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By LA RACONTEUSE.
PARIS, March 21. The fashion oracles -who sit on
their high and mighty thrones In t,ho Ruo do la
Palx have gazed at the crystal ball, peered Into
the depths of the mysterious cauldron and have elicited
the Information that next Summer will see the voguo
of black and white as the ultra fashionable tones In
women's gowns, Just as If ovory "Summer did not bring
forth these contrasted tones In profusion. But more
than ever the smartly gowned woman will Include those
plain colors In her wardrobe as soon as the warm days
of June and July are upon us,
It Is Impossible to conceive of a prettier garment
than one developed In shimmering white with a touch
of black here and there to relievo the monotony of tho
pure whlto.
As tho modern woman Is becoming more and more
an outdoor creature, whlto flannel and sorgo suits for
wear on tho tennis courts, golf links, aboard yachts and
at the seashore aro almost a necessity. But this Sum
mor the whites aro not to be confined to these ma
terials exclusively. There will be a great demand for
tho flimsy materials, such as tho flno French linens of
the most dollcato texture, silk muBllns, crepes and other
gossamer-like weaves, which aro more a suggestion
than real material.
Tho chief charm of the coming styles will be sim
plicity In tho cut of the garment, but they will be dar
ingly yet beautifully trimmed wjth draperies of all
kinds. The new styles are adaptable to the tall and
short alike, as well as to the Blender and stout. Any
woman can now look fashionable, providing her dress
maker Is an artist who understands how to bring out
ho? beBt points. No longer aro clothes the main, object
of attention; the properly gowned woman now uses her,
clothing merely as an adjunct to. her natural beauty.
The clothes act as a frame In which Is set tho Jewel
of physical perfection.
And this brings us to the point of the feminine figure,
which is at present arousing much discussion in Paris.
Several prominent artists have charged Uiat the mod
ern feminine form must fit tho costume, 'and not tho
costumo tho form. Last week a competition among tho
sculptors to devolop a statue showing tho ideal femlnlno
fdrm for wearing the modern dresses was opened. A
Jury of eight members of the Academy of Fine Arts
later will award the prison. Ono member of the Jury
Is quoted as haying said that It Is certain that tho win
ning flguro will not rcsomblo the Venus do Milo, but,
Judging by tho presont Parisian Ideal of feminine fig
uros, the gold medal should bo awarded to tho sculptor
who shows a hollow-chosted form, with a convex back,
a high wasp-llko waist and long legs with an outward
bulge at tho knees.
Ho may or may not have been correct in his remarks.
Certainly wo soe every day any quantity of figures such
as ho described. However, the fashion arbiters do not
agree with him. According to their view, the ideal fig
ure now is the natural figure, In whloh the waist is not
too small, and neither tho bust nor tho hips over promt
nont. Gracofulnoss Is tho keynote which should dis
tinguish the modern woman. Of course, any artist will
tell you that tho most graceful curve Is a long, undu
lating curve, which seems to flow with a liquid-like
movement. From this it would appear as if tho tall,
slender woman would mora nearly approach the mod
ern fashion Ideal than a short and stout one. The
woman who lives much in the open air, who golfs -and
walks or Indulges in other sports will develop tho mod
orn flguro. The real outdoor woman is anything but
hollow chested, and healthy exercise should tend to
straighten the back Instead of giving it a convex form.
Tho announcomont that the coming Summer is to be
a black and white one in women's garments does not
mean that colored Btuffa will be entirely out of fashion.
In fact, there are many now shades which will be
added to the list before Summer Is fairly upon us. In
outdoor attire, particularly, we may expect some ex
tremely picturesque effects.
Taffetas in changeable hues will be in high favor,
especially the red, green and blue tints. Also the navy
blue and cafe-au-ialt tones will be Been. These color
ings are very rich and remind one of the earlier Renais
sance paintings. Black taffeta and striped or checked
wools will also have a place, and many of the colored
materials show narrow stripes of pale colors, such as
are now fashionable. In the matter of color effects
there will bo an endless variety, and the woman who
cannot And something to please her must Indeed be
hard to please.
The now Bkirts are cut wider at tho hips, but still
taper at the ankles, then flaring out below except In
the case of the short gowns. And we are to see many
of the short Bkirts this Summer, In contrast to tho
ground-sweeping models of the present.
tino new skirt model, which several of tho leading
dressmakers have been attempting to force to tho
front, has an effoct which, at a distance, resembles a
fish's tall. Below the knees the skirt narrows rapidly
to the ankles, when It suddenly flares out in small
ruffles rand plaits. This skirt, however, is not becom
ing to the vast majority of women and doubtless will
attain only the popularity of a fad with a certain few.
The standard skirt will be fuller at tho Sides and wider
around the bottom than has been the case. Even in
slit skirts the bottom width will be Increased, and the
proper placo for tho slit is now directly In the back
of tho skirt
.Most of tho new Spring wraps already shown are of
the halt mantle Btyle and are often trimmed at tho neck
with small ostrich feathers, either in black or of a tone
to match the cloak. Damask silk and light woollens
are the favorite materials for these garments. Passe
menterie ornaments aro still in favor, and these man
tles are usually trimmed with them. However, feathers,
it is promised, will be universally worn this Summer.
Feather boas will bo the proper thing in the evening,
and bats- will be trimmed with them in as wide a va
riety as possible and they will bo adjusted at novel
angles. Ono pretty llttlo hat has a bunch of feathers
radiating horizontally from a point at tho back.
In support of tho contention that tho stout woman
can find few styles adaptable to her figure, a charmingly
draped evening gown is shown at the left The ar
rangement of the lines on the bodice and skirt gives a
particularly lithesome effect to the figure.
The main part of this gown is of violet charmouse,
while the bodice is a kimono of light mauve silk muslin
worn over an embroidery of pearls. A similar embroid
ered band forms the bolt, and over the skirt of char
meuso an apron of silk muslin embroidered with the
pearls is draped up, giving a pointed, slit effect over the
hip, which lengthens tho waist line.
At tho back a long embroidered panel veils the
decolletago and falls to the bottom of the skirt, which is
veiled at the train with a shawl of black-chantUly.
Tho model shown at the right of the page is a
striking example of ono of the extreme styles recently
brought out, and illustrates one of the many uses made
of the new strlpod silks.
The bodice or coat (it 1b difficult to classify) is mod
elled on the chasuble shape and Is developed of a light
gray taffeta striped with green. Under the box. plaits
at the waist passes a draped belt of green satin. An
edging of marmot on the decolletago finishes this novel
garment
eio eia
THE DON'S WILL
By John Runyon
SITTING at the bedside of her dy
lng husband,. by the flickering
light of the wax candles, Car
menclta was watching the old man's
pale face, which already wore tho
Imprint of death. From time to time
his glassy eyes rested on her with an
fascrutablo expression. Now and
again he seemed, to be In great dis
tress, and occasionally a flush' of
anger and contempt would pass
across his face.
At last sho could stand the sus
pense no longer, and exclaimed:
"Tho testament 1 Your last will,
Don Rafael, havo you thought of
thatr
But the face was motionless now,
no spasms 'of pain or anger flashed
across It, and the flngers .no longer
moved pii'lhc sheet. Don Rafael was
dead. - ,
Carmenclta threw herself into a
chair.
Beven years ago she nad been liv
ing with her mother In this small
Saanlsh village hidden among hills
and almond and orange- orchards. She
mado a living by cmbrolderng won
derful things with her neodle, secret
ly envious of the rich senorltas, many
of whom wero less beautiful than her
self, whose carriages passed her door
and who seemed to have nothing to
think of but how to enjoy life.
Ambitious as she was she refused
to listen to the words of love of the
many handsome young suitors who
sought her company and who sere
naded every night below her window.
Sho was waiting for a rich and noble
m&n, and at last ho came In the per
son of Don Rafael, an old adventurer
known all over the country for his
numerous love affairs." Ho met Car
menclta, was captivated by her
beauty, and sho. played her hand so
cleverly that two months later they
were married. At tho bottom of her
heart she hoped that the old mau
would not llvo very long and that
when she had Inherltod bis estate sho
might marry some handsome young
man of noble birth.
But Don Rafael, who was very su
perstitious, always put oft making his
last will, as he hao an idea that this
might hasten his death. To-day,
when returning from a walk he had
suddenly been taken 111, and only a
few hours after ho had taken to his
bed he died.
"All is lost," sighed Carmenclta.
"And It Is all my fault I have been
stupid not to force him to make his
will long ago. Now his nephews will
swoop down on this place like a flock
of vultures and will throw me out of
here as If I wero a servant or n
mangy dor. Then I shall have to go
back to my old mlsorable life. But,
no, I will never do ttl Never! This
fortune and this estate belong to me,
and I am going to keep them."
Tears of rage filled her eyes. Grad
ually, however, she grew more calm,
and an Idea came into her head. Sho
got up, blew out the candles, threw a
mantilla over her btack curls and left
the room.
"Juana," she said, to her chamber
maid. "I am going out for a llttlo
while. Don't let any one disturb Don
Rafael on any account He was feel
ing very badly, but be is asleep now."
The whole village seemed to be
asleep. It was bright moonlight, and
behind tho white houses the outlines
of tho distant sierras were plainly
visible. The church bell struck the
hour.
Carmenclta walked quickly through
the main street towards the woods.
A light was shining from the win
dows of the inn where the Boldlers
were playing dice. After a while she
caught sight of a miserable ram
shackle cottage In which a single
light was still burning.
She opened the door, crossed the
threshold, aud went inside, where she
found a very old man sitting on a
chair packing oranges into boxes.
"Onorlol"
The old man raised his eyes.
"By tho Virgin! It is the beautiful
Carmenclta, the neodleworker! What
may I do for you, beautiful 8enora?"
"Do you want to make a bag of
douros?"
Tho old man grinned and stared at
her.
"Answer me! There Is very little
time."
"What Is it you want?"
"I'll tell you that on the way
home."
"But I must get these oranges
ready for tho market to-morrow."
"I will give you two bags of
douros."
"Tho devil himself could not resist
your temptations, Senora. Let me
get my cloak and I will go with you.
It Is cold night now."
Onorio threw his cloak over his
shoulders and followed Carmenclta
to her house, where they got Into
Don Rafael's bedroom without hav
ing been seen by anybody.
Carmenclta lit the candles In the
chandeliers and Onorio caught sight
of the waxen face of the dead man in
the alcove bed.
"Don Rafael! Dead! ".he gasped.
"Poor fellow, be was no older than I
am."
In the meantime Carmenclta com
pared the features of the dead man
and the living man.
"Yes," sho murmured, "the resem
blance is striking."
"He! he!" grinned Onorio. "Every
body In Aragon once knew that my
mother Arabella "
"I know," Carmenclta Interrupted
him, "but I havp no time to listen to
such old tales. Hetp me to carry Don .
Rafael's body Into the next room.
That Is it. And now get into his
bed."
"You want me to take the dead
man's place. No, Senora, I daro no;
do that"
"I'll double tho reward. Listen,
Don Rafael died without making
any will. Nobody yet knows that he
Is dead. You look so much like him
that I have an Idea. I am going to
call the notary and you are to dictate
the testament to him, making me his
solo heir,"
"I understand," grinned Onorio.
Tho notary came very quickly. le
found the beautiful wife In tears at
tho bedside of her husband.
"Don Rafael has sent for you be
cause be wants to make bis last will,"
sho sobbed.
"I am ready, Senorn." said the
notary solemnly, and, producing his
pen and paper, be sat down near the
bed and said:
"I am at your service, Don Rafael."
"Wa must hurry," said Onorio In a
feeble and broken mice, "my time is
nearly up. Write: I, Don Rafael
del Snn-Mnrtlno, being about to die
nnd being of perfectly sane mind, do
declare tuut 1 leave to my beloved
wife, Senora Curuieucltu del Sun
Murtino, half of all I possess, tho
other half to go to Vlncente Onorio,
whom I havo always considered my
real brother "
The notary, who himself was sur
prised at this declaration, which cor
roborated old gossip In the village,
found nothing strange In the exclama
tion which escaped from Carmenclta's
lips when she saw herself robbed of
half her husband's estate by an old
orange peddler He stammered a few
indistinct Words and left the bouse.
"You scoundrel, you thief," roared
Carmenclta, "you have robbed me."
"The chance was too good to be
missed," said Onorio, getting out of
the bed.
"P jt hadn't I promised you"
"I don't take much stock in prom
ises," paid Onorio. "Besides, 1 don't
see that, you have any reason to com
plain. Have I not acted like a true
hidalgo? Nothing could have pre
vented me from taking everythlu.''