Morris tribune., 1895-07-24
A BURNED LETTER.

There it lies. A small heap of ashes
and few futtering, blackened leaves
And this is all that remains of a once
crested sheet of gray letter paper, ex
haling perfume of white violets.
I wonder to what extent it really
represented the sentiments ano
thoughts of the charming society CIR
from whom it came. A fascinating
young woman whose eyes are as blue
as are the violets whose breath seems
always to cling TO everything she
wears
What a pity women are not as hon.
est as are flowers. A man could then
reach to some satisfactory conclu-
sion about them and with them. A
flower may be beautiful but odorless,
like the camelia, in which it makes no
pretense at pleasing more thanyour eye.
Or, it Is less perfect in shape and color,
but with so sweet a breath that one
never grows tired of having it around.
There is no sham In a flower-but with
women I'm inclined to believe it's all
sham. Humbuggery and sham! The
prettiness and outside charm are APP
parent enough. But when it comes to
the genuineness of the perfume ofsweet
thoughts and tender graces, and to the
splendid charity of sentiment, which,
if women only knew it, enwraps them
around with an attractiveness far more
potent than the most subtle and PEN
etrating perfumes, man is all at sea.
He can't for the life of him tell the
honest. can't say whether they are
divinely constituted, or if it is merely
the imitation article. He is charmed
one day by unexpected revelations OF
deep feeling and an appreciation OF
the lofty and the beautiful in
life, or at least by what looks like
it, and he is repealed the next by
a clear and distinct exhibition of a
careless heartlessness which would
forever and day disgust him in a
man, but which only serves to upset
him mentally by creating thousand
and one doubts as to which of the two
phases of character is the preponder-
ating one in the complex feminine ma
ture he happens to have under consid-
Grafton. If she is fair of form and
face-as Alice undoubtedly is-he gen.
orally gives her the benefit of the
doubt and resolutely closes the eyes
and ears of his better judgment against
those ugly, villainously small traits
which are as great a disagreement to
her mental and moral graces as would
be a deep crack across some exquisite
Sevres porcelain vase, a fatal blemish,
by which ell the beauty and value are
ruined and destroyed.
That's where the constant and ever
lasting mistake of mans life is COM
mitted. He can never judge of a wom-
an by the same standard, the same
clear-sighted mental gauge, which he
applies so easily to his fellow man. For
every one knows that to properly con-
duct any kind of business correct in
sight into character is essential. That
we manage to acquire easily enough in
school, college and practical every
day life, and for the reason that we
deal with each other. But 1 defy
man to be certain sure of anything on
earth Or in Heaven when his calcu1a-
tions must rest on some feminine basis,
where instability is inevitable.
But perhaps other men are, cleverer
than l am. Cameron seems to get on
swimmingly with all his lady friends,
and to understand them, too, which is
another matter; even Alice
more than I can do,
hence this small pile of burned letter
paper.
And now that I've destroyed the lit
tie girls pleasant words and sweet
scented missiye, I'm fool enough to re-
greet it, and to ba1t-believe she was gen.
uine in her wish that call some even
ing. Of course, when she says must
bring her ''Trilby," it is only femi-
nine way of helping me to an excuse
for visit. Then again, when a man
wants to have a friend around for a
smoke and chat, he says: drop in. old |
fellow, this evening at eight. Glad to !
see you," and there's an end to. He |
wants you, and you go or you don't, as
suits your convenience and fancy.
Little Alice being essentially and |
charmingly feminine, writes sweet
very suggestive or mean
ing absolutely nothing. And yet, she
must know how gladly would call on
her this evening and tomorrow even
ng and every evening Of every year if |
could. But she tells me to bring her |
'Trilby." and winds up with stiff
Yours sincerely" and the information |
hat she is $50 glad she leaves shortly |
Tor Europe"
Does she or does she not want me
20 call? Ii she does care to see poor
levil whom she knows down in the
bottom of her heart is infatuated with
Ter, who is ass enough to dream of her
sweet blue eyes, and to stuff violets in
lis coat pocket because they remind
linn of her, why does she write she is
so glad she will leave shortly for
1urope?" If she does not care rap
which is clearly the CASEY whether a
elbow eats his heart out in vain long
ngs to be with her and to hear her
areless, sweet laughter, and to watch
III her dainty prettiness and probable
rivolities, then why does She cruelty
hrow the temptation in his way to
all, just to force him to undergo the
leartbreak Of telling her good-b and
BON voyage?
y