The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-08-26

81 did those" he said, proudly In
dicating the shattered idc..
Unless you mean that you ordered
the thunderstorm-in which case no
one of course can very well contradict
you" said Babcoci., that strikes me
as rather a strong assertion. Come,
isn't 1t Just barely possible that that
| palette knife I see on the floor there
attracted the lightning?"
81 will not reply to such absurd
| and fanciful subbosition," said Nobel.
sen, with much dignity.
"Well, I must say" said the col
onel, who now that it was lighter and
| the storm was already growing In the
| distance, had veered round to his for
mer iucredulity, that seems a plain
straightforward way to account for
1t. Fact Is, all this thunder in tho
air upset our nerves a bit, don't you
think 80, MI. Campion?"
Campion laid his hand on Nobel
sens shoulder. II dom know" he
said; II was frightened enough just
now. I can't pooh-pooh the danger
quite so soon. I want a little more
time before I forget all the trouble
Mr.. Nebelsen took on my behalf"
"Gleichviel," said the Chela, $50
you are safed, what madden whose Is
the credit? But now" he added, I
must say good-by, and for efer. Yes,
I am going to dravel far away, to
find my beloved Mahatma."
I understood you weren't on speak
ing terms?" said Babcock.
Through your monkey drick, for
a time I lost gonfidence!" retorted
Nebelsen, land even 80 rash and
strong-headed as to renounce him be-
came. My guru, who was harsh and
| severe, perhaps, but meier more than
deserve that was he! But" and
here he addressed Sybil and Campion,
ut is a strainch thing, and you hartly
will comprehend how it could be-
yet 1t Is quite true. l wride a ledder,
a bround, shift ledder, in which I
formally renowned my goot old Ma
hatma-wbo nefer don noding, and
this ledder l project for myself by
the occult telegraph. Well, will you
beleaf that, only last night, I find
that very same ledder in my pocket
unopen! Mr.. Chowkadaree, who Is a
great adept, as you know, tolt me he
has very grand reason to think 1t
quite borbable as my revered guru
nefer receive it all! If 80, he knows
noding, and it is all well-but, ach!
I have a need to confess and tell him
all, and for that I must myself see
him. Communications through a
more advanced t~heosophist as Mr..
Loll-well, they are not so private.
And the Babu himself quite agrees
he is anxious for me to go and seek
my Mahatma for myself far away in
Thibet, and he wishes very moch
that I find him, and I also-for Thib-
ct you know is large and my Mahat-
ma q leedle-what you call, shy-1
may hat to hunt a long while"
And when do you start?" asked
Campion, who secretly shared the
Chela's last apprehension.
"To-night-it is not good for me
hier %gontending with the maleficent
forces Of 80 much combined incredu-
l~ousness. I long to throw myself up
on the gain bosom Of Shang Gasba,
my guru, and find strength for the
spirituous tests I must some day un-
dergo. And I want to be alone and
do some thinking. So my dear Mees
Elsvort, I wish you farewell. l be-
leaf you are going to hat now a happy
earth life. And, for successive in
carnations, it must surely be that one
so gracious and so schweet will ever
bedder and bedder Karma generate.
But think sometimes Of me as l go
up along my thorn sprinkled climb
road to gomblete initiation, and par
don me that I shall not dare, for a
time at least, to think Of you!"
He raised her hand in both of his
and kissed it, and as he did SO there
was a moisture in his pale eyes which
it may be feared was not the result
Of any esoteric exultation.
The next minute, without deigning
to take leave of any but the two low
ers, he vanished out Of their lives,
and no one-unless haply the broth
ers at Bombay-knows what has be-
come of him since, or whether he is
still stalking his somewhat farouche
Mahatma in the mountain Businesses
Of far Thibet.
Nov, Mr.. Campion," said Mrs.
Standard, "a few words with you,
pleased" and he left Sybil and
crossed to where the old lady stood,
looking both grim and embarrassed.
II see from my pass book" she be-
gan, that you do not seem to have
presented the check I sent you for my
niece's portrait. Has 1t miscarried?'
To be Continued.