The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-01-10

| buuO d1u AOJ W So0 JOuE 4dCoI
1T cannot be. The desire of crafty
ing you oounsels me to keep the mask
on.
Your conversation charms me and
every word increases my impatience to
know you. +"
Ibid you not call me the sweet OBJ
ject of your inspiration? While remain
concealed am sure of hearing flatter-
ing expressions from your mouth, to
which am not accustomed perhaps If
remove this protecting Grape from my
face, then farewell to illusion p
"This modesty is to me the best proof
of your merit. +"
eyes, have the merit Of being mod
est-no, l am wrong-I mean of being
sincere.
"You-you are not ugly. lean swear
it. Only one thing would grieve me,
/ continued, "if you should unmask. F"
"Whatf''
THAT it would not be lawful to
speak to you as to mountain girl-as
to masquerader. Now speak to you
as an intimate friend or lover would
do"
"Were / to commit the indiscretion
of taking off my mask you would has
ten to leave me. You would hardly be
able to artioulate an Indifferent and IT.
ritable Farewell, lady. >"
81 will suppose for moment that
you are ugly, hideous. Gould you re-
move with the mask the spell that al
lures me? II the attractions of your
conversation, of this voice that bewitch-
es me, of this grace that charms me,
can be removed with the mask, how
can a woman appear i'll with such
gifts? If your face is ugly, pardon
you for it..
But are you more indulgent than
other men? In their eyes ugliness is
woman's greatest crime"
'Oh, am of another species, or else
you oalumniate the men, little noun
tain girl. Undo this mask that tor
ments me, and you will see how, far
from being cooled, my affection will
augment. Do not believe my PROPOSE
tion is SO venturesome. Where can this
ugliness reside with which you pretend
to frighten me9 Dol not behold the ele-
gance of your shape? Do not clasp
your beautiful hand? Am not fasoi-
mated with your small and graceful
foot? Does not the palpitation Of that
heavenly bosom reveal the greatest en-
ehantment? Do not the beams of light
from those charming brown eyes pierce
me? Those ebony tresses, that form
such lovely contrast with the dazzling
whiteness of your throat, whose are
they but yours? If there was anything
so i'll, should know it. Does it lie In
the movement of your head-whioh
have not yet senior in the delightful
smile of your divine MOUTH"
Il assure you that / am frightfull
should horrify you if l uncovered my
face"
"That is impossible. The charm Of
your lily white brow, exquisitely mod
eled cheeks, enhancing nose''-
Here she interrupted me with burst
of laughter.
"You taught Does your nose chance
to be-Roman?'
"Or Carthaginian? don't know. l
will not engage to say"
II accept the consequences of the IA
vor / entreat. With that mouth, with
those eyes, that incompatible form, l
permit you to be fat nosed or long
nosed.
You are impudent. .
"No. am not Reveal yourself. F"
Rash MANI
will you oblige me TO go upon my
knees? Will you expose me as the laugh
ing stock of the companyf"
Enough AS you will You are
about to see me with the mask. off. But
let it not be my hand that shall open
Pandora's box. Receive through your
own the punishment for your foolish
impatience.
"Perdition take the knot can't I'M
tie it. All, my knife-that is It'll
Beauti'--
could not finish the word, such was
my surprise, amazement, terror What
nose What a nosel oh, what nose
would not have believed that nature
was capable of arriving at such a degree
of pleonasm, hyperbole, application.
The sonnet of Quevedo, erase I'M hom-
bre una nariz pegado," (There was
man attached to a nose), would be poor
and colorless to paint it. This was no
human nose. 1t was beet root, cor
nerstone, an Egyptian pyramid. If it
is just to condemn everything unseason-
able, everything exaggerated, why is it
that law is not given against the ex-
aggeration of noses?
In the midst of the horror which this
mournful discovery caused me wanted
to withdraw myself from the large
nosed mountain girl without mourning
rude remark from her. made incred-
ible efforts toward some expression Of
gallantry. Impossible. If 1 could have
had a mirror before me, am sure I
must have seen foolish face.
Fortunately for me, the mountain
girl-who doubtless had learned to re-
sign herself to her deformity, likewise
to all its effects-laughed quite good
humoredly, whether at my conflict or
at herself l did not know. This gave
me courage to rise, under the pretext Of
going to greet friend. And, without
daring to look at her again, took my
leave with formal Farewell, senori-
ia. !"
Shame gave wings to my feet wrath