The Portland daily press., 1894-01-17

Those who knew something of such mat
tiers asserted without hesitancy that thew
believed him to be a mahatma, a theosoph.
ical adept one of the sage brethren of those
| remote Thibetan converts whence issues
| what is left in the world today of the wis
dom Of the east.
These men were understood to be able to
do strange things. They could trapsnort
themselves with their astral body to dis
| tant parts, even while their material bodv
| remained motionless.
| They had attained, by a process of long
initiation and training, such control over
the occult psychical forces of nature that
letters written by them at one end of the
globe would fall at the other end into the
| lap of those for whom they We're intended.
Dark and silent and deep eyed as was Bhao
| Mitra it was not difficult to find ones self
ascribing the possibility of such transcend
ent powers to him.
But to Ethelnd what he might be, what
be might do, mattered nothing. If she was
happy that he spoke to her of himself, it
was that he had thus spoken to no one else
And she loved him. AS she raised her
eyes they gave up all their secret to him.
She had forgotten all else; she had no
memory for other ties, once dear enough;
no thought for her troth plighted but
month ago, almost On this spot, to one who
was her own countryman-a stalwart, hon
est English youth and one who adored her.
| She was in thrall. So perfect was her
young passion that no thought of conceal
Hsant came to her. She was like young
| Naiad wooed by a god. As he looked down
on her now, his breath coming fast, she
opened her fiowerlike lips and smiled out
| of her heart at him.
Then the man forgot everything, and
| STOPPING he caught her to himself The
wide hat fell backward from her hair Her
| lovely face, in its rosy innocence, was close
to his. But even as he bent over it a film
appeared to pass between his eyes and this
vision of all his soul found desirable He
hesitated. Then abruptly he passed his
| hand above the girls eyes. Her lids droop-
ed, her head sank upon her shoulder.
Bhao Mira lifted her bodily in his arms
and placed her on the bench. Her delicate
| form was motionless, her face locked in i'm
mobility.
The afternoon light was waning. The
fete was about to close. The sounds of mu-
sic that had reached the terrace now ceased.
| The man stood looking down at the white
| figure. He had come literally to the ends
| of the earth to find this last terrible temp
| tatlon, for he loved this young girl and she
| was the promised wife of another man. The
Hlndoo had a rapid vision of that others
| face. lie had seen it once, a month before,
and he knew it was the face of one possess
ing the rare nature to which death alone
could be possible il it's hearts faith were
betrayed.
And was this to be the elimination of
| that long discipline of the ascetic, of that
long pursuit of wisdom, by the sacrifice of
all the impulses Of the flesh, which had
led him, Bhao Mira, to that stage where,
indeed, as the vulgar OWNED, occult
psychical forces were subject to him, and
where mysteries were open to him before
which the world was blind?
Was this to be the end of all, that he
should lose all his ascendancy, by the
double moral fall of love for a woman and
of injustice to helpless fellow being?
Ethelind under this new supreme influence
was as a bird ensnared.
Who shall tell the battle of that mo-
ment? He had saved himself, dashed the
cup from his lip at the moment of fruition.
She slept oblivious in her trance OBJ
llvious? Yes, and so she. should remain.
Bhao Mira bent his dark face downward.
His piercing eyes were fixed for a motion
less instant on the sleeping features. He
raised his hand and touched her eyes and
brow Then. without looking back, he
walked away.
He left the grounds of Wildwood Hall I'M
seen of hostess OF guests. His absence had
not been noticed. Nor would Ethelind's
absence be remarked Within few mo-
1nents she would awake and return to her
friends. She would do SO calmly, scarcely
hori ha,,
guest had walked with her that day.
For Bhao Mira had censummated his
sacrifice to the end. As she lay before him,
he had willed that all love for him might
depart from her breast She would awake
as the Euhelind of month ago, and only
such affections as she had then known
would she know now.
And yet the sacrifice had not been con-
sumnlated wholly. No. One thing re-
manned to be done. That night Bhao Mi
ira shut himself in his room. On the fol-
lowing morning it was that young man
passing through western town awoke to
find strip of paper mysteriously pinned
upon his pillow.
''How did you happen to come back SO
suddenly" cried Ethelind, hanging day
later about the neck of him she was soon to
marry.
Il don't know" The young man looked
grave. He told his strange experience ''It
is incomprehensible. Ask your native Hin
doc friend, Mr.. Bhao Mira. to explain it.
He looks as if he knew many strange secrets
Of a psychical Sort
Ethelind laughed, lightly. Eyes, people
said he was doubtless very wise man.
He's gone now, YOU know; gone back to In
dia He was very nice, though rather grave
and queer"
She had forgotten all.-Exchange.
India's Real Vegetarians.