The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-18
By AGNES SU.RBRLDGE.

~ ! sf -5 i IS III !. i 80 g. - n
cept Mrs. Parsons invitation and D., SO
too, was susceptible to the charms Of the
rich and great, "No, Joe hasn't come
to him. :
And so I entered Mrs. Parsons beau
tifully upholstered coupe and rode be-
hind liveried coachman and footman for
the, first time in my life. We alighted
entered one of the truly palatial dwell.
ings of the windy city.
The great mahogany door swung
nolselessly inward at our approach and
| soon found myself in spacious hall
lnedwith costly paintings and priceless
rugs and fragrant with burning incense
for it was one. of Mrs. Parsons fads tC
fumes. The house was a revelation tc
me. I had seen the mansion from the
street as Joe and I had speeded past ir
our buggy; but the interior, with its
rich, artistic furnishings and it's distinct
individuality, set every pulse of my
body to singing. For, suppressed anc
starved as it had. been in my native
town, crowded back as it had, been il
the little corner fiat, there was a pas
nature that was now reaching up to thu
light and would not be denied. I stood
for moment on the upper balcony ant
looked upon the scene. I could have
| cried but for the sense that such pro
ceeding would have been outre. AL
at once l knew what I craved. The
Rogers statuary and the chromos in the
little fiat had been the first feeble mani
festations Of a love for the artistic.
had come to detest them of late without
knowing what I had wanted in their
|r,Io I
"Oh, Mrs. Parsons,'' 7 cried, IT won
der if you know how fortunate you arc
it you know how beautiful your home
the midst Of all of this. -
"Poor girl!' she answered. "You we
to do with our real life.'' She sighed
and an expression that had never seen
overshadowed her face; but-she was her
old self again in a moment.
"Come,' she said, 1--WE shall have
little time here if we are to get to the
theater at quarter Of eight. I ordered
dinner at half past six, and it's that
now.' "
But the atmosphere Of the place was
like an intoxicant to me, and I could
not get over the excitement Of the day
1 found myself wondering whether the
remark Of my hostess to the effect that
her husband was "just my kind' was
to be construed as a. compliment. Fol
to me he was dull and silent man
preoccupied, and apparently Indifferent
to the topics that engrossed u.s.; | was
still too inexperienced to guess that this
couple, who were so loaded with wealth
that they could no longer. en- joy simple s.
things together, lived in wholly different
worlds; and cnce more, as / ate thai
we'll ordered dinner in magnificent
diningroom, and noted the perfection Of
every detail in that palace which Mrs
Parsons called home, said to myself
"This is the life was born to- MOI
comprehending yet, poor soul. that
was in the exact spot into which Goo
had called me and playing my part
there most miserably.s
The evening entertainment under the
auspices Of the Prisc'llas was a pro
nounced success, nett--4g more than {
thousand dollars for the Associated
Charities.
Again I was carried away by the de
light of being part and parcel Of thu
gorgeous scene. The handsomest the
alter in the city had been placed at oul
disposal, becoming available thru thu
sudden illness of the expected star
With it's soft lights, the abundance Of
flowers (for we had .fowergirls every
where), its multitude of ladies in even
ing gowns, it's handsome men, its rows