Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-09-18
iHE GLAMOR OF DEAD THINGS

arant failure you have always been in
life!"
Everything that the world could pos
sibly give her it gave. Wealth, success.
admiration, love, all We're hers, and
Nature, ever snob, had showered upon
her its most precious blessings of beauty
and health and youth.
The elder woman-whom nobody
could ever accuse of being good looking
though they might have declared per-
| haps that she looked 'good"--hushed
slightly at this open insult and stopped
working suddenly.
'The success of life," she murmured
| quietly, SIS measured by the number of
| its happy moments"
| And then she went on with her work
Happiness" retorted the beautiful
one, sis the art of living life to its full
est, to hold i'll one delirious moment all
that existence has of love and the joie
We vivre. Happiness"
Lies in silence and indreams,' re-
piled the plain woman almost inaudibly
| The beautiful woman laughed.
| That, she cried contemptuously, lis
the delusion in which the disappointed
take refuge"
How dare you speak to me thus ~
cried the plain woman starting to her
feet
"All my life, she went ON passionately,
| ''all my life long you have held me up
to ridicule and contempt. You hated
me because / was not woman like you
We're. My life, my religion, my faith
all that | held most dear-you have
made the object or your scorn. Because
/ was poor and alone and unhappy
yes, | was unhappy-you thought YOU
could make me grovel in the dust be-
meath your feet. You gave me work to
do so that the contrast of our lives
might be ever before me- But the idols
cherished We're so UNNECESSARILY above
and beyond you that | had strength to
bear all your insult, smilingly even. Be
sides, they belonged to my own soul.o
| The beautiful woman laughed.
you ought to join the Armee de
Salut," she ieered; "you have all their
agitated manners; but you're fool all
the same. And your lover, the man who
loves you, must be fool too"
The plain woman made a spring to-
ward her. her face crimson with pas
sion, her hand twitehing eonvulsively.
| You shall net" she cried fiercely,
you shall not say that of him. | love
him with devotion of which women
such as you are not capable"
| "EIa, hal" laughed the beautiful wom,-
an; 1.-THE saint, the saint"
ut is only women such as you." con-
tinued the plain woman contemptuously,
Ito whom love never really, really
comes. You give yourself up TO its
shadow and in searching for it YOU
lose it,"
The beautiful woman placed her hand
ON the bell.
You bore me dreadfully," she yawned.
| do return to your lover Only don't
preach to him as you have done to me.
| that's all. Goodbye"
But the plain woman had her hand
already ON the door.
As she closed it after her she heard
! the beautiful woman laughing gaily.
The mockery of it rang in her ears as
she descended the stairs. 1t followed
her down the Champs Elysees.
| What fool l have made of myself
she said to herself as she went homo.
| On her way thither she stopped to in
quire after friend of hers-a young
ouyriere who was lying i'll and alone. |
Instead of remaining there few min !!
utes only she stayed several hours, and |
1t was already late when she CROPPED her |
way up the dark and narrow staircase. |
| As she entered she was surprised to |
find that he was there in darkness
| Il have had a visitor this evening"
he said trying to interest her. "A beau |
tifu lady"
| She turned upon him in establishment. |
i Unfortunately she had come to see |
you" he continued, laughing at her
sudden jealousy.
But she is coming again to see me"
he continued, putting his arm round her
waist and kissing her willy-nilly. "To- |
day she came to bring you this"
And he handed her five-franc piece |
and note of thanks for work done. in |
the handwriting of the beautiful woman. /
| In a moment she had sprung away, I
regarding him with terror in her eyes.
"She asked me to show her my verses, |
and ! showed her those which l have
dedicated to YOU and which YOU love so 1
much"
Where are they now" cried the plain
woman suddenly.
"she took them away with her. he
replied
"She chung to him piteously. "Oh. |
why did you give them to her :"
Because, dearest" and he kissed her |
tenderly, "she has promised to make me
great My comedie fantastique she is
going to show to Darcy. the critic. /
Who knows" and he became suddenly !
eNultant, who knows but that we NAV
soon be rich ami envied"
But the PLAN woman seemed TUNED I
to stone In the light OF the lamp he1
face looked ghastly-white, drawn, and I
lid,