The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-06-26
A DUOLOGUE.

This is not a problem story"
Neither does it discuss the advantages
Or disadvantages of having new wo-
mem in our midst.
1t is a true tale.
And it concerns a good min and a
bad woman
They would never have met if the
London county council had come into
existence'a few years earlier than it did,
because he saw her at the Empire. The
exact date was Aug. %, and it was a
very hot night.
The curtain had fallen on the last
scene of the ballet. The man rose from
his seat and walked across the prom
enade toward the bar.
He passed several women, but he did
not pass her. He had no intention of
stopping, still less of speaking.
Yet, when he saw her, he stopped.
and when she stopped he spoke.
/ do not remember what he said.
They sat down together at a little
table. A waiter brought them a cup Of
black coffee and q whisky and soda.
he crank the colfee.
They talked, but again l cannot re-
member what they said.
= A man on the stage sang a comic
song. A woman on the promenade faint
ed and was carried away.
Then she said, We'll, are you COM
ing?
NO. he replied. II don't know
why ! stopped or why l spoke to you.
! am not zone of the crowd here. / am
not a performer in the Comedy of
Life I am only an onlooker."
She stared at him. Then why
II have told you l do not know.
Perhaps l thought you looked out of
place-here.
II have been here every evening for
10 months. ought not to look out Of
place."
why did you Gomez"
do you expect me to answer that
question in this building, surrounded
by these people?'
II am sorry. OF course not. It would
resemble a performance by The indie
pendent Theater society," l suppose?"
II had better 60, then, if you do
not
"No; stay and talk. Are you happy"
\ Hardly"
care you miserable?'
Il am not sure"
did you ever love anything?"
eyes"
"What?"
"Life-the trees and fields; the wild
moorlands; the sea; the birds that
sing in the hedgerows; the cattle in
the fields; the horses and dogs at the
farms. Yes, l loved life. Iloved to feel
the wind blowing in my face; I loved
to smell the scent Of the heather; / loved
to hear the song of the mountain
streams. Ha. ha! I'm almost poetic!
I'm"-
go on"
THAT is all. Did you ever love any
thing:"
Yes"
"Who?''
"No one-I mean only a dog"
"Ohv'
but he is dead"
"Of course"
"Why of course?'"
Because you loved him."
The man lit cigarette. do you be-
lieve in heaven?"
mo; if I did, I should have been
dead long ago. l am afraid to die be-
cause l don't know what after
death. l so long for-for peace-for
something else-something beautiful
something to love. Do not laugh"
"You are not a bad woman"
"Yes, ! am"
"Then you ought not to have been
one"
True. That is the cruel part of it. ,
They watched the men and women
~promenading before them. Then the
woman said. lit is a strange world"
The man did not answer. He wa.
thinking. She continues: "You are
strange person. Where do you live
What do You do? How do you amus'
yourself?"
"Oh, I live alone. quite alone, nov
my dog is dead. Iwatch people. / liste,
to what they say. and-I think"
"What do you think?"
Il think that when he-whoever he
is-created men and women he ought t,
have made them altogether gods or al
together animals. No one in the worl,
is happy, because no one is ever certai,
whether he--or she-should live for tn,
real or for the ideal. And therefor,
men decided to seek for both, to b.
sometimes good and sometimes bad, t.
play at. being gods once a week ant
beasts twice q week-in fact, to live TO
the real 6H days out Of the 2. An,
some OF ua, you know, cannot, as the say
ing goes. do things by halves w
must Be wholly one thing or the other
1hsEe - only tae good q bad : Their