The weekly Thibodaux sentinel. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1898-1905, 1902-04-19
Maidens and Matrons

We had something to say recently
about "Lovers anil Husbands" and
we resume the line of discussion in
order to suggest some distinguishing
characteristics of their feminine conn
terparts, maidens and matrOns.
In the first place, all maidens, are
'in love-" They do not Know 1t, but
their guardian angels do. From the
time a little girls fancy is brave
enough to ride through her window
easement upon the moonbeams she
begins TO pray, and to expect "the
prince" first as green cloak fairy
with a butterfly helmet, then as puis
SAINT knight with sword and spears,
finally as a noble outlaw Of modern
times And it iso xa-,-Acr~.,-IJL,
change this masculine gew-gaw Of her
imagination for real lover with horn
buttons on his coat.
Meanwhile the real lover is the on
ly person particularly interested in
her. To the rest of us she is fami
liar type-merely a woman in a state
of composition, chaotic now with
tears and laughter and little rag-doll
passions, but to become eventually a
stald and portly matron with children
to bless her and husband TO praise
her. But to the lover she is the most
refreshing miracle in creation-a
paraphrase of heaven, who defics de-
finitior. And so Elusive is she that
even in her presence he Is still re-
mote. Yet being absent, she is omni
present. The swift wing Of her spir.
it spreads shadow at his feet and
makes a bit of his earth divine; it
falls upon his mountain tops and
there is a Sab bath in his week of
love- But if it sweeps through his
little valley of dreams in the moon,
light he Is a psgan once more, a faun
with goatears, listening under her
window, and ready to whistle all tn
dried nymphs of the ages If only H.
may see the trailing hem of her gar.
ment in the balcony over his head.
Still this power of illusion, this fiut-
ter of wings peculiar to maiden spir.
its, is confusing to masculine minds,
and keeps the lover forever squirting
at his sky line. He knows her, to be
sure, but he never knows from what
direction to expect her advent. If be
fixes his eyes upon the crag, she rises
like starting out of the meadow
But if he looks for her in the dove
cote she is sure to be in the eagles
nest. II this hou- he suits his miles,
cent moon to hers the next it will no,
fit. She is once more an alien, an
auscere little snow bunting peiche,I
upon the frozen ridges of his high
lands, cold and inaccessible.
But if he only knew it this is the
malden's way Of interpreting wisely
to him. This is her fairy circle of
charms and entertainments, from
which there is no escape without do
ing violence To The sacred law Of love
For all women desire to be loved. II
is their sanctificatiOn, as beauty Is
their incontestable wisdom. Thus
the fanciful dress Of maidens is not
as some suppose, mere vanity OF
form and color, hut it is '.love let
ter writ large" a pretty prtilion t.
dear nature for iuvei.
And in this half moon romanct
where she reveals herself TO him in
so many different gnises Of muslin
and spirit, the shrewdest man Otter
appears dull to the dullcst maid
Wh' iher she su ks upon the snow
ridge or fOuts him in The meadow
secretly she is always wondering a,
his affectlonal stupidity, at tn lu.i,c
rous softening of his courage ant
the unmanl,Irg of his ship. For th'
winning Of a maid is the taking of 8
spirit; and in order t. succeed tn,