Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-01-06
THE MANICURE SPEAKS.

good many of my customers go 10
Europe every year, but they all tell me
there no such manicuring there as we've
got here in the dear old United States
An l should Judge they're right; your
hands look real neglected. When were
you done last? You don't tell me! And
you used to be so Particular / used to
go up to your house twice a week when
you didn't come in, don't you remember?
Round or pointed? Oh, yes-you always
did like the oval, didn't your Those
white fecks denote bad circulation, they
tell me oh, been haVin' nervous trouble?
You don't say There's nothin' like 1t.
nothin so bad as nerves. An l ought TO
know, for I'm real high -strung-the least
little thing just sets me off, sometimes.
My husband says-you don't mean l
never told you | was married? Well, IL
that's not the queerest thing! I've been
married two years an six days-come
to think of it, you've been away about
that long, haven't you? l kept on with
business; my husband didn't want me
to, but l say to him: Now where's the
fun for me sittin' at home alone all day
while you're off?" For awhile l just
went out to private customers; but 1 lost
about my best one a month or two ago,
an l came back here an took my old
place Madame was mighty glad to have
me-she needs a reliable lady here, she's
obliged to be away so much at the
lab ratory. overseein' the preparation of
our creams an lotions.
Say, dearie, you ought to take jar
Of our "Kala Honey Mixture" 1t tones
up the skin somethin' wonderful. an your
nerves have certainly taken all your nice
color out of your face; you're thinner
too, an your poor eyes have got regular
saucers around them. Ten tickets for our
facial treatment would only come to ten
dollars-single treatment is dollar an a
half-an' you'd never know you was the
same woman at the end OF them. Don't
want to consider the matter today? Oh
very well.
It's funny your comm back just as
that friend of yours was leavin'. amt II?
What friend? why. that widow. Mrs
/ Lansenberg You sent her here. or she
| sent you here, / forget which way around
| 1t was. You don't saw to! Didn't know
she was goin? Well now to think l
should be the first TO tell you about your
own friends Yes, she decided to go
/ about a month ago-I shouldn't wonder
II you passed each other on the ragin'
deep.
We read a good deal OF poetry my
| husband an l. He's quite htry in his
tastes. We've a real coy apartment. an
| evenin's when we don't go out into So
ciety we sit at home an read and sew
he reads an ! sew-an' it's all so much
more companionable than Twin by your
self. No not exactly. He-he's a sort
Of confidential man with Ketchum an
know the firm? No. You don't say,
They got the Rocks an Bangs divorces
! guess my husband knows more about
the inside life Of some OF the leadin' stage
people an the four hundred than any
other man. No, he amt in the firm-an'
not exactly a detective. He serves pa
pers an'things quite often. anon, he
does great deal of general work-an
some stenography. oh. pardon me, Did
it hurt you much? l don't know when l
ever let the scissors slip like that before.
Did you have a pleasant Christmas
Lonely? Now. Miss Lawton. you take
my advice an get married. Then you've
got company all the rest of your life.
when think how used to chase around
an think / was havin' n good time--my
oh yes. a lovely one. an lots OF pres
ents. My husband. he gave me white
broadcloth coat, three quarters length
satin lined an handsomely trimmed with
the other hand please. Dinah! DInahl
new piece Of sand paper, il you please
That girl would forget TO breathe II that
was what she was paid fort
So you didn't know that Mrs. Jansen
berg was gone. Your hands are thinner
amt they? Too thin for those handsom,
, rings you used to wear. Well, I'm sort
OF glad OF it-not about your hands o.
course-about Mrs. Lansenberg bein
gone For II she had beens here an seer
you, she might have told somethin' abou
! me. an told 1t sort of to my discredt
though the way II happened was perfect!
innocent Perfectly innocent, I've M
I call to go pTyin' into other peoples ar
fairs for my amusement: my husband
can take me TO the theatre when w
want to be entertaned-or he can tel
me things he knows that a good man!
| would give their eye teeth to know. Blu
he feels that he can rely on me.
I'm as silent as the grave where his in
terests are concerned, though l don
n herg's affairs so awful private, not afte
the way she talked to me. An l CUES
n my word is as good hers, any day
T Oh. OF course. II you don't care to hear
I've got no call to tell you. Thank good
e ness, I'm no gossip, meddlin In m
r neighbors business! But after you ha
got her for me as a customer. ! sort O
: felt that l owed you an explanation G
. how | came to lose her, Oh, you ma
! well be- Anyone who knows me may we
. be sure that there was no great harm o
II my side. l guess even Mr.. Derwent woul
( admit that!
Oh, Miss Lawton. Miss Lawton! Tha
jab was somethin awful! Dinah! Di
= nah A bowl of hot water. hot, min
n you, an some adhesive plaster. Now,
= ought to be discharged for that. / neve
cut customers hand before, an "
n been manicurin' fifteen years. / bega
n when ! was a mere child, It's like yo
e to say so, Miss Lawton, but ii was m
fault. You did jerk your hand littl
n maybe, but-my!
n What Mr.. Derwent was / speakin' OF
f., Mr.. Peter Derwent. My brother work
g in the livery where he keeps his horse
> he lives in bachelor apartments-whel
they amt stablin'-an' he, my brothe
says that he's in a bankin house dow
- town-Mayhew, Derwent an Co.; / don
know who the Co, is. That the Derwei
70 you know? Yes? He's a sort of seriol
'e lookin' man, amt he? Kind of set al
IL stern an a little sad. You don't say 81
Well, he looks that way now all right
went to Mrs. Lansenberg's thr,
times a week, an extra when she needle
rs me for parties an things. An l was
there one day about two months ag
H. dom her hands. An the servant came
an hands her a card, an says: IN
\ Derwent says please pardon him f
L comm at such an unusual hour, b
would you give him few minutes
=, They were engaged, you know. Oh, "
~ do know! Well, she gets up an fui
nc her hair-she's touched 1t up considerah
!. since you went away; 1t is a good de
~ brighter. An she dabs her nose wi
ne powder, an ties the ribbons of her me-
H. ligee, an says to me to wait, that she
be right back, an in she goes.
eo Well, you've been there, amt you,
te that apartment her an her mother ha
ne Her room was on one side of hail. y
remember. an the parlors an dinil
o. room on the other Well her moth