The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-12-19

Celestias real work had begun.
Often upon the lips of the elder Doug
las, and always in his heart, was the
belief that Celestia was divinely in
spired and OF divine origin.
Mrs. Douglas and Nelly also be-
ieved that Celestia had come from
heaven Her effect upon these sim
ple-minded folk was extraordinary.
She looked no longer like a Greek
goddess, but like a simple working
girl. And yet she remained magical
! ly lovely to look at and commanding.
Stilliter, after ten minutes talk with
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas during a short
absence Of Celestial, concluded that
she could not be in better hands. In
deed, it had been in a similar family
that he had intended to place her.
"She says" said Douglas, that ev-
cry man jack of us ought to have a
real share in the country. That we
must treat misery and poverty not as
necessary evils, but as epidemics, and
stamp 'em out. And ! tell you the
man who runs that platform will get
a heap O. votes in this district. No
body ever tries to argue with her.
You Just listen and believe"
Stilliter reported to Barclay and the
other members Of the triumvirate.
| And those who had begun to lose
faith in Celestia once more became en-
thusiastic.
Don't hurry her any," said Barclay.
Let her doctrines spread from the
house she's living in, slowly and
naturally, until she has a real follow
ing Then when we do begin to ad-
vertise her it will be more effective
and cheaper"
I'm only afraid Of one thing" said
Stilliter. "She is interested in that
boy of yours. Tommy, and when she
mind almost free from the control
that | had been establishing over 1t
all these years. ! thought that | had
made her quite proof against falling in
love and all physical temptation But
it seems not"
ANY young man." said Barclay,
grimly, who seems to be making
trouble for us will have to be sent
away somewhere and kept there
But Celestia, having begun to make
converts, was engrossed in the work
and had no longer the leisure, or In
deed, the wish to waste her precious
time in philandering with individuals.
When Tommy had finally traced her
to the Douglases he went often to
see her, for it was hard for him to
be away from her at all But, as we
Americans say, 'she did not give him
a good run for his money She ap'
peared calmly fond of him. But she
was no longer a complete stranger to
the world and its ways. She hardly
ever happened" to be alone when he
came to see her. and she seemed al
ways on the point of doing something
or other in which he could not take
part He loved her more and more.
but he did not finch from telling he'
that he thought her schemes for the
benefit of mankind were impractical
BILE and foolish.
why, Celestial" he said. 81 don't
deny that you've some mysterious
power over people, and that if you
keep on as you are going you'll end
up by making a great, loud noise in
the world. But suppose you do get
what you want? Suppose that even in
time you do elect a congress, a senate
and a president; suppose you do sue
ceed in changing the whole country
into a gigantic trust, what of 1t?
Can't you see that you will be hurting
the people instead of helping them?
Can't you see that the men who run
| your great trust, my respected father
among them, will become the greatest
autocrats the world has ever known?
Can't you see that you would simply
be. playing into the hands Of capital?'
Celestia simply smiled on him and
shook her head.
Il can convince anybody but you"
she said Il can't convince you, and I
don't know why"
lHdl wv Caoyt iOhihJ'
You don't convince anybody by logic
or argument. They just naturally be-
lieve you. You've got some way Of
making them believe you. think
you're sort of witch l think you are
way up in magic. You can't hypnotize
the man that truly loves you any more
than you could hypnotic the man you
truly love. That's a well known law"
Tommy was half in earnest, half
Joking.
81 don't know what you are talking
about" said Celestia, "and it doesn't
matter. And now"
please don't send me away" said
Tommy. Its the first time we've been
alone in ages, and I've got millions OF
things to tell you and millions of other
things to-well, to look at YOU
Tommy" said Celestia, you talk
more nonsense than anyone in the
world. / don't believe you've any
brains at all. But if you've really got
a million things to say to me, you'll
have to say them walking. I'm going
to the shop where Nelly works to talk
with the girls"