Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-20

portions of the bone structure are en-
tirely correct in every imaginable
way. You exhibit extraordinary per
lection here. Never have | observed
such splendid conformations OF Grant
UNI and brow.
"The arch Of your skull-it sounds
absurd, does il not? But we must note
it's superb Your forehead would
put 'broadbrowed Hera 10 shame.
Your cheek. bones and jaw eXhib.
rare strength mingled with the beauty
that all things feminine demand And
your chin--eyen TO the slight A.. cleft
there - is splendidly modelled. Is 1t
not so, ANDRE
absolutely" declared Broleur
with vehemenee. Splendid Mag
nificent, Supreme"
Vital nodded with satisfaction, still
closely observing the woman with
narrowed eyes that blnked through
The goldrmmed spectacles. Then he
relighted his cigarette, which had
gone ont during his analysis, and
leaned back in his chair, inhaling
smoke
you amuse me. Nitall," the woman
said, glancng quickly at him. you.
too. Andre. Both of YOU speak with
almost the ardor OF lovers, mes cheers,
| could almost imagine YOU as rivals
for my heart and hand were it not
that we have been good old frienGs for
so long-far too long in one way,
since the passage of time is always
painful even TO woman of five and
twenty. Only my memories OF you
both in the days Of Rive Gauche in
Paris and back at Budapest keep me
from suspecting you of designs on my
affections. futile as those designs
would be-
But, knowing YOU as | do, | can
dismiss any such fears and accept
your words mere as the dicta of sci.
entific truth. Well my friends, have
YOU anything more 10 duu
Much" answered the Frenchman,
leaning forward the better to study
her face. LET me take up the analy'
sis, Vital. | have read Blois DANA
dou's quaint old work on The Canons
OF Beauty and believe | can still
further elaborate on the subject"
AlN.,, l,c ln,,ubDJ urftb p,ra
joyment.
How YOU two grave men of learn
ing flatter me with so much atten
ton" cried she And all for what"
Because YOU have just missed the
absolute, which we are going to give
you for reality" exclaimed Andre.
Listen, now, Alexandra! The pro,
portions of your eye-sockets are I'M
impeachable The length of your
nose Well, perhaps the sixteenth of
an inch might give it perfection
"a sixteenth? More or less?'
LESS, by all means"
And what them
"Nour teeth? All, no. Improvement
would be impossible, They are al,
ready such as not one woman in ten
million possess
"And with all this" asked she Won.
derngly. you two old friends Of
mine sit here and still assure me am
not beautiiul?'
You force us to admit it," an
swered Vital. And yet all We mean
is that you lack perfection. Beauty
may be only skin deep, but even that
slight depth is sufficient to bury it at
times
"The slightest blemish of skin, the
most minute irreguiarity of feature,
may fatally impair the delicate and
elusive thing called beauty.
Thus it is, Alexandra, that with
all your qualifications of charm grace
and manner you cannot justly be call
ed beautiful-as yet.
THE color of Your eyes does not
harmonic with your predominant
and predestined color scheme. Their
shape and size leave something to be
desired Your nose, as Andre has said.
is irregular and your mouth would
surely benefit by certain reduction
and modelling such as we alone could
give it.
in addition to all this. your skin
lacks what | may cali uster and al.
ready certain telltale marks have be.
gun TO creep in, warning you that
youth is not eternal. Something in
the ensemble, something indefinable
perhaps, but very real, Is lacking.
Something is absent from your face
that should be there, that can be put
there
And shall be-" cried, Andre with
explosive energy. Il swear it shall
be, Alexandra shall be the most daz-
zlngly wonderful, the most magnili.
Gently beautiful woman the world has
ever dreamed of"
A certain serious. wandering visit.
ful look came into The Russian WON.
ans eyes--a yearning look, look Of
vague desire, unformulated still, yet
of cast potenlalilies.
and you are quite serious about
this?" she murmured. quite in ear
nest? Absolutely and honestly con.
WINGED OF your powers"
Absolutely, asserted Vital, siri.