The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-26

WON BY CONTRARIES.
81 do not like it."
"Why, may | ask?"

1t is beautiful, grant you; it is woman
as we want her to be, rather than as she
Is. The angel OF our youthful fancies,
rather than the faulty, frivolous creature
we know her to be.
at is beauty and sweetness without
change, and you will tire of it. 1t is
not woman as you want her. You love
better the river that comes tumbling
down the mountain side, dimpled and
laughing, now slyly hiding away among
the long meadow grasses, now rushing
angrily along, charming scold, fuming
out its little hour of wrath, or sweeping
along, with majestic flow, till it mingles
all its treasure of brightness with the
ocean, to which it is constantly murmur-
ing, 4 love you.' You want woman like
the river, and then you can like her for
ever" she said, in half soliloquy.
There was, for an instant, an eager fire
in his firm, gray eye, but it went out, and
a smile of contempt curled his lip.
"You are enthusiastic and sentimen-
tai, Miss Loring."
"Not bit, Mr.. Sterne, if you mean a
sickly overgrowth of the nervous sensi-
bility that men accuse our sex OF"
cam l to understand that you lay
claim to that other character which is
SO popular with many-that of strong
minded woman%
She was thoroughly provoked.
81 shall not astonish you, sir, by ap-
pearing in any position am not able to
maintain. l think you are more harsh
than you need to be-
1t was his turn to flush now,
"You betrayed me into it."
4. "The old accusation, from Adam down
ward: the woman gave it me, and did
eat"
'It was the truth"
"It was not manly or honorable to
charge it upon Eve"
Il disagree with you."
''Of course you do"
"Adam knew the sin could not be hid
from God, and can imagine the feeling
that actuated him as he made what you
have termed his accusation, which was
rather an avowal of his determination
to share her fate, whatever it might be-"
"Perhaps so, and yet it does not appear
quite clear. Why did he not charge it
upon their common enemy"
"The exact account was lost"
"May be so," she said, musingly.
'Do you find any other fault with the
picture% he asked, going back to the
first topic.
eyes; Venus was capricious, and this,
therefore, does not truly represent her.
1t is more like Madonna"
This conversation occurred before
Venus de Medici in picture gallery.
The speakers had been only short
time acquainted, and almost their first
words had been disagreement.
Each had all the more interest and fas-
cination for the other on this account.
Metaphysicians might explain the
strange attraction on common principles.
We have not the gift, and can only
present the facts.
They acted as rasps upon each others
dispositions, and always parted with |
their feelings wrought up to a certain
pitch.
Yet they sought, rather than avoided,
each other society.
Their outward manifestations were dis
similar; she chafed, and her manner and
words during an interview with him were
curt in the extreme.
! He was calm, but his lips would draw
more tightly over his teeth, as if he were
mentally saying:
"I will conquer, and bend that will to
mine before / am through with her."
Was it a wonder that, in his frame of
mind, sweeter and tame beauties were at
adiscount9
Adrian Sterne was cold man to the
exterior vices, with an over-weening
consciousness Of power and will of the
most infexible character, which, COM
bined with cynical disbelief in much
that is true and innocent in womanhood,
made him, in some respects, ungenerous
and exacting.
A warm and large heart beat beneath
this hard crust, that had been gathering
over it till he had reached middle age.
To balance his faults he had massive
intellect and quick and delicate SYM
pathies.
However cool he appeared to the young,
the happy and the beautiful, he was not
80 to the aged, the humble and the suf-
fering.
He had commanding presence, but
was not what could be called handsome
man. His best features were pair of
powerful gray eyes, that had the quality
Of reading thoughts of others without
revealing his own.
Isabel Loring was proud, and, at times,
violent and rash, but generous, firm and
frank.
She was not beautiful, but, what is
better, she was attractive.
From pair of changeable, hazel orbs
looked forth fearless, uncurbed spirit,
which was made still more evident to the
physiognomist by the short decided nose
and upper lip.
Her mouth was tenderness itself, but
as proud as tender.
Her hair, Of rich and heavy brown,
curled in short, close rings over finely
shaped head, and gave to her appearance
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