The daily Alaskan., 1915-07-14
The Vampire
 In Romance She Is Beautiful,
 In Real Life Unattractive to All Except Her Victims.
By EILEEN BRENNAN


 thralllng men, from the ordinary tlirt to the vampire The ordinary firt Is supposed to have a conscience. The vampire lures men to their ruin and if they have families are as ready to wreck wife and children as the man himself.
 The vampire Is not a beauty with. soft, languishing eyes. She has a stony face. She conQuers rather by her will power than by fascination, though she calls to her assistance the senses whenever she finds 1t neces- sary. I have never seen but one wO- man in real life who deserved the name of vampire. While staying at a summer hotel I heard Of a man among the guests who was enthralled by a woman and taken completely away from his family. was told that might see the couple any evening after dinner when the guests walked on the piazza, prOmenading with the others. I expected to see radiant beauty in the woman, with seductive manners. I was astonIshed at looking upon the stOniest face I have ever seen and utterly devoid of beauty. The man was good looking, though there was no strength in his features. But the will may grow stronger or weaken Ike the muscles, which are developed by exercise or become tiabby by diSuse, I afterward learned the story of this man.
 Edward Grant was prominent in col lege not only as an all round available man, but as q scholar. He was presi- dent of his class and graduated with hOnors. He became attached to Mar jorie Fleetwood. the daughter of one of the professors of the university. They were married, and a boy baby was born to them.
 The couple had been married four teen years when Edward Grant was called from his home in the east to San Francisco on a matter of business. It was his first separation from his fam fly except for a few days at a time, and he no more wished to go than his wife wished to have him go. He was debating with her whether, after all, he had not better give up the trip when their son, Harry, thirteen years old, came into the room where they were and heard his father tell his mother that he had promised his partner to make the Journey.
 Papa" said Harry, If you have promised don't you think you ought to go"
 This decided the father, who took his son into his arms and hugged and kissed him with pride. Then, after a last embrace of his wife, he tore him. self away,
 On the same train and having a chair In the same parlOr car with Grant sat woman about his own age travelling alone. She was reading a novel, while Grant was looking out through the window seeing nothing of the passing view, for his vision was upon mental picture of the wife and son from whom he had just parted, and he was won- dering how he could endure that sep aratlon during the period fixed for his absence.
 The woman in the next chair was constantly glauCing aside from her book at the fine looking man who was so wrapped in his thoughts that he was unconscious of her presence. While she was by no means beautiful, she was dressed faultlessly, and there was that suspicion of perfume about her which is seductive in a woman who is an adept in the art of its use.
 The lady dropped glove. Grant did not see 1t. She leaned forward to pick 1t up, brushing against him. He turn ed and looked into pair of eyes fixed upon his. From him the eyes fell to the glove. Grant bent and picked 1t up. The lady made move to recover 1t again. and, their heads coming very near together, they turned their faces toward each other, and Grant saw that l. same pair of eyes fixed upon his and in close proximity. Then be reached for the glove and handed it to her. She thanked him and resumed her novel. Grant turned again to look out through the window.
 But now those eyes, In which there was a lure, came between him and the vision of his wife and son. The faint OdOr that hung about the woman was waited toward him whenever any one passed through the car. No word was spoken by either, but now and again their eyes met, and every time Grant felt more strongly the lure that was in those of the woman. Gradual ly a feeling came over him that sitting beside this woman hour after hour without word passing between them was becoming irksOme. Was 1t not a want of compliment to his fellow pas seuger that he should refrain from ad- dressing her? Surely it would be i'm modest in her to speak to him without word from him.
 He made a trivial remark. The lady received 1t not unkindly, but replied briefly. The ice thus broken, they soon fell to conversing. The woman was a good listener, and Grant was a fluent talker. She listened, but did not ab- sorb what he said. This he knew, for