Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1920-05-28
Show Me, Angela!
By BARBARA KERR


Copyright. 1919. by the Mcclure News
paper syndtcate.)
She was such an alluring bit of fem
ininity. Her dark brown hair was
beautifully marcelled-not that she
had spent twenty-five perfectly good
dollars and had the job done, that is
permanently waved at one sitting, but
she was twice-a-week customer at
Mime. Periwig's, and as this was one
of the bi-weekly days and she knew
that 1t was thoroughly and efficiently
done.
She knew that the two curly little
horns, one over each ear. were just so,
and were skewered into place with In
Vulnerable invisible hairplns; that her
hair was reached back with a most be-
witching "cowlick" at the most becom-
ing angle of her forehead, and that
her widows peak" was pointed pre-
cisely over the left eyebrow. There
fore by and because of all these signs
her Golf was the last word.
Her complexion was arrived at by
the benzoic method. 1t was now seven
months and twenty-one days since
water had touched her face. Her
makeup box took up the whole end
of clothes closet, and her bills for
cosmetics, creams and other beauti-
fiers were greater than those Of her
father for clothes.
But her devoted parents had no
fault to find with Angela's tout ensem-
BILE, nor the cost thereof, for she was
vastly easy for all to look upon, and
finished feast for the tired eyes Of In
dulgent parents.
And to all this Angela Burton was
wise. She had capitalized her appear
ance and knew 1t. More than once
1t had brought her what she desired.
But now, and It was a fearful, almost
terrifying moment Tommy Hampton,
her old sweetheart, who had always
stood so in awe of her, was returned
from France, and in their first min
utes he was saying to her:
mo use. Angiei You've got to show
me something besides good looks
You're peacherlno, all right all
right, but I've been around some-Pve
seen all kinds of girls--and the girl
that interests me now is the girl with
the goods-and not dry goods,
either"
ooh, suppose that Lieutenant
Hampton is going to marry money!
retorted Angela scornfully.
'NoP Numbered Tommy, "but If
you don't, you'll soon be short of
grease to run that complexion of
yours"
She sprang to her feet In a rage.
Now that was pretty coarse work,
Angle, but it's the honest-to-God truth.
1 didn't start out to be a beast. 1
was only going to tell you that my
ideas on what was inside our heads
and not what we were painted up to
look like. I've seen girls ragged, I'M
combed-yes, as savage as we we're
who'd go with us to the gates of hell
and kiss us, and cry over us when we
came back. And they looked a good
deal more like angels to me than you
do. Angle, you and are a century
apart. I'm looking for a mate, not a
piece Of bric-a-brac for a corner what
not. You won't do, Angie. You're just
scenery"
Clapping her hands over her ears
Angela sped up the stairs and Tommy
took his hat and left.
She was too angry for words. No
one In the world had ever before told
her she was utterly useless. In order
to revive her self-respect and dry her
tears with bits Of absorbent cotton,
she sat down before her mirror. Then
her vitalizlng sense Of humor came to
her rescue.
$50 you're scenery, Angler she
mimicked to her reflection. "Well, he
didn't say you weren't interesting
scenery-oh, no, but he said lotp
Gazing at herself intently and after a
moments thought, mo, wen not de-
face the scenery-it's all I'm travelling
on, Just now, but we'll show Mr..
Hampton"
Angela was nobodys fool. There
were as many convolutions In the brain
inside Of her marcelled head as there
were waves in her hair. Thoughtful
ly, preoccupiedly, she went through
her closet, took down an old blue
linen, put It on; then laid out on the
bed a clean white collar and cuff set,
put on a big apron and hurried to the
phone.
Eyes, dad, I've some extra time on
my hands, and IL you want to bring
out an old friend to dinner wen set
him up a nifty little handout. Any
one you bring Is all right" she as
sured her father. Then she repaired
to the kitchen and told her mother
what she had done, adding: "But It
wouldn't be any more trouble to fix
for two than one. Let's have UDcle
Joab, too" And they called him. he
was delighted.
Angela was more to him than mere
ly an only sisters child. She was the
charming replica Of his mother, long
since dead, whom he had idoIized. SO
when Angie got him off by himself
and hnltngly proposed to rent his
farm he chuckled and with a wise lit
tie wink he asked:
"Are you the farmer, Angie, or is
there q partner In the backgrounds
"Now, uncle. haven't ten out
there enough with you to 2how lot
about farmlng7 Anyway, no one ever
said I couldn't learn" Then, demure-
ly, "of course, might take on O
partner, later. Who knowsY