Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-10-28
MAHATMAS' MESSAGE


nal evening Doris Shirley paced to and
fro beneath the trees, awaiting with feel
ings of doubt and uncertainty the issue of
the most momentous event of maiden's 8
lifetime-the interview between her lover
and her parent At the sound of advanc-
ing footsteps she paused, and as manly
figure reached her side it needed but one
glance at his face to tell that his mission
had been one Of failure.
"He has refused?" she queried.
Eyes, love, absolutely and without
hope"
''Did he say why he would not CONSENT"
"He said that you are aware that his
wishes run in another direction"
Then the daughters heart rose in hot
rebellion against her sire, and her eyes
flashed fire as she cried
'He wants me to marry Joshua Bent
worth because he's theosophist, but |
will not, SO there! He is nearly double my
age, and hate him. Ever since father
embraced theosophy he has been quite a
different man. His whole heart and soul
are in it, and everybody and everything
must be slbservient to his creed. Marry
Joshua! Neyern And then in softer
tones, "You know, Sydney, in 1S months
I shall be of age, and them
Eighteen months, pet-what long,
long time to wait!"
rs it not better than never? Well, if
you do not care to wait, we will say good
by now" And she held out her hands,
pretending to be offended. The result
was, of course, as she anticipated She
found herself encircled by her lovers
strong arms, while kisses of contrition
greeted her brow
"Wait, darling? would wait 90 years,
but could not live without hearing from
or seeing you, and your father forbade me
to do either after this last interview. I"
hibitions, they plotted as to the ways and
means by which they might hold commu-
nication unknown to the antagonistic
parent.
A week passed away. It seemed like a
month to Doris, and she wondered how
she could endure 18 months like it. Her
father had told her of his interview with
Sydney, and requested that the subject
might never be mentioned again, and Do
ris had given him to understand that un-
der no circumstances would she marry any
one else And now q week had passed
seven long, weary days-without hearing
from or seeing Sydney, and poor Doris,
driven to desperation, had been wondering
how she might best broach the subject to
her father and try to induce him to recon-
ri: = J., ,;e y1t ba toc cnapnpl
hopeless; she felt that she might as well
appeal to a stone wall as to his stubborn
will Was there no way but to waltz
Mr. Shirley was sitting in the big arm
chair in his own particular sanctum, gen
orally referred to as the Study" and let
ting his thoughts run riot. First, they
fitted here and there over various phases
of his new hobby, and then, taking a sad
der tone, conjured up the vision of his
only child, whose dearest wish he had re-
fused. Why was she so self willeds There
was Joshua, well provided with worldly
goods, hail fellow well met with every
one, and, above all, a brother theosophist;
why could not the girl be satisfied with
her fathers choice9 Then the truant
thoughts pictured Sydney Wallace as GER
tainly the better looking of the two, nearer
Doris age, man Of energy and excellent
character, but--and there was the rub-he
had been so openly and audaciously honest
as to express his disbelief in the manifes-
tations Of theosophy, and SO he had sealed
his fate.
It was now quite dark and Mr. Shirley
rose from his seat, lighted the gas, drew
down the blind and locked the door 1t
was his custom to spend his evenings alone
with his books, and reaching volume
from It's shelf he drew his chair to the ta
BILE and was soon absorbed in new mystifi-
cations, theoretical and impracticable.
After reading for some time he came
upon marginal note giving reference to
another work which necessitated visit to
the bookshelves at the other end Of the
room. He soon found the passage referred
to and was about to resume his seat, when
he uttered an exclamation of surprise and
cast frightened glance round the room.
There, on the pages Of the book open where
he had been reading, was something which
was not there when he left the table--a
little roll Of paper. With quivering hands
and beating heart he picked 1t up and un-
rolled 1t. Apparently the paper was Of
foreign manufacture, and the characters
on It, although English, did not seem to
be Inscribed with any Of the materials in
common use in this country. With In
describable feelings Of wonder and awe he
read
Coercion is abhorrent to us. Vex thy off
spring no longer. 1t is our command. Tibet,
Aug. "A.
A message from the mahatmas in faroff
Tibet and dated that very day! Could
there be trickery? he wondered, and to
place the matter beyond the shadow Of a
doubt he made an exhaustive examina-
tion of the room and It's contents. The
window was fastened, the door locked
and the chimney closed, and there was no
other oneninR In the walls Continuing