The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-08-15

her hands. merely shifted about
in the direction of the speakers table
and nodded to Grimwald- CURLY
enough. Then | turned once more to
the girl.
THAT one thing that keeps you
from being a pessimist," | asked,
what's that?"
Slowly, unflinchingly those blue
eyes were raised; | felt them scru-
tinizing my mind. The silence was
heavy, exasperating.
I'm afraid to tell you" she faltered.
you'll just grunt, or something, and
call it all cant. It's so hard for you
TOTO see"
Look here, young woman, I've had
about enough of this. That's the
second time tonight you've spoken
disparagingly of my eyesight. You
owe me an explanation. In the ordl-
nary course of events, what you In
tend to do with your life is no con-
Germ of mine. You can become nun
or go and drown yourself or elope
with chorus man for all care. But
I'm interested in professionally.
You're a case; and I'll be dingbated
if know how to diagnose you. Come
now; what is that one thing'?
Well, then she spoke. | can hear
the melody of her tones still running
| in my brain. Her words-Well, | can't
remember her words; they didn't mat
ter. But there was something-some-
thing elusive-behind them.
/ was conscious of many things
a girl down the table patting her back
hair, an idiot behind her saying
something about the fall elections, a
burst of laughter at the speakers
table, a carnation being pulled to
pieces by thumbs and forefingers that
seemed oddly like my own. But, dis
tinctly and unequivocally, was pre-
eminently conscious of something
great and sweet and soothing coming
from the girl to me; of an explana
ton that made her procedure rational
even necessary; of an impulse to gel
down on my knees and bow my head
as in the presence of sacred thing
And what was it? All, that's what
puzzles me now, what puzzled me as
shook hands with Miss Carmichael
a few minutes later, what puzzled me
as | sat in the tonneau during thai
long, cold ride along the estuary
Fragments of her speech remain witt
me, but they are of themselves alb
surd and unconvincing. "The love
of souls.' Goods ways" 'the imi
tation of Christ" His boundless love-
all that seems trivial to me ant
utterly meaningless, now; but as tina
, girl leaned over the table and spoke
They say there's no fool like al
old fool, and | know it's true; but
pride myself that I'm not the sort o
man to be bamboozled by prett.
face. No, no; of one thing I'm Ger
tain: it was not case of my beint
hypnotized by what is called feminine
; charm. 1t was not that sort of appea
/ at ALL 1t was a totally new sensa
t tion-something, thrilling, refining
| energizing. l seemed to be standin!
on the brow of high hill and look
7 ing over valley, wonderful vale.
fair to the eye and filled with frag
/ rance and with promise.
t Bah! this sounds awfully like rot
, 1t is rot as / have set it down. lie
Y me look at it all calmly, profession
!, ally. The girl is an enthusiast,
+ dreamer, in love with an idea!
t That explanation somehow doesn'
r explain. She's not the sort of gin
r to dream dreams-it isn't her temper
ament at all. She has no quivering a
g the corners of the mouth, no shift
. ing of the eyes, no fidgeting hands
e Her color is natural, her skin is firm
+ She is in perfect health.
Auto-suggestion? OF course. Blu
: that's only a name, not an eXplans
ton. Here is something that seeming
e ly battles science. Is there an answer
:. Rothberg must know; Rothber
l knows everything in abnormal ps!
D chology. But is this an instance c
: abnormal psychology? | feel tina
t some factor-the all-important facto
i have failed to grasp. There mus
: be something in her peculiar cond
e ton that did not see Her woman
! intuition told her so when she reflect
J. ed on my eyesight.
That something nameless, i'm
| palpable, elusive something-that l e1
|. perienced as she spoke those forgo
|. ten words and looked through me wit
that unforgetable gaze-will Rothber
e grasp that?
MIDI CcnrLot in ~ z rtnncinn ;,