Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-07-15

simple self-preservat!on, he thought and
did his best to harden his quyerins Celtic heart.
II mustn't get interested in him he said to
himself dcspsringly. 81 mustn't get sympathetic,
or Lulu will scold So"
Lulu was the inimitaby incongruous name Of
his wife frm-lipped even-hsnded New England
woman set by Providence 30 abe said as guard
over the too-,aclle sympathies of the husband she
idoIized She was undaunted by h, rise to great
fame and ordered about the celebrated DR.. Burke
with as mistaken & certainty that she knew his
wants and needs better than he, tough he
still young Michael Burke, the hal 1sone and
mantle emigrant who had captured her heart
1t had not been she alone. however. who had
sent him upon this enforced vacation which he was
now trying conscientiously to guard intact
I Tie whole worshipping parish, seeing fatigue in
hs keen. gentle eyes, and traces of nervous strain
about the mobile, eloquent, well-beloved mouth.
had risen as and insisted his going
away 70 a remote New England nook in the
tains where he would not be known.
The last condition the of the great
nerve specialist Of his Pensioners, who with
drew from the position of adorng affection, com
mon to all St. James people when their -ertor
vas in question, long enough regard Dr.. Burke
case"
He must 20 where people will not know him.
was his verdict. "He must wear pepper-and-salt
suit and red necktie II necessary so nobody'll
IT, he's a clergyman, and he must not sympa-
u.e with living soul Don't some OF you know
place where everybodys fat and prosperous and
compliment? He has simply borne burdens and
lived our lives In his wonderful way long that
+ he must have a rest. His insight into suffering
\ humanity has grown unnaturay keen, and he
| cannot see any of fainting for SUBTLE
spiritual lack that he does not, with his marvel
lous skill, bring to what we need. But it's at
the Of his very hearts life. and he must be
naturally and humanity selfish for a time, the
quisitely fine machinery which makes him what he
is will snap in a thousand places"
The nerve-specalist Of the vestry, and
this honlily was delivered at the first veetry meet
ns after his examination OF DR.. Burke. Each OF
the vesrymen loved his rector much the
nerye-doctor, and each OF them repested the
hortation IN his own words to the tired man.
Moreover each OF them told his wife, and each
wife repeated 1t to Mrs. Burke What Mrs Burke
said to her husband Is not recorded, but it was
probably vigorous, for he set out upon his quest
\ for quiet genuinely alarmed about his condition
and firmly resolved to be approach to
cabbage as possible. And hero he upon the
second day feeling his heart 90 out towards the
young boy-rector Of tho little mountain parish In
OF those swift rushes OF intu!tlve insight which
made him so worshipped by his parish. but which
had also reduced him to the state Of pallor and
In which he found himself
He struggled 7aliantly against this obsesson
He took solitary walks ard rides the enchan-
ing 10 - TN tha
boys voice and the perple1cd and mcurnfully be-
w,ldered look in his eyes He told himself .mpa-
tienty that ne like a machine which vas worn
too smooth-rupn.ns for practical purposes He had
been used half-humorously, to think OF himself
contriYance which ran sympathy upon tho
pushing Of a button. But it had escaped from
his control The revcrse-cogs longer worked.
1t ran sympathy Unfortunately. as though the
button had stuck fast and pushing in all the
time
Thus he reasoned to himself when he away
from the little boarding house where he and tho
young Mr.. Melville the only guests. and he
went back to the appetizng meals sure of hts
power to resist the insidious appeal OF youth in dis
tress. But as he noted with the unerrins eye of
great soul-spscalist the signs Of spiritual unrest
and diagnosed the from stray Indications in
the conversation which would have meant nothing
to anyone less gifted with the magical insight that
was his he felt miserable certainty that he would
succumb before long to the temptation to put out
his wise, kind hand and give just the touch this
unbalanced life that needed.
1t was after a moonlight walk with tho young
rector that he finally felt himself conquered. Up
to that time he had repeated despairngly what his
wife was always saying to him. Suppose had not
happened along? He would have pulled through
somehow" But ON that night as he lay tensely
awake, watching the steady patches Of moonlight
on the porch outside bis window, he realized that
this . sslash sinking Of rospoAsbility-a cal
Sia1;g s,; ii ( ;; u ss 'Iss ;ls,;z