Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-08
Blu REV. THOMAS DIXON, JR.


| ever sent can be blackened and turned
from sunshine into storm by the fitting
of little cloud Of Thought no bigger than
a mans hand.
So CASTOR found this report of dancing
and flirting in gay society by the wo-
man whom he had enthroned In the holy
Of holes Of his soul to be destroying his
| strength Of character. and like deadly
cancer eating his heart out.
| He sat down by his window that night,
unable to work. and tried to reconcile
such a life with his ideal.
| why should / be so provincial!' he
mused The thing only shocks me be-
cause 1 am unused to it. She has grown
up in this atmosphere. To her it is
| harmless pastime."
Then he took out of his desk her pic
rure lit his lamp and looked long and
| tenderly at 1t, until his soul was drunk
l'again with the memory of her beauty, the
warm touch of her ham, and the thrill
of her full soft lips in the only two kisses
he had ever received. from the heart of
woman.
] Then the vision of the ballroom came
to torture him. He could see her dressed
in that delicate creation of French genius
/ he had seen her wear the memorable
night at the springs. The French know
so deeply the subtle art of draping wo-
mans body to tempt the soul Of men!
How he cursed them tonight! He could
see her bare arms, white CLAIMING should
/ ers neck and back, and round full bosom
softly rising and falling with her breath
| ing, as she swept through brilliant ball
room to the strains of enhancing music
He knew. the dance was a social con-
vention of course But it's deep nature
significance he knew also. He knew that
| II was as old as human society, and full
of q thousand subtle suggestions-that 1t
was the actual touch of the human body
with rhythmic movement set to the pas
sionate music of love. This spoke in
quivering melody what the lips did not,
dare to say. This he knew was the deep
secret of the fascination of the dance for
the boy and the girl, the man and the
woman. How he cursed 1t tonight!
| His imagination leaped the centuries
i that separate us from the great races Of
the past who scorned humbug and hypoc-
J risy, and held their dances in the deep
shadows of great forests, without the
draperies of tailors. These men and wo-
men looked nature In the face and were
not afraid, and did not try to apologize
or lie about IT. He felt Inundated and be-
! trayed.
He thought too of her wealth with a
| feeling of resentment and Isolation. TAX
en- with this social nightmare 1t seemed to
raise an impossible barrier between them.
He knew that In the terrible quarrel she
had with her father on their first clash.
| he had sworn If she disobeyed him to dis
| inherit neF. GnG ndQ answered. III
bitter defiance. And yet time often
changes these noble visions of poverty
and strenuous faith in high ideals.
Wealth and all fits good things becoGes
with us at last habit And habit is life.
Could 1t be possible she had weakened in
! resolution of loyalty, when brought face
! TO face with the actual breaking of the
/ habits of a lifetime? Might not the three
forces combined the habit of social con-
ventions the habit of luxury, and the
habit of obedience to a masterful and
lovable father. be sufficient to crush her
love at last? 1t seemed to him tonight,
| At one O'Clock he went to bed and tried
to sleep. He tossed for an hour His
brain was on fire. and his imagination
lit with its glare He could sweep the
world with his vision in the silence and the
darkness. Yes,tfe world that is, and that
which was, and is TO comet
He arose and dressed. 1t was half-past
| two O'Clock He knew that this was to
] be the first night in all his life when he
/ could not sleep. He was shocked and So
| bered BY the tremendous import of such
i an event in the development of his char
acter. He had never been swept off his
/ feet before. He knew now that before
the sun rose he would fight with the pow
ers and princes of the air for the mas
| terry of life.
He left his room and walked out on
the road to the springs. over which he had
| gone so many times In childhood. The
moon was obscured by heeting clouds,
and the air had the sharp touch of au-
tumn in it's breath He walked slowly
past the darkned silent houses and felt
his brain begin to cool IN the sweet air.
! The last note he had received from her
weeks ago was the brief one announcing
| the new break in the poor little cores
tpondence she had promised him. The last
paragraph of that note now took on g.
sinister meaning He recalled it word by
word:
It feel like cannot trife with you in
this way again. 1t is humiliating to me
and to you. l can see no light in our flu
ture. I release you from any tie l may
have imposed on your life. l feel l have
fallen short of what you deserve, but
am so situated between my mothers fall
ing health and my fathers will. and my
love for them both, cannot help it.
J will love you always, but you are free"
Was not this kindly and final break
ling of their pledge to one another? Yet
she had not returned the little medal he
| had given her with that exchange of
eternal love and faith. Could she keep
this and really mean to break with him
| finally? He could not believe 1t.
His whole life had been dominated by
| this dream of an ideal love. For 1t he
had denied himself the indulgencies that
his college mates and young associates
/ naQ taken as q matter Oh COURSE. ne
had never touched wine. He had never
smoked. He had never learned the differ
ence between queen and jack in cards.
| He had kept away from women. He had
given his body and soul to the service of
/ his ideal, and bent every energy to the
development of his mind that he might
| grasp with more power its sweetness and
1 beauty when realized.
Did ii pay? The flesh was shrieling this
question now into the face of the spirit?
He had met the one woman his soul
had desired above all others. There could
be no mistake about that. And now she
was failing him when he had laid at her
feet his life 1t made him sick to recall
how utter had been his surrender
| Why should he longer deny the flesh,
! when the souls dream failed the test Of
| pain and struggled q -a
Was IT possible that he had been fool
and was missing the full expression of
life, which is both flesh and spirit?
The world was full of sweet odors. He
had delicate and powerful nostrils. Why
not enjoy them? The world was full of
beauty ravishing to the eye, He had keen
| eyes trained to see. Why should he not
| open his eyes and gaze on 1t all? The
! world was full of enhancing music. He
had ears trained to hear Why should ne
stun them with dreams of doubtful
| future, and not hear II all? The world
was full of. things soft and good to the
touch. Why should he not grasp them?
His hands were cunning why should he