The daily Alaskan., 1905-07-14

and quick sympathy and Chadwick with that look Of sarionic complaccncy that men of his type affect in the pres- ence of religious devotions.
 Her beads told, the woman shambled down the path again, the bright ker- chief about her head making a moving bit of color against the brown of the landscape.
 Her prayers seem to be a sort Of machine made product" Chadwick ob served.
 The girl shook a finger at him,
 Don't scof," she said.
 Chadwick shrugged his broad shoul ders.
 "lrd hate to be an interpreter Of ltal ian In celestial realms" said he. Did you hear how she reeled them onl ] couldn't make out a word Of it.'
 q didn't try to understand" said she. "I was thinking of the pictur sequences of it."
 "It did have its color" be admitted, and, pointing to the shrine continued; T 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 ef- forts to maintain a grave expression. Aren't you ever serious" she said chidngly. Don't such things ever impress you as rather solemny
 T confess to an undue sense of the incongruous," said he. still ! thml 1t applies largely to eXternals. The spirit of the thing - its underlying meanlng-dOeS impress me ucmen dously, I'm very much in sympathy with these shrines. Indeed, I main tain one myself"
 The girl eyed him narrowly. She was vainly trying to fathom the i'm port of his words.
 Where Is this shrine Of yoursy' she asked.
 Wherever I am,' said he
 Do you ever worship before ity' she inquired.
 Many times daily" he declared.
 Il didn't realize you were in sym pathy with anything of the kind" she observed.
 Didn't youy' he asked cheerfully, Well, I've many excellent qualities as yet undiscovered"
 "I'd Ike to hear about this shrine, said she. "A pagan so dcvout must certainly appeal to that abnormal sense of the incOngruOus you claim for yourself"
 When I seek my shrine I'm not a pagan" he declared. Its not a shrine like this. It's a mental shrine, and in 1t I have placed my patron saint"
 What sort of salnty' she demand. ed, with hint of increduly in her voice.
 Chadwick looked at her with a de lberate gaze. He was smiling as he went on:
 "A very gentle saint that any man might be proud to worship; a saint with brown hair and dark eyes and an the beauty and goodness of the universe stamped on her face; 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 cclored slightly.
 And that's your vauuted shrlner" she asked.
 He nodded
 Its not as picturesque as this one here" said she.
 "It Is to me" he declared, Anyway, the mere worshiping at the shrine has made a different man of me"
 She looked across the brown fields.
 Do you say Italian prayers to your sainty" she asked
 'Td say good English ones if I dared" he replied. Thank goodness my saint has not been trausplsnted to spiritual abodes as yet. But I only dare utter Intellectual petitions to her image In the shrine"
 "whygH she demanded.
 "T'm afraid direct intercession to her might result In her dlscouraging my worship" said he.
 Perhaps not" she said softly, look ing toward the blue thread Of water.
 He took a step toward her, but she darted past him and began to descend the path.
 Come" she called to him; they'll have lunch ready under the cork trees :" He ran down the path and caught her arm.
 let me say my rosary to the real saint" he pleaded. ''The image in the shrine Is, after all, rather unsatisfsc, tory"
 Perhaps the real saint win be-" she suggested blushingiy.
 "Tn risk lt" he laughed. and, arm ln arm. they ran down the path to the
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