The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-04-04

the brilliant rooms, decorated with
their garlands and bouquets Of ex-
pensive flowers and perfumed with
that refinement which wealth cum
ningly spent knows SO well how to pro-
duce.
The guests came. dressed In the lat.
est and best that money can afford.
The conversation was charming and
agreeable. To hear these men and wo-
men talk n stranger never could have
guessed that there was such thing as
suffering in all the world. The music
was about love and flowers and beauty
aud sentimental phrases that had no
meaning or a double one. The whole
thing filed Stuart for the first time In
his life with unspeakable loathing. 1t
seemed to him like q dance In a GENE.
terry, where the dancers might imagin
they were waltzing over fragrant
meadows detted with white blossoms
when In reality 1t was on human
graves they danced, black with the
freshly laid earth Of new made burials.
He never knew how he passed the
evening. He sang with Miss Vas.
plaine when Louise requested it. He
heard great applause when they had
finished. Una was dressed beautifully.
She was handsome, with great blac.;
eyes and much color, of the type OF
English girls, so different from Rhe-
ma. Stuart remembered thinking ut one
time during the evening. He found
great difficulty In conversation. lie
had never been very apt at the slight
nothings society knows so well how TO
exchange. Tonight he wondered If the
world was so happy and satisfied ev.
erywhere that men and women. made
In the image Of God, had no better way
to spend their time than to meet for
bours every week dressed in their best
clothes, eating expensive and indigeSti.
bic food, singing songs that did not
contain one noble aspiration higher
than sickly sentiment. exchanging
idiotic words thrown into sentences
that had no throb Of sacrifice or hero
ism or humanity in them. sitting at liz;
tie tables and playing cards by the
hour with persistence and repetition
never shown for any enduring needs Of
human suffering and then going home
to sleep late next day and get up 10
prepare for another evening In the way
of new ways Of arranging flowers. card
tables. menus and decorations ad in.iui-
tum ad nauseam after the manner Of
what pleased to call itself the "hest So
ciety."
Yes. the world must be getting on
very smoothly. There is no real suffer
ing, no inequality. no need of heroism
or sacrifice. no call for US.ng human
speech in any better way than to ex.
change compliments. no use in trying
to use time except to make money and
enjoy spending it, where women smile
and sing, and flowers give out their
perfume, and dancing feet strike the
polished floor to the u,"Sic of the
strings behind the palms In the alcove.
For the world is society. What other
world is there that calls for tears and
groans, and sacrifices and crosses, and
bloody sweat and agony? Strike up the
music faster, faster! "Let US eat,
drink and be merry, for tomorrow we
die" Surely society must lie right The
Aunt Royals and the Louises are GER
tainly very proper and correct in their
estimates Of what constitutes the right
thing to do. 1t cannot be that they are
mistaken in this matter. Yet II they
are 1t is possible the great judgment
day will reveal it to them. After all,
death and the judgment are two disa-
greeable facts. We beg society's par
don for mentioning them. Strike up the
music faster. faster! Let us not think
too much. Thinking leads to action,
and action leads to sacrifice, and sacri
flee is not agreeable.
At II o'clock most of the guests had
gone. The hour had been fixed at II by
Aunt Royal out Of Difference to the re-
cent death In the family. The Vas
PLANES had frequently, when at the
Duncans'. sent their coachman home
and walked back themselves. They had
been trained to the English constitu-
tlonal habit Of walking.
ITS an elegant night. Won't you
walk over with us?" asked young Vas
plaine as they stood in the hall looking
out at the snow covered hills. vision
Of loveliness in the moonlight.
"Yes, let's go. Stuartw cried Louise.
Aunt Royal gave her consent. so he.
fore Stuart knew 1t he was serving as
escort to Una, as he could not very well