The Washington herald., 1914-05-01
The Beauty.
ny JOHN ID. BARRY.

There was a woman gifted with wonoeriul Deauty.
II caused her. while she still hardly more than
child to be admired and favored and pursued She IL
lustrated the truth of the French proverb. When
girl is beautiful she is already married" She was
scarcely more than child when the man came who
was to make her his wife.
1t was not till she had bound herself to the man
and had borne him child and had gone out into the
world that she realized the power that lay in her
beauty For time she grieved that she had not known
before, that She had not walked up.
In the admiration of the world she found a con-
tinual delight 1t made her despise the man who
treated her as if she were his own. She longed to
escape from him. to be free to her power to bring
men to her feet and to achieve great position, where
she might have and more admiration and win
the rewards that should enable her to give her beauty
the right setting, like jewel
One day she weighed the present with the future.
She was still young. If she remained for few years
more by her husbands side her youth would be gone.
If she listened to the voices of the world she would
have her hearts desire. She chose to listen to the
world.
By the roadside of life she left the man, broken
and disillusioned and ebittered The child she took
with her. For she loved the child as her blossom. the
reflection of herself But the presence OF the child
would interfere with the life she longed to lead she
placed her in convent
Ten years passed. The woman found herself more
and more widely acclaimed. She became famous for
her beauty.
Princes were at her feet She herself lived like a
princess. The world look on and admired and smiled
and applauded and gossped.
The woman accepted the applause and acted as if
she did hear the gossip. Those she had known in
her youth she ignored Those who had loved her
el,. Df tbeSa cd
what her punishment would be. But there was appar
emily no punishment. The woman seemed not merely
successful but happy.
Meanwhile her beauty, instead of waning, grew
more resplendent, more exquisite. When it was re-
ported that she had daughter in the convent, rap
idly growing into womanhood people marveled She
herself seemed hardly than girl.
The time came when the woman discovered that
her daughter had become She would take
the girl home to be introduced to the great world. The
girls presence by her side would silence detraction.
The girl would be an ornament, too For she had
grown to be like her mother, lovely the morning
So the girl went home to live. What wonderful
house. filled with costly things. with great mirrors
where the beauty of the mother daily reflected.
At first she was bewildered She had not understood
before She had not suspected. Gradually. she be-
came aware of the life her mother had lead of its
meaning At first she shocked; but she loved her
mother and she became accustomed to the life,
the luxury the gayety the presence of many in
terestng people, the rides in the park, the admiration
of the men.
Soon the admiration began to intoxicate her. She
heard men and women talk about love. She longed
herself to love- to be loved She 1onged to live in
tensely, deeply like those she saw about her.
Meanwhile the mother watching and wonder
a-I eta ,bo 81 ooft tbo.,
men would marry the child some day and take her
from all this feverish life and make her respected the
honored wife and the mother of children.
But the girl had no such dreams The first words
Of love that she heard thrilled her.
In year the people were talking less of the
mother than. the child. They saying that the
daughter was following in the footsteps of the
mother. And they also saying that the daugh-
ter did not have the codness of the mother, the cal
culaon For the daughter they foresaw dangers that
the mother had escaped.
Meanwhile, the mother remained blind. She was
too, close to the daughter to And when she did
see it too late. For already the good name of
the daughter had been 'tarnished.
Then the mother heard that of the old
friends were saying her punishment would come
through her daughters shame. For the first time if
her life she began to feel concern. She resolved to
keep her daughter closer.
One day the mother was told that the daughter had
flown with man who had long been her own admirer
The news came while she was having her beauty
prepared for the day and while she was glancng over
the morning paper.
She sat up and confronted one of the great mir
rors.
In instant all her years had stamped themselves
into her face