The Democratic advocate., 1906-12-28

sprang up and ran out into the street cry
ing Eureka, Eurekal My whole capital
was thirty shillings and some odd pence
i | spent half of it treating the other dodgers
on my floor. By noon the next day the
model was complete and inworking order,
week later | had found my capitalist. The
next three years were spent in educating
the public up to the new idea. Suddenly
that slow old British public woke up to the
fact it was neglecting one of the great
inventions of the age From chat moment
success was assured. A company was
formed, of which l am now president, and
today, as'you both must know, poor Ralph's
invention is used in every town in the CIV
ilized world. -
81 am glad you gave it his name
Philip. have been on the point of writ
ing to thank you for that hundred times,
but did not know in what part of the
world you lived" said Mildred.
''During my greatest poverty contin-
ued Philip, II discovered that aiwhile was
out Of my room some one was in the habit
of surreptiously adding few Goals to my
low stock, pinch of tea to my empty can
ister set watch and caught my bene-
factress in the act. She was q little seam
stress, who lived below me. l had often
seen her on the stairs, and perhaps stared at
her more than was sseemly, because hemade
me think of you Mildred. The day 1 re-
ceived my first twenty pounds l married.
her She has been good wife to me.
We have four sons and one daughter, who
looks like her mother, and not unlike you.
I have given her your name. .
There was long pause before Basil
spoke. eff you have known nothing of
me, Mildred, you know something of my
work He pointed to painting on the
wall
IA friend bought that picture in Paris
some years ago. Last summer he died
| and left it to me, said Mildred.
''He bought it because the woman is
like you. said Basil
/ $50 he said -
;'Year by year 1 have painted your dear
face as l have seen it in my dreams. Look
at the picture, Philip; is it not like Mil
dred p
He held lamp before the painting of
a mother and child. The pictured face,
glowing with the light of motherhood, had
something that the living face lacked.
at looks as Mildred might have looked;
but it is not Mildred, - said Philip.
| Mildred sighed and folded her empty
arms over her breast. Something in the
unconscious gesture moved both men. 8
Basil set the lamp down so that its ray no
longer fell on his Madonna. Philip echoed
Mildred s sigh. Basil continued
''That face, your face, is familiar in
every capital in Europe. My life has been
the most uneventful one you can Imagine.
[ have never travelled nor seen the world,
but my pictures have gone to the four
1 quarters of the globe. Italy received me 5
with her perfect hospitality, and L haze
stayed on, not ungrateful guest, harJlt
noticing the passage of the years, until a /
few months ago realized that the time of /
RaIph's tryst was almost come. Do you
| remember, Philip, his saying that even if
he died he would give us each lift with
1 our work p
cit comes back to me, now that you
1 speak of it, said Philip. ''Dear Ralph, /
| I believe he would have done SO il. he
l could. :" 80
81 believe he has, said Basil. /,
Mildred hand stole Out from its white
cfapery and touched his brown nervous
fingers for an instant. II know he has, -
she whispered. I .S.iI
ssI do not understand; please explain
what you mean, said Philip. He spoke
a little harshly
s'Don't you remember that | always felt
Ralph's presence, that it was impossible
for him to come near where I was without
nv knowing it, even if neither saw nor
heard p asked Basil.
s'I remember said Mildred ''and
how Philip used to try and cheat you by
mimicking Ralph's footsteps y ai
"In moments of doubt and difficulty /
have more than once been aware of Ralph
presence beside me- This sensation is fol-
lowed by sudden illumination of that
which was obscure, as if a message had
been conveyed, by finer medium than
words from his intelligence to mine.
GA dangerous illusion, Basil, and one
that is easily explained. Ralph was, as
we all now recognize, man of comsum-
mate genius; he was by far the most re-
markable man that either you or / have
ever known, or are likely to know We
were all influenced by him, you more, per-
haps, than either Of us. His tragic death
strengthened the impression he made when
alive. You have dwelt on what he said,
half in jest, the last evening of his life,
and the idea has hypnotized you. You
have, like many another victipa of an hal
lucination, only yourself to thank. -
Philip spoke with some heat. Mildred
lifted deprecating hand as she said
aYour dog hears and sees things which
your senses are not fine enough to detect
/ You admit this? If dog has powers
which you have not, why should it seem
so strange to you that another man should
possess faculty which you lack?''
Science forbids' cried Basil, ironical-
ly-' science, which is forever eating its
own words, and accepting today as fact
what it rejected yesterday as fallacy.
Philip was about to reply when Mildred
touched his arm gently. "We must agree
to disagree. Let me be the peacemaker,
as in the old time. See, it is nearly
twelve O clock. - e
Philip pressed her hand and kept it in
his own, holding out his other hand to
Basil. The yule-log blazed ulerrily on the
hearth, its Pickering light falling now upon
Ralph's portrait, now upon BasiIs Ma
donna. As they sat silent astrange peace
filed the hearts of the three friends.
Flesh and sense sank out Of sight. The
! woman, the man who had forgotten her,
and the man who had remembered her