WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 379, 3 May 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

A SHORT STORY. RIVALS. ■ Jack reached forward and took her hand in his. For a moment—it seemed only an instant of time, ami vet it was jlll Ions; enough to convey its own liu-aning—she allowed it to remain. Then she withdrew it. He was a wise young man. If he had attempted to pursue even this infiuitesi- ! id ill advantage and to reach forward again doubtless he would have been relinked in that queenly manner which upon occasions she could so easily command. And so he was content to wait, and change the subject. It is proper to state, however, that . the new subject was more in line with ; his real train of thought than the old. They had. when lie made his advance, j been talking on the commonplace topic I of the latest historical novel. | Now lie turned slowly and looked her . squarely in the eye. I ''l'm going to marry you!'' lie said. | "Are you, indeed? When did you , make up your mind to that?" j '-Oh. some .time ago. I mean it, you j know." I "And lose £200,000?" lie turned again, abruptly. "How did you know anything about that:" he asked. '•Your father told me." "When'!" '•'Oh. some time ago. He called." "Why. you must have known, then—" "That yon wanted to marry me? No, I didn't. All I know was .that you had spoken to your father about it. You know you might have changed your mind—afterwards.'' lie smiled grimly. "What you mean," he said, "is this: that I thought it best to consult the governor first and find out where I stood with him before I found out where 1 stood with you." "Yes." He got up and took a turn around ■the room. "Well, that wasn't exactly it," he continued. "You see, if I had had any doubt ahout marrying you I wouldn't have done that. I would have gone to you first .and let the rest go. I mean business, and I thought it ought to be j done right. Besides, I said to myself: 'lf the old man turns me down, then my conscience is clear.'" She apparently did not heed the last part of his remark. "May I ask," she said, "what made you so sure of me?" "I wasn't. But I was sure of myself. I knew the girl 1 wanted. That is everything in love." "You seem to have become very wise all of a sudden." "I've knocked around some," he said. "I've had enough girls thrown my wav, bni 1 wouldn't 'give twopence for the lot. I've seen them at their best and worst. They're all right—son\e of them. It's the life I don't fancy. I don't care for the pace." "But there's nothing ahout me." she said, "that ought to specially recommend itself to you. Why I even have to earn my own living." "But your grandmother didn't, did she?" "Why, no; I suppose not." "Well, mine did. I've heard the governor tell the story. So, what's the difference? A few years of time, more or less, a generation or so." "You seem to have taken on such a sudden weight of accumulated philosophy," she said, "that I hardly recognise you. Where's -Tack Wakefield, the : great cricketer, the howling swell? You are too deep for him." ; "Can't a man do that sort of thing i and still he a man?" "Why. of course; but they don't go togetner as a rule " "Well, perhaps, you did that for me, ■ or perhaps the governor annoyed me: I ! don't know which. He's lived so much by himself of late years that the old : fellow is crabbed, I guess. But he did I give it to me hot." J "What did he say?" /l l don't know that I can rehearse, it , all—it was some .time ago. But the main point was that if I nia'rried you, ■he'd disinherit me. >,ly allowance would , continue, but no more. He must have j gone direct to you to make a sure thing of it, didn't he?" ; "Yes," she said, "several times. He ! doesn't want vou to marry me. Not a j bit."

"Well, it doesn't make any difference to mo whether lie does or not. T can go out and work for myself. Money isn't ever) ■thine." Tile 'boarding-house bell rang—not an unusual occurrence. Outside there was the slow snorting of a motor-ear. He drew nearer .to her. Again he took her hand. "Helen. dear." he said, "what's the answer ?" ''l cannot marry you," she said. "You're ton good for me." He laughed a spontaneous, hearty laugh. , "That's a good joke," he said. "Too good for you. Ha! ha! Look here. Let us be honest with each other. I've had plenty of money, and thore's nothing in it. Why spoil the game just because of a .paltry .-£200.006? I tell you it's all right. I -assure you I'll never mention the matter again. We can live." She shook her head. "I cannot marry you," she said. "You don't love anyone else, do Toil There -was no answer.

"I know what it is," he said. "it's your pride. Xever mind. I can wait. Of course, it's embarrassing for von. You don't care anything- about the money, of course, hut your conscience troubles yon' about my losing it—naturally. Well, never mind, I'll show you. But now. dear, can't you give me some little word of encouragement?"

A caplcss maid entered the musty drawing room, holding in her red fingers a card. "For you, miss." said the maid. "Very well, Martha. Ask him into the small reception room, as usual." Then she held out the missive to him. "I'm afraid," she said, "there is no hope for you. You see, I am going to marry this gentleman." He took in the familiar name in one burning glance. ''The guvernor!" he exclaimed. A LITERARY SENSATION. Another literary sensation is announced in a recent telegram, reporting the divorce of Katherine Thurston, the novelist, from her husband. Temple Thurston. also a dealer in romance. She i» said to have complained that, besides his darker oll'ences, "her husband insisted upon living in the Soho slums, for the purpose of writing a novel." Mrs. Thurston, who. states a writer in the C'hristchurch Press, is a dignified ami handsome person, better suited to adorn tin 1 Lyceum Club tnan the abodes of illiterate costers, probably refuses to accompany him there; and had the mortification of finding that the zeal for local color outweighed any predilection for the society of his wife. Since the court apparently construed this as desertion, writers who meditate excursions in search of copy will wisely lake warning—and their wives. This all'air is unfortunate, sin® it brings up the old indictment about literary persons being bad to live with. When novelist marries novelist, the harsh world will say, this sort of thing is bound to follovV. Poor Barrio's case is fresh in everyone's mind, although he only married an actress. And yet there are pleasant examples of husbands and wives collaborating quite peacefully in literature, as well as of distinguished, novelists who have married more or less distinguished ladies in another profession and lived quite happily ever after. Still, risks are invariably foreboded in the union of two artistic temperaments, in spite of such theoretical successes as the wedding in "Sheaves" of a playwright and a singer, or, in "The Duenna of a Genius," of those delightful musicians who almost forgot to go away for their honevmoon, owing to their absorption in composing and playing a magnificent wedding march. But the truly blissful marriage, according to the "Woman at Home," is to be found when the union is of two athletic temperaments. In an article on "Husbands and Wives in Spdrt,' a noble list is given of happypairs who attribute harmony ill the home to their mutual love of tennis, skating, mountaineering, or golf. Conversation, on one subject at least, is always intelligible and interesting; there is no trouble over holidays, as tlu> same attraction of the links, the rink, or the hill, must appeal to both. Even if the lady snould excel in records, it only "increases the husband's respect for his now undeniably better half." The problem of how to be happy thoucrh married seems energetically solved i>v two enthusiasts for one sport —though there was a feminine charm about the invitation from the wife of one great golfer, "If you play golf, bring your caddies and your bunkers, or whatever you call tlieni, with you, and my husband will drive vou to a meet."

POPULARITY OF THE OSTRICH FEATHER The valuable cargo of ostrich feathers, worth £104.720, which the liner Kildonan Castle is bringing from Capetown to England, will be put to further uses tlmn the ordinary decorating of women's hats (stated a recent number of the London Mail). Feather trimmings are promised a success, and will be used upon dresses, cloaks, and broad shoulder scarves of soft satin and chiffon, as borderings and bands to take the place of fur. Their apeparance is also to be looked for in the shape ot huge pompoms for the ornamentation of the Spanish toreador hats which the milliners are introducing among their spring novelties. The ostrich feather is the one plume that never goes out* of fashion, and which the grandmother and the babe alike may wear. "Many women," said a London expert milliner, "will consent to no other feather being placed in their hats and .bonnets, owing to humane reasons, and as a protect against the slaughter of rare birds for the sake of their plumage."

FASHIONLAND. London, 'March 11. A week of sunshine, such as we had, last week, makes a marvellous cnll'er-i ence to the dress world, and fashion seems to have heaved a huge sigh of relief at being able to show off the beauties of her spring millinery and dressmaking after a long reign of heavy looking garments and hats. Straw hats, large and covered with flowers, or small and just as inviting, are to be seen everywhere. Furs are discarded for feather boas, and bright colors are the order of the spring. Smoke-colored, heliotrope, and even white coats and skirts have taken the place of velvet gowns and sealskin coats that were being worn only a fortnight ago. The change is too sudden to be lasting, I am afraid, though clearly London has achieved a record of sunshine for many weary months, and may do better still. Alas! alas! that was written on Monday, and Tuesday breaks in rain and mist and cold. The streets are slippery with London mud, and dark clothes are abroad again, with disappointed women inside. TIGHT SKIRTS. Many of the newest skirts, as I stated a week or two back, are exceedingly tight, and made in drain-pipe strnightness of outline, so that sitting down gracefully will soon, if the fashion continues in favor, be a lost art. A court photographer confesses that in order to photograph his customers after the recent drawing-rooms with any degree of success he had to have the legs of his sitters' chairs lengthened at least six

inches, otherwise it was almost impossible for ladies in court dresses to sit down at all naturally. Aneut this mode masculine superiors wax sarcastic, and one weekly paper this week writes of them: "The very latest gowns are to be so tight that the wearers won't he able to sit down |in them; mantelpiece dinner parties are expected to become popular." SHORT COATS. Fashion papers, though many of them have been pretending to herald the long prophesied reiurn of the short coat of fa-hion with delight, are now turning upon the fashion when it has arrived, and assuming a grandmotherly, bespectacled attitude. If the heavy-built woman will avoid the short coat every other woman may appear a deal more chic and youthful than she ever could in the tube-like, long coat in which she has attired herself at fashion's behest, and to her own undoing, for so long a time. There is a military smartness and natty appearance always possible in a, short coat, though it decidedly lacks much of the grace of some long coats. A USEFUL WARDROBE. A new dress stand has been invented which will be much appreciated by women wlio travel. It can be erected in a few minutes, and can be packed into small space. It is made of metal, and so contrived that when it is in use it is rigid, and will accommodate as many dresses, coats and so forth as an ordinary hanging wardrobe. When it is not wanted, or" must be taken from place to place, it is compact, and can be stowed away in a trunk or among travelling rugs. BOLEItOS ONCE MORE. ■Out of the short coat, in spite of all the gloomy sighs on the part of fashion writers, there is already springing a ( desire for bolero coats, so that women dressmakers may rejoice, and design, cut and trim in a dozen pretty ways, and still be in the latest style. Tight sleeves, it must be remembered, prevail.

TAM-O'-SHANTERS. All such woollen caps, says a woman's magazine, alluding to .tam-o'-shanters, are sadly unhygienic, unless constantly washed; they are calculated to become regular microbe haunts if thrown about and thrown on constantly. So the scarcer they become the better. DRY-CLEANING AT HOME. A girl may save a great deal of dress allowance by learning to do her own dry-cleaning, and incidentally she may also make her delicate laces, etc., last much longer than she can hope that they will if left to the tender mercies of a busy professional cleaner. Lace frocks and voile dresses can be dry-cleaned with block magnesia or corn starch Cover the garment completely with this corn starch, roll it up, and lay it aside for several days; then take it out, brush it, and go through the process again until the garment is perfectly fresh. Old of course, must never i>e washed if it is valued, nor should chiffon or gauze. Magnesia or corn starch will act as an excellent cleanser. MASCULINE CRITICS. Just to show how exceedingly ridiculous writers on fashion can be, and evidently expect their readers to be, let me quote an article on "Ideal Dress," from the pen of one Mr. R. J. in the Daily Mirror. He advocates Chinese dress for the wear of Englishwomen, and says: "It's healthy, comfortable, and simple." The Chinaman's long robe hides a multitude of defects. Even a bandv--1 egged man can look dignified. The women's dress consists of a pair of silk trousers, a skirt extending to the ankles, and a tunic, which is often costly and feminine dress imaginable, and is designed to hide as much as possible the

outlines of the figure. Oh, that I might see the face 01 my woman reader as she scans the above. "It is most feminine," says this Oracle. H'm! There came over with me from the East a specimen of Chinese feminity, travelling first class, in a "most feminine" turn out, which consisted of a pair of navy blue serve trousers, cut very wide, and a decidedly jerry-built coat to match, made without a collar. She wns a charming little woman, but nothing shall induce me to say that she looked feminine. 'Xext the utility this ideal costume will strike home to the feminine worker in London. Silk trousers iand a costly and beautiful tunic do not sound as if they could he decently tucked under a mackintosh most days in London town, and the beautiful and costly tunic would stand rather a poor chance of remaining so for two consecutive rainy home-goings on the top of a crowded 'bus. "It is designed to hide the outline of the figure." Ah, ine! Let us to sacks at once!