Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-15
MR.. berwick.


@ lone and cold. how sad and drcar.
g., a little while ago:
80, ~ fhc stress. the strife, the STIR
~, have found you, Christopher
AMY LEVY.
.-,. winter sun had already oontrived 20
- ite way through the Venetlans into
COON where Bella stu lay in bed. She
a, been awake hours before the first
-, q light. which. as II grew. revealed
-. bsaithy upturncd face on the pillow
s Tho wideopen syes. and the look
-, error In them. To-day was her
,,r,hlay. she was % years old. and
,o,h.ng really interesting had ever hap
,l,ei TO her since she had taken that
...ond prize FOR history at the High
school IN the days before she was "ouL"
All through these early morning hours
She had been going over the story OF her
srawu-up lfe-Gim.y colorcd thing
enough. whose hues were destined 70
crow yet more feeble as the story went
on through the years and the colors OF
her own flesh faded. God had given her
hlt one life. and 81 was TO be played IN
a crcsccndo movement Of du'ness. could
she endure to live through the many
io1e Gays which would probably fan 10
her share, ana OF which the last must
necessarily be worse than the FIRST?
She had recalled her last day at the
hlrh school; the little regret with when
she he'd said "FoOd-by' 10 her school
ne. IN her eagerness 10 play her part lh
fhc real grown-up world. Then thete was
me irving on Of the hrst bail-dress TOT
ggwrn the croydon
Town Hall; her own Inward missiy'nRS
AZ the sight OF the lanK, lCIeckCl nbure
Ia the pier-glass; her mother LOVING
trembling business about tho set OF the
skirt and the NJ OF the sleeve; thcn me
dressing for the bail itself, with an auni-
euce Of critical young cousins IRON over
the way. Il don't mean 20 have Chow
sic,vcs and V-cut bodice. and my hair
frizzed up like fright, when l 90 10 par
lies" she overheard one pig-tailed miss
whisper as, ready at last. she passed
through tho street-dOOr. down tho Steps
TO tho hired broughan, mamma benind'
d. See that the skirt was wei hc.a up
out Of tho mud. Then that FIRST signt OF
the ballroom itself the heavy smell OF
gardenla and tubcrose; the langnorous
strains Of the Serenade Espasncle inc
sl,illul. whirling men and women ana
her own sense of alOofness and the aD-
sence Of any feeling Of exhlaratlon.
s"Thenx goodness, the girls don't LOOK
quite as magnificent as lhey 40 III ~
Npurier's drawing room pictures %.
sotd ia herself as she took her seat ny
- roo+bor whose heart under her black
velvet bodice beat faster than heF u"us"-
ter's. III.
Things did not turn out quite as Dadly
es they might have done. and as IN hcr
darker moods she had sometimes pictured
them. Some OF her mothers friends
brought Up their youngest sons 10 dance
with the debutantc, and Beiia splil's
rose when she found herself playing her
mari in the general game. il did not
matter 10 her that her partners trod on
nor toes and bumped her against other
comics. nor that their attempts at So
cietv talk were as crude as their dahclhs'
ITO the youth who questioned her eagerly
ss TO whether she did not think PINK
it4s much nicer than white ones, she
-e.Dcuded as cneerfully as 20 the cadaVe-
rous person who. between the pauses Oh
the quadri1e. started discussion on lhe
Immortality 60 She soul she began 20
mink the whole lhi0e not bad tun' III
there came t. f'P III "cI PIo
,,rs,nvoe and she 60 take her place
Iv her mothers sio, Il was. indeed "a
had quarter OF an hour while she sat
there. an object forsakcn by her kind
IN the midst OF the happy dancing peo-
ne II seemed TO her that as the walters
danced past her they flung at her cold,
contemptuous glanccs; ana she tuEhcp
hot and cold with sham at her ioIlorh-
ness II one OF those men loinSing apout
the door would take pity on her' anu
ask her 20 dance, instead or loohlhg ~
rer IN that critical fashion through theli
.ye-glasses. Later she saw a. roset'ed
steward 20 up to one of these, and look
Inc an her direction. evidently propose
I'm introduction: but the man shook ms
head and laughed lightly as he tolloWed
the other mans gaze lie obviously
aould have none OF her. Never hal she
sslt more Inundated. She could nave
cried aloud with grief and shame. Ley
MS 20 home, mother she calleu ouI
suddenly TO that lady who re sheu -
her daughters present partnerlessneSo'
was cheerful chatting TO her helsnDoi,
"Why. BellaW exclaimed lhe s'ai nc.
mother .ifs not yet l2-and we haven
~ sunperl l will ask some one TO ma
YOU more partners on 10, NO
mother" cries the shudderlng BeIa,
do lot US come away from mere L
ann 40 tired. Can't We do without sup
ner2" So the poor, dismayed lady salh-
cred herself together. and, rising Slowly
left the ballroom, followed by her oIooP-
ing daughter and by the wondering
chances OF her friends .,.,a
once safe IN the shelter of the H'"0
hired brougham Bella curied hefseh W
and shut her eyes, hoping lheIeDy
eyade the inevitable questions ana ..'0
look Of her mothers disappointed, in
ouirlne ewes. SO they drove along IN
silence TIN tho carriage stopped at ths
door of their house. when Bella sPIahs
ont and rushed up the steps, needless Oh
her mothers injunctious as TO guarding
her skirts from contact with the mnc ~
wheels. Her own room reached, she nuns
herself on the bed, face downward against
the pillow. and cried and cried iii tne
nttle bed shook with her sobs. And All
that nieht. after she had un0ressed, Sho
Law tossing In her bed kept awake by
burning sense OF failure. 'Ihou ar
weighed i'm The balance and found want
ino'' were the words that rang in her
head ike "a refrain. This her niSt oa"
an event round which clings q tIaHlloH
Of hone and excitement. had been Tor her
a feast Of Dead-Sea fruit, "a horror and
shame which she could never ''hlhk Vi
hereafter but with a blush and a shudder
Ana mat crisp new ball-dress. and the
numerous. Unnecessary, expensive aces
sorles-she would have liked TO get up
then and there and fling them some
where where her eyes might never again
rest on them.
Morning came az lt5t and brought with
X assuagement. In spite of her mutt
blanche she rose at the usual tine, ana
was able 10 discuss the ball with her
mother over breakfast. That gentle lady
seemed unconscious Of any hascO. talked
with cOmpl8cency OF Bella's appearance
and OF her partners. tn Bella herself
began 70 believe she had had rather