Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-12-03
THE
BEAUTIFUL
1t Is Dwarfed or Enhanced
by Comparison
By ARTHUR TOWNSEND

There was once a man on whose
walls hung a picture that he did not
think in keeping with the other works
of art in his house. He concluded to
replace 1t and thought that while he
was on the job he might better buy
something of real merit. So he con-
suited a connoisseur, who selected
painting that cost a hundred dollars.
When the picture was hung the others
looked so cheap that he spent thou
Sand dollars more in replacing them
with others up to the standard of the
first. Soon after that he went abroad,
where he saw a great many beautiful
works of art, and brought two Or
three that he especially fancied home
with him. When he got them hung
the others looked so poor that, de-
spairing of keying up the standard to
his foreign specimens, he made bon
fire of the whole lot.
This story is the keynote to another
which | am about to tell. When
went out to Colorado a good many
years ago | found in the mining dis
tricts on Clear creek, up in the noun
tains west of Denver, few women in
comparison with the number of men. l
had not been there long before l no.
ticed that when l met a woman she
looked refined and some Of the women
comely.
One day l approached man wash
ING" for gold on the margin of the
creek and fell into conversation with
him While doing so a couple Of young
women came and looked at him rock
ing his pan and taking out the little
particles of gold left in the sediment. =
pretty girls, those" l remarked as
the women went away.
"Purty enough outside"
"What do you mean by that?"
Stranger" he said, pausing in his
work, don't you never trust your
Judgment on women folks except when
there is a lot O. them tOgether-any-
way, as many as there are men. It's
like what you buy in a store, IL it's
only a brass candlestick. 1t isn't much
to look at among the other candle
sticks even if it's one O. the purtiest,
but jist you get it home by itself and
it'll shine for all it's worth"
"Are you a married man? "'I asked.
married. Not on your life. had
an awful narrow escape Onct, though
Tell me about it,
My experience cost me some dust
fol hT7+ q n n
I've never regretted buyin' it. When
first come out here there wasn't wo-
man nearer than Denver We miners
didn't have nobody to look at except
each other, and we was the most
freckled faced. slab sided. dod rotted
set you ever see. We didn't none of
US wash oftener than Onct a week, and
some of us didn't wash at all. Them
as didn't wear boards was the wO'st
loOkin' of all Their faces was al
ways covered with stubble."
do you know" l interrupted, "why
you became so slovenly?"
why, stranger|'
Because you were not subject to
the refining influence of women
The refnin' influence O. women
That's what I'm goin' to tell yOr
about. We got refined all Of a sud
den. There was a gal come up here
from som ers-Kansas City or st. Joe
or Omaha, | reckon-with her father
who was a minister or an evangelis
or sOmepin O that kind. and said he'(
come to look after our souls. Before
he come we was lookin' for gold, anC
after he come we was lookin' for hi:
daughter. Her hair was like the SUI
shinin' on red sandstone She said i
was auburn. Her complexion wa
what she called olive. and her eye
was-well. | don't remember the colo
of her eyes but they was beautiful.
THE parsOn-WO0dbridg was hi
name: his daughters name was Lillian
he went into a cabin where the tw
lived together. the father distributir
tracts, the daughter dom his cookir
for him. When night come on the cal
in was crowded with us men calm O
Lillian. jist like musketers in a roor
with light in it. So her fathe
said we'd better come one at a tim,
and Lillian laughed and give us a
an evenin'. There bein' six O. US, VI
jist took up the week. all except SUI
day, when her father wouldn't allo'
no visitors On that pvenin' from
to he used to give US Bible lesson
my evenin' was Tuesday. The fir:
Tuesday I went to see Lillian | q
spoony and was goin' to put my ar
around her when she stopped me-
"You'H tell she said.
-T swear by all that's holy I won't
There's five other men conf
here she said. and like you best
all. but if | grant you favors it'll NAL
Fem all mad
"'Jist you trust me to keep num-
81 succeeded in convincin' her tn
was reliable. and she soon g
enough confidence in me to let me Xxi