Mexico Missouri message., 1913-01-09


wax figures in high relief: at the top.
miniature portrait of Charles II. in
his state robes; at the bottom, one
OF Nell herself. In court dress. The
King appeared also on the right, In
hunting costume, and on the left was
another figure of his favorite in less
ornamental garb. According to the
legend which accompanied this in
teresting antique, 1t was Nell
Gwynne's own handiwork.
1t possessed for me certain fas-
cination due more to its history than
its beauty, for 1t was not the most
artistic Of creations, and as Cameron
poked about for his Baudelalre, l
stood gazing at the glass and think
ing of all had ever read OF the IL
literate, but saucy, sprightly actress
whose sole claim to fame hung on her
winning the favor of that easy-going,
royal hypocrite. Charles II.
Here's the bindingl" heard Cam
eron say, and turnedeirom the mirror
to the table, where he had found his
sought-for treasure beneath a pile OF
HOd'fE' BTOsSer WOrkS.
You know something OF book
binding" he went on, with enthusi-
asm. Now examine that carefully,
and tell me If you ever saw anything
more exquisite. had 1t done in Lon
don, last year It's copy Of one Of
LIE Gascon's."
At first sight 1t seemed all glitter
ing gold, but on closer inspection /
found that the groundwork was bright
red morocco, inlaid with bun, olive.
and marble leather, the spaces close
ly filled with very delicate and beau.
tiful pointille traoeries. 1t was yer.
table gem in it's way. and could not
blame Cameron for his raptures.
When | had applauded and be-
praised to his content, he took the lit
tie volume from my hand and open
ing 1t, with a sort of slow reverence,
observed with something like patron
ism:
I'm afraid you don't quite under
stand Baudelaire."
Does anybody" l flung back.
HE is not so obscure as his critics
would have US believe" Cameron as
serted. "Sit down in that lounging
chair a moment, and I'll read you
something" And as obeyed, he
drew up a chair for himself, speaking
all the while in denunciation of Toll.
stoi and the injustice of his criticism.
One poem after another he read,
while | lay back listening. To his
credit he read them well, though he
paused often in mid.verse to explain
what he thought might regard as an
affectation or, as Tolstoi has put it,
IAN intentional obscurity."
There was one verse which i'm
pressed me particularly as he read
it, and remained with me for a long
while afterward, FOR, In view OF every.
thing, it seemed to have a special ap-
positiveness. The lines to which
refer have been translated in this
way:
From Heavens high balconies
Sect In their threadbare robes the dead
years cast their eyes,
And from the depths below regrets wan
smile appears.
Cameron sat with his back to the
door leading to the passageway, and
facing. diagonally, across the table,
the Nell Gwynne mirror. My own
gaze was on him as he read.
AS he finished the verse, a portion
OF which | have quoted, he lifted his
eyes, | thought to meet mine, but his
look rose over my head, and chung,
while his lids widened, and into every
line of his face there came a rigid,
startled expression, half amazement,
half horror And in that instant OF
tense silence the "Fleurs du Nal"
slipped from his nerveless fingers,
struck the table edge. and dropped
with unseemly echo to the floor.
In a breath l was on my feet and
staring where his vision had focused.
/ hardly know what l expected to see.
am sure nothing would have sur
prised me. And yet | was scarcely
prepared for the inexplicable ruin
which my sight encountered. Tho
glass OF the Nell Gwynne mirror was
III aiOlhbs
Cameron rose, little unsteadily
thought, and coming around the table.
joined me in closer inspection OF his
wrecked hereditament can find no
word adequate to the description of
what we experienced. Amusement
and all its synonyms are far too
feeble for the task We were certain
ly more than appalled,. What we saw
suggested to me spontaneous disin-
teRration. II such a thing were pos.
sible. which | believe it is not, it
might have explained the condition OF
the mirror. No other aecription
seemed admissible; for, though the
glass remained in its frame not so
much as a splinter having been
dropped, It was fractured into a
thousand tiny pieces. resembling a
crystal mosaic, incapable of any but
the most minute reflections. And he
change 10 this condition from a fair,
unmarried panel had been wrought
H.