Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-05-12

There was cause, then, to weep.
For two years, they tell me, my moth
er wept. Then she died. She gave
me, a baby, to her friend, a woman of
her village-Threlka Major. You have
seen her. She has been my mother
ever since. She has been the sole
guardian / have known all my life.
She has not been able to do with me
as she would have liked"
You did not live at your own home
with your father?" l asked.
For a time. 1 grew up. But my
father, l think, was permanently
shocked by the loss of the woman he
had loved and whom he had brought
into all this cruelty She had been so
lovable, so beautiful-she was so beau
tiful, my mother! So they sent me
away to France, to the schools. I
grew up. 1 presume. proof in part Of
the excellence of my fathers theory.
They told me that l was a beautiful
ANIMAL"
The contempt, the scorn, the pathos
the whole tragedy of her voice and
bearing-were such as I cannot set
down OF paper, and such as 1 scarce
could endure to hear. Never in my life
before have l felt such a pity for a
human being, eve so much desire
to do what l might in sheer compass
sion.
But now, how clear it all became to
me! I could understand many strange
things about the character of this
singular woman, her whims, her IN
accountable moods, her seeming care
lnrcn0r4 xy0f uyif1n1 hA~ Iionifu n~l
sweetness and air of breeding-above
all her righteousness. Let others
Judge her for themselves. There was
only longing in my heart that I might
find some word of comfort. What
could comfort her? Wa not life, in
deed, for her to remain a perpetual
tragedy?
But, madam" said I, at length,
"you must not wrong your father and
your mother and yourself. These two
loved each other devotedly. Well,
what more? You are the result OF a
happy marriage. You are beautiful.
you are splendid, by that reason"
Perhaps. Even when I was 1G I
was beautiful" she unused. 81 have
heard rumors of that. But I say to
you that then 1 was only a beautiful
animal. Also, 1 was a vicious animal.
I had in my heart all the malice
which my mother never spoke. I felt
in my soul the wish to injure women,
to punish men, to torment them, to
make them pay! To set even those
balances of torture!-ah, that wag
my ambition! I had not forgotten
that, when l first met you, when I
first heard Other, the woman whom
you love, whom already in your saw
age, strong way you have welded
the whose vows I spoke with
her-I-I, Helena Won Ritz, with his
tory such as mine!
Father, father"-she turned to him
swiftly; "rise-go! 1 cannot now
speak before you. Leave us alone I'M
til I call!"'
Obedient as though he had been the
child and she the parent, the old man
rose and tottered feebly from the
room.
There are things a woman cannot
say in the presence Of a parent" she
said, turning to me. Her face
twitched. 'It takes all my bravery to
talk to you"
why should youY There is not
need. Do mott"
"Ah, 1 must, because it is fair" said
she. 81 have lost, lost! I nave told
you 1 would pay my wager"
After a time she turned her face
straight toward mine and went on
with her old splendid bravery.
$50, now, you see, when 1 was
| young N beautiful 1 had rank and
money. 1 had brains. l had hatred
of men. l had contempt for the arts
tocracy. My heart was peasant after
all. My principles were those Of the
republican. Revolution was in my
| soul, I say. Thwarted, distorted,
wretched, INSCRIPTIONS, l did what /
| could to make hell for those who had
made hell for us. / have set dozens
| of men by the ears. l have been
promised in marriage to / know not
how many. A dozen men have fought
to the death in duels over me. For
each such death 1 had not even a
thought. The more troubles I made.
the happier l was. Oh, yes, in time
1 became Known had a reputation;
| there is no doubt of that.
But still the organized ~aristocracy
had its revenge-it had its will of me,
after all. There came to me, as there
had to my mother, an imperial order.
In punishment for my fancies and va
| carries, / was condemned to marry q
| certain nobleman. That was the within
Of the new emperor, Ferdinand, the
degenerate. He took the throne when
l was but 16 years of age. He chose
for me a degenerate. mate from HE
own Sort She choked now.
You did marry him."
CTO BE CONTINUED?