The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-02-10
|A PARIS EXPERT 81.

A PARlS EAPERlEN(E
It is quite little story. slight and thin;
80 thin even, so slight, that fear, in tx
ing 1T on paper with written words, to rob is
of it's frai grace, its light SAVIOR. Why,
then, when it was related to us one even.
ing, in. all the complicated and decorated
luxury of modern talk. by the charming
woman who was the heroine of the episode
why did it make such tenacious impress
sion upon US all that it has become, in one
little corner of Partisan life, one of those
classic tales, patrlmony of each group of
society, to which ausion is always under
stood and welcomed? Perhaps because it
was clear gap in the chatter of infidety
in the hackneyed gossip of politics and lit
erature. Perhaps because, as an attitude,
gesture at times may suffice to reveal to
us a whole feminine body beneath its cloth
ing-at times it also needs but few sin
cere words uttered by woman to disrobe
her soul completely.
We had been talking Of mysterious solci.
tations, to-day classed and named by
science, from which so few of us are exempt.
which invincibly compel some to add up
the flowers of a wallpaper, the volumes of
under their eyes; others to Impose upon
themselves the task, walking along the side
path of street, to reach such gas let be-
fore the cab rolling up behind them is
abreast of them, or public clock has struck
its last note; and others, again, each night
before going to bed, to practice strange
habits in disposing of objects, visiting cup
boards and Golfers. We discussed all the
light diseases of our contemporary brains,
crumbs of monolnania and madness trans
mitted by inheritance after Inheritance, and
finally dispersed throughout the whole of
our worn humanity.
A young woman had said nothing She
listened to us, a touch of surprise on her
peaceful, pretty visage, which was framed
by even, black coils.
Somebody asked her: "And you, madam,
are you quite free of our modern manias !?
Have you not e single little nervous habit
to confess?"
She appeared to search her memory in all
sincerity She made a sign with hel. head :
sNo, no." We felt that she spoke the truth,
so much did all that we saw and knew of
her. her restful bearing, her renown as an
unblemished wife, lift her above the fash
ionable dolls who had Just been coneessng
the unsettled state of their systems.
Doubtless her modesty feared the boast of
so complete an indemnity when everyone
around her had acknowledged all sorts of
little troubles. She corrected herself:
Good heavens! l can't say that I habitu-
ally add up the cab numbers, or that make
an inventory of all my dresses before going
to bed. STILL the other day experienced
something that sufficiently resembles what
You have been describing, if have under
stood you qute-a kind of interior impul
sion, a force which compels you to accom-
plish an Indifferent act on the spot, as if il
were a matter of life or DEATH"
We insisted on hearing the story, and she
told it most gracously, with the air of beg
ging pardon for the claim on the at tentior
of others by SO slight an adventure.
"In two words, this is what happened t.
me. Five or six days ago had gone out
with my little girl, Suzon-you know her
she is eight was taking her to her class
for this big girl already follows classes. Al
it was very fine we had decided on going OF
foot by the Champs Elysees and the boule
wards from my home to the Rue Laftte
And SO we were walking along quite gay
chattering together, when at the top of tn
Rond Point lame man, rather young
limped up to us holding out his hand with
out saying anything. carried my paraso
in my right hand; with my left hand hell
up my skirts; I confess I had not the pa
thence to stop and hunt for my purse.
went on and gave nothing to the beggar.
"Suzon and continued to walk along tn
Champs Elysees. The little one had sud
denly ceased to talk, and also, withou
quite knowing why, no longer felt any wis
to talk. We were at the Place de la Cor
corde, and yet we had neither of us opene
our lips since we had passed the beggal
And little by little / felt stir and increase
kind of inward disquietude, and uneasiness
the feeling Of having accomplished an il
reparable action, of being threatened, fo
that very reason, with vague peril in tn
future.
"4et us see,' said to myself, "have
slnned very graciously against charity
giving nothing to that beggar? Inever pr.
tend to regard it as my duty to give to ever
beggar meet. I will be more generous wit
the next, that is ALL
But all my arguments did not succee
in convincing me, and my inward disconter
increased became sort of anguish, SO tina
ten times / felt wish to turn back to til
spot where we had met that man. Will 70
believe it? 1t was false sentiment of b,
ASol>SSV
SO in the presence of my little daughter W
are really worth nothing more the mome1
we act in view of the judgment Of Others.
1--WE had nearly come to the end of o,
walk and were going to turn the corns
of the Rue Lafitte when Suzon pulled gent
at my dress to stop me-
Mammal she cried.
"What do you want, darling?'
She fixed her great blue ewes on me an
said, gravely:
Mamma, why did you give nothing {
that poor man in the Champs Elysees?
Like me, she had thought of nothing ell.
since our meeting with that man; her heal
was oppressed like mine; only, better tina
her mother, or more sincere, she confesse
quite simply her uneasness.
II did not hstate an instant You a,
right, dearest said to her
1--WE had walked more quickly than usua
under the obsession of our fixed idea; :
minutes or SO still remained before the ella.
hour. l called a cab, jumped into it wit
Suzon, and the driver went up the Chaml
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