The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-01-11
TOWARD THE MIST.

have heard 1t said of her that she
made up for an excessive sense of her own
sex by being true to all her indisoretions.
If she had heard this. she would have
said, "Any little thing like that''-a de-
risive phrase she applied equally to para
dox or a powder puff, accompanying the
remark with glinting smile, the ingre-
dents of which have puzzled even scien-
lists. l have studied that smile long and
earnestly, with view to imitation, but /
was fain in the end to confess it too subtle
for me- There was white glitter Of
teeth, a delicious curling of the lips, a
twitch of the eyelashes and your heart was
gone from you. She has mine yet. / be-
iieve am the only woman who ever loved
her-perhaps because it was given only to
me to see that other side to her soul which
Browning says we all possess. met her
first on board the Scot, when we were
both on our way to Mashonaland homes
she to join her husband in Salisbury
and to spend lone season of time with
my two brothers in the same town.
She had a manicure box, with dainty
silver Instruments nesting in soft sky
velvet, and the finger nails of those few
upon whom she bestowed her friendship
she would pinken and beautify, sitting on
the deck meath a glory of white canvas,
with the sunlight dancing among her and
romping with the rings on her fingers,
while the other women sat alone and made
audible and insolent remarks about people
who performed their toilet in public.
She always wore ravishing frocks, was
never seasick and looked at the women
through her eyelashes in peculiarly ag-
gravating way which commended itself to
me- They hated her, but it welded an in
dissoluble bond between us. She had Gull
tivated what De Quincy called the luxury
of contempt, and would curl woman up
with one eye and with the corner of her
mouth make man wish he had never been
born. She did not, like so many retired &C.
tresses, make a parade of her immense and
Intense responsibility, but she kept certain
moods for certain people. For the starch
ed wives of civic magnates and such she
kept droop of the lower lip and q limpid,
inquiriug eye, answering all remarks with
an idiotic but perfectly well bred, ooh,
yesl" or rather, "Oh, 'asl" giving the i'm
preston that she had been born dull,
which was exactly what it was meant to
do. Then she complained to me after
ward that they had not laughed in her
face.
"You are the only woman in Mashona.
land with any sense of humor, Peter, u
she would say, land believe you are @
boy"
For the frisky, horsy woman visitor
who goes to make up the queer mixture
called society in that far country she had
the same inquiring gaze, but her speech
was embelished with lisp. eyes, We
have watts dwedful," heard her replying
to lady of this description who was com
planning in strident voice of the rat ant
mice nuisance, and she twiddled her hands
and twitched her hands like a shy baby
But enter one of the circle of men she was
pleased to call her friends, and in which
also was included, and she Immediately
became most 'sweet and sufficient" {
vivid and original personality. She lee
tured everybody on their love affairs, be
ginning with me, who had none.
Kniven Kallender's broad, sweet smile
that made him so popular in the world o
men, and the suave courtesy of his man
ners to women, had never taken me in.
had seen the big black bruises disfigurine
the white flesh of Dorothy's body, and
had gone over her when she had lain IL
white pain, utterly unable to rise from
her bed. The secret of 1t was that he wa
an intermittent drunkard, and cruel ant
uncomfortable in his drunkenness. NJ
enc ever suspected this. They were LOOKED
upon as model couple by men, and tn,
women said that he was far too good TO
her. So where would have left him, care
less of the world, she staid on, too prou,
to publish her shame, hiding her hurt
and the hollowness of her life in friend
ships and flirtations. The tale of thes
WAS endless, and 80 daring in their limo
oence that l came to understand how
woman might lose her reputation withou
losing her honor. Her safety lay in tina
she could never see man daily for q weel
without growing bored, and the momen
man put his passion into words or at
tempted to do so he was dismissed from
her presence, and the "Red ranch knew
him no more"
II suppose have no soul, Peter, dear, ;
phe would say in her exaggerated way
"or else l am incapable of grand passion
Any youth who comes along can have
slice of my affection for awhile-but soor
get bored" Men grew infatuated and mat
over her. but she kept them in order IL
her cool, despotio little way. Understand
Ing of their madness came to me on
night. 1t was at a dance, and came int,
che dressing room just as she was un
winding the wraps from her sweet body
coming out of them like pale green star
diamonds cleaning and moving on he
bosom. think there must be somethin,
OF the man In me, for suffered a leapinI
of the heart at that revealed and suggeste,
beauty. 1t lured my lips to her, and
stopping, kissed her Just in the curvinl
outline of the cheek where it melted int,
the lips. The blood flowed crimson to th,
spot where my lips had been and spread
all over her neck and face.
"You silly kiddie," she said. "Peter
believe you are a boy"
Her adorers came and went in patches
according to the time 1t took for her I,
grow tired, but they adored her always
In time grew SO used to the cold, sweet
abort friapdchipa and tho faoaa - -.