The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-07-13
ABIT or COLOR
BY FANNY RICHARDSON

q. 1929. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
Madam, would not advise buying
this haiti does not harmonlze--sOme-
| how"
"Ill have none OF your back talk,
young woman" said Miss Elite, twist.
Ing her slim neck to get better view
of herself In the mirror.
The salesglrl opened her mouth
again and would have said more but
Miss Elites defiant expression meant
scene and Ethel detested scenes.
After all--what was the use? II was
the same old story over and over
n midde-aged woman pirouettlng UNI
der a sixteen-yearold's sunbonnet or
a siXteen-year.old under purple pan
sizes.
Last week II had been Miss Prouty
and she had called the floorwalker
because Ethel said large picture hat
accentnated her chlns. And the weel
before 1t was Mrs. Graham, who had
stamped out of the store, vowIng she
would never come back, because Ethel
had said pink hat did not become
her navy blue dress. Well, II did seem
as If something uncomfortable would
happen If the foorwalker received any
more unfavorabe reports.
SO Ethel stood silently watching the
movements OF her customer. as she
twisted and turned and patted and
fretted until she had achieved what
she considered stylish angle, and
jumping up, exclaiming, ITS all right
just what want How much?"
"She wouldn't be half bad looking
If she'd only show her eyebrows and
hair" thought Ethel. as she made her
way to the cashier with crisp $50
bill. "But that eye-igh-and the
dress and the shoes Oh, why do they
make such fools of themselvesi"
Ethel pondered the problem over
and over in her curly head during
the rest OF the day, but she found
no solution. Vain. of course they
were-these women-all women. They
wanted to look young, or they wanted
to look old.
In desperation, a few days later, she
buttonholed the proprietor and led
him to q quiet corner.
"What's the matter with met" she
pleaded. II don't want TO sell these
hats to the wrong women, and yet |
do II every day. It's always the wrong
hat. You'd say so yourself II you
saw them wearing EN-. They're
sights And yet they will not listen
TO me.
Ethel fairly shrleked the words in.
to the proprietor's ear. 81
But he gave her little satisfaction.
He simply patted her hand and said,
Don't you bother your curly head
about them. You can't sell EN- some
thing. they don't want If you don't
make 'em want IT,"
"Yes, I've got to make EN- want
IL" she said. and | know there is
solution
And IL came sooner than Ethel had
dared 70 hope. II came next day
Miss Elite lad come back to buy an
other hat. No, she had never really
cared for the red one besides.
Mr.. Blackstone had said 1t made her
pink and white blondness pasty look
ins. No. there was absolutely moth
ing In the show window she wanted
they weren't the right style
Had she anything which would bring
ont the color of her skin some
thing with bit Of color with an
angle?
Ethel's heart skipped a beat. Her
eyes took In Miss Elites brown cos
tune. her neat oxford shoes-she felt
old-yery old for her years-and wise.
Did Miss Elite want hat which
would bring out the delicate tnts Of
her skin-something with an angle?
Certalnly-but there was only one In
the store for her
Slyly the girl went over to the show
window and took out large, dark
brown hat softly shaded with dull
flowers. She hastily retreated to the
sewing-room for scissors and bit Of
bright blue ribbon. With trembling
fingers, she gave one corner of the
hat an almost vicious tweak, and In
serted the ribbon behind the flowers
so that only an occasional piece
showed. The effect was dashIng, chic,
almost charmlngly attractive.
She hurried back to her customer,
who was by this time rather mpa-
tlent. But when she saw the hat, her
large eyes glowed, and she stretched
out her hands eagerly. The salesgrl
shook her head roguishly.
zone moment Let's 80 over there
where there is better light"
She led the way to a long, full
length mirror in the front of the store
where the daylight streamed through
the large windows. ITS wonderful, "
exclaimed Miss Elite, critically APP
praisng her neat brown figure. Her
eyes, beneath carefully trimmed
brows, resembled liquid pools .
"hshy eyesW who could have
imagined such comparison2 Her
golden hair glistened through the soft
mesh Of the crown.
"Why, 1t looks as though 1t were
made for me- she breathed.
ut was" said Ethel softly as she