Y ALLEY, 56

IMPRESSIONS, 63

SALAMMBO, 65

LEGEND OF THE NEWSPAPER, 72

A CARNIVAL JANGLE, 76

PAUL TO VIRGINIA (Fin de Siecle), 83

THE MAIDEN'S DREAM, 85

IN MEMORIAM, 93

A STORY OF VENGEANCE, 93

AT BAY ST. LOUIS, 106

NEW YEAR'S DAY, 108

UNKNOWN LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST, 110

IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, 122

FAREWELL! 138

LITTLE MISS SOPHIE, 140

IF I HAD KNOWN! 154

CHALMETTE, 155

AT EVENTIDE, 159

THE IDLER, 166

LOVE AND THE BUTTERFLY, 168

THE BEE-MAN, 169

AMID THE ROSES, 176

PREFACE.

These fugitive pieces are launched upon the tide of public opinion to
sink or swim upon their merit. They will float for a while, but whether
they will reach the haven of popularity depends upon their enduring
qualities. Some will surely perish, many will reach some port, but time
alone will tell if any shall successfully breast the ocean of thought
and plant its standard upon the summit of fame.

When one enters the domain of authorship, she places herself at the
mercy of critics. Were she as sure of being commended by the best and
most intelligent of her readers, as she is sure of being condemned by
the worst and most ignorant, there would still be a thrill of pleasure
in all criticism, for the satisfaction of having received the praise of
the first would compensate for the harshness of the