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Show fe- I The Truth and the Lady HOI'1 1 By Elia W. Peattio Hp 3L.. S3CLJ '' (Copyright, by llohbaMerrlll Co.) Ip I have a friend who has often sold V to me that she cared nothing for allegories, alle-gories, parables or symbols, ? ''I want the truth," sho declared. "J llyo by tho truth, Nothing lew will ft, D do for roc," . My friend was sitting In her homo one day not long ago, when thcro canto .J . a riigliig at her belli and, as her ono BBHf servant wa away for tho afternoon, HBL she herself answered the door, With BJr out stood an old man with kind eyes HL and a cruel mouth a very old man, Hm- n greatly wrinkled, And with a huge pack oa his back. , "I was sent hero by a neighbor," ho HHt said, "who told inn that I had Just tho BolS- sort of wares for which you cared tho Bff ' ,moet. Slio said, sho thought I would Hod you a generous purchaser," K o There was a curious accent In the BY. old man's speech which my friend B, eould not quite placo. It was at pmco Bh familiar and unfamiliar, and she could BBft.' , not tell whether sho liked or disliked Bf It: But she bade him enter, for ho Bk was old, and, besides, sho thought ho BB might, Indeed, have something that BBS she wished to buy. BBS "My wares," he said, "arc Yery an c' elent .. tt would bo difficult to flndany Hk , thing wore antique," - "Then I hope they are beautiful," HE - j cried my friend, "for t have no mho H( l tor ugly .things, no matter what their B history may bo. It hi only lieauty H that can reconcile me to mold and ar Bf a nlH al dustiness." K "Horn are' beautiful and so mo aro grotesque," he said, "Hut I pcrcolvo BBB by looking about your rooms (hat you BBB havo a fancy for tho grotesque as well BtV at tho beoutlf.'' Lr, "One I the faee, tho other tho ol- B,.. varao of the oeln," said my friend, HBL. u ' "Hut pray sliow me your .wares,'" BBHct - -3 8a from his pack tho old man with BBBS the- kind eye and the oruel mouth HBm, took many packages, wrapped and HBff tied with the cunning of the od races. BK., "1 am a Merchant' of Truth," ha de BBjV - 0 olared proudly, ''and these are my BB waroa. If you ernilt me I will show BBB ,yoH tho contents of this one, which BBB k tell tb truth about your home,'' B . "Ob," stflHMt the woman eagerly, "if HHr Who he had undone, the eurlous BB k wraaptttga, the oU mas took forth a BBjB ahlsttag aaltora of arystal, and held It BBB hocsjl the woman so that she saw a BBB r UjjMt which the old man described In Hltt',. "TOW tansw," he said, "Is a badly BBBBbrR built Nttw IkomM, steMMng la a third- BBBBfff f nam attlnirb el aa IHoroered elty. It BBBM' la wise, too oxitnlTe'fr the amount BBBBJfK C Mntort It gives, aad evoa so. It Is BBBfl' Mt roalry roots. It is mortgaged, and BBBBSM, you Mint pay Intoroet aa welt aa taxes. BBBBk. , It la atrof an cleat) as 'It should be, BBBJf by roasoa of the mills tad faetories BBBBP:' wm at' baud. Ttiere Is much moon- BBS? mKr m tho furnishing and decora. BBBff ,tlpn of th rooms, ami In winter some BBBJ of these rooms are chilly and damp. BBJB In aamnier you hove no garden to BBBf which o retire. It Is, you porearre, a sif' "Oh." aald the woman, "hov mis BBBft:? Utkoa you are! I truly, the Milngs BBBM ot which you speak, but do yru not BBf aimrecmio that here Is the Htonr at' BBBfl whtok t bid my frioads walcomeT And Bwff wttMa la my lire, burning sweotty on BflK ths hoarth. There Is my bod where 1 BflBB aloao so delWously, there the door BBjT wtaoow at which the dawn looks BBBM . Mere bt my kliohen whore I cook BBBM tho food by which we live, and here Is' BJM the table at which, we oat ItwWltfc italic BflflL aad VJwghlor, sd even, when wo are BB8BF m alsjnrniwl. with soog. Rvory thing la BBkBL 11 that boos betongo to mo, My bus- BBRfc; " bond bought thoso things and gave BBBBBnV, to mo eaeopt stioh aa are tho BBBBjp glOl of friends. I ban walk about the BBBV , rooms sod pot my hands on this and BBBK-f Mftte " that ami Mt you the moat beautiful BBBfl&pr , storloa mtacmalik about the f flood BBBBBt, wW. mo toosothlBga. It Is eurl-BBBkHP-ot ,. mt I hMow of no ono who has BBBBSPV . awe BSoaJs aa 1. lastly, this place, BBBBBf wbioh looks o poor aa roAooted In BBBBPi -j that aa re ad In your words,, stands BBJBB 4. to mo lor home borne home I" She BBBHl . stufcod with hopptneos. BjEBp Ttw aruoMy dooponod about the bid BBBBf mmlk month ad the klodnooa glowed BBJHgB In Mg ayos, BBBj "Jmt moast," ho said, "that this coin BBBBf' moo fmoo w a gymbol ot Home. In BBBSj this rmwoet, I poreotvo It Is not Truth BBKjB, whtak you 4oslr, but the gymbol. It BBBBJii t tho pesiisskm of that which makes BfflMJi . you oaotot. But eomo, perhaps I BBBVI bavo aomotMog more to your liking. BjRB Horo, madam, is tlvo' portrait of your BBS. husiMuU aa Ho Is." And he undUl an. BBBl otaor wrapping aod hold up another BHBI ' spkoro. BBBjH ' ' .Tboro abo aaw ahadowod forthjho BBJBB (Vsnro'oi: a wan a man amall of stat- BBBBa ore. momoiont m Ma actions, petulant, BjBBI uamow, mtoctloiiate, lalrly bonost, BBJBB nrthor discouraged; a man with no JHShr 'strong paostona, oo doop or ortgiaat BflV thoughts, no bravo sloe, ho capacity BJBBBr tor groat sacrlnoos. Yet ime going BlliBi faltbfqly hU quiet way, returning al- BHSBB' wy t bla homo at night, and, In his BBBBK nolttd faahlos loving his wife, tlimish BntWsp oftou forgetUag to toil her so by word BBjffjK a or look. VHBfn , "You aoo!"' eHod tho Merctinnt of BHf i Truth. "tWa la a Very roveatlns little BBBBf , triakot It will, if ksoked at often HHBuRi ucoouh. Ilboroto yoo front that domes- BBBj' tic oorfHude wWoh you now onduro BBKNB ..with maodtla patmaBC Will you buy HwaSw 'it?" BhHb " ''No, fatdom" crlei tho.,womun In- BBnaL. n dignaaW, iVThat mmw Is the only ono BBBBJPV who vof Jhlooed mo oo the lips. I BBBfljL' remftmber well the' first line lio did BBBgfy otV. It waaa: aujgL-lB-iU.toallfnt-BBBftf-'te; grovu, "Tie goMoa light felj down bo-1 BBBw ' twouu the treo hunks, -making them BBBJU block, I feH all tho boaiity of tho BBBBftV world (hraltblag tbroogh mo and 1 BBBBk' owpi'tiiaBd how looowHtetD It BBflBjl wouid bo iSf vt nd how I was H " hlaaoea, Ajwiiitarfiti oWoa eomo (a BBBBflf aa ad fmem bat Mfo ad work BflnfpSSa ' bHBS''' BBBBBv-x- BBBBflBw a j& meant, so I put my hand In the man's, and always ho nud I have kept to gcther. And now wo Imvo a son nnd arc a part of tho future. Oh, you hava no Idea what this man stands for to mot" Tho old man smiled significantly, "Ho also Is n Symbol, I seo," ho said with contempt, "It Is not' what ho Is that makes hltn dear. It Is, as you say, whnt ho stands for. It Is bo-cause bo-cause you must fed tho wifellness In you, becatiso ho gives you an excuso for your feminine snrlflces, that you cherish him. Ho Is tho Symbol ot noblo nnd protecting l6vo no'moro," Thon he revealed to hot- eomowhat doulitlugly, for be was beginning to seo tbnt ho should not And In hor a ready purchaser a llttlo wondrous Iridescent sphere. "Hero," ho said, "Is tho Truth about your son," Now, so curious a thing was. this, thnt even tho sphero of Truth had been affected by, dreams, and It was snmo tlmo before tbolr beautiful prisms dispersed and showed her tho pitiful facts a little spindling child, petulant lllio his father, narrow ot brow, with a face In which' selfishness and affection ever kept war, Tho woman spoke In great anger: "I have a mind to show you tho door," she said, "Do you not know that Is my little ehlUT Ho Is bona ot my 4jone and Hesh ot my flesh, and aweetor to mo than the night or the day. Why, when 'his llttlo hands tug at my nk'rt ami I feel tnysolf his prisoner, pris-oner, I would not change my servlco for all tho treodom In tho world. When I hear, him Cry out In tho night, I am filled with poignant Joy, and at morn log when lib! bare feet come pattering ,down to my room I give; thanks for tho day 'that' brings me this delight It Is true he la not so bright as some ehlldren, and that' he ho Is fretful and often III, but, after all, he In the core ot life tooie.'" He Is' -a gymbol," said the old man tit tnrrlbto aeconUi, "It U net what ha Is but what he stands tor that makes htm so "unutterably' dean Any other child 'would do as well to quench the mother-thirst." The woman made a passionate disclaimer dis-claimer and declared she wished for none of his wares. "I am done with you, madam!" shouted the man. "Yet, no, upon res flection; not quite done, Fur your disregard dis-regard of the value ofmy wares yon shall be properly punished. Heboid, here Is the Truth about yourself!' And ho held up to view another sphere. The-woman looked long and the color come and went in hor face. Hor llttlo hands clasped and unalaspod, and1 on on sho would hava fallen had not the old man supported her, But otter a time sho puelied the sphere away. "There Is a mistake somewhere," sho said, In a voice at onee Joyous and humble., "All of these things are true, I- know, yet, somehow, that la not I. There Is something within me, not soee by' anyone, not understood by myself, which makes me different from that. It Is the thing that cause me to bo careful ot my life, which loads me to believe that I shall live again and which lota me walk among my fellows with my bead heVd, high. It la the Innermost self, the secret and eternal Me." -! "It Is a figment ot your 'brain," sooltod the old man, "a piece ot ieger- domain ot the lieyohologWte, a ghost conjured up by the ohorohment" Ho was trembling with aogor. yet UhJ eyoa betrayed a defeat, "Come," he cried, '"eonfesol" "I can coatee nothing' sir,, exoopt that as sooi aa you ,afe gooo I shall oomfert myself). lor all tho Truth" you have shown me, with my sweet gym bOM. 1 did not hoow till' now that-1 llvod hr thorn. Bfct now that I know ttl am all tho more protectoil against sorrow and,? sin ami falsehood. I am only a toor woman and Ignorant, yet this I know, tht In my Symbol hides a groator troth than your Troth knows. Farewoll, air,- and come tblr way no more." |