Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-16
The
Vampire
In Romance She Is Beautiful,
In Real Life Unattractive to
All Except Her Victims.
By L z

the woman who has a passion for en-
thralling men, from the ordinary firt
TO the vampire. The ordinary firt is
supposed to have a conscience. The
vampire lures men to their ruin and
Il they have families are as ready to
wreck wife and children as the man
himself.
The vampire is not a beauty with
soft, languishing Y es 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 it 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 l heard of a man
among the guests who was enthralled
by a woman and taken completely
away from his family. l was told that
/ might see the couple any evening
after dinner when the guests walked
on the piazza, p~romenading with the
others. l expected to see q radiant
beauty in the woman, with seductive
manners. / was astonished at looking
upon the stoniest face l 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 like the muscles, which are
developed by exercise or become fabby
by disuse. | afterward learned the
story of this man.
Edward Grant was prominent in col
lege not only as an all round available
man, but as a 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. 1t
was his first separation from his fam
lily 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 go2'
This decided the father, who took his
son into his arms and Rugged 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
a 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 a mental
picture of the wife and son from whom
he had just parted, and he was Won
dering how he could endure that sep
aration during the period fixed for his
absence.
The woman In the next chair was
constantly glancing 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 a glove. Grant did
not see it She leaned forward to pick
1t up, brushing against him. He turn
ed and looked into a pair of eyes fixed
upon his. From him the eyes fell to
the glove. Grant bent and picked 1t
up. The lady made a move to recover
it again, and, their heads coming very
near together, they turned their faces
toward each other, and Grant saw that
same pair of eyes fixed upon his and
in close proximity. Then he 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
lduL OuoI Ludl huu5 HOVub bhS Nohneh
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 oma Gradual
ly a feeling came over him that sitting
beside this woman hour after" hour
without a word passing between them
was becoming irksome. Was 1t not a
want of compliment to his fellow pas
senger that he should refrain from adj
dressing her? Surely 1t would be i'm
modest in her to speak to hin without
n word from him.
He made a trivial remark. The lady
received it not unkindly. but replied
briefly. The ice thus broken, they soon