The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-04-17

thlnS DelOre.
It wasn't q bit like novels-though
| never had much Of a chance to read
them. for I've had to work out ever
since | was 5. But in novels, you
know, the girl is always beautiful, and
always dressed in shimmering satin
and lace; and the man generally
meets her behind bank OF palms at
a ball and they wind the thing up In
a garden of roses just as the sun goes
down, And as he clasps her slender,
dropping form in his arms, and she
lays her golden head on his manly
bosom, ! always wonder how much
81 that clasping business therell be
when he sees her with her golden
hair done up In curl papers and a last
weeks calico dress on?
And, you know. that makes lots Of
difference. Now. I'm not a bit pretty,
but when I'm dressed up you'd be- sur
prised. My hairs dark. and it's ma.
turally straight and oily and wants to
lay right fiat to my head But when
I've washed It good and curied it Just
the least bit and snarlei 1t into n pom.
padOur back and front there's not one
person In n dozen but would say the
whole thing IS nature Then my com
pleXlon is kind Of dark. but I've found
out how to use Princess cream and
rice powder so It won't show. And |
know just what kind OF styles and col
Ors to wear. So. when I'm dressed up
in my brown, tight.fitting tailor" suit
with furs and hat all to match-thc
whole thing simple and elegant and
not a bit like a hired girl--and I'm
with Il crowd of girls and We meet a
maxwell, he never looks at the
Others.
But when | get home and change
my tailored broadcloth for an Old blue
calico with patch on the front, when
the powder wears off and my hair be.
gins to wilt and get. stringy, then |
guess a man wouldn't turn his head
unless 1t was to keep from looking at
me.
Then why don't just keep fixed mp
all the time? Because | don't have
time. When girl gets up at four
gets breakfast, milks FIVE cows. puts
out big washing, gets dinner, churns,
does the ironing, gets supper and then
mows the yard while She's resting.
there's not much time for pomping
your hair. And when | saw | couldn
work and keep pretty, both. | chose
TO work. And never worried anything
about it-not till | met Isaac
He's school teacher. and an awful
fine scholar too. lie graduated from
common branches, and he's spent two
whole terms in the county normal
He's been teaching district school for
seven years now-every year in a diff.
ferent place
lie talks a whole lot about his pro
fession." and about the child" and
the "child's mental growth" and "iu
telleCtual processes" and lot of othc'
things | cant understand He's told
me, too. that 1t takes a great deal of
courage for I-an to recognize his af-
iinity-whatevor that means-among
the lower classes, when his calling in
life is to be a brain worker and great
leader among men.
And, besides being a school teacher
he's the most finicky fellow | ever
went with. They say # takes him If.
teen minutes to comb his hair and he
cant put on his hat without n looking.
glass. When get into big stew of
work | forget all about how look.
but Isaac never gets so deep in as
that. Last summer. when help was 50
scarce here in the country, and the
men Just working their heads of 10
get harvesting done. and Isaac was
sitting around at home studying intel.
leCtual processes, John Winters here,
that's the womaus man | work for,
he asked Isaac to help him. And
Isaac helped one forenoon. And they
said he wore gloves all the time and
when he come into the field he was
carrying an umbrella over him.
went with him all the next winter
and by spring he vas coming here
twice a week regular | used to spend
nearly two hours beforehand getting
A'hht ipl lliiils anu nv "bulu just lhh'
spells over my-my-looks, but all
the time | felt kind of uneasy.
At last one night when he was try.
Ing to make me promise him, sure,
just up and says:
Isaac" says |, you don't know me
You think I'm pretty, and I'm not"
why aren't you pretty, Matilda"
says he. tHe always says aren't"
and "isnt.O Haven't you the most
beautiful hair that was ever on
woman's head? Isn't your skin like
the petals of II lily? Aren't your teeth
like pearis?"
M, sir" says |, they amt! 1t
takes me half an hour to do up my
hair so II looks like it's naturally fluf.
fly, These pearls you're talking about
most of EN- cost three dollars apiece,
and my lily skin comes out of a cold
cream jar and powder box. My eyes
is the real thing, but If there was any
way OF changing EN- I'd be a doing
it"
He seemed sort of dazed for a min.
i