, 1896-04-09
VENUS ANNODOMINI.

s>AA W.
tween Visconti's Ceres" and 1.-THE God
of the Nile" She was purely an Indian
deity-an Anglo-Indian deity. that is
to say-and we called her the Venus
A~nnodomini, to distinguish her from
other Annodominis of the same everlast-
ing order. There was a legend among
the hills that she had once beef, young,
but no living man was prepared to come
forward and say boldly that the legend
was true.
Men rode up to Simla and staid and
went away. and made their nare, ard
did their life's work. and .e;arned
again to find the Venus Annodomini ex-
actly as they left her. She was az i'm
mutable as the hills, but not quite so
green. All that a girl of IS could do in
the way Of riding, walking, dancing,
picnicking and o%verexertion generally,
the Venus Annodomini did. and showed
NO sign Of fatigue or trace Of WEAKNESS.
Besides perpetual youth. she had dis
covered, men said. the secret of perpetual
health, and her fame spread about the
land. From a mere woman she grew to
be an institution. insomuch that no
young man could be said to be proper
~ formed who had not ut some time or
another worshiped at the shrine of the
Venus Annodomini.
There was no one like her, though
there were many limitations. Six years
in her eyes We're no more than six
months to ordinary women, and ten
made less visible impression on her
thoy IN 1,aot>s, fox,n, ,, 49, orl;.,u
woman. Every one adored hsr. ana in
return she was pleasant and courteous
to nearly every one. You'll, had been Il
habit Of hers for 80 long hat she could
n O part with it-never realized, in fact,
the necessity of parting with it-and
took for her more chosen associates
young people.
Among the worshipers of the Venus
Annodomini was Young" Gayerson.
VERY Young" Gayerson, he'was called
to distinguish him from his father
Young Gayerson, a Bengal civilian,
who affected the customs-as he had
the heart-of youth. VERY Young"
Gayerson was not content to worship
placidly and for forms sake, us the
other young men did. or to accept u
ride or Il dance, or IA talk from the
Venus Annodomini in a properly hum
BILE and thankful spirit. He was exact
ing. and therefore the Venus Ammo.
domini repressed him.
He worried himself nearly sick in a
futile sort Of way over her, and his de-
votiOn and ~earnestness made him ap-
pear either shy or boisterous or rude, as
his mood might vary, by the side of the
older men who with him bowed before
the Venus Anuodomini. She was sorry
for him. He reminded her of a lad
who, three ind twenty years ago. had
professed u boundless devotion for her,
and for whom in return she had felt
something more than IL weeks weak
ness. But that lad had fallen away and
married another woman less than q
year after he had w%orshiped her, ind
the Venus A~nnodomini had almost
not quite-forgotten his name.
Every Young Gayerson had the
same big blue eyes and the same way Of
pouting his under lip when he was ex-
cited or troubled. But the Venus Ammo
domini checked him sternly none the
less. Too much zeal was q thing that
she did not approve of. preferring in
stead q tempered and sober tenderness.
Very Young Gayerson was miser-
able, and took no trouble to conceal his
wretchedness. He was in the army-a
line regiment. / think. but am not GER
tain-and since his face was a looking
glass and his forehead an open book. by
reason Of his innocence, his brothers in
arms made his life "a burden to him and
inbittered his naturally sweet DISPOSE
tion.
No one exsept Every Young Gayer-
sou. and he neveS told his views. knew
how old Very Young Gayerson be-
lieved the Venus Annodomini to be.
Perhaps he thought her five and twenty,
or perhaps she told him that she was
this age. Every Young" Gayerson
would have forded the Gugger in food
to carry her lightest word, aud had i'm
plicit faith III her. Every one liked
him. and every u was sorry when they
raw him 10 bound a slave It the Venus
AnnodomiDi.
Every one, too, admitted that it was
not her fault, for the Venus Annodomini
differed from Mrs. Hauksbee and Mrs.
Reiver in this particular-she
moved q finger to attract any one, but,
like NinOn de l'Enclos. all men were
attracted to her. One could admire and
respect Mrs. Hauksbee, despise and
avoid Mrs. Reiver. but u wan forced
to adore the Venus Annodomini.
Very Young" Gayerson's papa held
. division or a collectorate or something
administrative in an unpleasant part Of
Bengal-full Of babus who edited news
papers proving that Young" Gayer-
son was a Nero, and u Scylla, and Q
Charybdis, and in addition to the
babus there was a good deal OF dysen-
terry and cholera abroad for nine months
Of the year. Young" G~ayerson-he
was about five and forty-rather liked
babus-they amused him-but he object
cd to dysentery. and when be could get
away went : Darjiling for the most
part. sThis particular season he fancied
that he would come up to Simla and see
his boy. j
The boy was not altogether pleased.
He told the Venus Annodomini that his
father wa coming up. and she flushed
. Ht*le, and said that abe aliould be de-
1ightsd to make HIS acquaintance. Then
- koked long and thoughtfully at
"vsey Youns'' Gayerson. because she
was very. vssy sorry for him. and be
w. . very. yAy big idiot.
ny daueh4er 10 coming oat in .
tuet1i9hh NJ 0sye1son." ahe Mid.
Nvn ASANs nsRA