The Washington times., 1894-10-30
Kgn6s Murray.

first met Agnes Murray, then a girl of eighteen.
How lovely she looked that night as she stood
on our hostess right and welcomed the many
guests!
Her dress was some clinging white stuff
that fell about her in waves. From out the
soft brown hair her sweet face shone like
star. Bright laughter and music came from
the ballroom and Agnes soon joined the dan
GERS. With gay repartee and merry laugh
ter she tripped through the numbers. In the
! perfect harmony of the scene the still un-
awakened fervor of an artistic perception
stirred uneasily and added to the fascination
! OF her intense personality.
From time to time her dark eyes sought
! portion of the room where young man held
| sway over an admiring group. A lady Sit
| ting beside him watched his every gesture.
Agnes sighed ever so lightly. She was hero
worshiper. In the clear-cut handsome face
of this social Adonis she saw the promise of a
1 noble manhood. She observed the studied
/ Indifference of his manner as he addressed
the lady at his side. Those little nothings we
| can say so easily to all save those we love he
| seemed delight in aiming at her. Then ne
would lean over her chair so deferentially
that she would forget the sarcasms until the
next time. As he was Agnes Murray loved
/ him.
She looked at his handsome face, where
! dissipation had left its traces. She resolved
! to crush out her passion. She glanced at her
card and saw that she had the next number
with him. They always danced that waltz
! together at the many social gatherings. She
! set her mouth firmly.
She leaned against the pillar moment and
! her bosom heaved. ''You could be so much,
Keith, would you but will it so. Not for
what you are" she thought, bitterly ''do
! love You. but for what you could be-"
/ It'll we meet again - WAS waited out on
! the perfumed air
Before she knew. he was there. McAllister
put his arm around her and in perfect har-
monY they glided down the long hall. His
/ luminous eyes never once left the sweet face
just below his shoulder, as they hoated. .floated,
never stopping, until the last strains died
away.
II was the hardest battle Agnes Murray
ever fought and won. Her face was white
when he led her to her seat. A chapter in
her life had closed. She did not know until
long after that through that victory a resolve
was born.
She was an artist, and being clever at
modelling. she turned her attention TO sculp-
ture. More and more deeply interested in it
did she become. The ballroom lost its attrac-
ton. The fashionable world wondered at ihe
! lovely Miss Murray Withdrawing from the
realms of pleasure. The awakened soul
shining in the dark eyes was sufficient proof
that where she was pleasure and Joy still
/ dwelt. To Rome, that magnet that attracts
all artists, she went, and amid study anc hard
! work the local circle of her city lost trace of
. her. Like merry butterfly Keith AIcAuister
fitted on. His brilliant talents were unem-
plOyed. Rather than exert himself TO use his
talents. his charming eloquence, his decisive
opinions, he drifted with the current, accept
| ing q routine work. His perfect manners,
| handsome face and that inborn magnetism
made him a social hero, sought after, fat
tered and admired.
The alteration which May Austin had al
ways felt for him was very gratifying TO his
vanity. They were married. Perhaps he
loved her. Like everything else. his love con-
tained such a degree OF selhshness that the
true value was far below par. Thus merrily,
selhshly, he danced his life away.
Ten years passed on. AT the Bayley gal
lery an exquisite statue was exhibited. The
world of art and culture rung with praise of
the sculptor. whose tiny hands had fashioned
the cold stone into life.
As you looked it seemed as if the cold stone
must warm into life; that the perfect lips
must break their stony bonds and utter the
/ pent-up emotion concealed therein. How
much expression could be put there we alike
wonder.
1t was strangely beautiful subiect-'Un-
dine, as she found her soul" "A lady did
it, young girl said, unconsciously paying
| high tribute to womankind.
AS May McAlister passed out of the build
| ing her bosom heaved with nameless emo
ton. Her own narrow life seemed doubly
| unsatisfactory as she thought OF the work she
! had Just seen.
Let US walk home'' she said to her hus-
| band, as they left the gallery.
IF you don't want to ride, :" he said, sar-
castically, you know what you can do
Her lips quivered, but she did not respond.
! A less sensitive woman would have retorted.
! May bore it all with meek submission and SO
! had much to bear.
once more 1 saw Agnes Murray at Mrs
Bayard's beautiful home. From a sweet girl
! of eighteen. who, ten years before, crushed
/ out a growing passion for an unworthy OBJ
/ ject, she mad matured into a magnificent
woman. Her regal figure was draped in
I black velvet. Her beautiful face can never
be forgotten. 1t seemed all expression, set in
perfectly classical features.
4 noble soul, cultured intellect,
womanly grace, wrapped about her like
sweet perfume.
A perfect woman she looked that night like
one whose mind had been worked until its
richness was brought to ennoble the EARTH
She looked intently into Keith McAlister's
! eyes as he took her hand that night. feel
ing he never cared to analyze gripped his
soul for moment as he passed on, his life
written across his selfish face.
Later in the evening Agnes stood for few
moments alone. Her eve caught the fretted
face of Mrs. McAlister discontented
pucker marred the once fair brow. Her lips
spoiled their perfect curves by dropping sar-
castically. Agnes was a keen judge OF hu-
man nature, and the story was all too plain.
Mrs. McAlister had centered her all in her
idol; when the disappointment came she had
no resource within to cling to ard she allowed
him to spoil and embitter her life.
Agnes sighed as she thought of how many
women throw their lives away unappreciated
and despised She never knew that it was
through her unhappy love that she had found
her soul, and Keith McAllister never dreamed
of the existence of that love which was
I strangled so pitilessly