Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-09-08
GOOD-BY SWEETHEART.
A Short Story by the Late Guy de
MaupaSSant.


they overlooked the boulevard, which
at this time was crowded with people,
The soft breeZes that swept through
the streets of Paris on the warm sum
mer night famed their cheeks inviting
them to go down among the trees
somewhere, anywhere, TO dream of
moonlit streams inspired poems and
chanting nightingaleS.
| One of them. Henri Simon. said to
his companion, with Il profound sigh:
Il feel that | am growing old, my
| friend. On such 4 night as this, in
| days gone by, | was keenly alive to the
pleasures of existence. To night 1
have nothing but regrets. Life is short
| at best
He was a man about 10 years old, d
little stout and quite bald.
The other. Pierre Carrier. not his
senior i'll appearance by any means,
but more slender and yivacious, re-
piled:
Il. my friend, have grown old with
out noticing and all that. For, when
one looks ut himself in the glass every
day III - year the ravageS of age are
not apparent; they are slow and re
gular, and work such gradual changes
! We can hardly perceive it. To see it
that the transition is not noticeable.
plainly one should not look into !; mir
ror for six months at least, and then
all, what a shock!
LAS for myself, / grew old without
suspecting it. | thought myself still Il
youth when l was nearly 80 years of
age. Free from intirmitieS of any kind
| was going my way, happy and CON
tent. But the revelation of my decline
came upon me in such Il simple yet
startling manner that | felt the effects
of the shock six months afterward.
Then I accepted my fate gracefully.
Il have often been in love. like all
men; but once in my life l was quite
hard hit.
Il met her at the SeashOre-Etretat-
about II years ago, not long after the
war.
Few women are made to endure the
crucial test of the bath. Their figures
stand revealed from ankle to throat.
AS they emerge from the embrace Of
the briny waters, either their short
comingS are made plain to the eye, or
the rounded contours of form and limb
are EXCHANGED by the clinging dripping
garments.
THE first time l saw the young
woman of whom l have spoken l was
carried away by her charms. Few
women possess the beauty of form that
is startling and Overpowering OF first
glance-that seems to man as if he
had suddenly met the creature he WAS
born TO love | experienced that sen
s;tion and that shock.
Il was introduced to her. and was
more deeply smitten than ever i'll my
life. She made me her slave, and ii
was both terrible and delicious to sub
nit thus to the reign of woman. 1t is
torture and understandable felicity ut
Cncc. Her look. her smile, the little
tendrils of hair around her neck, ruffled
by the breeze; every line of her face,
her slightest movement captivated my
senses and ensnared and drove me to
distraction.
she was married. Her husband
came every Saturday and departed
again on Monday. ! was not in the
least concerned about him, nor jealous
of his relation to her. No living crea
ture ever seemed of less consequence
to me than this man.
This lasted three months, when
was called to America, whittier / went
with IL crushed and broken heart. Even
away from her l was her slave still
Years went by. / could not forget her.
Her charms were constantly before my
eyes and in my heart. | cherished her
memory with a tenderness that had
grown calm, and l loved her as one
loves a dream of q most beautiful and
enchanting thing.
"One day last spring j went to dine
as the train was about to start portly
matron entered the coach ] occupied,
accompanied by four little girls. l
could not help looking curiously at this
large, rotund, motherly creature, whose
face was like the full moon under Il
beribboned hat. She pulled and pant
ed from the exertion of her hurried
walk The children began to babble
and / unfolded my newspaper and
commenced to read. AS we passed
Asnieres my neighbor suddenly accost-
ed me:
Il beg your pardon, sir; are you not
NJ, Carnier?'
Yes. madame
''She laughed with the contented
laugh of a cheerful woman, but there
was just tinge of sadness in her voice
DO you not recognize me|'
! II hesitated. 1t seemed to me that I
had seen her face before, but / could
not tell when and where, / answered:
'Yes-and, mol certainly knew you,
but I cannot recollect your name" She
! blushed a little.
Mime Julie Leferve"
II was startled out Of my wits. For
/ moment the earth seemed to reel
around me and a veil was rudely torn
from my eyes, which made me see
! things with terrible heartrending clear
! ness.
! 1t was she! This stout. common
| woman, the moLuer of these girls! l
| eyed the little creatures with as much
establishment as / did their mother.
They had followed her; they had taken
their places in life, already half
women, and she counted for nothing
she, who had once been such a marvel
of delicate and coquettish charms!
1t seemed to me that l had known
her but yesterday, and to find her thus
again. 1t was impossible! A violent