The Damsel and the Sage | Page 8

went into his cave and ostentatiously fastened the door.
The Damsel smiled to herself and continued to draw geometrical
figures with the point of the Sage's staff in the sand.
* * * * *

There are always three courses in life: the good, the bad, and
the--indifferent. The good gives you calm, and makes you sleep; the
bad gives you emotions, and makes you weep; and the indifferent gives
you no satisfaction, and makes you yawn, so--choose wisely.
* * * * *
One can swear to be faithful eternally, but how can one swear to love
eternally? The one is a question of will, the other a sentiment beyond
all human control. One might as sensibly swear to keep the wind in the
south, or the sun from setting!
* * * * *
And yet we swear both vows--and break both vows.
* * * * *
A woman is always hardest upon her own sins, committed by others.
A man is sometimes lenient to them.
A fool can win the love of a man, but it requires a woman of resources
to keep it.
* * * * *
The Damsel did not go away from the cave, as was her custom. She
continued to draw geometrical figures in the sand. Presently she called
to the Sage once more.
"Come out again, dear Sage! Listen, I have something more to say."
He unfastened the window and stood leaning on the sill.
"Well?" he said, sternly. "Well?"
"A Ring Dove once was owned by a man. It was the sweetest and most
gentle of birds, besides being extremely beautiful. It adored the man

and lived contentedly in its cage. The perches, which the man had had
prepared especially for it, were endeared to it from association with the
happy hours when it had been caressed by the man. Altogether to it the
cage appeared a palace, and it lived content.
"The man was a brutal creature, more or less, and at last he cruelly
ill-treated the Ring Dove, and exalted a Cuckoo in its place. This
conduct greatly saddened the sweet Dove, but it over and over again
forgave its tormentor, so great was its love, and even saw the Cuckoo
advanced to the highest honors without anger, only a bleeding heart.
How long things would have continued in this way no one knows; but
the man suddenly gave the Cuckoo the Ring Dove's cage, and let the
Cuckoo sleep on the perches which the Dove was accustomed to
consider its very own. This overcame the gentle Dove. Its broken heart
mended, and it flew away. Tell me, Sage, why did this action cure the
Dove of its great love for the man, when it had borne all the blows and
cruelty without resentment?"
"That is an easy question to answer," replied the Sage. "The Dove was
really growing tired and seized this as a good opportunity to be off."
"Oh, how little you know of the female sex, even of Doves!" laughed
the Damsel. "I can give you the true reason myself. It was the bad taste
of the man in giving the Cuckoo the cage and perches of the Ring Dove,
which he had consecrated to her. That cured her, and enabled her to fly
away."
And the Damsel curtsied to the Sage and sauntered off, laughing and
looking back over her shoulder.
* * * * *
An action committed in bad taste is more curing and disillusionizing to
Love than the cruelest blows of rage and hate.
* * * * *
A man would often be the lover of his wife--if he were married to some

one else.
* * * * *
There come moments in life when we regret the old gods.
* * * * *
Time and place--temperature and temperament--and after the sunset the
night--and then to-morrow.
* * * * *
All the winter passed and the Damsel remained at the Court and the
Sage in his cave. Both found the days long and their occupation
insufficient.
At last, when spring came, the Damsel again mounted the hill one
morning before dawn and tapped at the Sage's door.
His heart gave a bound, and he flew to open it without more ado.
"So you have come back?" he said; and his voice was eager, though it
was a gray light and he could not see her plainly.
"Yes," said she; "I want you to tell me one more story of life before I
go on a long voyage."
So the Sage began:
"There was once upon a time a man of half-measures, whose brain was
filled with dreams for his own glory, and he possessed a woman of
flesh and blood, who loved him, and would have turned the dreams