El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-08
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.

IF YOU see a homely girl look posi-
4 lively pretty. and walk as II she
were a goddess. and a clearer, sweeter
note creeps into her voice-it's be-
cause she is in love.
And II you see a young man strid-
ing along as if he owned the earth
and had a mortgage on heaven. it is
for the same reason.
Both have a touch OF the divine
madness that. while it lasts. takes
this gray old world-racked with war,
pestilence, poverty and death-and
covers it with the glory Of the rain
bow.
Love is a mirage that reveals the
promised 1aud-just beyond orr grasp.
Do we ever reach it, That interesting
question the poets. philosophers. the
man that mends our boots, the king,
the bishop-and the chamberhaid.
have been discussing since Adam and
Eve were evicted from paradise And
the last word has not yet been said
since man began to set down his
first conscious thoughts by scratch
ing flau stones with sharp ones we
have had symbols and picture writing
that stand for the strongest Of hui
man emotions. No doubt love was the
inspiration Of the first debating So
ciely. The worthless Of Thebes. Tyre
or Babylon had interesting things to
say about the tender passion, and they
wanted an audience.
What the Poets Say.
Solomon, if he has not been ma
hgned. may be regarded as an author
ity on the subject He said: Many
waters cannot Quench love. neither
can the floods drown it." And again;
ct Sc
IS as cruel as the grave" And Shaks-
pere, who wrote some Of the most exc
quisite love poems in our language,
is OF the opinion that The lunatic
the lover and the poet are Of imagi-
nation all compact"
This beautiful and rapturous state
OF mind in which lovers live. throws
the workaday world out OF joint, for
the time being, and is the cause of the
constant quarrels and misunderstood
lngs- The victims Of the divine mad
ness never quite see things at their
face value, everything, especially the
beloved, looms through a magnifying
or a diminishing glass
Nothing is as It seems-molehiIls
are mountains, an admiring glance
appears TO be a frown Of disaDpr0vaL
a calm reply TO question may in
dictate Indifference or hatred-noth-
ing is too exaggerated for the victim
Of mischievous Cupid.
The world looks on amused; the
tragedies Of lovers are comedies for
the onlookers who have forgotten all
about the time they were victims Of
the divine madness.
More than half the letters that
come TO me on the subject Of lovers
quarrels contain nothing more than:
Il said Good evening 10 her, and she
answered in a cool, farawsy tone.
I'm sure I don't know what she
can be mad about"
Too Perturbed to Answer.
Vow, the poor lover could not be
expected 20 know that she" arrayed
in her best, had been lingering where
he would get a chance TO say Good
evening to her. for an hour and a
half, or even longer And that when
he finally arrived on the scene, she
was so perturbed and anxious, so
fearful that he would not come at all
TO say that momentous Good eve
ming that sheer terror kept her al
most dumb
Blamed il can understand girls"
he probably said, and then rammed
his hat down over his ears and went
off with his rage.
And she went home and took off the
pretty gown and spring hat that had
failed so utterly TO do all the things
she had planned and wept tn her
eyes were swollen and her nose red.