The evening times., 1901-11-18
AlCyODG A Breeze From the West
BY CATHERINE FRANCES CArANAGH

The thraus Of attendants at the scier-
bic lecture were coming IeisureIy into
! Tho National Museum chat Saturday aft
cTnaon. The siSItseers were beginning 60
depart from the building. knowing that il
was near closing hour. one remained
woman. who stood gazing at the white
/ model Of the @ 'ddess Of Liberty. looming
I up from the basin which once surround
ed little fountain in the rotunda Of the
museum
II seemed as II the woman were regard
| Ing herself perpctuated in the white clav
the two were SO nearly alikc-two women
OF liberty The wild sweeps Of the West
showed in each clean curve Of the living
woman FoStered by freedom. by fresh
| air. by wild runs over the prairirs. she
| had grown TO be such woman as one
seldom sees in this age. The animal
I beauty Of her form was liz by the intel
l"ctual beauty in her face. She stood in
/ earnest and critical study Of the white
/ figure. with something of smile and
something Of a tear meeting in the ex-
precision Of her features
1t is cramped." she said u herself: L
do not like IL here. u seems II ask my
| pity; and l feel as though / could pity
/ 1t, manimate thing though il is. II seems
to be a symbol Of myself. such rs my life
| IS nOw-Cramped and narrow L ike il
better as IL Is on the dome Of the big
I white Capitol. looking over the beautiful
city and across the river to the hills be-
/ yond- i would like to see it out on the
broad prairies, as free as 1 once was.
But how foolish of me TO have tears in
my eyes FOR a mere piece Of clay. lust be-
cause it wss meant for freedom and is
narrowed down 70 walls I must be get
ting on 90 that afternoon recital-it means
dinner and q breakfast for me. and
part payment of a place to lay my head.
Oh, Ralph, did you think 1 would come
to such a hopeless place while you lived
! dare not think of it-I would not have
you know it for all the WorId-you are
unhappy enough, God knows"
A woman, young and beautiful with a
talent Of her own, and yet almost starv-
ing in q city where little Of the very low
est DEPTHS Of life is shown If anyone
looked tor a complaint from this
woman, il anyone knew she was
in sore straits, that evening
in the late spring. it was not because she
wished them to know. She bore her sOr-
rows in Spartan silence. Hungry looks
came into her eyes when these stranger
people spoke 10 her Of her Western home,
hungry looks for the fresh air and the
free hours she enjoyed when she could
leave the everyday drudgery behind her;
hungry looks when she saw happy lovers
walking through the shaded trees. ignOr-
ing everything but each other. looking as
though the world but encompassed two:
hungry looks and envious when from her
twenty-five cent seat in the upper gallery
OF theatre she watched some celebrated
actress. But what mattered all these2
She was born in obscurity. and nursed
among Uncongenial. common people; she
had gone astray in matters Of the heart.
and why should she expect that the world
would be made smooth for her more than
for any other unhappy woman
Alcyone Prosper was the daughter OF
the keeper Of a prairie hotel Her people
were common, well meaning folks, but il
was one Of the queer tricks Of the fates
that she should come among them-beau-
uful. high-minded. and with the fire Of
genius burning IN her young soul The
divine light did not come upon her all at
once: il smoIdered long and then broke
into flames The prairie was her first
love It was the only thing that made her
me At all worth the living. She Was
part Of 1t and yet not part Of IT, one
hour she would wait On her father
struggling guests and slave around the
MOTEL " hen the next nouT brought her
welcome freedom, she mounted her mus
tang and scurried over the plains. cutting
the deep grasses and the blue air as she
few. her sunshiuy hair waving lige golden
ripples behind her.
When she was quite young she used 70
reCite and dance f0r the men who chanced
IN at her fathers place. As she grew
older she seemed 10 make this part Of
her life. and the spirit with which she
disclaimed would turn the hearts Of her
listeners cold, coarse-grained as they
We're OF make them hubble with FIRE.
once a band Of stranded actors came
that way. Partly 70 pass the time and
partly 10 pay their way at the hotel. thay
gave a little play ia the barn. CrrIe
though the performance was, Alcyone
never recovered from its effects. A heavy
snowstorm set i'm. and several Of th- ac-
tors fingered at the hotel and before the
thaw came. and they departed. the harm
was done. AIcyouc was stage struck.
She seemed dignifed and gIoriled from