Evening star., 1923-10-14
Vanity More Than Own
Reward
BY J. A. wALDRON.

I Hdu come from ner Dath.
| early hour for her, and her
maid was doing her hair
when Horace, her husband, looked
| into her boudoir-an unusual thing
| for him TO do.
up already, eho' he asked. MAY
have "a moment"
| Bella and her maid exchanged
giances, the result Of which was the
| maids disappearance. Psychologists
have yet to analyze feminine free
masonry.
| Bellfair, who had breakfasted
| alone, as usual. came forward as
| Bella rose in an attractive neglige
to greet him. She kissed him, and
| this also was so unusual that II en-
barrassed him for a moment, though
it was plain that to him the saluta-
ton was worth considerably more
than par.
II shouldn't have bothered you.
| dear" he said, but I'm a bit wor,
ried. wife should know her hus-
bands business, shouldn't she?'
Should she? I suppose So" Bella
I laughed.
| I've been on the wrong side OF
the market for a month. dear"
| I'm sure I don't know the wrong
side from the right" she replied
carelsssly, laughing again.
! 'But 1 do. I'm two hundred ana
seventy five in the hole"
| IF you persist in talking business
| with me, dear, why don't you leave
out technicalities? You mean you've
lost two hundred and seveny-ffve dol
lars?'
| Thousands"
oh! That's lot more. suppose
But what Of ito''
Well. dear, 1 thought I'd just ask
you to go little slow for a bit on
shopping, don't you know?"
| "All right, honey. I've only to
look at some hats. And She kissed
him again.
fHoRACE- didn't remember iust
| Il when it was before this morn
| ing that Bella had kissed him, and
/ this second spontaneous favor was
| priceless. But he was in haste. The
ticker was calling. And the maid re-
| appeared.
'Then you'n relnember?" He was
] at the door.
| "Of course, I'll remember!" And
she threw him another, which, like
| some investments he had known.
classed below par when he though
of the pressure Of lips a moment be
fore. The door closed.
He's lost lot OF money, Adele
explained Bella.
"Ah!" replied Adele
"But he'll make a lot more. FL"
| always does"
will madam shop today?"
'Yes. I need a hat or two. You
know / gave away dozen last weeE
-four OF the handsomer ones t"
you"
eyes. madam. Thanks"
/ "And I've only that snow-white
| chapeau of ermine and velvet, the
paradise on that odd shape, the oval
wine velvet and rose ostrich plumes,
the white velvet chapeau with the
tall ostrich piumage, the fountain
| hat, that green moieskin and the
petit chapeau of green velvet-that
is. only these among the modish ones.
OF course. there are still lot OF old
hats. but they're not smart"
| mo, madam" Adele loved hats, too.
Next to the major mystery which
woman as woman embodies are her
minor mysteries. One OF these is the
facility with which she can spot an
unfashionable hat in a multitude of
hats of which no two are anything
alike. No mere man, unless a man
49, $I,tz
for beauty's head from that OF any
| other season running back into the
| centuries.
So Mrs. BeIisair went shopping for
hats.
"This," said the clipper saiesgir!
sis extremely and exclusively de-
sirab1e. The only other model was
made for one OF the princesses OF In
dia now doing the continent" And
thus 1t went. Bella tried on a dozen.
J in each Of which there was some
thing to appeal. or course she was
| impressed by the fairy tales OF the
| saIesgiri. who must have worked on
commission. And OF the dozen.
Bella ordered eleven.
&E y
nELLFAIR'S luck went from bad
D to worse. Just before the crash
he induced Bella to run down to At
lantic City for a week. The day
after her going creditors were in
possession OF his household. A glib
auctioneer held forth in Beila's bou-
doir at last and made merry with
hats. Even the vulgar were ad
mitted. A red flag is no respecter
] OF persons.
When Bella returned to get her
| trunks, knowing what she thought
was the worst the woman who kept
! the vegetable stand on the corner Of
the avenue bowed to her as she pass
ed in a taxi Bella had not the pleas
ure of her acquaintance, but the
woman had on one OF Beila's hats and
was dressed as for a picnic. Bella
noted also that the spouse of Antonio.
the bootblack. was in gala garb and
wore one Of her hats. The wife OF
| the janitor, when Bella arrived at the
apartment, was dressed for Coney
Island, with her brood around her.
and she also had on one OF Bella's
very latest hats.
Vanity is not pIane its own re-
ward.
Copyright 1921