Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-20

ed devoid of mirth. and to express railing
nockery of herself and what she did.
I saw the king watching us with atten-
tive eyes and brows bent in a frown.
Goodbye" said 1. Looking into her
eyes. | let my gaze dwell long on her. 1t
dwelt longer than l meant, reluctant to
take last leave of old friends. Then l kiss
ed her hand and bowed very low to the
king, who replied with a good-natured nod,
then turning. / passed out of the room.
1 take it that the change from youth to-
manhood and again from full manhood to
decline. comes upon us gradually, never
CeaSing. but never swift mind and body
alike insensibly transformed beneath
the assault of multitudinous unperceived
forces of matter and of circumstances: it
is the result we know; that. not the pro-
cess. is the reality for US We awake to
find done what our sleepy brains missed in
the doing, and after months or years per-
ceive ourselves in a second older by all that
period. We are logged by the elbow, rous-
ed ruthlessly and CURLY hidden to look and
see how We ale changed. and wonder, weep
or smile as may seem best to us in the face
of the metamorphoSs. A moment of such
awakening came to me now l seemed a
man different from him who had. no great
number of minutes before fastened to the
house. inspired with an insane hope and
afiame with a passion that defed reason.
and summed up life in longing. The lack
eys were there STILL the maids smile al
tered only by a fuller and more roguish in
situation. On me the change had passed,
and / looked, open eyed, on what ] had
been Then came smile close neighbor to
groan, and the Scorn of myself. which
is the sad dclirium wrought by moving
time; but the lackey held the door for me
and l passed out.
noise sounded from above as the case
n.ent Of the window was thrown open. She
looked out. Her anger was gone: her emo
ton seemed gone also. She stood there.
smiling. very kindly, but with mockery.
She held in either hand flower. One she
smeled and held her face long to it, as
roh ito h..r
ing prisoners; turning 10 the other she
smeled 1t for a short instant. and then
drew away, her face, that told every mood
with unfailing aptness. twisted into disap-
pointment or disgust. She leaned out look
ing down on me; now behind her shoulder
l saw the kings black face. half hidden
by the hangings of the window. She
glanced al the first flower, then at the sec
J ond, held up both her hands for a mo-
n'ent, turned for an instant with a coquet-
| fish smile toward the swarthy face be-
| hind. then handed the first flower with a
laugh into hand that was stretched out
Tor IT, and flung the second down to me-
| As 1t Heated through the air the wind
! dlsengaged its loose petals. and they drift
! ed away, some reaching the ground, some
| caught by gusts and carried away, circling
toward the housetops. The stalk fell by
me, almost naked, stripped of it's bloom.
| For the second flower was faded and had
no sweetness nor life left in it. Again her
laugh sounded above me, and the case
meEt closed.
Dent ana picked up the stalk. Was 1t
| her own mood she told me in allegory I?
\ Or was IL the mood she knew to be in me I?
| There had been an echo of sorrow in the
| laugh. of pity, kindness and reg fet, and
the laugh that she uttered in giving the
! fresh bloom to the king had seemed pure
| mockery. 1t was my love, not hers that
| found its symbol in the dying flower and
the stalk robbed of it's glory. She mad
| said well, 1t was as she had said /
! picked up what she flung and went on INV
\ way. huGging my dead.
In this manner, then, have I, Simon the
! old, shown how j, Simon the young. was
| brought back to my senses. 1t is all very
| long ago.