The National tribune., 1901-03-21


orbidal journey; whose influence is ineSti
mable by any known system of calcula-
tion, and whose profits are large.
The Nice-Chancellor was young. HIS
eyes were brown and genial, and the smile
on his beardless face was sympathetic as
he waved the lecturer to one of the chairs
that stood behind the little desk, and him
self advanced TO it. Everybody liked the
! Vice Chancellor. and he was greeted with
| Il smile as cordial as his own. He had
grown up among the people of Chautau-
qua, and they sometimes forgot and called
him George" as they did when he wore
| knickerbockers, and before he became Il
professor in rather less odd university
than that of Chautauqua. In quiet
voice, audible to the farthest corner OF the
| great audience, he said:
"A pair OF eyeglasses, purse, and n
pair of spectacles have been found on the
| grounds. Parties may obtain the same
by calling at the Office and proving own
ership. There are also teiegrams for
James Mebanc. John HowawOw and Mrs.
| Ellen Smith. II everyone would register
name and address in the book provided
for the purpose at the dock they would
save themselves much otherwise unayoid-
| able delay and trouble.
The audience hears substantially the
same statement linked with the same eX-
hortation three times 4 day for six weeks,
| but they applauded it, as they always do.
| Waiting an instant for the ripple to die
away, the Vice. Chancellor continued:
~ year ago the English-speaking world
was startled by the publication of book
with the strange title is Life Worth Liy-
ing?' Today we have with us the author
of this soul-awakenins work, Dr. Jededlah
Askins, Head Master of st. Tomnoddy $
Grammar School. Tidewell, York, Eng
land He has made Il long journey to tell
us of The Things We Know Least
About" Turning TO the lecturer, he mo-
| toned him to advance. Ladies and gen
tlemen. DIR. Askins!'
At once from the center to the circum-
ference of the vast space, every man, wom-
an and child waved Il handkerchief. Never
was there more inspiring welcome, nor
more unexpected sight than the white,
silent greeting to the poor Head Master.
His book had fallen so fiat in his own
country that he had been quite ut loss
TO understand why these Americans
should have picked him out among so
many other men and offered to pay his
way twice across the sea and TO then set
him down in his little north country vii
lage. 20 pounds richer than he had been
when he started out He had dapper
figure. neatly clad. little pink face,
pursed-up mouth, the daintiest of whiskers
beneath his ears, twinkling gray eyes I'M
der the bushiest of brows, and forehead
Dltautftt IHt VI luC Si"S
hair on his temples. At least, that is
what the audience saw of him as the au-
thor of that '.Soul-awakening work, rs
Life Worth Living" bowed acknowledge
ment to the welcome and began his dis
course:
What are the things we know least
about!" he asked, in u thin, high voice,
that came with queer unexpectedness from
the ruddy face. He had been cautioned
that he might have to make some effort
TO be heard in the vast auditorium, and
it seemed as il the words died away al
most at his lips. The tier upon tier of
people reminded him of nothing so much
as the Apocalyptic host which no man
can number" and the hush that fell upon
them seemed TO him to be a universal
straining to hear his words. Raising on
his toes he fairly shrieked: 'Mr. Rud-
yard Kipling"-
The audience, taking this for the answer
to his own question, and remembering the
newspaper anecdotes of how Mr.. kipling
had habit of Snubbing inqulsitlve people,
roared its appreciation of the joke in a
laugh that was a Niagara of sound. The
lecturers appearance had amused them
from the first, and the laugh came easily.
The good Head Master of st. Tomnod-
dy's had 10 idea of what there was to be
amused at, and the idea that he was mis-
understood reused his fighting blood.
When the laughter died away he said,
with just a hint of dialect, in his smooth,
thin tones: .
well. if you know that story so much
better than |, I'll try ye wi another"
He did and for an hour and a half held
his hearers enthralled by one of the most
charming addresses ever heard from that
famous rostrum; and from that day, DIR.
Askin shone in. the. world with a renown
that he had hitherto, as Mr.. Ashbel put
= .HCa frNl
In the meantime Margaret was think
ing. Sitting by her window rocking, rock
| ing. she was hardly conscious Of the yari
GUS unfamiliar sounds which came in on
the still air. She was thinking of herself
and Gilbert Sears. She had not expected
to meet him. She was almost startled
that she had done so. Her mind had been
arranged, reconciled, perhaps, TO the idea
of not seeing him again for an indefinitely
long time. She was troubled that their
ways in life had again crossed. Above all
she was troubled that he had been ill
dangerously i'll, there could be no doubt
and the thought that she had not known it
cut her to the heart. How would it have
| affected her if he had died? She did not
answer the question, but repeated it over
and over in an effort TO give the supposi-
| ton the semblance of a fact. And how
| should she treat him now. She promptly
assured herself that she would see no more
of him than pOlteness-and the Ashbels-
| might require. She did not exactly mean
| to discard her old lovcr-her first lover
then and there, but there were so many
| things to be considered, SO many things
| yet in doubt, but most doubtful of ALL
himself. In analyzing the young man she
| could find no trace Of the boy she had
| loved so long without analyzing Accus:
| tomedness had supplied the place of exact
| knowledge. And now she could see moth
ing but strangeness and uncertainty. She
| had thought once that she knew him and
had been very fond OF him. But what she
had seen then TO love was not so distinct
| today. But he had been sick-and when
Mrs. Ashbel had intimated there had been
well, talk about her-he had replied
with careless smile. Disgusted with
| herself and with him. even with the Ash
bells, she twisted irritably in her chair and
| turned TO the window.
The lecture was ended. Below. the
| crowds strcamed down the hill from the
| amphitlreater in a leisurely line, slow and
black like n lava flow. There was Gil
bert with Mrs. Ashbel clinging to his arm,
merry and gay. The Doctor was a dozen
| steps in the rear, towering above the
thrOng, pecring from side to side, content
radiating from every feature beneath the
-brimmed hat on his curly gray head.
What happiness there seemed to be there.
But Gilbert looked so frah and white be-
| side the sturdy older man. What she had
| always especially admired in her lover was
the all-rOund athlete, and this pitifuI phys
! ical change seemed tO cut him off moro oul