The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-12-04

upon the mind OF the young lady quite diff
ferent impression from the one he had re-
ceived from her; his appointments were ridc-
ulous, his admiration stupid. He went out
if new piece was played at the theatre he
went, il a CLEAN of sunlight strayed out of
the gray clouds of November he walked
about looking under every hat for the blue
eyes OF his unknown, so eager was he to eff
face the unfavorable effect he feared he had
produced, and 10 rise in her estimation at
least to level of Indifferent people and those
unknown to her. At the end of two months
for the second time he perceived his inamora-
ia in theatre but she was far from him ad
do what he could he did not succeed in at
tracing her attention to his coquetly and his
well dressed person. He went home and
made her portrait from memory and the con-
tinual sight of this image contributed very
mDch to retain an eXtravagant passion in his
mind. Since that time he had never met her
despite the researches he had made. Some
times he had followed unknown ladies for
hours under the pretext that there was some
thing in the height and figure like his lady
love or that they wore a blue shawl. The
two times that he had seen her she was en-
veloped in large cashmere of that color. He
paid assiduous court to the portrait, however,
and placed before il the sweetest bouquet
each time be entered the studio. Seeking her
ever and never seeing her had brought him
to such degree Of alteration that it he really
had met her and succeeded in making her
love him his own love would not have lasted
long. The ideal was placed on to high a ped
estal not to break in descending. With
imagination and obstacles it is always easy 10
adore woman, but it is not so easy to love
her. Men adore women chiefly because they
do not love them. But we will not speak i'll
nf illucnpa fbaro 10 nothing in life mo-
beautiful than what is not there. That is to
say, life, simple life, despoi)ed of these rich
colors which lend the prism to the fancy is
hardly worth the trouble of living, and re-
sembles butterfly whose wings bruised by an
awkward hand have lost their brilliant scales.
To kill illusions is to limit our horizon, to
shrivel the circle of our sensations to the size
OF our extended arms; it is like the Spartan
Sphorus to cut the chords of the Tyre or like
the tyrant of Syracuse to throw the most
beautiful ring in the sea!
So in recognizing under black hat and
through veil of the same color the great
blue eyes of his unknown, Arthur rushed
to the door of the cafe, but at the moment
OF his exit he at once rec0llected that he had
not paid and could not pay for what he had
consumed, and that in seeing him go out
and SO quickly, one would not hesitate to
take him for thief who had stolen his meal
at the expense of the proprietor of the cafe,
so he returned to his place, called for sixth
glass of eau sucre and made believe to read
newspaper; finally his friend came in and
delivered him from his embarrassment: he
offered his purse and Arthur paid the mes
senger and also for his innumerable glasses
of eau Sucre.
my dear boy" said the newly arrived,
''Since pay for your lunch permit me also
to take charge of your sustenance for the
rest Of the day, and come to sup with us.''
The two vanished together.
As he went Arthur dreamed of his I'M
known on the way, and entering bis studio
he replaced by bunch of pink heath and
golden broom the withered bouquet that for
a long time had decorated his picture.
''Bless mep' said Arthur, 81 certainly
come in at the moment when Eugene was
about to dine alone.
"Well"'
SWELL"
"Have you seen your uncle?'
mo"
"Hump how's that?'
Gas the boulevard had been unlucky for
me, stopped to see giantess, a Pole, she
had written on her placard. The King, hav-
ing heard of this marvellous beauty wished to
see her, and has declared that she was Justly
SoiaSN ohO 4uOOn Va UA1C SioA1o, 81 iOA NY
the commendation of the king, went in,
and I had the honor of being distinguished
by the Queen of the Giants"
"Indeedp'
Before all the assembled people she said to
me, If the gentleman who is of rare height
will be kind enough to place himself by my side
the audience can see that he does not come
up to my shoulder so gravely perched my
self on the platform and remained there as
long as she thought best-but ah," said he,
signing, Il have seen something that inter-
ested me more than all that. stopped near
ajuggler. He wanted watch for trans
formation trick. lelt him mine and as
sure you the trick was very diverting, but as
I was watching it lady enveloped in blue
cashmere went by. Will you believe it was
my unknown! / wanted to follow her; she
was walking along in exactly the route to my
uncle's, but could not leave my watch in
the juggler's hands, you know, so advanced
towards him:
MY watch, if you please
Yes, sir, in an instant
But haven't one to lose.'
All the circle of bystanders murmured.
Are you afraid shall steal your watch p
ooh, you are an ass
well then, take it from the goblet where 1
have put it,
I put my hand in the goblet and drew
out huge onion and everybody laughed.
Red with rage again demanded my watch
and rushed off with it, but by that time my
lady had disappeared. She could not have re-
NAMED on the pavement or should have
seen her. I ran after carriage that thought
she might have taken, but there was nobody
in it but a man in blue spectacles."
Soon another letter came to Arthur from
his father; in it was this passage: "Pray
send me tidings of your uncle who has been
SO i'll. I do not ask if you have seen him,
tor your heart, our interests, human respect
without counting the advice I gave you will
have made it a duty for you.''
II will certainly 60 tomorrow" said Ar
thur, "if it rains old women!
Six weeks after he reached the Arsenal.
The house of his uncle was draped in black:
the bearers were about placing the body in
the hearse; people were arranging themselves
in the mourning carriages. Arthur was struck
dumb. However, after a few moments of re-
Election he concluded that nothing very extra
ordinary had happened and that everything
conformed to the natural order of things
Three persons whose faces were not unknown
TO him made a gesture of invitation for
him to ride with them in the last carriage.
Arthur accepted and followed first to the
church. then to the cemetery without saying
word but he seemed to feel slight remorse
~ LIS uiuu dt uoI having seen his Uncle III
his last moments. When, after the last GER
emony, always SO sad even for those indiffer-
ent, the coffin had been placed in the tomb,
a gentleman dressed in black advanced, blew
his nose, and in voice stiffled as much by
the embarrassment OF speaking in public as
by grief pronounced the eulogy of the de-
funct. His face was familiar to Arthur and
it came into his mind that this young man
happier than himself and less careless was
probably bis uncle's heir.
my friends" said the orator, ''in thinking
of death We should say that it is to those
who remain that absence brings bitterness,
our friend who we regret goes to take that
place in heaven to which he is entitled by his
virtues and we are lett here below to mourn"
''There is no doubt" thought Arthur, chat
my uncle has given him his estate at Bay
euX."
"Nobody," continued the speaker, 'prac-
ticed more fully that precept of the Evangel-
ist 'let not your left hand know what your
right one doeth:' that is the reason why
many poor people ignorant of the hand which
showered blessings on them have not fastened
here to moisten the earth with their tears.''
''He also has the house at Paris y said Ar
thur to himself.
ITO some people his mental faculties have