The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-05

do most anything with an aproni You know what I'd do if 1 didn't have money enough to buy debutante clothes with?"
 The reason was so obvious that 1t was something about aprons that it seemed unnecessary to guess.
 '1'd buy myself aprons and aprons and APRoNsi" she gurgled. Then I'd just take life easy and fascinate every man that crossed my path"
 "You speak as if it were the easiest thing in tho world to do," I suggested.
 ''1t is.' said Clarice knowingly. Go to q play and see if the man yoa are with isn't always more fascinated by the woman in the play who wears an apron than he is by anyone else in the whole show. She may not have any lines to speak, she may have 'ousemaid written all over her. yet give her an apron with pale blue ribbons and fluffy ruffles and every man from the old rounder in the front row to the god in the topmost gal ery will declare that she should have had the leading part"
 "When l was visiting over in Mlssis- sippi not very long ago." Clarice con- tinued, near the country place of the people I was visiting there lived young widow. She never goes anywhere. She doesn't care for dress or society, yet you can't stir the. men who are her ad- mirers with a stick-they are so thick They do every blessed thing in the world for her They weed her garden, prune her rose bushes, pick fleas off of her pet dog, and talk foolish talk to her kitten. They now the lawn and nail up her book shelves-all these men, mind you, who wouldn't push chair across the room for anybody else, but to her they arc devoted lackeys. She doesn't waste her money on clothes or entertain ing or running about over the country, but just stays at home and attends to her own business and wears-aprons!'
 "one day my hostess asked her oldest son what the charm of the widow was" clarice went on, and he said quick as a flash:
 I don't know, unless it's those dinky little aprons she wears She's too de- lteiously feminine for any use. She al- ways has on one of those fluffy little caps With lace and ribbons on it. and the daintiest sort of white apron with blue ribbons and gewgaws on them. Oh, she's Peach all right
 That gave me an idea" Clarice con fided to me. q began to open my eyes, I discovered that the widow wasn't rich, particularly; she hadn't any very great beauty She's nearly 40 years old and supposed to be heart broken oyer the "loss Of her husband, and yet. the most enchanting thing about her Is that she is wise to the Apron habit, and every man she meets immediately attaches himself to the strings thereof"
 50 that" l interrupted, lis the origin you think of the ex-'
 Certainly" said she. That's the origin or the expression. Haven't you noticed It? girl may dress herself up in a hobble skirt and 10 pounds of dead lady's hair, made Into puffs and braids she may pinch her feet into slippers she can't walk in, and make herself generally mis- erable, but she isn't in it for a minute with the sweet faced, simply dressed girl, next door, who understands the fas- cination of the apron"
 Then they are not in love with the lady" l suggested, "ony her apron?''
 Precisely" said Clarice "She dresses the part that is appealing, and from the college boy up 10 the most har dened man of the world each takes off h's hat, as 1t were, and crawls thorouehly domestcated up behind her chair to see If there isn't room enough left on the same apronstrng for him to make a moose to put his neck through-and any man who has any regard for the truth will bear me out in what 1 say"
 
 the Church of England in that city Nfiss