The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-13
A CELESTIAL VOICE.

ton. who lived II Philadelphia. was hi
! dearest Companionship was as neces
sary TO Thad as air and light He USE
! 70 boast 10 Payton that he meant u
build up and cement sure friendship
with three men and two women, and tina
II he could do that he would live con
tent and die satisfied. But in i've year:
Of the most persistent circulation Pay
ton alone had earned and held the title
II was early in May that Brandon, spot
less but threadbare in MS last year:
homespgn. dropFed in suddenly al Pay
tons Office. borrowed a cigar, put hi:
feet on the desk and sighed:
"BuTt. I wouldn't ,Jnarry the besi
woman that ever breathed.%
It'd be pretty rough on her If you
did, Quath Payton. softly.
That's one of my reasons. But its
only one and not the chief one. II I had
a wife I'd want her to be ms best friend
friend IN thu true. old. everlasting sense
/ and no such woman ever lived. Burt.
tried EN- all-;ha1 IS all I've ever met
and its no go. I generally fall down
/ frst-make some break. About half the
time 7 find that it's the woman's physl-
cal attractions that have been holding
me- Sometimes 7 relapse into my old
drinking habit Sometimes I catch my
SELF telling her . lie. have caught
them doing the sane-I mean fbbiRg. But
J =
a woman friend. He oughtnt To have
a wife who is not his friend, ergo. me
10 the home for aged and decrepit bach
elors''
And then he got up and whistled a dirge.
/ lie was always like that, boxing for ad-
/ ventures in PIatonic fields.
one day he came into Payton's Office in
/ a state OF great excitement.
Burt" he began. you don't use your
I frf Hn
! l thought" He took few excited turns
( about the Office. Then:
Say Burt, would you mind If / used
4 your phone for about half an hour eyery
! day? Thanks You'll hear my end of
/ the talk anyhow, so l might as well tell
/ you my scheme think I've found her.
/ That's right, I don't know her name,
nor where she lives, and I swear, Burt,
I don't want TO. I'm meyer going 20
touch her hand, look into her eyes. not
sit near her. I'm determined 10 go no
further than talking tc her, and
How In the deuce are you going 70
talk TO her if you don't even know her
manner?
Just lock the door and watch me-
said Thad. springing to the telephone,
and calling for eighteen naught-three- -
In moment ne hemmed nervously and,
evidently having been answered, com
menced the following talk:
lis Miss Celeste there?'.
Excuse mel might have known your
voice
10, you have never seen me
Just another moment, Miss 1 did not
mean it so. I don't expect TO see you.
1t was your voice attracted me.
cannot forget
THE Sixth avenue elevated"
I know how hopeless that IS. 1 shall
never venture such audacity."
Thank you. Your voice did not belle
your gracious heart"
Only this That you permit me to
hear you every day at this hour.
Il shall not complaint moment viii
delight me more than all the other hours
of my day"
mo motive whatever, beyond this
selfish boon"
At this moment the astonished Payton
was called into the anteroom to meet
one of his few clients, and fifteen minutes
later, when he went back. Brandon was
Just saying: Till tomorrow, then, Miss
Celeste You have been more than Iul-
fUment of ny guess.
Are you in love again, Thad?',l grinned
Burt.
..No-never again in the old sense. I
never met this girl and ! never will l
shall never tell her my name nor ask
hers 1 heard her voice in the elevated
the other night. l even refrained from
looking at her. but l overheard her tell
her telephone number 10 the old lady
with her The old lady disclosed all ] care
to know when she said. Good night, Miss
Celeste. I don't know whether Miss
Celeste is pretty or ugly. I'm sure she's
a perfect woman. I am not TT TO touch
the hem OF her skirt, and l shall never
intrude myself further. Understand
H. ff.ar--g "a ~
yagary Of his friend. hut he only laugh
cd and said: All right, Thadi Go
ahead,
And for two weeks thereafter Thad
Brandon and Miss Celeste, at , o'clock
each afternoon. talked over the telephone
Burt Payton had never suspected his
friend Of such rare and superlative eio-
quence Wit. wisdom, sentiment. lmagln-
alton. self-sac rifice. manly tenderness ana
gentle manliness spoke in every sentence,
every word he uttered Payton had
,i,lizzed Thad about the elimination the
denouefnent of this singular Intercourse
over nobody knew how many miles 81
telephone wire But Brandon stuck reii-
giously 10 his deternination that the az
fair should have 10 denouement
IT'S a spiritual and Intellectual friend
swim tbat-s all" Brandon would say. Il
shall never see Celeste. nor shah she see
me. hear her every day and she hears
ue THAT is enough. II this wedding
~ two souls there is and shall be moth
ing aeshly. nothing selfish, nothing per
sonaL"
j. was some time near the middle Of
Nav when Thad began 70 show "A sign
Of furtive doubt about his spiritual az
Your voice IS not attuned today. c.
lsste." Payton heard him say u hope
nd. sorrow or annoyance has Harred the
unrualed surface OF your life Or Of your
III IS not that. an an unwearying
soul An iadomitable optimist-
80 II you had not assured me In TIE
voice of woman that you are Celeste
] should have suspected the strange dis
coraant tone and note hear Are you
m2
Not physically. perhaps; but a mental.
on o spiritual indisrosifion IS far more
dreadful than even physical dea.hf You
know. fer me. YOU have 60 ne nit tnat
of the souie ] 60 not admit that your
corporal existence IS real
quite content. glorifed indeed and
helped each hour THAI i IS 50 But the
auayering-really. Celeste. your voice
gocl-br. Tomorrow.
sorebody had ertered the Office srd
PAXTON vas az his elbow slth
sh-sh Just moment. NJ Bran
don.
Trad Brandon. hisshins. hung % the
receiver and sat DOVE iH the corner. won
der.ng i the intruder ha-s bearG the col-
vcrsation. ~ rather his psri Il II Listen
ing nerra1sfy be heard BE visitor ssy
II am Mss Tl1Eudrke- sr. Colonel
Ihoru.iys.e' 1auEhter. and asatEe- e toa
ul 90 corne Down today
Then ere a.al Elrt Paytnn taB-Cd Tor
q moment r. Suppressed sneuut1nes I11
yaurr lawyer Reut 90 h5s cabinet and r1t Z
aut aacsal 81 legal focaueffs- Br1r- /
r-- eHaa@ra ~ 49, aa~rer Ard f-rr4-f