The Washington herald., 1918-07-31
Confessions of
a Wife.
Mans Vanity Makes Him Seek
Youth.

Let me take up the argument.
Eliene," begged Donna as soon as she
could be heard above Jim's and Mr..
Silfs compliments about her white
hair.
IT am going to tell you the facts
the personal facts as ] have found
them on this woman and signs of
age question.
II will grant for the sake Of your
argument that my white hair Is
more becoming than when It was a
bronze brown shade. And to you two
men who have known me for years I
may be more attractive, but. after
all, ones appearance Is only an in
PRODUCTION. My friends find other
attractions In me besides the physical,
1 hope. The great question to be an
swered is-how does my white hair
affect al first sight the man I meet?
I will tell you, for know. He thinks
of me not as a woman but as an
Notwithstanding that must be
endured. To him am an old wom-
an-and for old women the world has
less use than for old men,"
We all laughed and Jim said with
a comic twist to his smiling mouth,
Explain yourself, fair lady, explain
yourself to the stupid intellect of an
average man."
well. my dead Jim. will," said
Donna rather belligerently.
You remember last week when
you and I supped at the restau-
rant after the theater?" (my heart
gave a great thump. little book.
neither Jim nor Donna had told me
that they had gone to the theater
together)
II could not forget 1t. my dear
Donna" exclaimed Jim with earnest
ness that might be real or feisned.
We'll, do you remember that we
then remarked that every man over
fifty who was dining there with any
woman who was not his wife, was
sitting opposite a girl under twenty
five and almost always under twenty?'
Except me-" interposed Jim
meekly.
"Oh, you don't count. Jim," said
Mollie. Donna has made her point.
White hair denotes age, and
wrinkles denote age and no man
wants to sit across the table at IL
o'clock at night from a woman who
has either"
Il sometimes think" interrupt
ed. that 1t is mans terrible vanity
that makes an old man hate to be
seen with a woman who is past her
first youth. He wants always the
world-and by that 1 mean the man
made world that we live in today
to understand that feminine youth
and beauty are always his for the
asking. In the same way many
young men like to escort older wo-
men about"
DO you really have such con-
tempt for us as you appear to have.
lady fair?' asked Barclay Sill soft
ly, as he put his empty cup down
beside me at my tea-table.
why. Mr.. Sill. love you"
Great heavens, must we have au-
ditors to your declarations of love
for Sill?" asked Jim in stimulated
annoyance.
Now. Jim. can you not be SEN
sible for a moment? was Just
trying to say to Mr.. Sill that I
loved men as a class. but that did
not keep me from having no great
illusions about them individually"
"I breathe again." Knocked Jim.
But, Eliene," said Mollie going
back to the first premise, '1f we all
stayed at thirty-five, how would you
arrange to shuttle of this mortal
coil. for you distinctly said you
were not looking for that everlast-
ing fountain of youth that Ponce
de Leon hoped to ind In the new
world"
That Is another place where I
would slip in an Improvement on
the way this world IL rum" said
Eliene.
CTo Be Continued.)