Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-01-05

knives, are held up In Sront of smiling
faces while the owners quickly look TO
make sure hat all is well.
Stepping out into the kitchen unan-
nounced and not searching for material
/ stumbled upon a rich find. There was
our dainty maid primping in front OF
a new pie a which h held so as to
catch her rejection. / stood like a
statue, scarcely daring to breathe lest /
startle her and trying not TO wink for
fear / would miss a movement. The
situation vas delightful.
The maid, all unconscious of any
watching eye, pulled Il the ruff1es OF
her bewitching apron. ran her myers
lightly through her hair, smiled at her
self, hen frowned N smiled again.
When she put the pan down she was
already to open the o to AlphonsS
when he should knock. secure in thu
knowledge that she was looking her
best. But first I had to make my es-
cape. She jumped and blushed furi-
ously at my cough, but owned up brave
ly when / accused her of nightly using
this substitute for the mirror which
the rear apartments lacked. Who but
a woman would have thought OF using
such a substitute?
At a musicale some evenings later /
saw many articles of furniture catch
and hold the ladies' eyes and / thought,
as / noted the increased vivaciousness
of expression as they caught sight of
our national toast to the ladies': Here's
to the light that lies in a woman's eyes
and lies and lies and lies"
1t was not always a DOT mot hat
made her eyes dance and sparkle, but
often the silent compliment of some
shiny bit of furniture.
New Use for Spoons.
T -,D lAats~al 70 Inn vn t,n.Y1L 10 fnlra
many steps forward In my search, or
to give h ladies their due, to be
pushed gently along to almost the end
by them that evening.
1t was at the beginning Of supper
when the soup was served that / saw
my Wis a Wis deliberately pick up her
spoon and glance at herself in the bowl.
There was no mistaking the action. I
questioned her later and she confessed
serenely and ever consented to pose
for me in that position. She seemed
quite proud Of the fact that she had dis
covered this odd use for a soup spoon.
When an elderly matron gazed alb
sent-mindedly into my eyes while I
discussed the latest excavations OF
Rome with her l couldn't but wonder
whether she caught her reflection In my
eyes, and / sazed back at her endeavor-
ing to see myself in her "orbs" until I
am sure we must have presented a very
laughable spectacle. 1 didn't learn
whether or not she was using my yes
for refectors, but 1 think II quite pos
sible.
From the ball room to the office my
search trailed. / had completed a lee
ture Orwell, no matter what-and
marched into my typist's office to have
II typed, to find her standing at rapt
In front of a framed glass COW
cred railroad mani
Slowly she lifted her hand to her
brow as though in deep thought n as
slowly pulled out first a hairpin, then
a comb, then more pins, and while I
stood too stunned to retreat or advance,
his absorbed young woman, her eyes
mySteriously on the map, or SO /
thought, rearranged her coiffure.
When the last pin was in place L
spoke. She turned without a trace of
embarrassment and addressed me: II
thought l had slipped the lock. This
office is frightfully bare, not even a
mirror; / am forced to use the pictures
to see whether or not my hat is on
straight or my hair in order"
So that was it. Not the railroad map,
no, not that held her attention, it is
doubtful whether she could have told.
what the glass protected, but her own
reflected self. She confided to me that
nearly every office worker in the land
used some such substitute for a mirror
and she said that the glances cast
therein were not confined to the female
portion of the office staff, that the men
arranged their ties and smoothed their
hair before these reflectors quite as I'M
abashed as their sisters. But my thesis
did not treat of the vanity of my broth
ers, so / dropped the subject at this
point, quite content at having rolled the
number of hours which a woman spends
viewing herself at 1000 as the moder-
ate average.