The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-18

just the general invitation that all youth sends out.
 I must be getting old
 "So you think, Herb that few of these men have realized this?"
 Few men ever realize it in any walk of life. Woman. of course, reaches these conclusions long be- fore a man does, simply because she takes her mirror into her confidence
 "A man, after his first youthful years have passed, doesn't look into the mirror often. When he slaves himself most of his wrinkles are covered with lather; when he ties his tie If he notices the wrinkles at all he attributes them to the fact that he has screwed his face up into a frown at the knots devilshness.
 "Age, my dear, l think. is within us. Probably Maud Samson looks in the mirror whenever she has a chance and breaks her heart anew. She counts every little wrinkle and hunts industriously among her hem naed locks for a white hair and she goes forth with that feeling of age within her that no flattery can ob- lterate.
 "She has lost the faculty of think ing that when a man looks at her, he is still appreciating the glory of her beautiful womanhood. Rather she duivers under the old feeling which lashes her heart. and tells her he is saying to himself: Lord but Maud surely is slipping.
 "On the other hand, Theodore Stratton looks across the table into her eyes and secs flattery and ad- miration that usually she stimulates for his benefit. His masculine ego appropriates it to himself, his viril- ity, his attractive, manly excellence. He is still the young lover who filings to her somewhat passe beauty a gra- cious smile in passing"
 ''Oh, Herbert, stop, stop How ter ribler'
 Herbert Richardson accepted com placently the effect on me of his homily and I had q little glow of satisfaction when realized that L. too had taken a leaf out of Ria's book and was able, to play on the masculine ego quite as she had done. knew just as well as if Ria had been there to say it herself that Her bert Richardson had expected me t3 say: "Oh. Herbert. stop! Stopl How terriblew and I had said it in a man. ner that almost convinced me of my own sincerity.
 l also knew that Herbert Richard 2 son had been voicing his Wifeis idea for had often heard Ria say, when she had been melting me to work unceasinglv to grasp success: "Oh, Nirgie. don't you know you can never succeed after you have passed your youth 2" And when I had an- swered: "A man seemed able to court popularity even after middle age" she answered.;
 My dear. a woman in this profes sion gets so much from a man by flattery that we must again and again Illustrate the light that lies in woman's eyes-and lies and lies and lies It is a woman's stock in trade in any walk in life.f We make a man think he is not only a god but q young god. He doesn't take the trouble after youth has fled from us to make us think we are goddesses or anything else. except perhaps. the woman who was.
 "yirgie. woman gets the idea of her age from the mirror. which is usually cruelty truthful; and man the fable of his youth from the eyes of the pretty girl across the table who wants to. get something from him.
 I came back with a start. for Herbert was saying: T am sorry r. tell you this, little girl. I hate 70 brush off the bloom of the peace for you, but you should know something of the nature of man.
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