The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-06
CIRCUMSTANCES.

The king of Circumstances was feeling
decidedly cheerful. He had just heard
something that pleased him immensely.
He had sent a legion of circumstances
against certain man who had, before
that, been certain of success, and the man,
after desperate struggle, had capitulated
to the legion by dying abjeosly.
So the king of Circumstances smiled
and said to one of his Circumstances:
THE king desires to be amused. Let
there be games!' isfe@
By the time the royal procession reached
the Coliseum everything was in readiness.
The crowd was enormous, for the fame
of the kings exceeding cheerfulness had
spread quickly, and his subjects knew that
there would be some particularly fascinat-
ing games that day.
Nov, then,'' began the king, little
impatiently, as soon as he had settled him.
self on the divan in the royal box, what
comes first?'
1t was the custom in the Coliseum to
announce the programme by the mouth
of Circumstance whom they called the
chairman. The chairman had an accent
that belonged to the English music hall,
Hi ave to announce, lydies and gen
tlemen, that Hive been harsked by the
well known Champion Circumstance to
Tissue challenge to hany man wot
wishes to meet i'm in foot ring. Ro-
man rules to prevail. Thumbs down,
hand the whipped man parsses hout
Thumbs up, hand he goes free. Walk up,
walk upl Does hany one wish to meet the
champion?"
First of all, from far door, issued
most beautiful girl, slim, tall and CARRIED
most delightfully."-. There were huge puffs
in her sleeves that made her hands look
all the smaller. Her gown widened little
whore it came close to her6eet, and thus
it was that the slenderness of her waist
seemed more symmetrical than symmetry
itself; her curls were flying into the breeze
little under her large, .befowered hat;
her shoes were brown, and her step was as
buoyant as the spring She was singing
something SO softly that the crowd only
caught the faintest echo of it.
And while she was advancing thus,
singing, another door opened, and Cupid
came forth. No sooner had he seen her
than he took aim and sent an arrow
straight at her heart. AS the shaft
wounded her, the girl turned her eyes soft
ly toward the boy and moaned. She put
her hands to Ter heart. But the strange
thingwas that she held the arrow fast and
made no etfo to pull it forth. So, when
Cupid saw that he had wounded her and
that she was glad, he began to run toward
her to kiss her, and she, with one hand
still clasping the arrow SO that it went
deeper and deeper into her heart, waited
for him with parted lips and an invitation
in her eyes
The boy was within few yards Of her
when third door opened and there ap-
pearod a Circumstance. Immediately a
most strange change came over the girl
Her eyes turned toward the Circumstance,
and steely look came into them. She
drew herself up a little, and stern pur-
pose Strengthened her mouth.
Cupid, wondering and panied, stopped
short. She turned away from him, and
walked toward the Circumstance who
merely stood quite still, smiling hideous-
ly. AS she went, she tore the arrow of
Cupid from her heart and threw 1t before
her into the sawdust, SO that as she strobe
forward she stepped upon 1t and broke it
into fragments. And while Cupid threw
himself upon his pretty face, shaking with
sobs, his CULVER flung beside him, the girl
kissed the Circumstance.
But the Circumstance only smiled quite
coldly, even while it folded her in its
arms.
For 1t happened to be Bank Account.