La Junta tribune., 1899-02-11
TOWARD THE MIST.

have heard 4, said Of her. that she
made up fer an excessive sense of her own
sex by being true To all her indiscretions
II she had heard this, she would have
said, ANY little thing like that'-a de.
risive phrase she applied equally TO u para
dox or n powder puff, accompanying the
remark with glinting smile. the inRre-
dients of W hich have puzzled even scicn-
lists have studied that smile long aud
earnestly, with view to imitation, but
was fain in the end to confess 1t too subtle
for me. There was u white glitter of
teeth, delicious curling of the lips,
witch OF the eyelashcs and your heart WIS
gone from you. She has mine yet be-
licve am the only woman vi ho ever loved
her-lerhaps because 1t WIS 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 MashonalBnd homes
she to join her husband in Salisbury
and to spend lone season of time with
my two brothers in the same town
She hnd IA 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 bcautify, sitting on
the deck meath glory OF white canvas,
with the sunlight dancing among her and
romping with tho 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 rayishing frocks, was
never s.asick and looked Mt the women
through her eyelashes in n peculiarly ag-
grayatipg way which con- mended itself to
me They hated her, but 1t welded an in
dissoluble bond between U.S. She had cul-
tiyaied 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 nc
tresses, make parade of her immense and
intense respectability but she kept certain
moods for certain people. For tho starch
ell wives Of civic naRnntes and such she
kept n droop of the lower lip and limpid.
inquiriug eye, answering all REMARKS with
an idiotic but perfectly well bred, "Oh,
yes!u or rather, ''Oh. 'as!" giving the Inn
preston that she had been born dull
which was cxactly what 1t was meant to
do. Then she complained to me utter
ward that they had not laughed in her
face.
'sYou are the only woman In Mashona-
land with any sense Of humor, Peter"
she would say, land believe you are u
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 embellished with lisp. Eyes, we
have waits dwedful," heard her replying
to lady Of this description who was COM
planning in a strident voice of the rat and
mice nuisance, and che twiddled her hands
and twitched her hands like shy baby
~. 81 .t
pleased 10 call her friends. and in which
also was included, and she Immediately
became most ''sweet and sufficient" q
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 of
men, and the suave courtesy Of his man.
ners to women Ind never taken me In.
had seen the big black bruises disfguring
the white flesh Of Dorothy's body, and i
had gone over her when she had lain In
white pain utterly unable to rise from
her bed. The secret Of it was that he was
an intermittent drunkard, and cruel and
uncomfortable in his drunkenness. No
one ever suspected this They were looked
upon as o model couple by men, and the
women said that he WAS far too good for
her. So " here would have left him, care
less of the world, she staid on, too proud
to publish her shame, hiding her hurts
and the hollowDess Of her life In friend
ships and nirtations. The tale Of these
was endless, and so daring In their inno
cence that came to understand how
woman might lose her reputation without
losing her honor Her safety lay in that
she could never see man daily for IA week
without growing bored, and the moment
q man put his passion into words or ut
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,
she would say in her exaggerated way,
"or else am incapable Of grand passion.
Any youth who comes along can have "a
slice Of my affection for awhile-but soon
get bored" Men grew infatuated and mad
over her but she kept them in order In
her cool. despotic little way. Understand
ing Of their madness came to nie one
night. 1t was at a dance. and / came into
the dressing room Just as she WAS uD
winding the wraps from her sweet body,
coming out of them like pale green star,
diamonds cleaning and moving on her
bosom. think there must be something
Of the man in me, for suffered lcaping
of the heart at that revealed and suggested
beauty. It lured my lips to her, and.
STOPPING, kissed her just In the curving
outline Of the cheek where 1t melted into
the lips. The blood flowed crimson to the
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 It took for her to
grow tired, but they adored her always.
In time grew 30 used to the cold, sweet,
short friendships and the facea TINT came