The Bossier banner., 1909-03-11

He experienced the poignant humiliation
Of being ignored
time he experienced the poignant hu-
initiation of being ignored. And when
he tried to reduce this brilliant, swiftly
changing, Ice cold city to formula he
failed utterly. Poet though he was. it
offered him no color, no smiles, no
points of comparison, no flaw In its
polished facets. no handle by which he
could hold it up and view its shape and
structure, as he familiarly and often
contemptuously had done with other
towns. The houses were interminable
ramparts loophoIed for defense; the
people were bright but bloodless spec
ters passing in sinis:er~and selfish ar
ray.
The thing that weighed heaviest on
Raggles' soul and clogged his poets
fancy was the spirit of absolute ego
tism that seemed to satUrate the peo-
pie as toys are saturated with paint.
Each one that he considered appeared
monster Of abominable and insolent
conceit Humanity was gone from
them. They were toddling idols Of
stone and varnish, worshiping them
selves and greedy for. though oblivious
| of. worship from their fellow craven
images Frozen. cruel, implacable, i'm
pervious, cut to an identical pattern,
| they hurried on their ways like statues
| brought by some miracles to motion,
| while soul and feeling lay unarousetl
In the reluctant marble.
Gradually Raggies became conscious
Of certain types. One was an elderly
| gentleman with snow white, short
beard, pink, unwrinkled face and
stony, sharp blue eyes, attired in the
fashion Of a gilded youth, who seemed
to personify the clty's wealth, ripeness
and frigid unconcern. Another type
was a woman, tall, beautiful, clear MS
a steel engraving, goddess-like, calm,
clothed like the princesses Of old, with
eyes as coidly blue as the reflection Of
sunlight on q glacier. And another
was byproduct of this town Of mari
onettes-a broad. staggering, grim.
threatenIngly sedate fellow, with .
towl as large as harvested wheat
field, the complexion Of baptized In
FAINT and the knuckles of prize fighter,
This type leaned against cigar signs
and viewed the world with trapped
contumely.
A poet is a sensitive creature, and
Raggles soon shriveled In the bleak
embrace of the undecipherable. The
chill. sphinx-iike, ironical. illegible. un.
natural. ruthless expression Of the city
left him downcast and bewildered
Had 1t no heart? Better the wood pile
the scolding of vinegar faced house
wives at back doors, the kindly spleer
Of bartenders behind provincial fre<
lunch counters. the amiable truculenc<
of rural constables, the kicks, arrests
and happy -go-lucky chances Of tha
other vulgar, loud, crude cities thar
this freezing heartlessness.
Raggles summoned his courage ant
sought aims from the populace. Un
needing, regardless, they passed o.
without the wink of an eyelash to tes
tify that they were conscious OF hi
existence. And then he said to himsel
that this fair but pitiless city Of Man
haitian was without soul, that its in
habitauts were manikins moved b.
wires and springs and that he wa
. alone In a great wilderness.
I Raggles started to cross the street
/ There was a blast, roar, hissin
, and a crash as something struck hin
: and hurled him over and over ST
yards from where he had been. AS b
( was coming down like the stick OF
I rocket the earth and all the citie
J. thereof turned to fractured dream.
/. Raggles opened his eyes. First Q
0 odor made itself known to him, q
' odor of the earliest spring flowers .
j. paradise. And then hand soft as
= falling petal touched his brow. Benz
o ing over him was the woman clothe
/. like the princess of old, with blu
r eyes, now soft and humid with huma
r sympathy. Under his head on Il
4 pavement were silks and furs. wit
Raggles' hat in his hand and with b
. face pinker than ever from web