The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-12-03
CHAPTER XII.

ST1TNF En- N''s
II had leaked out that the angel
from heaven, recently found in the
Adirondacks, would reach New York
on a certain train, and the entrances
to the Grand Central station were
thronged with idlers on the lookout
for a sensation. | don't know what
they expected to see-some sort OF
a Carrie Nation perhaps, at whom
they would jeer-certainly not Celes-
tia Very few persons in the crowd
really saw her-but from these as she
passed swiftly with Professor Stilliter
to a waiting taXicab arose no jeers
and insults, but only low, humming
murmur of wonder and admiration.
She walked like someone in trance,
looking neither to the right nor to the
left. but her lovely face had such an
expression of serenity and peace and
she was so touchingly young that the
worst scoffers felt their hearts soften
and go out to her.
Her white dress, falling in unbroken
lines from her shoulders, the jeweled
band low across her forehead, would,
at the time and place, make almost
any other wearer ridiculous. But Ce-
lestia's face was so commandingly
good and beautiful that only women
and reporters noticed her clothes at
all. And only those of them who were
in the foremost fringe of the crowd
saw that, except for thin sandals, her
small high-arched feet were bare.
Another crowd not so large saw her
leave the taxicab and enter Belleview
hospital From these there went up
short, sharp murmur of pity. "Of
course, she's mad, poor thing" these
thought" or else they are going to
make out that she is, and that's worse;
and did anybody ever see such hair
and eyes, and such carriage of the
head, or any dress so white, or anyone
that moved with so much grace?"
Professor Stilliter, who was well
known to the Belleview authorities,
though he remained spectator of all
the tests to which her mental powers
were subjected, refused to give his
own conclusions as to her sanity.
I've been with her a good many
hours on end" he said, "and, of course,
I've formed an opinion, but | refuse
to interfere in any way with your
experiments and deductions"
At first they all thought that she
was mad. They couldn't help it. She
told them that she came from heaven,
and had come to save the world. And
she told them these things with such
simplicity and dignity that it was OBJ
vious to the most cynical that she at
least believed what she said. 1T was
like mother said one of the young
doctors afterward, telling her chill
dren Bible Stories"
Cross questioning could neither
shake her narrative in detail or degree,
and as her mind continued to respond
quickly and patiently to one test after
another they became more and more
puzzled. Instead of being able to prove
that she was defective, it began to
dawn on them after hours of expert
ment and observation that she was the
opposite, not only mentally but physi-
cally.
At last Professor Stilliter took the
head doctor aside.
You haven't even a pretext for de-
tanning her, have you?" he asked.
Not one" said the doctor She's
as sane as you or l. according to all
the tests, and yet she can't be. What's
to become of herr"
why, as long as | discovered her."
said Professor Stilliter, Il feel that |