The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1905-04-15


ton, reminiscent, as for the most
part it was enabled me to see that
in some respects he was changed
from the man / had seen five years
before. He spoke more deliberately
slower. As Benson had remarked,
he had always had a tendency to
dream. The tendency seemed ac-
centuated. At times he was silent
for a minute together, putting medi-
tatively at lis pipe. At last l could
not help questioning him even at the
risk of giving ofense- Benson
says" I remarked, 'sthat you are
quite different from what you used
to be. You never go out anywhere.
What is it3 You remember our
talking about the perfect type
You have not found her? You are
not IN love? ?"
lie was silent a moment, putting
.out huge clouds Of smoke. Then
look here, old fellow" he said. Il
don't know why I should not tell
you. These other fellows could not
understand if | did tell them"
II am afraid you are crediting
me with more intelligence than L
possess" l said. IF what you pro-
pose to tell me would pass Benson
understanding I am afraid it would
also pass mine"
"You underrate yourself Be-
sides, after all, it is quite simple,
only Benson Is such a material per-
son. The Stock Exchange has made
him worse. Anyway, | am going to
tell YOU
"Yes:" I said invitingly.
EEYou remember" he said, set
fling himself back in his chair, 81
had always my own views about wo-
men.
eYou expected great DEAL" l
said.
"WeIl," he went on, not needing
the interruption, 'you know l can
well afford to marry. If had found
the woman / wanted, / should have
married long ago. / could not find
her, much as | sought The clever
woman had no beauty, the beautiful
no brains, or, where the combination
did exist, the woman was already
married or had some equally pro-
hibitive defect"
"You sought for what did not ex-
ist," | said. There is no ideal wo-
man, as their is no ideal man."
''Not in your sense" he said. Ger
tainlv not in the sense of a man like
Benson, if he can conceive the pos
sibility of an ideal woman at all, or
an ideal anything"
"And in yours" | said.
He rose from his chair and, going
to long drawer in cabinet, took
out from it an armful of photo
graphs-there must, [ should think,
have been some fifty there in all.
"Just look through these" he said.
l did so, wondering. Every type
Of female face and female beauty
was there represented, from the
English and American woman to the
French and Austrian, from the ere
ole to the Caucasian, from the
daughter Of the people to the daugh-
ter of the peer. Some of the faces
might well have been those Of saints;
others were Individually those of sin
ners. Barmaids jostled against Sis
tiers of Mercy. Actresses followed
on the princesses of the blood royal.
Some of Che faces were too util-
itarianly clever to approach physical
beauty. Others, again, proclaimed
the triumph of body over soul.
'Well?" I said at length, still
more astonished.
He spread out the photos on the
table before him, eying them loving
ly, fondling them as man fondles
the woman who is to be his wife.
''There," ne said, pointing to the
rows of faces before him, you have
q perfect type. l tried to find it ex-
listing in one woman. You were
right. 1t was impossible, but /
have got it there"
yes" / said, smiling at his inten-
sity, "but these are only mere pho
tographs. The essence of them con-
stitutes the perfect type of woman
hood, no doubt, bat these things are
not alive. They are mere counter
felt presentments. You are not
nineteenth century Pygmalion. You
cannot make mere photographs
live"
Perhaps not" he said. SAT
least. who can tell? | know that
when l gaze long on these faces ]
conjure up from their various char
acteristics the perfect type Of wo-
man and can never care for any one
else-I mean any woman. This face
| have erected represents to me the
supreme essence of feminine lowell
ness. the one woman for whom a