Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1880 — GOSSIP FOR WOMEN. [ARTICLE]

GOSSIP FOR WOMEN.

A Plucky Woman. Mrs. Louisa Gregor, living in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, was aroused from sleep - one night by three horse-thieves who were engaged in taking her horses out of the stable. She took a double-barreled gun and blazed away at them. They returned the fire from their revolvers, but she continued loading and firing, and had fired five times when they fled, leaving traces that they had been wounded. A Pleasing: Woman. What is more charming than an agreeable, graceful woman ? Here and there we meet one who possesses the fairy-like power of enchanting all about her; sometimes she is ignorant herself of the magical influence, which is, however, for that reason only the more perfect. Her presence lights up the home ; her approach is like the cheering warmth ; she passes by and we are content; sho stays a while and we are happy. To behold her is to live ; she is the aurora Avith a human face. She has no need to do more than simply to'be; she makes an Eden of the house ; Paradise breathes from her, and she communicates this delight to all Avithout taking any greater trouble than that of existing beside them. Is not here an inestimable gift ? Woman Rebuking- WomSu. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe lately delivered a long lecture before the Concord School of Philosophy on “Modern Society. Following are spaeimens of her dealings with her own sex : She most forcefully pointed out and condemned some of the follies of social intercourse, as seen in the women of society to-day. Many a woman will pass for elegant in a ballroom, or even at a court drawing-room, whose want of true breeding would, become evident in a chosen company. The reason why education is usually so poor among women of fashion is that it is not needed for the life they elect to lead. The arrogance and supremacy of the dressmaker of to-day avas strongly portrayed. The fashionable Avoman says to her ; “Do how you will with me. Make me modest or immodest. Tie up my feet or straighten my arms till the use of them becomes impossible. Deprive my figure of all the drapery or upholster it like a window flame. Nay, set me in the center of a moveable tent, but array me so people shall look at me and say I lookwe'l.” Mrs. Howe further scathingly and powerfully rebuked that slavish fashion of to-day, which she said seems to have been invented in order to intensify that self-consciousness which is the Avorst enemy of beauty.

Happy mothers. I may say, rather, cheerful mothers, but I do not, because there is no real sunshiny cheerfulness possible without happiness in the heart. And there may be happiness, if the heart be rightly placed and strong in love and faith, even when the outlook in life is dark, and the clouds tipon the path are heavy. There may be little money in the purse. Tnere may be a dear one lying pallid oil the couch, and fading by degrees. There may be a narrow grave in the cemetery’, and a vacant seat at the table. But yet, my sister, if Christ be your friend, abiding with you and holding fast your hand, there may be a strange gladness mingled Avith your sorrow. We all want pur little children to be happy. Now the happiest children are those Avlio have happy mothers. The young life, which grows up in the shadow of a discontented, repining hud gloomy mother, is like a plaut unwatered by kindly deAVS. It is apt to be dwarfed and stunted. So, even when things are crooked, and temptations to ungentleness come, let the mother, for her sons’ and daughters’ sake, try to be happy.— Margaret E. Sangstcr.

Women at tlte Beacli. " Kind reader, didst ever see two women bathe ? They emerge from their bath house looking as though they had stolen something and expected to see a burly policeman bob around the corner, clap his hands upon them, and exulting] y cry, “ Now I’ve got you. ” Then they trip along half a dozen steps, not altogether like Dundreary or a sandpiper, but somewhat resembling both. Then one says, “ Oh, dear! ” and reaches down to pick a pebble out of her shoe, while the other takes the opportunity to yell like a pair of panthers, and then run back with all her might to the bath house. Her mate, of course, doesn’t get the pebble out of her shoe, but gets several more in to keep it from getting lonesome. Then the screamer tiptoes down to the place and says, “ What a fool I was ! ” The other comes down having secured a new invoice of pebbles in transit, and screams, “ What is it ? ” As it is nothing but a devil’s apron-string, and not a snake, the screamer again says, “What a fool!” Then they laugh. But they keep their eyes about them, and each mouth is always ready to emit a scream. By this time they reach the water’s edge. A puny roller is advancing. It breaks a little way out, and, as the line of foam is sent up the beaclr they turn and scamper with all their might. Then one says. “What a fool!” And the other replies, “I know it!” Then they take hold of hands, determined to do or die. Another wave makes them flinch and tremble and scream just a little, but they keep on till the water reaches to what would be their knees, if they were men. Now they face each other, each holding the two hands of the other. Anybody who has seen the firemen at work on a hand-engine will understand the motion readily. They keep this up for five or ten minutes, talking like a brace of parrots all the time, till one of them screams with all her might and runs half way to the bath house. She stops to remark that she knows she will die, and looking down sees the cause of her scare—a blade of eelrgrass tightly wound about her ankle. Spunking up courage again, they seek the water once more, and again the hand-engine maneuver is repeated. Then one of them whispers, “ There’s a man !” And the other says, “I don’t care one bit,” and runs with all her might to the bath house. Then the one who had seen the man saunters slowly after, picking up a shell or two on the way, pretending to think there isn’t such a thing as a man in creation. By-and-by they emerge from the bath house, and ostentatiously display the key, towels and bathingdresses, chatting in most voluble manner. “It was just lovely!” one remarks. And the other says she feels “so refreshed, you know.” —New Haven Union.

Women’* Headache*. One of our English contemporaries has wisely been devoting some thought and space to the common and very distressing fact that a great many English women suffer from headache. The same trouble prevails in America, and men, no matter how selfish they may be, are deeply concerned about it for a wife

with a headache cannot be companionable, the best of sweethearts with a headache is sure to be unreasonable, while a lady who has neither husband nor other special cavalier to engross her attention can ruin the peace of mind of every one she meets while she has a headache of perceptible size. No amount of masculine grumbling is likely to change all this, but women themselves might change it if they -would comprehend the causes of the malady and then apply their nimble wits to the work of prevention or cure. The trouble is that all American women who have headaches live indoors, where the best air is never good and the worst is poison, and they have none of the exercise which saves men from the popular feminine malady. Were a strong man to eat breakfast at any ordinary American table and then sit down at a work-table or machine, or even move about briskly from one room to another, he would have a splitting headache before noon, and the chatter of his innocent children would seem to be the jargon of fiends. The midday meal would increase his wretchedness, and by dusk he would be stretched in misery upon his bed, with one hand mopping his forehead with ice water whilo the other would threaten with a club or pistol any one who dared to enter the room or make a noise outside. There is no- reason why women should not suffer just as severely for similar transgressions of physical law. Time, indoor life is compulsory for a large portion of every day, but special physical exercise in a well-aired room is within the reach of almost every woman, and so is a brisk walk in garments not so tight as to prevent free respiration. There is very little complaint of headache at summer resorts, where windows are always open and games and excursions continually tempt women who do not value complexion more than health. Girls who ride, row, sail and shoot seldom have headaches ; neither do those unfortunate enough to be compelled to hoe potatoes or play Maud Muller in hay fields. Let women of all social grades remember that the human machine must have reasonable treatment and be kept at work oy play to keep it from rusting ; then headaches Avill be rare enofigh to be interesting. —New York Herald.