Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-02-09
CHAPTER VI.

a..,-H ESSfE Ar
} } ! ! ! ! ! : ! ! ! ] ! !. ! !.
scttIH Il CHEZ, wal
"TlT II the only
AHk W. child OF
&N% 4IrM life Was that shs
Nf3H had no serious &C
H rAI N curaiion. She
NH ER2 had much bct
Ngll,NI ter mind than The
y average girl. and
shs was intelligent enough TO 10 con
scious Of her own shortcomings Shs
wanted 10 10 great. and she was only
clever. Her father hal taken unusual
palns with hsr education. and the I'D
vantages that no would have given d
q son were as far as possible given &c
her. She could translate iieine and IN
Musset very gracefully. and hal pu'
Horace into respectable English verse
Some of her lIeine and De Musset trans
lations sho had set 10 music. anil che
sang them with q great deal Of taste
hut she tired % translaiing. and writing
songs bsgan 10 bore her. She wanted tc
10 something OF moro oonscquence In
the world. Having tecn horn and
brought up In luxury. shc thought sbs
would like 20 10 labor rcformer. and ~
she attended some noisy meetings at ths
Cootsr Union. accompanied by heI
cousin Archie nllinghast Instead ol
b.ins di.illusionirc,i thereby. sbo SIT M
quite . Sentimental feeling about The
"horny handel suns - toll 10 regu'
larry did she attend thoss meetings thai
abe bccame known by sight 10 som'
u the professional asitators, ana
ono Of them made bold 90 call at bel
house and ask her Tor funds 90 carry CO
the good work. Iio was u smcoti
,ongu~i fellow. and he urged her q
write labor reform pamphlet, which h'
engaged TO print and send broadcast oseI
ia. lAnd-if she would Iay the esIsnssuA
hut the ls,pr rcformcrs palled upon
her aftsf . while. and she began 10 ihini
do.ply upon the subject Of negro equal
ity. Sbe talke,i about u 10 every one
~ho would argue 90 agrcc with her. Slis
attended some meetings held Ia discuss
the subj~t, and once invited the African
orator home to dinner She said that
,hc had mo vulgar race prcJudiocs:
bui her father had. AMI the dinner party
lid not come OIL. Encouraged by her
patronage. the orator told her one day
hat be had no ,algar race prcjudiccs
,iiher. and tha, he would as lief marry a
white woman a. "A colorCd one. lie AL
sanccsl this b.licf with ~ much mean
,ng that Miss Archer rang the tell and
iricr,d the -cryan, to put him out of the
Lou-a After that day ale carefully
lyOidci the subject % negro equality.
and turnsSl her attention to tho aincliora-
ilon II the condition - the Indian. This
fancy pleased her longer than usual: bui
after shc had made quit. a collection 81
Indian trophies. and rrai a gcci deal.
nero particularly poems, 81 Indian li,-
praturr. she went cut 10 the plains %
visit friend who hal married An army
officer. Tb.rc she saw the Indian di'
ycstsSl ~ rUmancc. She thought him a
very unintcrs~ting pcr-onage. and pre-
fcrr~l the legends % the poets Ia the
facts tha, there stare,i hsr Ia the face.
AZ the time when Rush iluIlsiono ts'-
came acquainted with her she was deeply
Interested In c-o,sric buddhism. and had
attended somc questionable meetings at
ll,c apartment 81 the high pTies,cs, OF
Iluddha. a certain Mine. parapon. who
a-cw around her wholly bohemian
and partially vicious lot Of rcoplc. most.
ly mcn. amng whom she at smoking
ci..aTetic- AnI discoursing 81 the strange
things si,e had sen In India. She ~orc
a abro.h which slpc aid hal bccn pluc kcl
out % the forehead 81 n departed iiindoo
and placed at her thruai. Did any one
doubt bert There was the bruoch
Nine. Paratof was very clever wo'
man. and had written book entitled
The Rending 81 the Veil," which nc
one rad. but which every one said VA
a wonderful production. IL was In two
large folio yolum-s. filed with illusira'
tons. showing the veil before and after
the rcnding. and givin; the mystic signs
known only to tho~e Who had sought
faithfully for e-o,eric information ou
this subject.
Mime. PanpoH. a. ! have said. wa'
clever. bu, she hal face that would
frighicn OIL any one who Was not par
ticularly anxious a. learn that which shs
alone prufcSssj Ia teach. Bessie ArcbeI
Was never more alarmed In her life than
on her hrst visit to MiS. Parapotr'
bungalow as the latter called u. She
hal never seen such a looking woman
bsfOrc: her face rcIcllcd her. but beI
manner was reassurins. The Russian
Was thorough woman Of the world
and she saw that In this visitor she had
a fish ~ a new sort "a deal with. who
could not be caught with the common
halt thrown To the men around her
Only the choices, mor-el would aitIaci
her. She mus, 10 careful not 20 offend
her by Speaking too plainly before her al
ilrst. and she mus, not give her bel
famous pamphlet. NAKED. and no,
Ashamed" To read until she was quits
sure Of her. Bessie had induced beI
useful cousin. Archie Tllinghast. 10 &C
company her 20 Nine. Parapotfs. Archis
didn't want To 20 at all. but lac was con
yinoed that Bessie would 40 alone u hs
didn't go with her
"Rum girl. Cousin Bcss," he said q
Rush. "bright as dollar. hut slippery a,
an eel. you never can tell where she l.
going 20 bob up. Beastly place, that
Parapofrs. A lot Of hairy men. smelling
Of whisky and tobacco smoke. lolline
around the floor on skins. pulling their
vile pipes In the face Of the priestsss,
who at ON n sort Of raised place Ia n big
chair and smoked cigarettes, partly In
self defense and partly TO show her very
white and well kept hands and hand
some rings Hers were the only clean
hands In the room. Such q lot Of tramps'
don't believe they had q change oi
shirts among them"
"And did Miss Archer find pleasure
In their societyy asked Rush.
"She tried 10 think she did. At any
rate. she was doing something out Of the
common. and there is great satisfaction
In that TO some people. old boy." an
swercd Archie. "l'm very fond OF De.
ae. otherwise you wouldn't find me trot.
ting around To these tiresome places with
her-labor reform meetings, negro equal
ity meetings and Indian meetings II