf u,afchoz Aro va, sst4i..