Evening star., 1907-10-19
IN THE REALM OF THOUGHT

Miss Weatherby had assembled her
graduating class, and. according to her
custom, had presented each of them
with slip of paper. Each slip had upon
It the selected title for a graduating es
say. and each girl was quite sure that
her weakest point would be hit by q
teacher who knew her girls so well. Sc
when laughter-loving, careless Marjorie
looked at her slip and read: In the
Realm of Thought" she felt somewhat
dismayed.
But Miss Weatherby's word was law
so poor Marjorie sat at her desk day
after day. staring at the title. Ideas
vanished as she tried to seize them. She
found 1t very hard to think. when Nature
beckoned her out Of DOORS She nibble6
at her pencil, she pulled certain curly
lock directly connected with her brain,
and she wrote her name all over her note
book. but the realm of thought did moi
open it's portals.
One sultry afternoon. while she sat
staring into space. she felt a strange fut-
ter among the leaves Of her notebook. as
If light wind were passing through
them. She tried to close the book. but a
voice said: "Ow!" and she let 1t fall on
her desk in some surprise.
IF you squeezed me in that book
couldn't have taken you to the realm OF
thought" said the voice. and Marjorie
discovered close beside her, leaning
ure of a man.
WHO are your" she asked.
Head gardener of the Palace of Wis
dom in the real Of thought" he re
piled, pompously.
That's where 1 want to co.
II thought so. Every year we have
visitors of your style. II I wasn't care
full of my flower beds they'd trample
them to pieces. I only let them pick a
leaf here and there
How do you get there?" persisted Mar
jorie.
Shut your eyes and bore a hole
through your forehead with your fore
finger. When you get to your middle
joint you shall see what you shall see."
Obeying directions without question,
Marjorie soon found herself in a beau
tiful country road. bordered on each
side by wild growth of plants. Mar
jorie put out her hand to pick some of
them, but thorns and briars scratched
her cruelty.
Don't be foolish' said the gardener,
who was trudging beside her. Don't
you know you're on the path of knoWl-
edge? What's the use of plucking these
troublesome things when you shall Gull
wisdom in my beautiful garden? Come
on"
But other people are working; 1 see
lots along this road
Just breaking stones like common la
bOrerS That isn't what Won want. Is
it?"
why not?" asked Marjorie stoutly.
Il thought you wanted to write grad
uating essay" he snapped.
"Then come along, or you'll be too
late"
Marjorie followed reluctantly; she pre-
ferred the road; besides. she didn't like
his manner.
He turned abruptly and opened a lit
tie gate on his right, holding it wide, to
allow Marjorie to pass through. She
found herself in the loyeliest garden she
had ever seen, and the perfume which
filled the air came from flowers she had
about shifting delightedly. but the little
man grew impatient and pulled at her
skirts.
IF you'd been some people you'd have
been picking instead of smelling. Let
me show you my ,pansies; they're for
That's not original" said Marjorie.
shakespeare said that
"Of course. We keep all his remarks In
the pansy bed. You are quite welcome
to any you care to take; only don't pull
them up by the roots"
But l don't want
Perhaps you prefer Tennyson, then.
You'll find his words of wisdom over
there. where the lilies are. He was great
on lilies
But
"Oh we have 'em all. you can see for
yourself. There's a bed Of mountain
daisies; you know whom they belong to;
and Keats Is over there among the vio-
lets. You'll find some beautiful, sweet
thoughts, just suitable for graduating es-
says; and over there in the rose bed you'll
see Shelley and Moore and Scott and
Browning and
But l don't understand" said Mar
jorie, much puzzled.
''Of course not. Graduates never do
understand Browning, but his thoughts
look fine in compositions, and impress
people. Have you notebook and pencil
about your Without ceremony the head
gardener Snatched them from her
You didn't come all this way to look
around, I'm sure" he said, severely.
Now, I'm going to give you some posies
from this realm of thought-good, tried
things. I'll put them down in this book
leaving blank spaces, which you will fill
in with words Of your own; and there's
your graduation essay"
Marjorie shook her head, but the little
man did not see; he was away hunting
in the flower beds.