Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-01-08
THE WOMAN IN GRAY

Don't ask me for names and dates
and places. Men and women are no.
creatures of names, times or places.
.hat they are only clsestnrespf, love dis
appointment, JOY. grief and pain. Men
are not loved. hated OF hopered for. the
time, place or name under which they
live Neither Go men cease with their
time or place. but 'extinctus amabiteS
idem.'
81 have seen three generations Of
men in manhood, the first in st. Louis
years ago and the latter two in an
eastern city where my home is. In that
eastern city 1 learned the story 1 am
about to relate to you.
1T was not many years ago that
knew them-the persons whom my
story concerns. They We're three. The
central figure in that trio was beau
tiful young girl. about twenty years old
when she came into the story l am
about to tell. She was richly endowed
with womanly grace and worldly
wealth She was not from st. Louis,
but she traced her ancestry to the
founders of the city and was bound by
! ties of blood to families still represent.
| ed here and honored for their lineage.
'She lived in an eastern city. There
i she knew and loved an artist. The ten.
| der passion was returned, and but for
| one thing all was we'll and propitious
with their lore. The artist was gen.
| ius, his devotion to his art being second
only to his devotion to the young wo-
| man whom he loved. His work was
| much sought after. There was Pc
culiar sameness about all his pictures,
however. He had hobby in art, al
| ways affecting the somber in tintS. The
gray of November landscapes was
| passion with him. He carried this taste
into pet name for his fancee, for
when he petted her he called her his
little gray mouse She liked the pet
name, for she was but timid, clinginS
child of love.
1.-THE one thing that disturbed the
happiness of these two was the foolish
jealousy OF the artist lover. The oD-
ject of this jealousy was young
man of fortune and leisure who was 4
friend of the pair. He knew of their
love and sacredly regarded it, but he
did love the young woman. He CON
cealed his love, always conducting Slinl-
self as a friend Of the two and noth-
! ing more He Gid not know that lie
was the innocent cause of frequent
outbursts of jealous accusations by
j the ardent artist against his sweetheart.
] The girl always passionately avowed
] her love for the art5t and declared the
= other man to be but friend.
s THE artist and his fancee We're ac-
customed to frequently visit art ex-
, hibits together. One gray afternoon
they went to large art museum. She
J was clad in gray. For hours they loi-
tered before the pictures. At last the
| young woman complained Of WEAKNESS
and wanted to sit down to rest.
"'Come into the next department
and you can rest while l look at the
pictures there he suggested.
"'No, 1 am going to rest right here
she said, just bit pettishly, as she
found an easy chair, and she would not
90 with him. He left her. saying that
he would be back soon.
"He had scarcely gone before the
mutual friend OF the pair happened
along and stopped for moment to
chat with the woman whom he loved,
!! but to whom, for honor's sake, he
would not declare his love. He soon
passed Oh and left her to wait for the
artist whom he envied and whom she
loved Gey0tedly.
1.-THE artist never came. The young
woman waited until the dusk had fall
en- AS the moments Wore on her heaf'
began to smite her, and then came
sense OF sickening fear and then flow
of tears. She searched the gallery
iLe was not there. suddenly look OF
4. horror came into her eye; aEu with Il
y. the inward questions: Did he come
~ back? Did he see Vernon speaking
"a with me, and did he SO away forever:
"a At last the gallery closed. The won
q. an in gray was driven to her home
\ ! hoping yet that he would come to her.
h. ''The evening passed, and the arts
:, | did not come. The next morning TIL
q. young woman was in raging fever
L. delirious, constantly calling for her ab
h. sent lover At last she recovered, bu
o. | was never the same woman. The art
a ist never returned. AS frequently hap
pens in great cities, he had disappear
ed as though the earth had swallOwe
him up.
nd "The woman, now grown almost t
DIS | middle age, still searches for h1I
W. quietly and mysteriously. The habi
ot Of visiting large gatherings, especial
es art exhibitions, has grown upon he
*. until it has become a mania. She goe
er to these places always clad in gray
re She glides about as though possesse
ha Of the spirit of mystery. In her eye
ck there is always that look Of an avail
I'd, ening question powerful and awful, RI
Nv pelling all questions from those Wh
ck would be curious. Did ne see Verno
uil speaking with me, and did he go ava