The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-11

"You promised not to describe Sibys,
didn't yot2''
said l. Never again shall l be able to
endure the quality of mystery in a hui
man being"
''Why, what do you mean?' he asked,
astonished. Il thought you had found
this little game of Sibyls quite anus
ing. If you knew her better Really.
you mustn't allow this 30 prejudice you
against her. The fault is all mine. My
wooden stupidity in writing such let
ters to you about her
Il am not speaking of either of you
said l. There is a heaven sent boy
upon this place whose works were in
my mind when l condemned all mys-
teries. And this brings me easily to
my confession. In New York l met
very charming young woman named
Anna Lamoine'-
ct seems to me that l have heard
of her." said my father.
'.She carried me completely off my
feet" 1 continued. Il cannot blame
myself; surely not her. The best man
in the world might be proud to kneeI at
her feet The most exacting could not
there is inwoven in the bright and
beautiful fabric of her character a very
strange thread. She has a perfect in
tuition, and to speak outright she i'm
pressed me as being able to read fine
print pasted on the back of my coat
when she was standing in front of me.
l have no doubt that all her ways We're
honest and her powers genuine. Real
~, think 1 was in love with her"
You WereY said he anXiously.
''She has a brother named Jimmy"
said l, land he is spending the summer
here. That boy is the most remarkable
natural caricature that ever existed
He pretends to know everything. He
perverts all his sisters pretty ways into
the most arrant and transparent trick
cry. 1 am not such a donkey as to sup
pose that there is the faintest similarity
between their inner natures, but / am
not strong enough to bear the superb
cia1 resemblance. 1t is idle to suppose
that she could ever have cared for me.
but now l can never care for her.
That's the story in a nutshell"
My father developed a liking for pc
destrian exercise and walked several
times around my center table.
"ThiS is very remarkable" he said.
81 hardly know what to say about it"
'There is really nothing that can be
said," / rejoined. at has happened. 1t
is all in the past tense. Let US speak Of
something else"
''Wnat, for instance? he asked, re-
Stunning his seat.
'There is young man named Trask
here" said 1, and my father frowned
slightly. HE seems to me to be a very
good fellow, and l think that he and
Sibyl love each other"
"Why, what can you possibly know
about that?' he demanded. 1.-THE man
has not said so, has hep
Never, but 1 have seen them to-
gether''
81 don't see how that is possible"
said he 1T is true that Sibyl has told
me almost nothing of what she has
done. She has begged me not to ask
her. And yet 1 UNDERSTOOD
"That she had not come up to the
house." said l when he paused. Let
me ask you a question straight from
the shoulder. Is there a Miss Jones. a
real oneY
Certainly" he answered. Miss
Jones is not Sibyl, if that's what you
mean"
"And you say that Miss Jones is not
beautiful
''Not to my eye
So | had been essentially right with
out fully understanding 1t was Sibyl
whom l had seen as Miss Jones, but
meanwhile the real one was dwelling
in the orchard. Blessed heaven could
it be she that sang, she whom Scovel
had seen?
1t must be remembered that in all
this doubt and confusion there was one
sure reality-the voice of the singer.
Some one possessed it. There was a girl
upon earth and near to me at that mo-
ment who could sway my soul with
song as no one else had ever done, as
no other mortal creature ever would.
Suppose she were a girl my father did
not like. girl the s4yl,t ca whom had