San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-20

of the other?
LADY Venus" he cried, Historically
ooh! Lady Venus, mum, thought you
had gone forever"
"And you have grieved?' she said,
almost tenderly. "You welcome my re.
turn with JOY! Know then, Leander,
that myself feel pleasure in returning,
even to such a roof as thiss~ for little
gladness have | had from my wander,
ings Upon no altar did see my name
shine, nor the perfumed flames flicker;
the Lydian measures were silent, and
the praise of Cytherea. And every
where | went found the same sense
less, troubled haste and pale, mean
faces of men, and squalor, and tumult;
grace and jOyOusness have fied-ever
from your revelry! But | have seen
your new gods, and understand: for, all
grimy and misshapen and uncouth are
they as they stand in your open places
and at the corners of your streets.
Zeus, what place must Olympus now
be! And can any men worship such
monsters and be gladsome?"
Leander did not perceive the very
natural mistake into which the goddess
had fallen; but the fact was, that she
had come upon some of our justly re-
nowned public statues.
"I'm sorry you haven't enjoyed your
self mum," was all he could find to say.
"Should | linger in such scenes were
it not for you?" she cried reproachful-
ly. "IIow much longer will you re-
pulse me?"
. That depends on you, num-" he
yentured to observe.
"Ah, you are cold" she said reproach-
fully: yet surely | am worthy of the
alteration of the proudest mortal.
Judge me not by this marble exterior,
cunningly wrought, though it be.
Charms are mine, more dazzling than
any your imagination can picture: and
could you surrender your being to my
hands. | should be able to show myself
as | really am-supreme in loneliness
and majesty"
Unfortunately. the hairdressers inn
agination was not his strongest point.
He could not dissociate the goddess
from the marble shape she had as
sumed, and that shape he was not
sufficiently educated to admire: he
merely cOughed now in a dcferential
manner.
81 perceive that cannot move you"
She said men have grown strangely
stubborn and imperviouS. leave you,
then. to your obStinacy-Only take
heed, lest you provoke me at last To
wrath; for my patience is well-nigh at
an end
And she was gone, and the bcdizcned
statue stood there. staring hardly at
him with the eyes his own hand had
given her.
This has been the most trying even
ing I've had yet. " he thought Thank
my stars. if all goes WE'LL shall get rid
of her by this time tomorrow"
The next day passed uneventfully
enough, though the unfortunate Lean
der's apprehensions increased with
every hour: as before. he closed early,
got his apprentice safely off the premises
and sat down to wait in his saloon.
He knew that the statue (which he had
concealed during the day behind a con-
venient curtain) would probably recover
consciousness for some part of the
evening, as it had rarely failed to do
and prudence urged him to keep an eve
over the proceedings of his torment
reSS.
TO his horror Aphrodite's first words
after awaking expressed her intention
OF repeating the search for hUmayc and
beauty which had been 50 unsuccessful
the night before.
Seek not to dctain me. Lcandcr. y
she said for, goddess as | am. ] am
dropping under this persistent OBJ.
stinacy. Somewhere beyond this murky
labyrinth it may hc that | shall find a
shrine where | am yet hOnOrrd viii.
go forth and never rest till | have founC
it,and my troubled spirits are revived
by the incense for which have
languished 50 long. am weary OF
Rbasing myself to a contemptuous
mortal. nor will longer endure such
indignity. Stand back and open the
gates for me! Why do you not obey?"
He knew now that to attempt force
would he useless. and yet if she left him
this time he must abandon all that life
held for him and fly to distant parts
from the burglars vengeance-Or re-
main to meet too probable doom!
He fell on his knees before her. ooh.
Lady Venus" he entreatcd. don't
leave me! beg and implore YOU not
to! If you do you will kill me! give
you my honest word you will"
by sudden JOY: she paused. and glanced
down with an approving smile upon the
kneeling figure at her feet.
why did you not kneel to me be
force" she said.
Because | never thought of il. sale
the hair-dresser honestly; "but III stay
on my knees for hours, if only yoI
won't go!"
"But what has made you thus eager
thus humble?" she said. half in wonde,
and half in suspicion. Can it be tina
the spark | have sought to kindle il
your breast is growing to a flame a
last? Leander. can this thing be?"
He saw that she was gratifiCd. tina
she desired to be assured that this wa
. indeed so.