The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-05-18
Chadwick's Shrine

OF tne rocky HUE NIL ny tne TOauSlue
was we'll worth the climb. Together
they assembled the winding footpath
that wound its way up the hill and
stood on the summit looking across the
brown fields Of Tuscany to the faint
blue line OF water in the distance
Close at hand was cump Of stunted
olive trees. and beneath the trees was
the shrine OF some saint. they had
been on the summit Of the hill but a
few minutes when n peasant woman
came tbillng up the path and with
scarcely n glance at the two Americans
knelt before the shrine and began to
mutter rapid prayers while she teftly
fingered n rosary.
They watched her in silence; Miss
Norton with smile of understanding
and quick sympathy and Chadwick
with that look Of sardonlc complacency
that men of his type affect in the pres
ence Of religious devotlons.
Her beads told, the woman shambled
down the path again, the bright ker-
chief about her head making moving
bit of color against the brown of the
landscape.
"IIer prayers seem to be sort of
machine made product" Chadwick OBJ
served
The girl shook finger at him.
Don't scott" she said.
Chadwick shrugged his broad Shout
ders.
"Id hate to be an interpreter of Ital-
Ian in celestial realms" said he. did
you hear how she reeled them off?
couldn't make out word Of It,"
II didn't try to understand" said
she. 81 was thinking of the plctur-
sequences of It."
ut did have It's color" he admitted,
and, pointing to the shrine. continued:
IL wonder what saint that is? The
tip of his nose Is gone, and he seems
rather weather beaten"
The girl laughed in spite of her eff.
forts to maintain Il grave expression.
Aren't you ever serious?' she said
chldlngly. Don't such things ever
impress you as rather solemn
II confess to an undue sense Of the
incongruous," said he. still, l think
it applies largely to eXternals. The
spirit of the thing - It's underlying
meaning-does impress me tremen-
dously. I'm very much in sympathy
with these shrines. Indeed, l main.
tain one myself"
The girl eyed him narrowly. She
was valnly trying to fathom the i'm
port of his words.
where is this shrine Of yours?" she
asked.
Wherever l am" said he.
do you ever worship before IT." she
inquired.
Many times daily" he declared.
II didn't realize you were In sym.
pathy with anything of the kind" she
observed.
Didn't you?" he asked cheerfully.
well, I've many excellent qualities as
yet undiscovered.
I'D like to hear about this shrine"
said she. "A pagan so devout must
certainly appeal to that abnormal
sense Of the incongruous you claim for
yourself"
when l seek my shrine I'm not
pagan" he declared. IT'S not
shrine like this. It's mental shrine,
and In it | have placed my patron
saint"
what sort of saint?" she demand
ed, with hint of incredulity In her
voice.
Chadwick looked at her with a de-
liberate gaze. He was smiling as he
went on:
"A very gentle saint that any man
might be proud to worship saint
with brown hair and dark eyes and
all the beauty and goodness of the
universe stamped on her face; a saint
that Is enshrined in the heart Of every
honest, right minded man; in simpler
words, the ideal woman"
The girl looked at him and colored
slightly.
"And that's your Wanted shrInef"
she asked.
He nodded.
ITS not as picturesque as this one
| here" said she.
ut Is to me-" he declared, Anyway,
the mere worshlplng at the shrine has
made q different man OF me-"
She looked across the brown fields.
do you say italian prayers to your
saint2" she asked.
''I'd say good English ones IL l
dared" he replied. THANK goodness
my saint has not been transplanted to
spiritual abodes as yet. But only dare
utter Intellectual petitions to her image
in the shrine"
"Why?" she demanded.
I'm afraid a direct intercession to
her might result in her dscouraging
my worship" said he.
Perhaps not" she said softly, look
ing toward the blue thread of water.
He took n step toward her. but she
darted past him and began to descend
the path.
"Come," she called to him; they'll