The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-19
STATUE NO, 10,
81 RUTn rEvls.

= EA&SN-
ciation.l
They have shut me up on the ground
that am insane. am not the first
person with a perfectly balanced rea-
son who has been mistaken for a
lunatic. / confess ! am wildly IN love.
IF TINT be lunacy, why not confine all
lovers3 But they say that am IN love
with phantom. BE she human or be
she immortal, love her with all my
heart, all my brain. all my soul.
I FIRST saw her Cor her likenessl in
Naples strolling through the museum
there, passing long lines Of statues,
came upon a bust OF a woman. The
drapery was the simple Roman dress
without single ornament But the
hair was arranged deliberately. Over
the forehead I counted three eontinu-
Gus arched rolls. then an equal space
Of broken ones, surmounted BY one
long roll, the whole forming sort Of
frontal diadem. The back hair was ar
ranged in braids to form q massive
chlgnon
From ont the face, marble though It
was, a real woman gazed at me. From
the moment ! looked at her felt that
she was individual one among thou
sands. one born to occupy an exalted
position. wondered who she was
Beneath most OF the statues In the
museum were brief statements Of
what they represented, but under
this was simply pasted a bit Of paper
bearing ia ink the number 10 ! did
not find it Ia my catalogue nor did ]
succeed in learning anything Of it
from the guides.
/ was leaving Naples for Rome the
same day and before going bought
photograph Of 10 Whatever Of imper-
lection there was in the bust was not
apparent 10 the picture. rendering the
effect more pleasing more
beautiful, for by this time beauty l
did not at FIRST perceive had grown
upon me wonderfully. IN Rome put
the photograph on my mnntel, and be
fore long it held my constant gaze.
A month passed My photograph
had become my idol. Day after day
the beautiful, highborn face on which
was stamped the soul Of one used 70
looked at me till it became
a reality. AT times it seemed as IL she
would speak 10 me, yet dreaded that
she should lest she address me as q
slave. AIT last. frightened at the un-
longing that was taking
possession Of me, locked my photo
graph in my trunk. An hour later |
took 1t out and placed 1t again on my
mantel
one night not being able to sleep
from desire to gaze on the face Of my
empress, as l spoke Of her to myself,
got ont Of bed, lighted the gas and
gave myself up to the spell TIL at last
feeling Chat must tear myself away
from her, / dressed and went out to
the street. At the end of a broad ave
nue. / descended fight Of steps and
stood against the rail about Trajan's
forum. It was past midnight. and,
seeing no one, / climbed down into the
lower level and walked toward the
column set up BY Trajan in commem-
Grafton Of his victories.
Some one was sitting on fragment
at Its base. / was about to turn away
when ! saw It was,a woman. Curious
to know who could be there SO late at
night, / approached. AS / did 50 she
raised her face, and by the street
lights above I saw that she was-my
empress.
Instinctively knelt before her.
'They have desecrated this column,
she said. @They have replaced the
statue Of the emperor by that Of low
born fisherman called Petrus, one Of
the ignominious sect Of Christians who
deny the immortal gods and would
place ia their stead a Jew who was
crueiiied when Tiberlus reigned II
you love me take down this Petrns.
You cannot put back the emperor's
statue. for they have destroyed IT. but
you can rid Rome Of the sight Of this