The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-05-11
Seltrt Storg.
A STAGE UNDINE.

CHATTER ].
The theatre was crowded. though the
new play was by no means either very
poetic or very brilliant, or, IN truth, very
highly moral Possibly in that latter de-
feet lay part Of its sttractiveaess; uevcrthe-
less. eorseOus coloTing, clever il 10, grace
ful dancing. bright music, and free dis
play Of round and supple lIUbs-al lent
their quota To the desired result The
piece was a success. The audience was in
good temper and applauded everything
the pooresi Jokes made 1t laugh, Ihe tlim.-
isss sentiment was greeted with vfuSiou.
aud ,hc dancing created quite fsror
In a private box near the stage there sat,
however, a msa whose delicate. sensitive
face and large, intellectual looking bead
scemed To denote a nature that would make
mon. ideal demands aud have more fastid
ious tastes yc, his dark, dreamy eyes rested
on the performance as il cntranecd He
sat back litsle in the box, aud was partly
hiddea by the shadow Of curtain, ba, had
auy oae cared To watch him they eOaId
have seen that he never shared either ia
ihs sairth OF in the cheap emotion that was
around him Watching him still more
cloSciy. il might have becu noticed, too,
,hat his eyes followed one figure alone in
every scene.
No wonder The giri vas saPFcn'ely
beautiful. She could not b. more than
seventeen, probably not so much, and her
beauty had NOT reached It's zenith, yet 10
that dawn Of still unfulhllcd spleuder there
was Culy more Piquans charm,
The creature seemed young with youth
such a. 1ur woFn-out generation seldom
knows. 4 youth that had all the freshness
and the buoyancy Of a Hebe, all the volaF-
tuous promise Of Caesars Clecpaira,
She seemed the very embodiment Of
physical life aud health As set unwakencd
into spiritual consciousness, as yet mistress,
DOT servant, Of the still dormant soul Her
eyes we're bright and clear and laughing,
the mouth ripe aud red and fuil, and the
girl danced with such abandon, such absO-
lutte enjoyment, that Others infinitely more
skilled aud trained had not half the charm.
+ The play was nothing 10 Gilbert Bur.
rell, the physical representation Of his ideal
of lovcliness was everything Half poet
I and half sculptor, incomplete in everything
aud conscious Of his incomple,eness, Gil
bert Was al leas, wholly devoted to beauty,
F Il a,eaut TO him the satisfaction Of every
sense, the realization OF every dream, the
+ blossom Of time, the promise Of eternity.
/ There was in this worship an element Of
+ self-consciossness, pitiful remembrance
always present that his own life would even
be out og harmony with his ideal, would
ever be a discordant note in the symphony
Of nature
Rich enough to gratiiy every taste, -
far as money could 20, young enough and
seusuous enough TO thrill responsive t'
every sight aud sound Of this beautiful
earth. had this mans soul not been crampeC
and confined 10 a ruined house Of clay, lif,
might have been for him full TO overflow
Ing with rapture and success. As 1t was
he never could move without sense o
humiliation, never could see himself in tn
glass without shiver Of repugnance, ueve
could meet the eyes of woman without
as he fancied, reading in them u mute com
passion that was infinitely worse to bea
than indifference would have been
Great heaven could love never be hi
-only ever, ever this cruel seoTching pit
that made him unable for moment TO foI
get bis burden Fate had used him harsh
". A babe of twelve months, he had falle
from his careless nurses arms, and ben
I spine and a shortened limb were hencefort
his heritage of pain.
He was weary of the women of his ow
elass-the gentle souls that were sweet
! gracious to him, that bore with his petu
j lance and forgot to resent it, that put o
no dainty airs of coquetry, no sweet fat
, tering, provoking reserve, but treated hiI
with tender motherlness of which he wa
quick enough to understand the meaning
He was ''out of the question" where 10y
was concerned, therefore any amount G
kindness was at his service. He ha
learned to hate it
0 When the curtain fell for moment h
# still sat on, but the light faded from b
face, In the JOY of Watching absolut
It strength and beauty he had almost forgo
e ten himself; now the old pain was ono
more present Slowly he arose and stoo
awhile hesitating as the house thinned, the
walked boldly behind the stage. He W;
known there, and in a moment was anon
r the nymphs and fairies of the ballet The
were tired now, and most of them locke
jaded and depressed, but instantly his ey,
: lighted on the radiant creature he sough
There was no WEAKNESS visible about h,
even yet, and she stood laughingly exec1
I ing a pas sem as final flourish when Gi
F bert entered. Another moment he w
y bowling before her as profoundly as to
'e duchess. Then he raised his eyes to me
ii hers with quick questioning, dreading
read in them pity or contempt. of Il