mwiia mnm tMf53T1wi"n'T i
THE HESPERIAN
was accustomed to hand an open prayer
book to all who did not know the service.
Today she handed a hymnal by mistake. She
stood up in the wrong place. She began the
Lord's prayer instead of the Nicono creed.
Then camo the To Doum uWo praise thee,
0 God, wo acknowledge thee to bo the Lord ;
Ail tho earth doth worship thee, the Father
everlasting." Site did not sing. Again 1
noticed a smile; and then an attempt to hido
it. Who was it intonded for? A gentle
men whom 1 never beforo had seen, sitting
just across the aislo, had stopped in tho
midst of tho To Doum and was smiling in
return. A groat tall man, handsome, yes,
far more handsome than I, I had to admit.
Oh, tho torturos of that hour. My blood
ceased to ilow, my hoart Bhrivolod within
me; mp head swam. 'Come hither, O,
Esau, wo will bo companions; and dost thou
joiu our company, Othollo. Givo mo
thy hand thou vengeful slayor of chaste
Dcsdcmona. 1 hud despised theo but thou
shalt bo my friond. Jealousy shall be my
god; at his feet shall I bow; ho shall bo my
guide; on him will I depend.' In my frenzy
1 had fallen into tho mock Biblical stylo. I
camo homo and said nothing said nothing,
but I thought volumes.
And tonight Gonstanco had loft mo alone,
saying sho know I would enjoy a quiot ovo
ning. What did I care? Woman is false
Sho promises to love, honor and oboy a
man; what of that? Tonight I was moody
angry at tho world, angry at Constance,
angry at myself for ovor being such a dupe.
Down came my meerschaum pipo,for sovoral
months laid away at her roquost. I stretched
mysolf in a largo rocking chair. Tho smoke
onrlod up. Kr.ntnBtic fihndcvvs came. Tho
room grow in proportions. On tho west
Hido hung a groat curtain, over uoar tho east
ond was a magic lantorn. A bow-logged
imp began pushing slides through. I called
out, "Who aro you?" "Jealousy, tho twin
brother of lievongo" was tho onjoyablo
answer. Thon camo tho pictures, each
ondowed with tho power of speech. Said
tho first, "I am Olytomnestra. Ask Ulysses
whether woman can be trno." Said tho
second, "I am Helen. Why did Troy
fall?" Thon Cleopatra, whoso poisoned
swoetnoss tainted all tho air, and Anne, who
accepted tho defiled love of GloBter, and
Hetty she wno deceived Adam Bode.
They camo and kept coming until in my
agony of despair, I fairly shriokod, "Take
thorn away; tako them away, or show mo
tho faithful loving wives, Ponolopo, Andro
mache, Desdomona, Agues and Dinah."
But the imp only grinned and tho pictures
kept repeating thoir horriblo formulas: "I
am Clytomnostra, I am Cleopatra, 1 am
Hotty, I am Clco Anno Ilotty, 1 am
Hotty, I am am am am . And
with a ghoulish laugh .lealousy stood at my
elbow.
The scone again was shifted. Tho imp
mounted an oyster box. How clearly 1
could see tho side of it "A Booth's
Oysters." How incongruous tho whole mat
tor was. What had oystors to do with jeal
ousy. I cannot say save that Jealousy stood
there on tho box. Ah yes, his mouth looks
like an oyster shell just opened. Thon tho
imp began: 'Lifo litis boon termed a bubble
that breaks and loaves no trace of its exist
ence. It is wrong; it is wrong. Lifo has
been termed a fitful fever. It is wrong; it
is wrong. Lifo has been called a story soon
ended. It is wrong. A poet once called
lifo 'A flash of tho lightning, a break of tho
wave.' It too is wrong; it is wrong. Life
is a game of whist. Each choosos Iub
partner and tho two must play, not one
alono but both combined. Much doponds on
tho hands in whist; so in lifo. Whether tho
haiids ar,o willing to do tho lubor assigned to
thorn. Much doponds on tho character of
tho persons; so in life.'
Then walking a short distance ho cried
out: "Spades aro trumps." Darkness en
shrouded me; a silonco, as of death was on
every side. 1 sunk down down. A moist
smoll entered my noBtrils. A way off in tho
distance sounded tap, tap, tap, tap; not rog-
i
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