The Topeka state journal., 1905-05-08
THE EvENrNe sToRY.
ChadWick's sIlrlne.

~--~ I@4N-A- u S04l4C NOAA trees d4Q ttAE
hampers were being ransacked for
lunch Chadwick managed to convince
MISS Norton that the view from the
toEs OF the rocky little hill by the road
see was well worth the climb. To-
geIner they ascended the winding foot
path that wound its way up the hin
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 clump OF stunt
ed olive trees, and beneath the trees
was the shrine of some saint. They
mad been on the summit Of the hill but
a few minutes when a peasant woman
came toiling up the path and with
scarcely glance at the two Americans
knelt before the shrine and began to
mutter rapid prayers while she deity
fingered a rosary.
They watched her in silence; Miss
Norton with q smile of understanding
and quick sympathy and Chadwick
with that look of sardonic complacency
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 q sort of
machine made product" Chadwick OBJ
served.
The girl shook a finger at him.
Don't scoff," she said.
Chadwick shrugged his broad shoul-
ders.
I'D hate to be an interpreter of Ita1-
ian in celestial realms" said he. Did
you hear how she reeled them off? I
couldn't make out word of it."
Il didn't try to understand" said she.
Il was thinking of the picturesqueness
of it."
1T did have its 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 ef-
forts to maintain q grave expression.
Aren't you ever serious?" she said
chidingly. Don't such things ever i'm
press you as rather solemn
II confess to an undue sense Of the
| incongruous, said he. STILL I think it
applies largely to externals. The spirit
| of the thing-its underlying meaning
does impress me tremendously. I'm
very much in sympathy with these
shrines. Indeed, I maintain one my
The girl eyed him narrowly. She
was vainly trying to fathom the i'm
/ port of his words.
asked.
do you ever worship before it?''
MANY times daily" he declared.
II didn't realize you were in sym
pathy with anything Of the kind" she
@Didn't your" he asked cheerfully.
/ 'eWeI, 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 seek my shrine I m not
pagan" he declared. Its not shrine
| like this It's a mental shrine, and IN
it I have placed my patron saint
What sort of saint2" she demand
ed, with a hint of incredulity in he1
voice.
Chadwick looked at her with de-
liberate gaze. He was smiling as ne
"A very gentle saint that any man
might be proud to worship; a saini
with brown hair and dark eyes and al
the beauty and goodness of the uni
verse stamped on her face; a saint thai
is enshrined in the heart OF every hon
est, right minded man; in simpler
words, the ideal woman"
The girl loked at him and cOlored
slightly. -. - ........ -,,,n. .,
she asked.
IT'S not as picturesque as this ona
"s' ait is to me- he declared. Anyway,
the meres worshiping at the shrine has
made different man of me.
She looked across the bro IN fields.
| do you sGy Italian pray ers TO your
salat2" sne asked
I'D say GOOD English olscs if dared,
| nc replied Thank goodness My SAINT haa
ret Leeu t1ansplanted to spiritual abodss
/ as vet But 1 only dare utter iaenectual
| petitions to her image in the shrine
/ "Why?" SIC demanded.
| I'm afraid a direct Intercession to her
might result in her discouraging my wor-
PERHAPS not" she said softly, looking
| toward the blue thread of water
He took a step toward her but she
darteG past him and began to descend the
sCo1uer' she called to MIN: they'll have
| lunch ready under the cork trees"
He ran down the path ana caught her
arm ~,
saint he pleaded. 1.-The image in the
shrine is. after all, rather unsatisfac-
perhaps the real saint will be- she
ssI7II risk it," he laughed. and, arm in
arm, they ran down the path to the cork
trees.-T. Blair Eaton Copyright 1905, by
T. c. McClure.)