New-York tribune., 1886-08-01
kcYLLA AND CHARYBDIS.
.r.,E OF TWO FOOLISH YOUNG PEOPLE
AND HERO.


NelT; Won havei What's it about -
,.Weil it's deep chapter, You know. Phil
..oDbic,sl and that. Reflections on Woman"
"Your reflections on w Oman, Jim ! That
.,st be very amusing.
- No il isn't" with indignation.
"lsnt it Wen, indeed, | suppose it is not
lid Nela reslSnedly.
%jGs -original-stiiking. But it's
.., meant Ia be- amusing
D." Then it's instructive. Read it for me, Jim.
should 50 like TO know something about
She settled herself comfortably in her chair
An listen folding her SIN III hands decOrOuSiy
end looking perfectly serious. But Jim was not
satistied
ii perceive that thu, spirit of mischief is stll
rot to hear it, I'll read it myself
." Pc haps you had bcttel,' she said gravely.
~J don't suppose any body el>o evei-No, didn't
mean it jim DO read it-pleaSc.'
For Jim, who had been with difficulty evOlv
tng bulky 1Ote-boOk from his inner pockets,
showed symptonns of dcsiSting and going away.
He ielented upon receiving this apology, and
0ennc the book went over 10 the window to
mad. There was very little light III the room.
Ontside it was dusk, the scaniy twilight OF
December evening, fast fading. 1t was very
stil the silence of the street broken only by
the occasional rattle of passing car In the
little room il was very comfortable, the red
Jim could have seen better by its hight. probably
had he kntlt on the hearth-rug AT Neila's feet.
But reading by fl eight, as all the world knows,
IA destruction to eyes, and If one have good eyes
and not much else in the way OF beauty. and If
IN fact ones lady love has pronounced them the
6nIy decent feature one has, il behoves a man
70 be careful. and to regulate his optical proceed
ings by the experience of the ages. Further
more. he may have considered that such proXim-
ity to Miss Neila MOI eton, though in itself a
desirable thing. would by no means conduce 10
render the reading duly serious and impressive.
So he remained at safe distance and ab>taincd
from looking over, lest he should discover her
hnghing as was her habit, at unreasonable
times.
Even had he looked he could scarce have
seen much for the fire WAS cap-icicIs and
showed her only by ttful CLEANS, giving most OF
ts light To two pOlnts--her face and icet. Ihe
hitter, by reason of their being placed upon the
fender were dcServedly prominent, and would
have obtained due recognition from any beholder.
The Young and thOnghtlesS would prOhtbly have
commended then noting their shapellness, the
archne of the instep The pertnesS OF their high
heled slippers the daintlness ot their stockings.
Bnt from the reflective observer guided by the
immuabc laws of reason and assigning praise
n proportion to functional fitness. they would
have received me tied rep; ehenslOn rs beng IN
sufficient for the maintenance of stable equihb
nun and as bases of the centre of gravity con
tempt Ale-simplv contemplate. The gloom
tia. en>hroudci her figure not so dense bnt
that one could see II WIS a fral and slight thing.
not half filling the wide chair size sat In, yet
witha shapclv. and with a due SllmnoSs as to
that region which Naiure-lssisted by Art-hIs
50 beautifully adapted TO male environm nj
The doctrine Of evolution has surely no bette
illustration than thi>-the anatomical change
wrought by centuries land corsetS) since Phidlas
was fashionable sculptor The Cheeks OF the
period ii dense and cna se-minded Iace, never
yalSed so waists We're worn wide.
Her face was more distinct. vet was baffiing
face 10 analvzc even in the best hight. There
were dark brown ewes. Of most variable eX-
preston 10y turns mSchicvou>lv merry and
shnoimsly grave. with n gravity deServedlv
10 be di,truSted Then. there was a nose, whose
merits consisted less IN regularity Of outline
than in an infinite caplrity for the expression
of sco'n and increduliiv. Her mouth when
closed-bui il was very seldom closed. And she
bad concealed somewhere abOut her person n
repository Of drmples-sudden dimples-dimplcs
rot 10 hc spoken Of as forced, though thev were
often produced out of season. They would start
mp in the most unexpected places. hike partridge
suddenly huShed->nelv-in counle>-whOlc
coveys OF them tintterlng about the corners o'
her mouth, which were decidedly hot corners
IN that respect. And il would be pleasant to be
stationed In their immediate vicinity, mos:
spo tsmen would have thOught Her face
changed when she smiled. " hk" a sunlit lake
rrilled by sudden breeze" That WAS what
Jim Anstruth"r said. But Jim, AZ hath been
stated given tO the writing of novels and
other neiarious practices. and the truth was not
in him. Meanwhile he read a. follows:
II appears 10 me- that sufficient note has
never been taken of the wanfOn cruelty natural
t. Woman. II j. accented a. tirl m that fem
mime nature IN its cruditv. in the unsopl tcslted
humannrss of euly gi lbood. Is tender and
gentle. kindly in it, svmrafhics cni'tnoiis i'm il
names; while the Boy. &c British Roy in hi
uDadulie'aied state i currently rcga'd"d as Tn"
ncalD ltinn Of miSchicvOus cruelty He is con
tdered 10 be in essenrc monster. slightly ven
oe'ed with traces Of the lulllpOp> and hrc'd and
m'teT o. civilization whose outward ~omblrnco
may indeed he knickcrbOckers. hut who's, inward
iPlnt thii-tS fo' gore whose m illgnant aepi'a-
nnDS-lhwarted a. 10 inferior anim0l> hv the
uammels Of domestic supervision. and the bcne-
tc'nt clauses Of the Acts for Prevention of
Cruelty to AnimaI--fnd vent in pcg-top.. IL
hoons. ~ tD-cat end kindred pursuits. which
gladden. the heart of youth and fracture the limb
OF adults. In fact il would bc thonghi Jess an
outage on the individual than the language f.
call MN Not B'i'lsh. but Riutish ~
And meanwhile the Girl, the pnaforcd
and Iantalcttod exponent of innocence. pursue
Ief devious wav, indulges her dcmonac thirst
JOY torture. unnoticed. A bos's notions o.
cruelty are crude His highest aspiration
toward poetry stop at tving cat', tail 10 .
hrIc. t. o. tantalzine do" "a sm.ll doc) VIII
siaSuc suspended bone. But the Girl, dcmure
mhllc. III private FISHES hor 'naidcn steel,
IS that her needle. Jim 7"
D0n'i interrupt, miss: hcr m,idcn stco
On the htIpless prieste,s Of childish inhumanit,
Neia began 10 laugh. You absnld fellow.
doll can't feo :"
a., ion needI't laupt' Jim SAID seriously
know i can't. But that i.n't the grip
IIanl' She'd be- all the bettcr pleased if II cont
70 on tn show at length how the indugcnc,
shewn TO cllls in this respect dcepons thel'
i'iVe inhumanity. which reaches it, culminat-
Mg MONT whrn the doh is replaced by tho
eI,nIV helpless babvn
fhsti P -" ~" ''"'o
i'm locked ~ her in pined silence. But H.
tspp". tn" results of this mi-clnevon.
,uM,hihg are painfully evident when Time lla.
,r.LNeG nr. The lnanYnaic doll by the sentient and
eenlappy. not silent baby. Then the GendjsI
rires Slnre rcheased in ofligy are pracfi~ed will,
trsa, ra erect. he smallest fraction Of fellow