The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-05

cats"
'sToms and Tabbies?" I murmured.
Exactly" he said. tying a large knot
in his coat-tails.
You win ruin your coat" 1 OBJ
served.
''Papal" exclaimed the girl. turning
in dismay, as that gentleman gave a
guilty start. stop it at Oncei"
He smiled apologetically and made a
feeble attempt to conceal his coat
tails.
MY dear" he said with gentle dep
recation, Il am so absent minded--I
always do il in the heat of argument"
The girl rose, and bending over her
untidy parent, deity united the knot
in his Tapping coat. When he was dis
entangled, she sat down and said, with
ghost of smile, he is so very alb
sent-minded."
Your father is evidently a great
student" l said. pleasantly. How I
pitied her, tied to this Iunatic.
Yes. he is a great student" she said,
quietly.
Il am he murmured. that's what
makes me so absent-minded. | often
go to bed and forget to sleep" Then,
looking at me, he asked me my name,
adding, with bow, that his name was
p. Royal Wyeth, professor of Pytha-
gorean Research and Abstruse Para
doX.
MY first name is Penny-named af-
ter Professor Penny of Harvard" he
said, but l seldom use my first name
in connection with my second, as the
combination suggests a household
remedy of penetrating odor"
My name is Kensett," I said, "Har-
old kensett Of New York"
Student
Era little"
Student of diamonds"
1 smiled. "Oh, I see you know who
my great-aunt was" 1 said.
I know her." he said.
"Ah-perhaps you are unaware that
my great-aunt is not now living
Il know her." he repeated obstinate
ly. :
L bowed What a crank he vast
What do you study? You don't fid-
die away all your time, do you?" he
asked.
Now. that was just what I did. but I
was not pleased to have Miss Wyeth
know it. Although my time was chief
ly spent in shooting and fishing, / had
once, in a fit of energy. succeeded in
stuffing and mounting a woodcock, so
l eVaded a humiliating confession by
saying that 1 had done a little work
| in oTnithology.
Good" Grief the professor, beaming
all over. Il knew you were a fellow
scientist. Possibly you are a brother
member of the Boston Dodo Society of
Pythagorean Research. Are you a
| Dodo?"
shook my head. mo, I am not a
Dodo."
only a jay?"
'A-what?" l said, angrily.
"A Jay. We call the members of the
| Junior pathological Jay Society of
| New York jays, just as we refer to
ourselves as Dodos. Are you not even
jay?'
Il am not" I said, watching him
! suspiciously.
Il must convert you, I see" said the
professor. smiling.
I'm afraid I do not approve of
| Pythagorean research" 1 began, but
| the beautiful Miss Wyeth turned to me
| very seriously, and looking me frank
/ ly in the eyes. said:
Il trust you will be open to convic-
| ton"
Good Lord!'' 1 thought, "can she be
| another crank?" I looked at her stead
| lily. What little beauty she was She
| also then belonged to the Pythagor-
| eans-a sect 1 despised! Everybody
knows all about the Pythagorean
| craze, its rise in Boston. its rapid
| spread and its subsequent consolida-
| ton with Theosophy. Hypnotism, the
| Salvation Army, the Shakers. the
| Dunkards and the Mind Cure cult upon
| a business basis. ] had hitherto regard
| ed all Pythagoreans with the same
! scornful Indifference I accorded to the
! Faith Curtis; being a member of the
| Catholic church l was scarcely pre-
pared to take any of them seriously.
Least of all did approve of the "busi-
| ness basis" and / looked very much
askance indeed at the Scientific and
Religious Trust Company" duly in
| corporated and generally known as the
! Pythagorean Trust, which, consolidat-
! ing with Mind Curists, Faith Curists.
and other fiourishing Salvation syndi-
Gates, actually claimed a place among
ordinary trusts, and ct the same time
pretended to a control over mans fu-
ture life. No, / could never listen-I
was ashamed of even entertaining the
notion. and / shook my head.
mo. Miss Wyeth. I am afraid I do
not care to listen to any reasoning on
this subject"
Don't you believe in Pythagoras ?''
demanded the professor. subduing his
excitement with difficulty, and adding
another knot to his coat-tails.
mo" 1 said. Il do not"
How do you know you don't?' in
! CURED the professor
Because" I said firmly, at is nom
sense to say that the soul of a human
being can inhabit a henY'
| Put it in a more simplified form ~
insisted the professor; do you believe
that the soul Of a hen can inhabit a
human being?"
"No, 1 don'tr
Did you ever hear of hen-pecked
MANI" cried the professor, his voice
ending in a shout.
| 1 nodded, intensely annoyed.
'Wil you listen to reason. then %
he continued, eagerly.
No" 1 began, but I caught Miss
Wyeth's blue eyes fixed on mine with
an expression so sad, so sweetly an
pealing. that I faltered.
| Eyes, / will listen" 1 said family.
Twill you become my pupi?" in
| sisted the professor.
I was shocked TO find myself waver-
ing, but my eyes were looking into hers
and 1 could not disobey what l read
there. The longer l looked the greater
inclination j felt to waver. l saw that
was going to give in, and, strangest
of all, my conscience did not trouble
me. I felt it coming-a sort of mild
exhilaration took possession of me.
| For the first time in my life I became
reckless even. gloried in my reckless
mess.
Yes, yes" I cried, leaning eagerly
across the table, Il shall be glad-de-