Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-29

choice" began Amelia. with a slight
flush on her lovely face. 'T choose
half of the contents of the 1agon."
Il am next" cried Fanny eagerly.
81 will take the other half of the con-
tents. And you, Esther, what will you
choose?" she asked magnanimously.
IL Will take the silver hagon," !
responded humbly, and they seemed
very well satisfied.
We gathered about Amelia's chair
as she Clipped at the sealing wax with
her penknife. She flung the crimson
bits into the fire, and it made little
white hot sheets of fame that darted
up the black mouthed chimney like
short life that is quickly burned out
ora woman's fragile beauty that flares
for a brief period and then dies away.
| leaving gray ashes.
When the wax was broken and the
stopper had been with difficulty loos-
ened from the slender neck of the YES
sci in turn we peered down the slen-
der orifce and saw nothing. We shook
the f1agon and heard nothing. We
turned it upside down, and nothing
happened.
ut is empty" said Amelia. with q
white face
Perhaps the jewels are stuck fast
to the bottom 1 suggested. You
know they have been inferred for a
century,"
Get your curling tongs. Fanny"
commanded Amelia, darling a hostile
glance in my direction.
I looked into the glowing Goals, Won
dering at the magic of possession that
had seized upon us three cousins who
had been loving friends from child
hood. Here we were wrangiing over
| the possession Of a silver 'fagon to
which we had scarcely ever given a
| thought in our busy lives. Thanks to
Great-aunt Hannah, we were rich be-
yond our widest dreams, and still we
could not be satisfied without prying
into Dorothy Fabyan's silver f1agonl
Fanny returned with the long silver
| tongs that were used to wave her
! straight black hair. "They should
reach to the very bottom of the jugr'
she cried excitedly
Once more we bent above the silver
! hagon while Amelia thrust the tongs
carefully down the slender neck and
after a painful interval drew forth
folded slip Of yellowed paper covered
with fine pointed chirography.
! Fanny and Amelia leaned back pale
and breathless while 1 spelled out the
/ spidery words that explained how Dor
/ othy Fabyan, that clever housewife Of
so many decades ago, had discovered
most wonderful complexion wash
! ''Cleopatra's Balm of Beauty she call
| ed it. To this marvellous face wash
/ she ascribed her own exquisite beauty.
/ The ingredients were almost impoSsi-
/ BILE to obtain in those primitive days,
/ and she had even sold her precious
! jewels to obtain the necessary ele-
ments of the balm. Now, she passed
! the secret of its making to her own
/ daughter and afterward down to the
coming generations Of the women Of
( her family, and, as If the mere pos
session Of the recipe sealed within the
silver fagon could impart a magic
| spell upon its owner, the Fabyan wom-
en- had been famous for their wonder
full beauty-all save poor Great-aunt
Hannah and myself.
what greater jewels doth any wo-
/ man possess" concluded the old. old
! letter, than diamond eyes, teeth of
! pearls. coral cheeks and ruby lips?
| These jewels you will find sealed
within my silver fiagon."
l ran my eye over the carefully
compiled directions for "Cleopatra's
Balm of Beauty" and ere 1 reached
its close Amelia uttered a little angry
cry and snatched the bit Of paper
from my grasp. In an instant it flut-
tered into the fire. and my exclama-
ton of distress brought both girls to
my side.
You could not care for that silly
recipe. Esther wondered Fanny.
"See, you have the beautiful silver
| fagon, while we have nothing. Yet
we hoped for gems"
Jewels you both have a-pIenty,"
said mournfully. Look there! !
turned them about till they faced the
tall pier glass set between the long
windows, and there they stood regard
ing their beautiful faces in charming
embarrassment while bent above the
silver flagon and stared defiantly at
the reflection Of my own plain fea-
lures in its polished surface.
"Great-aunt Hannah never knew
either 1 marveled, thinking of her
homeIy face and the contrasted beauty
Of her unselfish life.
Poor old Esther" comforted the
girls. poised on either arm of my
chair, and as their kisses fell warmly
on my uplifted face I seemed not to
care that l had lost heritage of
beauty Ny heritage of love was still
my own.