The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-02-10
TOWARD THE MIST.

sex by being true to all her indiscretions.
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 powder puff, accompanying the
remark with a glinting smile, tho ingre-
dents of which have puzzled even scien-
fists. have studied that smile long and
earnestly, with view to imitation, but l
was fain in tho end to confess it too subtle
for me. There was a white glitter of
teeth, a delicious curling of the lips, Il
witch of the eyelashes and your heart was
gone from you. She has mine yet. be-
lieve am the only woman who ever loved
her-rerhaps 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 q 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
tho deck meath a glory of white canvas
with tie sunlight dancing among her and
romping with the rings on her fingers
while the other women sat alono and made
audible and iasolent remarks about people
who performed their toilet in public.
She always Wore ravishing frocks, was
never seasick and looked at the women
through her eyelnshcs in peculiarly ag
gravating way which commended itself to
me. They hated her, but 1t welded an in
dissoluble bond between US. She had Gull
tivatcd what Dc Quincy called the luxury
of contempt, and would curl n 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 ac-
tresses, make q 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 q droop of the lower lip and limpid,
inquiriug eye, answ ering all remarks with
an idiotic but perfectly well bred, "Oh,
yesr' or rather, "Oh, 'as!'' 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 tho only woman in Mashona-
land with any sense of humor, Peter"
she would say, land 1 believe you are Il
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 watts dwedful," heard her replying
to a lady of this description who was COM
planning i'll a strident voice of the rat and
mice nuisance, and she twiddled her hands
and twitchcd her hands like n 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 Ice
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 suavQ courtesy of his man
ners to women, had never taken Inc in.
had seen the big black bruises dis1guring
tho white flesh of norothy's body, ard
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 locked
upon rs model couple by men, and the
WOlllGH Stslu tUaG nc WIS lar ICO SOCu It1
her. So there would have left him, care
less of tho world, she staid ON, too proud
to publish her shame, hiding her hurts
and the hollowness Of her life in friend
ships and flirtations. The talo of these
was endless, and so daring in their inno-
ccnce that l came to understand how n
woman might lose her reputation without
losing her honor. Her safety lay in that
she coulu never see n man daily for week
without growing bored, and the moment
O man put his passion into words or at
tempted to do so he was dismissed from
her presence, and the "Tlcd ranch knew
him 10 more
Il suppose have no soul, Peter, dear
she would say in her exaggerated way,
"or else l am incapable of a grand passion.
Any youth who comes along can have u
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, dcspotic little way. Understand
ing of their madness came to ne one
night. 1t was at a dance, and came into
the dressing room just as she was I'M
winding tho wraps from her sweet body
coming out of them like Il pale green star,
diamonds cleaning and moving on her
bosom. l think there must lac something
Oh INC man III lie, lOr suffered Il leaDlng
of the heart at that revealed and suggested
beauty. 1t lured Try lips TO her. and,
STOPPING, kissed her just In the curving
outline of the check where it 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,
I believe you are a boy"
Her adorers cane and went In patches,
according to the time it took for her to
grow tired, but they adorcd her always.
In time grew so used to the cold, sweet.
short friendships and the faces that c=----
and went that ceased to fear for be.
and anticipated the coming OF her aoul'i
counterpart, whom l believed to be seek
ing her. Once indeed, when Desborough, |
Q great limbcd lawyer, with broad, deter |
mined hands and a close mouth, Swallowed |
the house, 1 grew fearful for her. He |
would sit for hours unspeaking, in a cor
Eer of her drawing room, while she poured |
tea for her visitors, discoursed literature |
and abused and initiated her ncighbors |
and acquaintance, never her friends, and |
ho would laugh moodily sometimes at her |
flippancies and frivolities She rode lit |
tie old pony her husband had given her,
which rarely, if ever, went out of a fast |
walk, which just suited Dorothy, whom |
no amount of rulings would make good |
rider, though she looked well on horse.
back. The pony was afflicted with a wet
nose, and Dorothy would climb down
many times and wine it gently with the