The aegis & intelligencer., 1900-10-19
The Romance Of q Midsumn
launching In Town.

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The head waiter pressed a button in
the wall, and rose colored electric bulbs
blossomed like flowers upon the ceiling.
filling the great dining room with soft,
still radiance and showing the white ta-
bes surrounded with ornate high backed
chairs now eloQuently empty. The air
from the avenue stirred the lace that
screened the open windows and made the
blooming marguerites in great. high tubs
about the room move on their fragrant
stems.
1t was barbarously early for dinner,
but ridiculously late for luncheon. but it
had suited the mood of the man and the
maiden who had met by accident and had
been spending a delightfully."- unchaperon-
ed day in town. Besides that there were
trains to be taken back to a fashionable
resort, where breakfasts. luncheons and
dinners made such informal meetings
as this quite impossible. So, as the girl
said. il was all the more fun. They were
not even dressed for dinner. and the head
waiter, who was punctilious in such mat
ters, glanced somewhat disapprovingly
at the girls linen shirt waist and her
bamboo hat with its pouf of blue tilted
down over her brows The man was q
well dressed, well tubbed specimen.
The room was almost deserted except
for these two. and the occasional cackle
of waiter was all that broke the silence
except their own discreetly lowered
voices. A small East Indian. pictur-
esquely turbaned and robed in white,
came toward their table, bearing n chat
ing dish upon a silver tray. from which
he served them noiselessly with rice and
chicken while waiter poured wine into
two pale greenish glasses. The service
had all the dignity and Importance of q
rite.
The girls face took on a look of intense
satisfaction Us she tasted the first NOR
sci. AS the sun kissed hands moved
over her plate the man thought that she
was one Of the few women who ate
gracefully. AS a rule. they were too
nonchalent or too enthusiastic. But this
girls appetite had all the repression Of
a Duse.
'Isn't it funny?" she said.
"Funny?"
"Why. Of course. It's TOO funny for
anything! To think Of es& meeting by
accident. of all places at church. Tell
newly did you go to church,"
''To kill time. suppose. Then the mu-
sic there is admira bly, COED and the ser
mons
Admirably short"'
Exactly. Why did you go%
81 always go. It's becoming a habit
with me. But it is the very last place I
should have expected to see you. 1t is
remarkable coincidence that we should
have drifted there. Don't you think
things happen oddly at times"
"What kind of things?"
"Coincidences. for instance"
"Please don't call our meeting a mere
coincidence. call it the result Of an
educated mind wave
"Mind wave?"
"Yes-a brain current. You know in
India"-
That's where you go hunting lions.
isn't it?"
"No-risers in India"
"But you hunt lions. too. don't your
"Never have. ! gave one a run obce.
though"
'oh. how perfectly lovely! Tell mt
aboRth."
at wouldn't interest you. You see,
was running first"
"Ha, ha, ha!'
Funny. isn't it? Well. in India. where
they live ON this sort Of thing-rice and
chicken
"And sauterne?"
"Er-wrll-no animal food. you under
stand-they get their souls cultivated td
such an extent that they can commune.
cate with each other across long dis.
tapces."
Anybody can"
"Oh. you must be educated up to It.
An American doesn't take to it as quick
ly. but the natives believe in it. 1t is
part Of their religion. They can perform
all sorts of magical tricks. have no
doubt that the man who cooks this-the
little chap in the turban-talks without
words"
81 noticed he didn't speak. And do
you know. as he moved about so still and
quiet. | felt-felt"-
"Jarred:"
"No-chilled. just as though were un-
der a spell. He has such mysterious
eyes. Did you notice.
"Never notice mems eyes; waste of
time"
"Ha. ha. ha! l wish he would come
in again."
"He probably will"
Hush
"WhatT'
..Oh. here he comes! He has another
dish"
"Good."
Don't let rs pretend to notice. Yes,
as you were saying. | quite agree with
you thnt the day has been n plcasu ut
one. But what would people think if
they came i'll and found US dining to-
gcthsr at o'clock--I in q sailor hat,
you
'I:. a sailor hat also
"And Chappy"-
''Twenty mics away"
But if we hadn't met-sh-h! He's
gone away; never spoke a syllable.
M-m-m, This is another of thosp soul
foods. It's the same. but different! l
wonder what it is.
Suppose we ask him."
mo: it might break the spell. Look on
the card. 1t must be there some place"
''Er-er-er-here it is-'the curry of
enchantment.'
"What do you think Of that?
II think he's wonder"
'But il is getting more mysterious.
Don't you think sop
"Which-the dinner"
NO. our HleetlnG, anu Tue mlHu wave,
and now this queer eastern fellow"
"Oh. / always knew we would meet
somewhere outside of a pink tea. l
knew you were just the sort of girl I'd
like to talk to-"
| And felt sure that you were differ
ent from the other men. You know, a
girl gets tired Of merely brilliant men
and stupid men. You are such a relief"'
Thanks"
"And it's SO interesting to learn about
these occult subjects. Are you a pro-
fessor?"
81 beg your pardon"
"T mean an NJ. A. or a B. A. or any of
those things"
"No-just a mere man."
"But about the brain currents. When
did you learn them? Did you have to
live on rice? Are you able to command
people to do what you will? How do
you explain our both going to church
| Did Won will that | should gn?"
"I'lI tell you something if you'll Prom
ise."
"What"'
81 saw you 30 in"
"Really!" ....-