The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-03-20


had he realized the utter vulgarity of
public wedding. He forced his way
into the side door and stood waiting
the arrival of the bride and groom
When Bivens came the sight of him
reused the slumbering devil in Stuart
The excitement Of his triumph had
evidently steadied the little mans
nerves. Never had his shrimplike fig
ure looked so slippery and plausible
He extended his slender hand and
touched Stuart's in passing To save
his life the lawyer could not repress
shudder In that moment he could
have committed murder with joy The
agony Of defeat was on him He felt
in that moment his kinship with al ths
Ihels and disinherited Of the earth
At last the bride came and the sur
pliced choir moved slowly and sst:e.nn-
ly down the aisles through ii SEA of
eager faces as the great organ pet!led
forth the first bars of the wedding
march from ''Lohengrin."
Nan was leaning on the arm Of a
stranger he had never seen before m
uncle from the west She WIS pale.
deathly pale. and walked with h-Si-
tating movement AS though weak from
illness. Suddenly his heart Wen! "at
to her in flood Of pity and tenderness.
He tried to make her feel this. but she
passed without glance. She had not
seen him
Stuart listened to the ceremony with
vague impersonal interest rs II it
! were something going on III another
world. A single question was hHrtihg
| itself into his brain-the prize %
woman! Have we all our price," he
| asked. searching deep into his own
soul. Something pathetic in the white
! face of the bride had touched the deep
est sources Of his being.
"Have l. too. my price, oh, hoastful
soul?" he cried Would sell my
honor for millioni No. For ten.
fifty, a hundred millions? Monet in
the market place. no but would sell
by a compromise of principle III The
secret conclave Of my party ut u sale
the world could never know would
sell for the presidency Of the rnpH5icf
Or would sell now to win this wo!n-
an? Would I? If so. | shonih hold
her blameless. Have all men "nd all
women a price il we bn' na@.e It?
Answer. Answerr' And then from
the depths Of his heing came the burn
ing words:
NO. | swear it. No!"
He looked mp with a start, wonder,
ing vaguely if the crowd had heard
this cry
No: they were intent on the drama
ut the altar The minister was say
ing:
"What God hath joined together let
not man put asunder."
"'Godr Surely he didn't say God. :"
Stuart brooded Does God the an-
gust. mysterious. n--ful creator of the
universe. work Ike this Did not The
God of heaven and earth give this wo-
man to him beneath the sunny skies
Of the south while their so';'ss sang for
joy?"
They we're moving again down the
, aisle. the organ throbhing the recess
sional from Mendelssohn. \ wave OF
emotion swept the crowd inside. ana
they became mob Of vHigar. chatfer-
ing. gossiping fools, swarmIng over
the church as If It were the grand
stand Of racecourse. without hesifa-
| ton tearing down and stealing IFS doc
| orations for souvenirs.
BY curious law OF reaction all re.
sentiment and anger were gone. and
only a great pity for Nan began TO MI
Stuart's heart
That night Stuart entered one OF the
, more dignifed and serious theatefs jus'
j of Broadway. The play was 4 serious
! effort by brilliant young draHatis
|, Of the modern school Of realism II
two minutes from the rising Of the eur
. tain the play had gripped him with re
:. lentless power Slowly. reinorseless a
fate, he saw the purpose Of the nnfho
: unfold itself in Il series of tense ant
: terrible scenes The comedy over whicl
} the crowd laughed with such conta
4 gious merriment was even more sinis
= ter than the serious parts No matte
!, whnt the situation whether sci 4
! laughter, to terror or to tears heneatl
1t all throbbed one insistent question:
ii Has the woman who sells hersal
4 for money Il sOui!'
) With breathless interest he watches
: the cruel carving Of her body into tin
: pieces Without shifting. whining q
apology, with arms barred and CLEAN
ing scalpel firmly gripped in han
Z that never quivered once. the authn
dissected her Always he could hea
= this white invisible figure bending ovc
:, each scene talking to the audience !
: his quiet. terrible way:
i. well. IL be she has soul we sha
- lind It. Perhaps it's here.
With firm. strong hand tn" las
secret OF muscle and nerve nnd bon
was laid bare. and the white face ionl
cd into the eyes Of the audience tiirong
~ mist of tears
s. I'm sorry. my friends But we mn
!, face the truth. It's better to know u
- truth. however bitter than to believe
~ lie'
J, With a soft rush the big curtain ca II
down In q silence that coiila be fel
). The dazed crowd walked from the si'f
ho and pOured into the aisles whiie -
!, art still sat gripping the arms of y
a seat with strangling emotion
~ At last he said to himself with enc
he ing emphasis:
~ "He was cruel. inhuman. uninst
=, refuse to believe it, She has sol
She has a SOUL
- Next day Stuart went to his ON
or WIh hiS ihillu - -,