Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-01-22
| done bis best 10 hide nnder an nrec.

Of saying disagrceable things in a nice
you excite ONE to the degree Of
piquancy they become dangerous.
Women ran after David Strang. They
professed TO abhor him-they secretly
adored him, and played their prettiest
tricks for his benefit. He remained
unmoved. He found it amusing.
The woman to whose Office he came
this hot July day had long ago
fathomed, or thought she fathomed,
his complex nature She had certain
ly carefully hidden the clay feet of her
god, enveloping them in draperies of
purple and gold, and denying their ex-
stence to her own soul. But this was
after she had found the tender places
in his deep nature. At first she had
seen the clay feet; gradually her i'm
agination-which was royal-had cov-
cred them, and a film had grown over
the eyes of her soul, a silver film,
through which he loomed gracious and
tender. For a long time she had been
growing in upon herself. A great rest
lessness consumed her. Then came a
feeling abroad for sympathy. This
gathered around her work. For a time
she wrote brilliantly, pouring her soul
out in quaint imagery. All the hui
man nature in her, and the spiritual,
cried aloud. Her work satisfied for n
time, but hers was "a stormy soul. given
to recklessness and feeling the need of
a personal, a human love. There
should be the intellectual, the spiritual
and also the carnal, or rather the hui
mar love. (ShOuld the craving that
demands protection, ~caringncss, close
ness, tenderness, be marrcd by a name
so suggestive of grossness as carnal?)
She used to envy the old ladies' whom
she saw carefully clOaked and guarded
by their old husbands on steamboats,
or rains They brought an atmos-
phere OF home with them. She had
had a mere glimpse of home in her
childish days. Since, it had been a
forlorn sort of life, drifting from one
lodgings to another; living in
trunks, making no friends, shrinking
from publicity. Home, Sweet Home"
always made her soul shed tears. So
did Christmas-time, and the barrel
organ when it played "Ta-ra-ra-boom-
decay Her brother used to whistle
that decayed London refrain all day
long, one time; but he never would
again, for he Ia stopped suddenly one
day by that in his throat when the
doctors had called d%iphtheria, N he
had drifted out on tides eternal, long,
long ago.
AS to herself, this woman is not 10
be described, beyond saying that she
was past her first youth, and of that
sort of attractivcness which people
vaguely term fascination, or magnet
ism, or psychic force. She was not
at all beautiful, yet was far from be-
ing ugly or commonplace. Passion
and grief were both stamped heavily
on her face. There was a story in al
her attitude. She was one of those
women who, while strong as steel
rave a look of fragility that Is at times
very attractive. \ certain WaXineS.
OF color, IL deepening shadow abou
the great eyes, II "A growing slender
ness of figure, gave this impression
AS the man stepped inside the door
which closed quietly upon him, h'
bent and raised the woman's hand Il
his lips ~revercnrly. a reverence
brooded in his eyes AZ he looked int
her face. When, without a word. h
} lightly stroked the thick tanplc o
) brown hair that gathered about he
l forehead, she food quiet, only smiling
| at him.
you must go In a minute" sh,
} said, and her voice was exquisite
soft, deep and very tender. 81 hav
a wretched paper to get out befor
seven 0'clOck-on lOve-platonics-an'
I feel as stupid as an Owl-in fact quit
woolly. DO you believe in platoni
love? Is there such a thing?"
J., His face grew moody. He Wake
quickly to a chair and sat down heav
lily.
~ believe there u.s." he said-he ha
a harsh, deep vOice-"and what's more
I believe it's the safest kind of love.
lie pulled at his gloves savagcly.
Z ooh, indeed" she said, mOcking hiI
playfully, since when did you com
: to have an opinion as to loves safe
ness?"
o Since this long time" he answered
sharply. you yourself taught mi
You always said love brought suffer
ing-that 1t was n thing to be avoit
a ed" He rose and walked to the win
dow. then turned restlessly and strod
. 49, .-l -. A. ln-l