The San Francisco call., 1905-03-05

certainly. And you had better not
marry Mr.. Van Rhuys."
We are so new" she said, leaning
her elbows on her knees, her chin on
her claSped hands. 1T is as IL the AL
mighty had flung a lot of brilliant par
ticles together, which. cOhered symmet-
rically, and so quickly that the spirit
ual essence OF the universe had no time
TO crawl inside. 1 stayed here last
winter by myself trying to solve the
problem Of life, but I only added my
brain. / read and read and read. and
thought and thought and thought. and
IN the end I felt sadder. but not
wiser"
You can't find it alone"
She flushed and he saw her eyes
deepen
Then Schuyler Van Rhuys turned
up, and concluded that the best thing
i could do was TO go to New York and
cut dash in the smart set. And he Is
such good fellow He would fight su-
perbly If there were a war; he would
carry me safely out OF a mob; he
would always be kind. and in a manner
companionablA for he is we'll up on af-
fairs and current art and literature. I
should like you to know him, for he Is
one of the best types OF American you
will ever meet. But-there is nothing
else. And / am the stronger OF the
two. There's nothing as solitary as
that
Don't marry him You have no ex-
cuse-at your age and with your brain
Wait until you find the right man,
even if il is a million years hence"
"Oh, I've heard that" She paused
abruptly. 1T isn't like you to talk
exaggerated nonsense. What did you
mean by that last?''
What said
say that you believe in a life after
this-you."
why not?'
well. do explain"
Il don't see why any belief OF mine
should interest you
But it does. Tell me."
This is not my hour for Iecturtng-
I'd much rather talk about you
'-Oh. please don't be runhumanly
modest. Go on. you've reused my Gu
riosity now, and / will know what you. {.
think
Very well. Not being an unreason-
ing oyster. I believe in a future state.
Not in the OId-fashioned business. of
course; but if a man has ever thought,
and if he has had two or three genera
tiOns OF thinking ancestors behind.
him he hardly believes that the scheme
of creation is so purpOseless as to turn
people of progressive DEVELOPMENT
loose on one unsatisfactory plane,
only" Give spoke rapidly when he
spoke at length. but paused abruptly
every now and again, then resumed
without impulsion. What would be
the object? What the meaning? Every
thing else in the scheme of creation
has a meaning, leads to something de-
finite. That Is the signifi-
canoe Of the lack of soul you search
for in race of men that have not yet
I1o1 70 ral1
surely progressing toward such a con-
summation. On this earth
it takes generations OF leisure. OF art,
of literature. Of science. but mainly OF
individual thinking, TO develop the sub
tie combination which puts man In re-
latiOn with the divine principle IN the
universe. The pre-eminent develop
ment Of England over all the other ma
tions Is as indisputabIe as II is nat
ural What would be the object OF
such mental and spiritual development
if this incomplete life OF ours were all?
We go on afterward, OF courses as
cending by slow and laborious evolu-
ton, from plane to plane"
And about the other thing7 You
believe that in one existence or an
other YOU meet the person who salts
fies you in all things-your other
part?"
Perhaps two in a century meet IN
In centuries. Perhaps millions OF cen
turies- Time IS nothing Your man
may not be born here for several cen
turies-but you will find him some
time. And when you do, you and he
will become biunial-one In a sense
that believe passes all understanding
here-except, perhaps, that OF the one
or two fortunate ones OF each century
or so. The ancients had
some such idea when they took Eve
out OF Adam"
Helena rose and went to thu edge oe
the creek. She stood there wtthour
speaking for ten minutes. kicking tha
stones down into the water. Then shs
turned about.
IT have always looked upon that sore
Of thing as poetical rot" she said: ''be-
meath the consideration OF any one OF (
the higher order OF intelligence; proba- I
ably because in this country. particIl- 7
larly in this State, everything occult,
except religion, and sometimes that. Is
envelOped fifteen times over In vulgar
and mercenary fraud. Even wen writ
ten treatises on such subjects have
never interested m-my American In
tolerance OF anything which cannot Be
demonstrated, suppose. But II q man
like you believes it makes one think"
She came and sat close beside him on
the log, her gown brushing his feet
1T Is true she began
This Is hardly fair. you know" said
Give
'What?"
you know as well as do II I ana
not to make love to you-and IN a way
you have placed me on my honor-go
and sit at the other end OF the log"
''Pshawi After what you have Just
said you should be above such things"
II am not a spirit yet, please remem-
Der. And I am not by any means so
psssssessSs as ST'o ousSs Hsts,'Psa to Ss.
IL Won don,t 70