Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-24
STIMULATING HIS INTEREST.
By Daisy Rhinehart.

by DalSy Nn1nenaft.
blue nuns yelling Is plenty good enough.
People think q heap too much about
clothes an sech trifes. anyhow, an
don't want to set no example Of fine
dressin' to the young folks" she added,
virtuously.
Eyes, your nuns yelling is good enough,
Of course" said Honey, with the trans
parent diplomacy OF one too polite to dis
sent openly from a proposition. "Well,
must hurry back an At Picnic Stricken.
She'll be waitin' when get there"
''How's she havin' that dress made?''
Of interest.
Same old tight way that makes her
look jest like a minner. She's ben havin'
her clothes made that same way ever
sence Jake Kite told her 1t was becomin'
she was young an had some bust meas
ure. He's ben married fifteen years an
got eight children. but 1t don't seem to
make no difference to her. Some women
the compassionate scorn OF hopeless
maidenhood.
Honey hurried away to her waiting
patron. and Mrs. Mirnms turned her at
tention slowly to the Ffreside Friend.
Its first page was taken up almost en-
tirely with the picture Of a pompadoured
young woman In low-necked gown.
with a Lady Teazle curl over one shoul-
er, and a piece Of black velvet around
her throat, engaged. apparently. in in
mum and wearing simperingly pleased
expression. Mrs. Mimms gloafed over
this picture admiringiy for q full min
ute. 1t seemed to her to be the incarna-
soul longed for. After she had thorough
ly stepped herself In it she proceeded to
go through the paper, taking q cursory
nip. as it were, at each page-pausing ap-
wasted. beruf1ied figures heralded as the
--latest things from Paris"
She proceeded In a thoroughly conscien-
tious manner. taking the pages consecu-
lively from cover to cover. Not for
worlds would she have opened the paper
at random. nor looked over the seventh
page before the fifth. When she had
carefully read the advertisement Of as
sorted candies ON the back cover, she
turned back to the front and settled down
to real business on the article accom-
panying the pompadoured female. It was
entitled 1.-THE Wiles Of the French Wife,
and ran as follows:
"Our American women would do we'll to
take a lesson from their French sisters in
the art Of managing q husband. The
Frenchwoman is past mistress in the art
Of keeping alive the interest Of her hus-
band in herself. None knows better than
she mans love Of variety and change,
and she is far too smart to bore him with
sameness OF appearance and manner. She
is constantly appealing to this side Of his
nature In the trivial matters of everyday
life-constantly experimenting with new
ways OF doing her hair and new styles Of
dress. She changes her moods and hui
mors. too always taking care that they
are pleasant, II she Is truly wise. She
makes little mysteries with him to excite
his curiosity and stimulate his interest in
her. She actually nirts with her own
husband-just think Of it! And as a re-
suit the French husband Is far moro
courteously attentive and lover-like to his
wife than the American or English hus-
band. He keeps her supplied with bon
Dons and flowers, and Is thoughtful Of
her In all tho small matters of life"
Mrs. Mimms laid down the paper when
she had finished reading the article and sat
lost in thought. By degrees a great light
broke over countenance which twenty
years OF drudgery in a narrow valley
household had not been able entirely to
rob of its youthful enthusiasm. 1t SEEM
ed to her that these were the words of
wisdom. She sat and studied the situa-
ton carefully for some time. Then she
took up the paper and inspected the pic
ture again until it's every detail was i'm
pressed on her minds eye.
At length she arose and went into the
house. and before the old mirror on ton
OF the high old walnut chest Of drawers
In her bedroom took out the tuckconyb
and two wire hairpins that confined her
light grizzled hair in a tight knot on the
back Of her head. With the aid Of a
| t1-~ ct&>
range tho hair into as near a resemblance
to the pompadour in the picture as the
scantiness OF the material and her own
unskilfulness would allow. It required
great deal Of pulling, coznbing and puff
Ing. for hair that has been parted In ex-
aetly tho same limo and brushed nat for
forty years has contracted habits that are
hard to overcome.
When she had finished constructing the
pompadour there was nothing left for
the Lady Teazle curl. or even for the
smallest knot behind: But Mrs. Mimms.
her blood being fired by what she con-
sidered the success OF her efforts, reck-
lessly supplied the deficiency by shipping
OF pale blue ribbon bow from her
most sacred tidy in the parlor and pin
ming 1t on SO as not only to shield the
vacancy behind. but to present two CO.
Quettish loops IN front. Then she went
into the comp'ny room" closet ana dived
into the cedar chest In which her own
and Syram's best clothes were kept. She
dared not sacrifice the blue nun swelling
on the altar Of Q waning affection, a. At
,, seemed that II must be her only depend
ence for the future, but her second-best
dress, a brown cashmere Of ten years be-
FORE which had been turned and made
over until it was too faded and worn for
anything but rainy Sundays-that she de-
cided she might venture on the extrava-
gance OF using.
She divested herself Of the black and
white calico which WAS her eCdinaxy It
tire, and put On TIE beown ArssA turning