Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-06

ing requiem for the lad who had died
the day before.
Mr. Lampirthy entered the inn and was
shown into the sitting room which had
been reserved for DIR. Parry. When the
doctor had given an account Of his pa
tents condition Mr.. Lampirthy turned
the conversation to Harry Brandon.
"Oh. yes the doctor said, quickly,
without doubt his death was due to the
conditions of his life. He had, 50 Father
Francis told me on the way here, been in
shop most of his life. You can't take
fellow Of that sort and expect him to
live in the open air in all weathers and
sleep in tent at night He ought to
have been moved to q house directly he
was taken i'll; then we might have saved
him.
"In other words" said Mr.. Iampirthy.
'he died at the post of duty-the first
martyr to the cause
Has this Father Francis any rela-
tions?' said the doctor. unwilling to Of
fend Mr.. Lampirthy by what he longed
to say about the cause. What is his
real nameo'
81 don't know" Mr. Lampirthy replied,
and then he remembered something.
DR.. Parry. His condition is very Sc
rious."
Il know nothing Of them. He has never
even told me- his name
The next day SIR David Llewellyn ar
rived from Cardiff. The sTeat physician
advised the clipping of the patients lux
urious locks and the removal Of the
beard and all the hair on the face. The
weather was hot and oppressive. and it
was necessary that the mans head should
be kept as cool as possible.
DR.. Parry was much amused at the
change thus wrought in the appearance
of the great preacher.
I'm afraid you've destroyed one Of his
chief assets" he said to Sir David; he'll
no longer look like prophet from the
Old Testament"
He is not so picturesque" said Sir
David. drily, "but he will be more COM
Portable
I'm afraid he won't be a success till
his hair grows again. Do you think his
brain will be all right, Sir David?'
Il am not sure. He seems to have been
and 1t takes very little to disturb the
mental balance of man like that. But
see no reason why he shouldn't live for
many years-with care
"Ah. yes, Sir David, as you say. with
care. You've doubtless noticed, as I
did"
YES DIR. Parry. He is not sound
man. 1t Is terrible thing to speak
evil of man like this. but. Of course, we
are talking professionally"
''Of course, Sir David
well. this man has lived hard life
in his early days. You understands
Dr. Parry nodded
Under ordinary circumstances this
fine constitution. But he has been put
ting a terrible strain on tia strain that
might break the strongest constitution.
All this preaching, this enthusiasm. this
wild excitement, this life Of hardship and
self-denial-it's bound to find out the
weak spot in a mans system. just as the
Oxford and Cambridge boat race finds
out the weak spot in fellow that looks
and feels the picture Of health
And you think that the weak
SDOt-?"
at may be in his brain or his body
In any case. he must give up this life"
I'm afraid he won't do so, Sir David.
He will count his life or his sanity as
nothing He fancies he has a mission
to fulfill. OF course you know all about
ooh. yes. The papers are full Of it.
People are talking of nothing else. But
he'll have to give 1t up-he'Il have to give
it up. Well, I don't think there is any
need for me to stay: you know what to
do as we'll as I. and you eare as capable
of doing it. The two nurses will be here
tonight They've both had a case Of this
sort before and are thoroughly reliable.
If you should want me, 1 can probably
come down with few hours notice"
The patient began to mutter in his
drugged sleep and both doctors looked at
the bed where he was lying.
There's bound to be a little OF that"
said Sir David. cit will pass off. I see
Mr. Lampirthy's motor car is waiting for
me.
Good bye, Sir David"
Goodbye. DR.. Parry. Write and let
me know how he gets along"
The great physician left and the coun-
try doctor went to the bedside of the pa
tient. Father Francis was talking inco-
herently.
Him." said the doctor to himself. eff
this man has a secret 1t ought to come
out. 1t might be useful-no I'm not quite
so hard up as all that. But still. some
y,cf bat Ia iyf olIxf oH<r,
There had been many conjectures as to
the real name Of the man who called
himself Father Francis The truth would
be worth a thousand pounds to any news
paper.
But the words Of the patient revealed
nothing Of his past life. They formed
an incoherent tumble Of prayer and ex-
hortation and confession of sin.
Then, after little while, the voice be-
came more distinct and the sentences
more Ineligible.
II see the end.'' cried the sick man.
ut is near. Down the dark slope of
space spins a ball Of fire. 1t breaks. it
crumbles, it vanishes in blaze of light.
All is darkness All is silent, save for
the beating of wings and the cold rush
Of air from some chasm in the universe.
The earth is not; there Is nothing left
save the souls of men whirled hither and
thither like specks of dust in Storm
DR.. Parry smiled. He recognized the
origin Of the idea. 1t sprang from the
rush OF the motor car down the dark
slope of the mountain, from the blaze of
the lamps. from the hum Of the ma
chinery.
There is nothing to cling to-" the voice
continued: mo foothold for my feet,
nothing that l can clutch with my hands.
I am sinking. falling. Is there no bottom
to this abyss? Where are the others
All! there, above me. some dropping like
dead leaves from a tree. others rising
like white feathers waited heavenward.
But ! am beneath them all. / am the
lowest and alone. o God. stretch out
fore 1 fall out of Thy sight
DIR. Parry shuddered. He was not an
imaginative man. but he understood the
the dark expanse Of space, the end of the
EARTH the last foothold of the physical
body the scattering of a thousand mil
lion souls into a great void. the long and
endless fall of this one into unfathom-
able depths of darkness. the loneliness
and terror Of the soul that Is passing out
of the sight Of God.
He went to a small table. poured out q
dose of medicine and forced the mans
mouth open to receive it. After that
there was silence.
The nurses arrived by an afternoon
train. and later on I'm the evening DR..
Morgan came over from Pen-y-bont.
The two friends had not met for over a
year and they had much to talk about.
But the patient was naturally uppermost
in their thoughts. and after a word or
two of greeting DR.. Perry explained the
accident the nature of Sir David's OBJ
Grafton and everything which was OF In