The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-11-08
Between Friends

ums which harmonized with her
toilet.
Pale" echoed the young woman in
ene hammock, Indignantly. That's
mlla' It's a wonder l don't look sea
green. After last evening I have lost
an in myself. 1t is a ter.
r1pie thing to De absent-mindedt"
What did o do this timer" In.
quired her caller with what seemed
like heartlessly joyful expectancy.
= don't suppose Dick Cable will
ever want to see me again." walled the
girl In the hammock. II believe he is
running yet, and l don't know that |
piano him. He was coming to call
last night and while, of course, 7 al.
ways try to look as nice as l can for
the sake of my family / confess l took
a little extra pains dressing for him.
Anyhow. l put on my new yellow gown
ano worked Over my hair for an hour,
Then 1t was dinner time and | had to
nnlsh afterward-do my hands and
dab on some powder.
l never yet saw n man who didn't
rage ut the mention of face powder or
who was so dumb he conld not imnc.
d1ately become eloquent when the sub
1ect was brought up. A box OF face
powder to the average man represents
theoretically h depths Of depravity.
to hear him talk!
Wen, as | was saying, I hastily put
on some powder just as the bell rang.
l nave found the most delightful new
powder that really doesn't show at all.
1t comes in a sort of cake in n box
and You take a damp sponge and rub
on the cake and then over your conn
tenance and at once you have an
angelic complexion, and nobody is the
wiser. have worn that powder in
broad daylight out in the sun and
looked Dick straight in the face with
my innocent expression and said his
views did him credit when he har-
ansued against making up ones face.
He has said at such times that he was
SO siad l didn't use powder and that I
looked ten times better than the girls
who did!
DICK acted awfully queer when I
noated out here on the vcranda in all
my glory He seemed distracted and
fr1Shtfully nervous. At least he
jumped every time HI glanced nv
way. | did my best to put him at
ease-smiled my brightest and tried
on MIN a brand-new upward look from
beneath my lashes that had seemed
very effective when l practiced It be.
fore the mirror. But it didn't seem TO
help matters much.
1T was just at this point that I be-
gan to feel nervous myself. for srd.
denly l found it difficult to smile. let
alone talk. a cold, icy sensation was
creeping over my face and the muscles
seemed DaralyZcd. 1t was terrible. I
tried to keep my terror to myself. but
as | persevercd in the society small
talk act L was desperately going over
all the family history / could recall
trying to think IL any of my relatives
had ever been stricken with paralysis.
Finally l reached the point where all
sensation left my face n I could not
move my lips.
Then l knew that all was over. 1
hade lnarticulate sounds and Dick
sprung to his feet and dragged me
with him.
NELL he cried h~oarsely, what on
earth Is the matter? You look so
queer! Speak. o aren't going to
die. are you? Speak to mel
B u that was just what 1 couldn't
DO, with the viselike mask that had
gripped my face. Sc he pulled me
into the hall, where there was a light.
When he got a good look at me he
staggered into a chair and groaned MS
though everything was over and he
had lost me forever.
Il stumbled to a mirror and peered
at myself. Amid all my misery I re-
member having a faint curiosity to see
just how paralysis had made me look.
When l saw the reflection / lust
screamed and l think l tainted or
something, for l came to with the
family gathered around throwing wa
ter and tanning and Dick lowering dis
tractedly in the middle distance. The
mask seemed cracked then, because I
could murmur weakly. When re-
membered that hideous stone-Sray
face that had met my eyes in the mir
ror l wanted to faint again or die.
the family old me what I
had done. 1t seemed that instead of
sponSins damp powder on my face, as
| had supposed. l had got hold of the
box of stuff l used to clean my white
canvas shoes. It's gray. you know.
and o smear it on and put the soiled
shoes in the sun and in an hour they
are masically clean and white. Only
I hadn't sat in the sun, SO the result
was slightly different.
"Of course Dick was glad when he
found 1 was going to live, but believe
the shock of finding that / was actual
" weak minded enough to powder nv
face overbalanced his joy. He got
7 . y-n-- n C COON o- 10 --.1