Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1915-07-09
ace ana che peace OF others. !.

her intended humiliation OF the man
at her side He denied that he was an
individual. but he was one, as inter
esting one as she had met in a very
long time She, too. had made blum.
der, Quick to form opinions, swift to
Judge, she stood guilty with the COM
mon lot. who permit impressions in
stead of evidence to sway them. Here
was a man.
We have gone far afield." she said.
tacit admission that she could not
refute his dissertations. This knowl-
edge, however. was not irksome.
Rather have we not come to the
bars? Shall we let them down? In
the civil and military life on this side
OF the world there are many situa-
tons which we perforce must tolerate
but these, mind you. are settled condi.
lions 1t is upon new ones which arise
that we pass judgment. l knew moth
ing about you. nothing whatever. So
judged you according to the rules"
Elsa leaned upon her elbows. and
she smiled little as she noted chat
the purple had gone from his nose
and that it had resumed its accus-
toned rubicundity.
go on. A woman who travels
alone. who does not present letters of
Introduction. who J"
Who attends strictly to her own af-
fairs Go on"
lmperturbably he continued; who
seeks the acquaintance of men who do
not belong, as you Americans say"
Not men; one man." she corrected,
"A trifing difference. Well, IL
arouses a disagreeable word, sus.
picion- For look, there have been ex-
amples. 1t isn't as If yours were an
isolated case. There have been ex.
amples, and these We apply to such af-
! fairs as come under our notice."
And it doesn't matter that you may
be totally wrong?"
His prompt answer astonished her
No, it does not matter in the least
Simmered down. it may be explained
in a word, appearances. And / must
say. to the normal mind :"
The mediocre mind"
ITO the normal and mediocre mind
appearances were against you. OBJ
serve, please, that l did not know /
was wrong, that you were a remark
able young woman. My deductions
| were made from what saw as an out
slider. On the Irrawaddy you made
the acquaintance of a man who came
out here fugitive from justice. After
you made his acquaintance, you sought
none other, in fact, repealed any ad.
vances. This alone decided me-"
Then you were decided?" To say
that this blunt exposition was not bit
ter to her taste, that it did not acI
like acid upon her pride, would not
be true. She was hurt, but she did not
let the hurt befog her sense of jus
tice. From his point of view the colo
mel was in no fault. LET me tell you
how very wrong you were indeed"
Doubtless" he hastily interposed
"you enyeloped the man in cloud OF
romance"
/ "On the contrary, spoke TO him
and sought his companionship because
he was nothing more nor less than g
ghost"
"Ah! Is it possible that you knew
him ir former times?"
mo. But he was so like the man al
home: so identical in features and
build to the man / expected to &c
home to marry.
My dear young lady, you are right
Mediocrity is without imagination,
stupid, and makes the world a dull
place indeed. What woman In your
place would have acted otherwise9 In
stead of one apology | offer thou
sand"
~ accept each and all of them. More
believe that you and could get on
capitally. / can very we'll imagine the
soldier you used to be. | am going to
ask you what you know about Mr.
Warrington"
This, that he is not fit companion
for a young woman like yourself: that
a detracting rumor follows hard upon
his heels wherever he goes. learned
something about him IN Rangoon. HE
is known to the riff-raff as Parrot &
Co., and don't know what else. Al
of us on shipboard learned his previ
Gus history And not from respectable
quarters, either"
'Tf I had been elderly and without
physical attractions?" Elsa inquired
sarcastically.
I'VE are dealing with human nature
mediocrity, and not with speculation
1t is in the very nature of things to
distrust that which we do not under
stand You say, old and without phys
ical attractions. Beauty is OF all
things most drawing. We crowd about
it. we crown it, we fiatter it. The old
and unattractige we pass by. II had
not seen you here tonight, heard you