Evening star., 1928-03-01

(Naxim Gorkt. born In 1868. Is q Russian
writer and novelist of international fame,
i was still student at Moscow when
It all happened I was living. IN my
room, as next-door neighbor to
well, to a Polish woman whose name
was Teresa, She was tall, strongly
developed. dark woman. Her eye
coarse and vulgar, Her features might
have been chiSeled out with an AK.
they lacked delicacy so much. She
haryified me with animal light in her
eyes, her deep, masculine voice and her
clumsy walk and lack of manners.
We lived ia the garnet, her room
being across from mine. I kept my
door closed il knew she was iii. Once
in a while 1 met her on the stairs. or
outside, and she would look at me and
smile. That smile was both cynical
and savage Now and then knew she
was intoxicated Then she was uglier
than ever-watery eyed, her clothes
i1nipled. her hair awry. her smile with
something reptilian in it. She would
say:
How do YOU do. MFR. Student?"
She would laugh stupidity and I
would like her less than ever. want
ed to move somewhere else SO I would
be rid of her-yet my room was SO
well suited to me that I decided To put
up with this one Objectionable neiGhbor.
Then one day she came IN TO ask
q favor-nothing else than for me to
one she called Boless-a man. She
dictated: .x
Dearest Boless: You are the delight
of my heart, my beloved. May God
watch over spu. Sweetheart. why
haven't you written 10 me? You should
write your melancholy dove. Teresa" :
It seemed like a joke to ME. all these
endearing words coming from this un-
calmly woman. She was nearly 6 feet
in height, and she had the fists of a
pugilist! What was there like dove
In that black face? I asked her who
this man might be. Imagine my as
tonishment when she told me how
he was her afiancedI 4
asked me. Cant a girl have a be-
trothed?"
was informed. further, that they
had been engaged six years. SO went
on with the letter, a most tender and
adectionate epistle, assure you. When
] had finished she offered 70 perform
some service for me, such as mending
my clothes or sewing some buttons on
for me- but I would let her do nothing
About two weeks later the woman
was back. She wanted me to write
another letter. and this was to be even
more surprising than the first.
This time" she said. II want you
70 write letter from Boless TO me-"
was incredulous. She tried to
smooth things over. by saying that it
for a friend who wanted to know how
. betrothed man should write to his
sweetheart. But She was confused and
even seemed a little frightened. It
was obvious that she was not telling
the truth. Then, at last. guessed her
secret-or thought + did.
See here" / said harshly. "you are
lying TO me. There is no Boiess-you
have no friend who wants a sample
letter. 1t is all a pretext for you TO
come in my room. and I don't want TO
have anything to do with YOU"
She looked at me so strangely then,
however. that began TO think I might
have misjudged her She ran from the
! had misunderstood followed her TO
say that I would write her letter.
Then she confessed all to me-
What IL there is no BOleSS?" she
said. 1t isn't so hard for you TO write
even II the letters are not going 20
real people 1t is true that I have no
real sweetheart-but what difference
does that make?"
I could not quite understand What
sort Of foolishness could this, be-?
Please explain, said. why do |
you want me to write letters when you
do not even mail them" For she pro-
duced the first letter had written 10 |
this imaginary Boless.
Well" she said. "it Is like this. Ny
sweetheart does not exist, but want
him 10 exist so much. ! haven't a
sweetheart, really, but like TO think
] have. ! am as human as any other
woman-and II harms no one for me-
70 write 10 him and for him to write
TO me in return. All asked you TO do
was TO write the letters"
confess it took some time for me
20 grasp fully what Teresa. in her blind
s~B