The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-10-05
The Precious Jewel

registered happy thoughts.
Thus she sat when the woman en-
tered and disturbed the day dream.
"Oh, here you are; taking a sun
! bath. You'll ruin your eyes In that
strong light" Then noting the girls
flushed face and following her gaze,
she exclaimed you happy, silly
little goose! 1t is pretty, isn't it?"
she added quickly, for the girls ex-
! preston had as quickly changed.
cts lovely" she whispered. Then
looking the woman in the eyes she
questioned frankly why do you
call me silly little goose|"
The woman's gaze shifted.
"Why?" persisted the girl.
Because you seem so happy"
81 am happy. The very happiest
! girl In the whole world!"
That's just 1t. We all think So
at the time"
But l know l am"
The woman laughed softly, but
there was no mirth in the sound.
"How strange you are to-day! l
told you first because you always
seemed so sympathetic; and now you
only laugh at me-"
"No. child. | am not laughing at
you. l feel more like crying for you.
Your nature is so intense you will suf-
fer as keenly as-as you love sim
cerely."
But why think of suffering when
everything is so beautiful and bright.
| Can't it be so, always?"
There is always the reaction after
the awakening"
| "The awakening-from what?"
"Oh, just this beguilling ecstatic
fancy you are obsessed with at pres
ent. 1t is inevitable. After the knot
| is finally tied and the prop removed,
those innocent, ignorant happy beings
float out into the ether and alight
| somewhere; 1t matters little where.
| They are alone with no one to lean
upon, and every hing to learn, even
how to walk alone-or rather to-
gether."
But why-tell me why 1t is so?"
"Oh, there are various reasons.
| With me it is money-or rather the
lack of it, He is not the kind of man
that attracts money, or thinks that II
| Is vital; and l am the kind of woman
that needs it. Why two such people
are drawn to each is one of the mys-
teries of life. My happiness, my pow
| er. my whole nature calls for money
and what it can do. 1t is an innate
4 DII oil oil I nT1 1Cy
ago / ceased trying to stihe it, but
long for it, wish for it above all else,
and pray for it constantly, eternally."
"Oh, but when two people love
each other and have each other, what
else can really matter?"
"To live is to create-desires at
least. To be unable to fulfil ones de-
sires is a living death, or worse. But
don't mind me, child; I'm wretchedly
melancholy. Go on with your dream
ing, and worship your ring. 1t is
precious jewel"
The girl continued to dream, but
they were no longer the same, since
that ambiguous, enervat,ng element
had entered into them, corroding and
destroying the silver mesheS of some
of the finest ones. Sometimes they
would appear in hideous, frightful
forms, and then she would slip the
spark of fire from her finger and shut
1t away from the light and her sight,
resolved to send it back to the giver,
thus ending all between them, and
thereby eliminating the torture. But
with the beginning of each new day,
confidence, born Of the virgin love
that filled her being, was restored to
her heart, and the ring to her finger.
Thus the days passed, while the
giver, unconscious Of the fact that
his fate still hung in the balance,
toiled on in happy anticipation. pre-
pairing the modest home that meant
to him heaven on earth.
When the blow came 1t was a sur
prise and a shock, and the girl shrank
from a duty she felt was hers. The
aversion was not to death or the dead,
but to the living. She dreaded to
meet the woman who had 30 sud
denly attained her desire; the wife
of the man who, during life had failed
to make her happy. and by dying had
enabled her to realize her dream!
How could she even look upon such
Mammon idolatry!
Then she went TO her, she found
her, not as she had pictured, revelling
in the luxury of her long coveted af-
fiuence, but crushed and broken by
the revelation of death; suffering the
tortures of contrition. and deploring
the minutes wasted in vain longings,
while, uncherished and unheeded, the
greatest thing in life. a noble, un-
selfish love. had slipped forever from
her.
"Contentment is a pearl Of great
price!" These words, which hereto
fore had been merely words, flashed
into the girls mind illumined with
the sublime light Of understanding.
"Ah, that is the precious jewel!
And we must not cease to wear 1t,
lest We also abandon the charm of
life"