Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-03-18
A MODERN GUINEyERE.

MODERN GUINEYERE.
King Arthur had gone to his club. He
had first seen his wife safely to her car
rage, and Guinevere had driven home
alone. The opera that night had been
| Faust, and her brain vas full Of the
music Perhaps that was why she was not
surprised when she found that late guest
awaited her in the library.
AS for Sir Lancelot, nothing was more
natural than that he should drop in for a
friendly call at any hour. He, being the
most intimate friend of King Arthur,
was perfectly entitled to make himself
thoroughly at homo in the fat, and he
had even gone so far on occasions as to
fad grave fault with the chef of the estab-
lishment.
His admiration however, for Queen
Guinevere was fully as frank, and these
two things only proved him to be most
honest in his friendship for the king
Which ought to explain why, VIXEN
Guinevere entered the room, he assisted
her to loosen her sables and laces with a
familiarity which was wordless and quite
as matter OF course. You might almost
have imagined that he was the king, had
he not asked:
Are you i'll? | noticed quite across
the house that you were Whitewater
than your satin gOWn-and-that IS why
am here. tried stay away
II am we'll" The answer is quite and
laconic.
You are troubIed?"
Nothing new"
why not be rs other women are? Why
not--dritt?" Yet he does not look in her
eyes.
81 am not Hke-others-aIl others. l
wish | could be. | wish | could be either
better or worse" Her eyelids are very
heavy and very white; perhaps that is
why their laShes and their brows seem so
black
"Guinevere, he says slowly, walking
across the room and back again. ''If your
love Tor me-such an innocent love in
everything save expression-causes you.8o
much misery, | will go oway."
Lancelots always say this, believe. 1t
is stock expression. AS they never do
go away, it is wise to conclude it mean
ingless.
Guinevere does not answer She mere
ly thinks-which is far more wearing.
People never talk themselves to death, |
notice, though occasionally have suspect
ed some poor fool Of thinking himself out
of existence. This is a mode only in favor
among fools, fortunately, as even the most
ordinary intellect early dlscerns that the
less one thinks the more possible, not to
say probable, happiness becomes. As
Guinevree quite naturally belongs to this
order, and as this Guinevere was no
exception, she continued to think
So as she sank upon a big settee in the
proper conner Of the fireplace, she neye,
noticed that one Of its paIe-green cushions
Tell near enough te the heat to become
scorcbed a crisp brown, or how costly
bright the lamp burned, and, and how ut
terly without jar the colorS of the little
room combined. And she never CON
trasted all this, as a cat most certainly
would lave done, with the nasty shr1eks
the night wind was Including in ont of
doors. She might have assimilated these
things mentally, in a lazy way, without an
effort which could be called a thought
But she did not.
She only stared al the fire, while her
eyeballs baked with the heat and that of
the outer FIRE in her brain, and thought
other more tiresome thoughts.
And these are some of her thoughts:
| love one man and | am married to
another.
What is to be done about it? 1t is I'M
pleasant, very.
once went through with a ceremony
which was held in church. But, like
most things In that particular church,
their was nothing sacred about it. Even
the man who performed it gossip says,
performs with equal distinction feats in
the noble game of backsliding,
Here she smiled a smile which would
have cheered the devil. even as a demoi-
selle with a silver neck and cheering King
Arthur at the club. And then there was
great fash Of diamonds on an excellent
white bosom, as she corrected this smile
by sigh.
And then the queen went on thinking.
But there is also the law.
Bother the law! Man made it.
And then she looked at the man before
the fire. He was looking at her He was
very miserable she had no doubt of that.
He looked it so thoroughly. And he was
very far from handsome. Men said he
was of no account whatever. This is
what men usually say of Lapc.lots. He
| looked his best tonight, with his face
| turned to the glare of e.sfames, because it
! gave little softness to the harsh lines
about his mouth. Arthur was much hand
/ somer, but Arthur was at the club.
! If Lancelot ever became any wOman's Ar
, thur he would go the club also. At pres
! ent his role was that of Lapcelot, and he
was accepting his chances-very well, in
| deed
Meanwhile, the poor queen loved one
man and was married to the other. And
the amusing part of it all was that silly
Guinevere felt as if no other wom9 IN had
/ ever had the Lacalot- Arthur battle to
/ fight.
I Yet Guineveres are far more comm on
! than Ends, and almost as much so as
! Viviens.
1--WE are fooIs" she exclaimed at last,
biting her handsome LIPS and beginning TO
pull off her long gloves.
! Admitted, y said he, honestly.
! Il made mistake"
| 'fAnd for that reason conclude that you
must go on with it. Such reasoning is
unreasonable. p"
| Its all very well to talk. But the
/ harder | try to make myself believe it
rig ht. the worse 1t all looks"
| Should a woman live with a man
when she does not love him? Is that
right9"
eSociety be-hanged! It's you I'm
thinking of-and myself.
Here she smiled once more.
stop that, Guinevere! | don't like to
see you look like that. IT'S a new trick
OF yours Besides, as far as society is
concerned, we could go away. l have
| some money. | love you, You love me.