The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-01-18
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THE THRESHOLD

30 sA0 .Saei HSitiAS III the pTeCCy,
glowing drawing room.
Then she came in, and the room
became beautiful, because prettiness
WAS not OF her.
They set set teseettiiii tteefs;eetiirr and talked and
during little interval the mans
heart logged his elbow in an irritat-
ing way and murmured, .eThis is the
very last time"
eYes, said the man aloud, and
she, smiling, asked to what his af-
Grrnative referred.
Then they talked again on various
subjects which related to the man,
for she knew all his past and some
thing of his future.
g Why are you sad today?" she
asked afterawhile. &
The man hesitated. because 7
don't know why am sad at least
4 can't tell yon."
eMay I tell you little storya"
asked she.
SsPlease." Fl.
Listen, them but remember my
stories are not personal. There was
once man who never Yves boy be-
,cause he had been unable to spare
the time. Being o boy OK even 8
youth uses mp lot Of time at the
beginning, when time aeems short,
and adds it on to the end, but cir
cumstances and loneliness in strange
places made it impossible for the
man IA my story to invest time in
this way. So he skipped boyhood.
sand youth and went straighs into.
manhood in 8 strange country @
esAnd what effect on him did that
haye?" asked he in the drawing
room, who had become interested
after the story's first sentence.
She who told the story smiled
and, continuing, said: cit had on
him the effect Of tropical sun upon
vegetable life. 1t made him prema-
ture in all ways, but strong also and
.giorying In nus strength. A great
deal WAS shut out Of his range of
vision, and his life's limits were mar
row, but in those limits very intense.
ITO him the world was himself he
and his work, his aims, his strength.
Nothing else, you understand. Hav-
ing missed youth, enjoyment did not
come into his scheme. He did not
look about him for life's soft lights
and its music and so never saw or
heard them. He had no time"
"Ah!" y.
es, it was a pity. Well, then
one day by chance he met Feminin-
atYhappened upon her munching
cake and clipping tea. Femininity
smiled prettily at the man and Of
sered MIN cake and tea, which he
took with nerveless fingers, gasping
and staring the: while in pleased
amaZement. Then Femininity's rosy,
dimpled fingers went tripping dainti-.
1y up and down the key Of a.
piano, and she sang To- him, every
mote in her ripping little ballad
Etwanging g response on one Of the
mans heartstTsngs And he asked
Z himself well, let me see he asked
J maiiinselff 8
!" interrupted he who lis
tened in the drawing no easisRhy.
the had never before known that this
YVES the world and now he had been
led to think that his life was the.
real life OF the world: Y,
es, that was what he asked him
self And SO dainty little Fem z sssIIiiiiin- IN
aty, smiling all the while, drew aside
Il the lace curtains, which had hidden
Il h from his range Of vision the Byzan-,
!. time alley wherein she lived and he.
/ looking down the alley with her, de-
cided that Tit was tha real world: !,
that his world so far had been
areary fantasy Of his own creation.
4 The man ghts were not wide or
deep, but Ssry intense, and of course
3 he laid his hear, new found, reYer-
sentialiy and reserved y; at Fem
ssninity s feet 8 eniE iEinity laughing
ly accepted the heart, and then 2
.Sss 81 Meeting anot other man at The cor
neR of her alley, said the listener,
20 threw The heart down, still laugh I
ing md went back to the piano with
her new friend 2,
g Ttxactly \. Well, now the M IL /,
was an @ very aorry plight, becau To-
fle had lost his own worl d---the zee Hi
created fahtas5 and, being forsa G.
si, iii The new world: BY her 60. whom
lhis heart had been given, he could
not find his way ID llusion Sblind-
led 5his eyes with teal and, groping
about id the b Byzant tile alley, 3
isS 3 He met From you: 7 on must