Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-18
The Princess
Pearls
BY ANNIE LAURIE,

MA |hEN the bells began TO ring IN
w the old church the beaDtiS,I
princess ran out with a "a,
ful Of lovely pearls and threw them
ALL very quickly and very gracefruv
to the swine.
And the swine grunted and wsg-,s
their great ears and blinked tbef,
little eyes, and the princess larrbas
and clapped her hands and said.
Isn't it delightful to see them ." And
all the codrtiers stood around and
laughed softly-they pretended r5ey
were laughing with the princess Inn.
they were really laughing at her
1t was so funny to them to see The
swine wag their ears and to see m.
princess smile at them. But tbs
queen, the mother of the princes,
closed her eyes and did not laugh.
She could not. for she, too. had
thrown pearls before the swine and
she knew that 1t is not so pleasan,
after a while.
All this l thought at a wedding tn.
other day. 1t was a beautiful we'd.
ding-lilies on the altar, roses at N,
rail, wild flowers in the chanceI. "Ths
sigh that breathed over Eden
gray-haired, dignified clergyman. SIX
bridesmaids, all in soft pink: q maid
of honor in blush pink.
Best men, ushers, little pages IN
white satin knee breeches-oh. quits
the smart thing altogether.
And the mother of the bride grsv
whittier and whittier, and finally, at the
end Of the ceremony, shs bit her Inns
to keep from crying; and the father
he laughed, and looked, oh. 50
pleased, for sOn-in-law is rich, very
rich. and the marriage will bring
powerful connections. The bride
smiled and smiled such a sweet. mer.
ry, maidenly little smile, and she
looked up at the groom under her
lashes, and was very sweet.
Pearls, | thought, pearls-and ths
groom-did he wag his ears ever 81
slightly then, or did l just imaCins
it?
I've known the groom ever sine.
he took his first steps in rompers. He
was pink and curly and blue-eyed.
Just Ike a nice, clean. pink little pig
l always thought-and I knew his
father before him, big and pink and
blue-eyed. He murdered his wife
on, no, it was never in the papers,
no one ever put It that way; but he
murdered her just as surely as If he
mad stabbed her with a dagger some.
where in the old medieval days.
She was a sweet, gentle. loving
sensitive little thing, the bridegroom's
mother. She thought It was fan 10
cast pearls before swine. too.
I've seen her do It. I've seen he,
clnr.e and blush and culver and
shrink and smile and smile, trying 70
get the pink husband to know that
she was alive, and all he did was 10
! grunt from behind a paper or a stock
report. and he laughed at her family
and made fun of her friends and
jeered at her ideas till she was afraid
| to speak, almost.
And he was always so polite about
1t, too, and one day she just lay down
anu uieu. WOnuer II Sne was al the
wedding Yesterday and If she felt
sorry for her sons bride?
The son OF the father she gave
| him.
I wonder II the brides mother
| thought of her-there at the we'd
| ding-when she looked at the cruel
! smirking mouth and the little, greedy
| blue eyes of her brand-new son-in.
law! Why didn't she prevent the
marriage?
Dear me. didn't she try7 She al
| most killed herself trying, but It was
no use. Daughter was 'in love" or
what she called "in love" and father
approved, and there was all that
money and all that social prestige
| too. What was the use?