Nebraska advertiser., 1882-04-27

idea is an insult TO the holy instincts
of the poets soul. And grant even
that some unhappy accident has
marred your beauty, can that affect the
brilliancy OF your conversation, the
music of your voice. the seductive grace
of your figureP No, mol A woman
with such gifts must be always fascinat-
ing. And if the face be, indeed, ugly, |
shall pardon the casket for the sake of
the Jewel it contains"
She was evidently touched, and muir
INJURED, as she scattered the petals of
rose from her bouquet:
"Yet-yet--is not ugliness the one
objectionable sin in womanP DO not
the poets feel thisp Do not you know
itp"
"a calumny, serranita None but
shallow minds hold such n creed-not
natures like mine. Let me unite the
mask-where can be the riskp Do not
see this perfect form, and the glorious
eyes that flash on me like stars of night,
with those golden tresses falling on
neck whittier than the pearls
that encircle itP And think you
have not noticed the perfect form
of your head and the delicious smile of
that roseleaf MOUTH
"Ah, there may be still something
left to terrify-eyes and mouth al one
do not make face beautiful. Have
you seen allP'
81 may say all. The-nose- certain
ly, is the only feature" (here / was
interrupted by her laughter). "You
laugh, my sweet serrana. 1t Itis-Roman,
perhapsP"
Or Carthaginan, for aught know
really cannot take upon myself to affirm
its order"
"No, no, non' | exclaimed. "It is
not possible that an abnormal. an
anomalous nose could co-exist with
other beauties so perfect. so harmonious!
However, | take the consequences!
With that mouth, those eyes, that siren
sylphlike form-what more could |
desireP Any woman simply with your
intellect and your eyes must be
charming, irresistible, divine Un-
mask, then, alma del mia al,aa
My heart is yours already! The mere
accident of feature can have no influ-
ence on love as deep as minep'
"Rash man, you tempt a dreadful
fater' she said gently, laying her hand
on mine with warning gesture.
Away with fears!" l cried. "By
this little hand now held in mine, ]
swear to love you now and forever
forever! The homage of my whole life
is yours
| "Well, then-alas, how weak we
women arer' and her voice trembled.
"Will love, indeed, survive the ordealf
Here, unite the mask yourself-my hand
trembles so, l cannot do it. 1t is the
supreme moment of my life! VIII you
still love me when the mask fallsp'
"Angel of my life, can you doubt mel
o, fortune o, felicity! My own hand
unbars the gates of paradise! Give me
the Tyre, o MUSES.. | am Pindar! l an
Apollo! viii this knot never untiep
shall cut the string. O, rapture! Now
It's done Beautiful -
But the word died on my lips, the
mask fell from my hand, and sank bacl
stunned, fainting, horror struck. o
what nose! What nose! What nose
No, never could have imagined tha
Nature was capable of bringing to sucl
a frightful excess the pleonasm, The
| hyperbole of noses. Quevedo's sonnet
beginning "There once was man will
an awful nose" would read tame anC
spiritless beside it. This was no human
nose. 1t was q beet-root, II spear,
promontory, pyramid of Egypt.
Good heavens! and TO talk of tn,
progress of humanity, of our soca
system being regenerated, when sucf
abuses are permitted to exist! If it be
wise and just to repress the tendency
towards the vague and exaggerated d il
our political institutions, why is there nc
law against the yagueness, the eXag
geraton of noses? Why is our idea Of
humanity to be desecratedp Why shoulC
all the finer sensibilities of my natur,
be so ruthlessly outragedP Why should
poets divine sense of beauty Blu
here | became conscious that the dread
full being at my side was staring at me
Yes, staring full in my face, with grave
malignant intensity, as she said:
"You know | warned you. Th,
features may be little irregular, NJ
doubt, but then there is the grace o.
expression, a very lovely thing, you say
Indeed, you prefer it to positive beauty
do you notP And the intellect-yor
worship intellect; you know that a
least remains unchanged. viii yor
not give me your arm, senorP Let u,
proceed to supper" D."
"Pardon me, serranita," l STAN
mered. Il had forgotten a very
particular engagement-you will eX
cuse me-" But the words chokeC
me. / felt in the last throes o
strangulation, and would have dropped
down, | think, dead on the spot, if, hap,
PLY, the nose-bulwarked serrana, NJ
doubt accustomed to her own deformity
had not laughed outright at my miser
able confusion.
This gave me courage to rise, anC
with profound salute and frigid "a