The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-12
THE HOUSE OF DEFENCE

cation; he was lifted. on to a higher
level Of perception than the normal;
he basked in super-solar SUNLIGHT.
Then, still without any hint of Sleep
lness or loss Of consciousness, the most
wonderful visions, or IA ther the; inten-
tional INSTALLATION Of magicauy beau
tiful scenes, passed in front of him.
He, like Keats, was listening TO the
nightingale, and losing himself in s Gnu
balmed. darkness to the music of the
song, while all the tsweariness, the fe-
YER and the fret = were remembered
only as the traveller arrived at his long
sought home remembers the WEAKNESS
Of the way. He mounted higher than
the blithe spirit Of the lark could carry
him, and hung in ether so remote that
the sur above him and the earth below
seemed of about equal size, and the
shape of England and the coasts Of
Europe appeared set in dim sea as in
an atlas. Then he turned his eyes away
from the earth and looked unblinded
into the high noon Of the heavens, and
yet, tho it was noon, the infnite vault
stars shone there together, and slip
hand. =
Again, still wildly awake and with
out. the least hint Of drowsiness. the
stars became globules Of sparkling dew,
and the spaces of ether took shape,
until about him that which had been
the heavens was transfo rmed into
huge bed Of blue acanthus leaves on
which the dew of stars was sparkling.
The sun was still there, and round It
the sky took the shape of petals Of
flower, and lit, as Browning had said,
was the center spike Of gold in an
immense blue blossom. All this, too,
s tributed. wasss:hIsz own, born OF s the
! brain which so short time ago had
been stabbed and pierced with horrible
fortunes. But, indeed, that torture
was worth experiencing, if by the aid
Of little brown draught he reaped
this great compensation. The machin-
cry of the universe was subservient to
his brain now, the stars made drops Of
dew on the acanthus leaves of infinite
space, and the sun burned as the center
Of one unique flower. A few minutes
ago he had half started to go down
stairs now the rawlings of some lunatic
his mind than that thought. He was
lost in the contemplation of things as
the mind Of man can make them This
was the real world, a world so easily
entered, while the material world was
: a vague, pale dream compared to this
vivid waking reality.
Meanwhile, below, Walter Cochran
and Maud had for ten minutes talked
unmitigated fishing, but Maud, tho to
talk fishing was in the general way
one Of the most enthralling methods Of
conversation, was giving lip service
only, for inwardly she regretted the
fnality Of those few little frozen words
j oh L soI o1o 1oJ
Christian Science and all they had
talked about by the river. For very
shame or pride-the two so.verbally OPP
posed are often really identical-she
could not go back again to the sub
ject she had SO Enthusiastically snuffed
out, while he, in his confessed dislike
Of preaching, was equally unlikely to
lead the subject back s again: But he
ing, he loved practice, and she had
leaned forward over the table, her
pride in her pocket, to ask a question
about this, when an interruption came:
one Of the nurses entered.
~ IN sorry to disturb you, my lady, =
she said, ttbut I am sure DR.. Symes
ought to be sent for. Sandy Mackenzie
had high fever an hour ago, but I
didn t like his looks, and have just
taken, his temperature again. IL Is De-
low normal and that is the worst that
Symes ought to be sent for Immediately
and didn T know who to apply to. = s.
Maud got up.
- You did quite right to come to me.
. nurse, = she said. Twill send for him
at once It is very serious.
Yes, my lady, it means perfora-
tion,'' she said.
Maud nodded -
q will do everything = she said.
THANK you, nurse. !. .',.
The nurse left the room, but Maud
did not move at once, for all that she
had unused about by the river yesterday.
camesb back to her mind with The vivid
ness andsinstantaneousness Of LIGHTNING
Only yesterday she had heard MI.
Cochran tell-Duncan that his wife was
better, and tho she had been i'll almost
beyond hope of recovery, yet all that