Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 218, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1919 — Show Me, Angela! [ARTICLE]

Show Me, Angela!

By BARBARA KERR

tCopyright, **l*. by tb* McClur* N.w«P*P*r Syndicate.) She was such an alluring hit of femininity. Her dark brown hair was beautifully marcelled —not that site had spent twenty-live perfectly good dollars and had the job done, that is permanently waved at one sitting, but ghe was a twiee-a-weck —customer ax t Mine. Periwig's, and as this was one of the bi-weekly days and she knew that It 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 innumerable invisible hairjans; that her hair was coached back with a most "Bewitching “cowlick” at the most becoming angle of her forehead, and that her “widow’s peak" was pointed precisely over the left eyebrow. Therefore hy and because of all these signs her coif was the-last word. Her complexion was arrived at by the benzoic method. It was now seven months and twenty-one days since wafer had touched her face.- Her make-up box took up the whole end - «f a clothes closet, and her hills for cosmetics, creams ami other beautifiers were greater than those of her father for clothes. But her devoted parents had no fault to find with Angela's tout ensemble. nor the cost thereof, for stie wus vastly easy for all. to look upon, and a finished feast for the tired eyes of indulgent parents. And to all this Angela Burton was wise. She had capitalized her appear-ance-and knew it. More than once it had brought her what she desired. But now, and it was a tearful, almost —terrifying moment. Tommy Hampton. her old sweetheart, - who bad «Iways stood so In awe of her, was returned from Prance, arid Tn their first minutes he was saying to her: “No use, Angle! You’ve got to show

me something besides good looks — You’re a peaclierino, all right, all right, but I've been around sorin'— I've seen all kinds of girls—and the girl that interests me now is the girl with the goods—and not dry goods, either —” “Oh, I suppose that Lieutenant Hampton Is going to marry money!" retorted Angela scornfutty. ----- “No!" thundered Tommy, “hut if yon don’t, you’ll soon he short of grease to run that complexion of yours.” She sprang to her feet in a rage. “Now that was pretty coarse work, Angie, but it's the honest-to-God truth. I didn’t Start out to be a beast. f; was only going to tell you that m.v ideas on what was inside our heads and not what we were painted up to look like. I’ve seen girls ragged, uncombed —yes, as savage as we were — 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. Angie, you and I are a century apart. I’m looking for a mate, not a not. You won’t do, Angie. You’re just scenery—” Clapping her hands over her-ears Angela sped np the stairs and Tommy took his hat and left. . She was too angry for worths. 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 hits of absorbent cotton, she sat down before her mirror. Then her vitalizing sense of humor came to her rescue. “So you’re scenery, Angie?" she mimicked to her reflection. yWell, he didn’t say - you weren’t Interesting scenery—oh. no. but he said a lot!” n«ying Ht herself intently and after a moment’s thought, “No, we’lf not deface the scenery—lt’s all I'm graveling on, just now, but we’ll shotv Mr. Hamßton —” I Angela was nobody’s fool. There were as many convolutions In the brain Inside of her marcelled head as there were waves in her hair. Thoughtfully, preoccupiedly, she went through her closet, took down nn old blue linen, put it on; then laid out on the bed a clean white collar and_cuff set. put on a dig apron and hurried to the phone. “Yes. dad. I’ve some extra time on my hands, and if you want to hring out an old friend to dinner we’ll set him up a nifty little handout. Any one you bring - is all right.” she assured 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 Uncle Joab, too.” And they called him. He •was delighted. 7 Angela vas more to him than merely an only sister’s child. She was the charming replica of his mother, long since dead, whom he had Idolized. So when Angie got him off by himself and haltingly proposed to rent his farm he chuckled and with a wise little wink he asked; “Are Tdu The farmc*, Angle, or is there a partner in the background?” “Now, uncle, haven’t I been out there enough with you to Wqw a lot about farming?' Anyway^no one ever said I couldn’t learn.” Then, demurely, “Of course, I might take on a t partner, later. Who knows?” And && 4oOnf. that uhe couldn’t do worse than some of

the tenants he’d had, and she might try, as the present renter was leaving. / ' -k •’And,!" continued Angie, patting his cheek, and straightening his tle w “I’ll have some first : class advice bn ’tap all the time, for I shall keep one room just for you, and whenever the sidewalks begin to hurt your feet you’ll have a place in the country where you can cyme and hibernate. Oh, wo 11 have loads of fun, Nunkie, see if we don’t.” —“But it’s a hard dife” country-life la —for a woman,"- discouraged her upele wistfully. “You’ll have to part with some of y'our style and good looks.” more than some of the girls who are Hying in tbits, half starved, without .•hirh «.r child-—no room for even a caL And those hoarding-house women—why I can Spot them as far as 1 can see them. I've thought it ail out carefully. Uncle Joab, and 1 want to _try —-and you know grandmother lived there and sire was the prettiest woman' in this country when she died. I knew; you’d let me." When everything was planned and almost ready Angela sent her mother to dress. “Now doll up a hit, mother, for my dad, your old steady, likes it.” And sire took off the big apron and put on the white collar and cuffs over her blue linen as became the daughter Dad was hiore than pleased when Angela led him and his tw’h old guests to talk of '(he olden times 1 , how they started in life, what the girls did and tire hardships of the mothers.—The old men were charmed. They resented it when the beli rang and a messenger delivered a note to Angela, who slipped away to her own room to read it. ~ “Monday eventng and lonesome. “I needn't have been such a beast, Ann. 1 could have left if I did not like the artificial makeup. But somehow I can’t be sorry, for it had to come out some time, sooner or laterguess I’ve become uncivilized. Tpa headed for the up-country and when -i get a beginning Tin going to ask ~sn7iie real, grownUU, human girl to marry me. She’ll not get an angel, as you know. S’poct you’ll feel sorry for her. Will leave tomorrow at two.” He started to write "love,” but crossed it out and signed, “llesp’y, Tom.” After Angela had her cry out she went and washed her face with w atel", then indited her reply t “Tuesday, Busy Day. “Dear Mr. Hampton— Fine for you? I’m started on just such a career myself. Uncle Joab is going to let me -manage his farm next year. I’ll have to economize, for It will take lots of grease for complexion and other farm machinery. But I’m figuring to marry later on some competent young man to help run the farm. It will be much cheaper than hiring, but you needn’t feel sorry for him, for I’ll treat him white when he proves to me that he is ~a —full-size man. And 1 shall hot expect him to tell me how to comb my hair. Resp’y, A- BURTON.” The note was handed to Tom an hour before train time. He read it, grinned appreciatively,' then on second reading laughed broadly. He felt that it should be answered at once. “Dear Ann—Have you any one in view for that place? I might be persuaded to take it. Answer. IOML_ And she did, sending It to the stn“tion, where a rather disconsolate and ' crest-fallen Tommy was wondering whether Ann might relent. Yle fairly snatched the note from the hand of the messenger, turned aside from the crowd and read: "“Dear Mr. Hampton: “No. But I never persuade and pay too. You might bring around your recommendations from your last place, and we’ll talk it over. Uncle Joab and I are going out to look over the farm at three. I might add, that I am disposed to give an old soldier preference over other applicants, all being equal. Resp’y. “A. BURTON.” —Toth dismissed the messenger, deciding to answer the note in person. He called at a jeweler’s on the Way and still arrived at Burton’s in time to prove that he was qualified to fill the place), and to go with Angela and Uncle Joab out to look over the farm at three.