The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-02-07
THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM

THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM.
1t was quite a romance, 1t might have
made a sweet, pretty. fearful novel, only
1t didn't. But it was quite a romance
She was pretty girl. just about 20, and
of course, she was charming. She haC
had very serious illness. For som,
time they did not think she would get
well, but she had strong cOnstitu ion
and was altogether 10 we'll fl ted for life
to lose it easily. She got well enough
to be angry with the doctor and accuse
him of deceiving her because he did not
tell her she was going to die when she
was so i'll Just as she was convaescing
the doctor told her he had young man,
interesting, a stranger patient, living ex'
actly opposite.
She Immediately became wild to be
allowed 10 GET to the window and see
him. But the doctor forbade her for
several days. At last he said che might
get out of bed, and-w,ll, well, just TO
think of it. When the sun was shining
and the world was all so fair, the first
thing she wanted to see was the interest
ing young male invalid opposite. She
saw him, and he waved worn hand to
her, for he had been told about her.
| flowers, and she would wear them in
her wrapper, and he would smile a wan
smile OF pleasure. They did not send
any other communication, but every
morning they would greet one another
from the window.
she was well first, and the doctor
could hardly keep the young man pa
tient in his room, he was so mad and
/ ,nrflI h,,
two interesting young people there
sprang up sympathetic feeling that
seemed to grow stronger every day.
They both got WELL All, was it not ro
mantle! Picture to yourself what came
out of this strange and touching ac-
quaitance. Can you not see the two
meeting after their illness ? Can you
not hear the gentle voice that congratu
lates him, and the earnest tone in which
he replies? Well he got we'll aud twelve
hours afterward the doctor called and
told her he had gone East.
tell you, there would be great many
more romance If they did not end in
such matter of fact way. Fate is with
peoples lives like the young woman who
begins to write story, 1t seems to go
a certain way with them and then it
drops them, or else it su lnenly becomes
practical and makes everything prosac.
Romance does not last, You go to pic
uic and you meet a lovely girl, land you
have just the sweetest time in the world
under the trees and by the broOkside.
And you are in kind of poetic dream
until it comes time to go home, and
when you get to the ferry you make a
break for you dinner. You're too hun
CRY 10 be poetic. The human stomach,
come to think of it, is sad destroyer of
your romance. Its prosaic call is so re-
current and so imperative. | don't like
to think of the shepherds and shep-
herdesses of Acadia sitting down to a
meal of bread and buttermilk. There
may be poetry compatible with eating
grapes. but even pears and apples and
oranges are only poetical when they are
part of the landscape. Few people can
eat oranges and feel comfortable with
out finger bowl.
When you come to think of it every
thing in life seems to conspire against
poetry. It's all well to fancy your
sweetheart laid on her snow white
couch dreaming of you, or standing in
a gauzy costume by the window looking
at the moon and apostrophizing you as
Romeo. But then you know that she
has to take her boots off and take the
naIrpins out of her hair, and when her
dainty little feet touch the cold floor you
know that she screams, Ouch ! how
cold it is !" and in that single instance
poetry is dashed to pieces. And you !
Well, you have lots of poetry internally,
| don't doubt, hut you are not poetic in
Ia, ,.pIo a. ,,,gff lynptur
know fellow who reduced everything
to the prosaic. We walked up Market
street one afternoon. A pretty girl was
coming down. There are plenty Of
them.
What pretty girl" l said
Yes"
That is as pretty foot as have seen
IN long time"
"Yes. What pity such lovely angel
as that has TO cut her corns.
NO. said the melancholy old fellow.
You can't tell about those things. l
used to be very sentimental when | was
young but got it all knocked out of
me. thought the actresses who played
pretty, fearful parts were such true, gen
tie, sentimental, women. l went once
} to hear young lady give recitations,
! and they were sweet, tender things such
as touched me; and she was pretty with
soft meaningful eyes and sad express
sion about the mouth. | fell in love
with her and got introduced to her.
J asked her TO come out to supper with
me after her reading one night. was
poor but had massed all had to give
her dainty, ethereal supper to wake up
all the poetry in her, so to speak.
thought that sad mouth must be portal
for only dainty food and we went to the
swell restaurant,
What shall order, sir ?" said the
waiter.
They don't often say sir now, but
those were days of pollteness."
1--WE will have began.
Z" For me, she broke in, with her
deep, meaningful eyes and the same sad
expression about the mouth, L want a
beefsteak and bottle of English porter,
ind that suits me best after nights
recitation
at saved me money, but oh, how it
burst up my dream of happiness. San
Francisco Chronicle.
TOM RAgnAI