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Show fSTERIOUS PEOPLE WE MEET. bv robert hichens. I j. Hm A- certain HE in. .re seldom that they Bp change their clothes. Some ifc-- I " ' k ' 'I'll. ;. b-.; . a.rl .... RSfeSa h i r i -1 i .lip l 'M BrjItJ tli- wink their eye- f"tm WmJr ii .hi and jmiM&'JJl s -allon. And rrfVjLJ. i: Ii..-.- Heir reward When vtmrlSH themselves called J F ' l ight Mthe,-.- think II mole graceful to be drooping and ii melancholy, to gast wistfully, i- walk mournfully and sit as if 1 before the baked meats of a Wt Oth. .iL'aia. ;.e -t ni'.I.ed!-. h.tel- J(Sb the noSiH ra tie . .ed. .Btems tr. bustle with erudition, and when re5MnGm the early hours one feell certain that tiiey are birds gathering bookWornfB. But of all the people who Indulge in travesty. 1 think 1 get most amusement out of the mysterious people Bated, forever bated, is the breath of the mysterious myste-rious person. Dlrectlv he comes into the room you are conscious of the presence of the unutterable, and know that it will speedily be uttered Into your most private ear. When he speaks to you he "takes you aside." so that none other may know that he is telling tell-ing you that the weather is damp, and that there is a dual of Influenza about. Put a guard upon your lips. Do not betrav the precious confidence. Lven those of us who are not priests should respect the secrets of the social confessional His voice is low-arid low-arid thrilling, his manner suggests Udolpho. The touch of his hand Is. or ought to be, If he knows how to do the thing properly, electric. As he discusses with you such dreadful subjects as the price of hobnailed boots, the fluctuations of stocks the merits of President Presi-dent Roosevelt, and the economies of the administration, administra-tion, his head approaches yours, his lips pout secretively, secret-ively, his eyes glance around warily, to make sure that no one Is within earshot to betray him and you. The gallows Is surely In his nn mory. He wishes to avoid It. He wishes kindly wretch! to save you from it also. Meet him hctlf way. It Is such fun to do that He responds sensitively to the slightest mysterious mys-terious encouragement, and thinks he Is Impressing you and that you believe him to be a strange una remarkable personage, and that you will go away and say. "Olnd 1 met John Smith" Interesting man. Not every day you come across a man tiKe that " Many women are mysterious. Indeed. I have met more mysterious women than mysterious m?n. Tie mysterious woman is often small, but her hats are large, plumed like a hearse, and generally black as night. Pale is her face and languid her manner. She tiles to look consumptive and succeeds surprisingly often. As a rule, she has little to say. but says It In such an awful manner that It takes on a fictitious Importance and for the moment appears to be Impressive. Im-pressive. I was once at a golf match with a little woman of this type, and presently she touched me g. nil) on the arm and said In a secret voice: I ve got something to say to you when we can be a moment by ourselves " I bowed In a Guy Fawkes manner " Try to manage It." 1 managed it after Borne difficulty. "There's nobody within hearing now " I said She glanced round apprehensively ap-prehensively to make sure; then approached her Hps to my ear of course, the private one, "Your dear mother" she began. She stopped and again swept the horizon with an anxious eye. "Your dear mother " "Yes?" 1 said, encouragingly. "She has a cough. She should take." she whispered. "Klr.o lozenges." I met her eye like a conspirator. "Be sure to tell her Kino"' rverwhelmed by the revelation, I staggered back, praying for strength to support the fearful weight of knowledge she had laid upon me This social mystery monger ng has a great effect on people of limited Intelligence. Over and over again have 1 been Informed that I ought to know Mrs Somebody, because she Is 'such a remarkable woman." and when I have got to know her I have found that she Is limply a quite ordinary person with a mysterious manner. Three-quarters of the world Judge bv manner rather than by words Say a brilliant bril-liant thing In a careless casual way and chances are that It will not le heeded but say "Pass the mustard" impressively, mysteriously, with bated breath and rolling eye. and your acquaintances w ill go away saying, say-ing, "How clever he Is! So original! Pass the mustard' mus-tard' I should never have thought of that. I should have said 'Hand the mustard;! but he is so unusual, puts things so wittily." Think over your acquaintances and friends Are not some of them mysterious, and are not they highly considered, are not they called "interesting" on that account? There are many spurious things In the social world, but few things are more spurious .thaji that reputation for being interesting which is gamed by the mysterious manner. It is easy to be porter.-tous. porter.-tous. but ft Is difficult to be brilliant unless you happen to be born so. Now. many people want to be thought g' 1 1 . '. 1 brilliant The guttering el . - frequently aspires to he tboubi t 'SmwSbmv n sear, blight And so manner.; V sSbmS come Into being. The failn- WHBmm. tries to mask his Impotence with . VvvvV - suecessful luann.a tin .1 J Usv dog Is mysterious about n. ;1. jj, fLjBR Ing ' h l..d F a weighty, bow - wow address, Lh mKKm and mouths his twaddle as If it ilfi&PjilBb ame from Bacon's mind, or w - Qa JijyjSr . on. elv. d by the brain of " " ' r b.ethe. And half the world at IHAgh. 7 isi is tricked. For Htnlft perklncss Is called I. nil,, .a KmSu f ' greatness, and th - puppet BBP " mask a giant in the sunshine. |
