Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-05-09
VENUS ANNODOMINI.

She had nothing to do with No. 10
in the Braccio Nuovo Of the Vatican, be-
tween Visconti's "Ceres" and '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
Annodomini, to distinguish her from
other Annodominis Of the same eyerlast-
ing order There was legend among
the hills that she had once been young,
but 10 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 name, and
did their life's work, and returned
again to find the Venus Annodolnini ex-
actly as they left her. She was as i'm
mutable as the hills, but not quite SO
green. All that girl Of IS could do in
the way Of riding, walking, dancing,
picnicking and overexertion generally,
the Venus Annodomini did, and showed
no sign Of fatigue or trace OF WEAKNESS.
Besides perpetual youth, she had di~,
covered, men said. the secret OF perpetual
health, and her fame spread about the
land. From mere woman she grew to
be an institution, insomuci that nc
young man could be said to be proper
" formed who had not at some time or
another worshiped at the shrine of the
Venus Annodomini.
There wns no one like her, though
there were many limitations. Six years
in her eyes were no more than SIX
months to ordinary women, and ten
made less visible impression on her
than a weeks fever on an ordinary
woman. Every one adored her, and III
return she was pleasant and courteous
to nearly every one. Youth had been a
habit Of hers fm so long that she could
not part with it--never realized, in fact,
the necessity Of parting with lt-and
took for her more chosen associates
young people
Among the worshipers Of the Venus
Annodomini was young" Gayerson
Every Young" Gayerson, be was called
to distinguish him from his fathe
young" Gayerson, Bengal civilian
who affected the customs-as he hat
the heart-of youth. Every Young
Gayerson was not content to worship
placidly and for forms sake, as tn
other young men did. Or to accept
ride or a dance, or talk from thu
Venus Annodomini in properly hum
BILE and thankful spirit. He was exact
ing. and therefore the Venus Ammo
domini repressed him.
He worried himself nearly sick in |
futile sort of way over her, and his de
votion and earnestness made him ap
pear either shy or boistt.rous or rude, a
his mood might vary, by. the side Of tn
! older men who with him bowed befor
the Venus Annodomini. She was sorr..
for him. He reminded her of a la
who, three and twenty years ago, ha
professed o boundless devotion for her
and for whom in return she had fel
something more than q weeks weak
ness. But that lad had fallen away an
married another woman less than
year after he had worshiped her, an
the Venus Annodomini had almost
not quite-forgott1n his name.
Every Young" Gayerson had tn
same big blue eyes and the same way G
pouting his under lip when he was 81
cited or troubled But the Venus Ammo
domini checked him sternly none th
less. Too much zeal was thing tina
she did not approve of, preferring IN
stead tempered and sober tenderness.
Very Young Gayerson was misei
able, and took no trouble to conceal hi
wretchedness. He was in tho army
/. line regiment, think, but am not Gel
tain--and since his face was lookin
glass and his forehead an open book, b
reason Of his innocence, his brothers ]
arms made his life a burden to him an
imbittered his naturally sweet dispos
ton.
No one except Every Young" Gayel
. son, and he never told his views, knee
, how old Every Young Gayerson b.
lieved the Venus Annodomini TO b