The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-10
A RICH PAUPER.

Deu In ecSCacy ana the air breatheu OF
sweet and terrible restlessness and the
pRuper's nature thrilled in response What
was it?
She was twenty-five years old, married
and mother. She was surfeited with
luxury. The conventional girl Of the upper
class, her dreams had been Of marriage,
motherhood, position and riches Her
dreams had been realized.
She was always called mice" girl
In appearance she was not pretty enough
to attract or ugly enough to fascinnte
She was simply and merely commonplace
On the beach she would be ignored by the
men and admired by the women, and
she would never tempt hammock to an
indlScretiou.
She WAS q mice" girl
Every body liked her, but perhaps nobody
loved her. Ii any picture she would sup
ply the wanted tints.
She was respected but to be respected Is
not always to DO loved Some women in
spirv one sentiment and some the other
When a woman commands both she is in
decd happy
And then came the night IN June
She we sitting, q quite little figure, on
the piazza watching the fireflcs. She was
contented, though she was never 20 he SO
nGain- Suddenly a tall figure in summer
Rannels materialized. 1t leaned above her;
its breath was on her cheek She saw its
eyes and trembling lips quite plainly
through the dusk for Il brief second; then
in flash the whole expression of the face
changed. It was trarsilXeti with horror
mingled with amusement.
Il beg your lv.rlcD IL have made n
great mistake The cottages on this bluff
resemble each other completely. u
hu, again she was alone
AID in that moment she knew she was
that she had always becn--n pauper in
loves land
No man had ever worn such look for
her. She was not Mt that moment quite
sure that she would have liked it if they
had. Something then existed for other
women of which she had known nothing,
and there vas a chapter in life in which
size had no part. 1t was very queer.
She sat up very straight and listened
She heard suppressed laughter OH the
piazza of the next cottage y voice said:
II nearly kissed her, by ,Jove"
You are quite sure you did not?" asked
IL second.
What? You have seen her l assure
you it was no tempt,ition.
Then both laughed. 1t was apparently
IA joke which both appreciated
Assuredly these summer cottages are
placed too near each other for decency
And it is true also that they resemble each
other too closely. AS the pauper sat there
new pain tugged at her heart. 1t was
not eased even when she heard in the
nursery of her cottage child whimper out
in it's sleep. From another, room hung in
iishnet she could hear mems voices and
the rattle of chips
One voice was that of her husband.
"a woman who has nothing to give Is n
pauper!' she said and bowed her head.
She was human and was thinking with
her heart and not her soul. She tried to
say to herself that modcsty, intelligence
and wonanly worth were of infinitely more
Value than tho beauty OF the flesh. Be it
so-shc had still missed something.
What had she given the man she loveds
Unselfish devotion? Truth? Purity,
Tho affection which lays hold upon the
stars and survives when the earth sinks
away
Yes All these
But he was man. And his love of the
woman beautiful must be forever starved
in his love for her. Oh, to have been able
to call to his eyes the look which had
shonc in those of that stranger! 1t was the
part of love which belonged to the flesh
the unworthy part-but it existed, and not
for her And this was not heaven yet, but
earth. If God first made the heart Of man,
why had he since then allowed plain
women like herself to exist? That they
might suffer? It was cruel thing. but
like oCher cruel things it WAS true
Her pain now was like a fever, and a
fever which in turn struck one long harsh
nota of pain.
y moment later she stood within the
cottage Her husband looked mp and drew
I..,4 1t. I'd IL
but she said pettishly, please don't"
He stared at her in amazed good nature.
and then went on playing cards with the
family friend.
Once within her room she lighted the
candles in trembling haste and crowded
them closely upon her dressing table.
Then she loosened her garments and her
hair and leaned eagerly to receive the yer
diet OF her mirror. Deliberately she Judged
herself She was not ugly! No! But she
was lacking in what? Charm? Yes, that
was it. Nature, which gives all to some
and nothing to many, had neglected her
somewhat. but she told herself that nature
had fashioned her one of her largest class
those who resemble each other as closely
as crackers from cracker factory. She
WAS commonplace-nice, but common
place, and she felt that she could never
forgive nature
She flung about her loose robe, blew
out her candles and sat by her window
The waves were ilinging themselves in
sheer abandon upon the beach out there
She wished-suddenly her brain asked n
question.
Had he been true all these years?
The thought was like hot iron in her
heart, but she held it there firnlly-that
heart which had never before doubted.
And her heart answered her brain.
"Nol'' it said
And then the poor forlorn paupcr said to
heart and brain:
Tomorrow will know"