The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-11
YOUTH.

SentenuOuS people are Iona oil telling US
that we change entirely every seven years,
that in that time every single atomy Of body
and sOuD finds q substitute. Personally,
am of opinion that we change oftener;
hat we are more like triennial in our con-
titutiou. In fact, it is change we owe to
our spiritual cleanliness. To go for more
Than three, or, anyhow, seven, years with
cut a clean change OF personality is like
wearing a shirt for fortnight. However
nat be, there is truth pertaining to the
change Of which the sententious people are
not, ! think, aware. When they speak Of
aur sloughiug our dead selves. they imagine
The hnsk left behind as a dead length Of hol-
!ow scale or hide. Would it we're so. These
sententious people, with all their informal
TON. have probably never gone through the
process of which they speak. They have
iever changed from the beginning, but
ave been consistently their dull selves
all through. They have, spiritually speak
ng, worn the same shirt for a lifetime!
70 those, however, who can look bSck On
many a melamOrphoss, the quick-change
artists of life, fearful thing is known.
The soiled shirt remains IN the linen basket
i'll its hour for the washerwoman has come;
The length of discarded snake lies giistening
IN the greenwood motiOnless, and slowly
erishes with the falling leaves of autumn.
But for the dead self Is no autumn. no
laundry. BY some mysterious law of sDir-
ltual propagation it breaks away from us,
A living thing, as the offspring of primitive
organisms are so TO say. broken off the tail
If their sole and undivided parent 1t goes
on living. as we 90 on lIying-oiten, indeed,
II we be poets OF artists. 1t survives us many
vears-it may be friend, but is Oftener an
enemy and 1t is always sad companion.
sat one evening in my sumptuous library
near Rutland Gate. was deep in my favor
tie author, my handbook, when presently
au entry-as matter of TACT, quarterly
allowance TO friend (well, woman friend
Of my y1uth-set me thinking. Just then
my man entered. A youth wished 10 see
me. He would not give his name, but sent
word that ! knew him very well for all
hat. Being in a good humor. 1 consented
10 see him. He was young man of about
20 and his shabby clothes could not con-
ceal that he was comely. DE entered The
room with light step and chin in the air,
and to nv surprise be strobe over to where
| sat and seated himself without a word.
Then he looked at me with his blue eyes,
and l recognized him with start. What's
the new book?" he asked eagerly, pointing
10 my open handbook.
Bending over, lie looked at 1t. "Pshawl
Figures You used not to care much about
hem. When we were together 1t used to be
swim burne's Poems and Ballads or Shakes
peare's 'Sonnets
As he spoke, he tugged faded copy of
the "Sonnets" from his pocket 1t slipped
rom his hand, and as it fell it opened and
faded Violets rained from its leaves. The
youth gathered them uD carefully. as
though they had been valuable. and re-
placed them.
"How do you sell your vlolets ?" 1 asked,
ironically. "Pll give you pound apiece
Tor themI'
"a poundI Twenty pounds apiece
wouldn't buy them" he laughed, and l re-
membered that they we're the violets Alice
Sunshine and | had gathered one spring day
when was 90 We had found them in a
corner of the dingle. where had been read
ing the "Sonnets" to her till in our book
that day we read no more. AS we parted
she pressed them between the leaves and
kissed them. / remember, too. that mad
teen particular TO write the day and hour
against them, and | remember further how
il puzzled me couple of years after what
the date could possibly mean.
Having secured his book, my visitor once
more looked me straight In the face, and as
he looked he seemed TO grow perpleXed and
disappointed. AS looked at him, my con-
tent seemed to be slowly melting away.
Five minutes before 1 had felt the most
comfortable, contented bourgeois in the
world. There seemed nothing l was In need
Of, but there was something about this
youth that was dangerously dlsillusioning.
Here was already envying him his paltry
yiOlets. / was even weak enough to offer
him s. apiece for them. but he still smiling
y shook his head.
'Wenv be said, presently, what have
you been doing with yourself all these
years?"
1 told him of my marriage and my
partnership in big city house.
"PhewI he said "Monstrous dull, isn't
II? As for me l never intend to marry.
And if you don't marry. what do you want
with money? You used to despise 1t
enough once. Aud do you remember our
favorite line: Our loves into corpses or
wives?'"
''Hushl" said, for wives have ears.
rs it Alice Sunshine?" he asked
NO" / said, mot Alice Sunshine"
MAUD Wfllow?'
mo, not Maud Willow"
Jenny HOpkins?"
No, not Jenny Hopkins"
Lucy Rainbow?"
''NO not Lucy Rainbow"
Now, who else was thereP cannot ra
member them all. All, 1 remember now. II
wasn't Lillian, after alp"
mo, poor Lillian died ten years ago.
am afraid you don't know my wife, / don't
think you ever met"
Isit?"
mo. /" and then stopped, just in time.
No, you don't know my wife, I'm sure. and
if you don't mind my saying SO, / think had
better not Introduce you. Forgive Inc, but
she wouldn't quite understand you, l
lear"
Wouldn't quite approve, eh?" said
he. with merry laugh. Poor old
chapP'
swell, Pm better off than that" he con-
tinued. why, Doll and love for week,
and Then forget each others names in
twelVemOnth, when Poll comes on, and so
un And neither of us is any the worse,
believe me- We're one as tickle as the
other, so where's the harm?"
"Ah, my dear fellow. you did make mis-
take. l suppose you forget Robert Louis
advice. Times are changed with him who
marries,' etc"
Hes married himself" replied
'And suppose you never drop in for
pipe at 'rhe Three Tuns' now of a morn