The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-04-08
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, April 8, 1916.

hang him! Miss Carmichael, BLUSH
ing guiltily, began vigorously to clapl
her hands. / merely shifted about in
the direction Of the speakers table
and nodded TO GrimWald-,and curtly
enough. Then ] turned once more to
the sirl.
THAT one thing that keeps yea
from being a pessimist.' / asked,
what's that?'
Slowly, unainchingly those blue
eyes were raised; | felt them scrutin-
ling my mind. The silence was
heavy, eyasperating.
I'm afraid to tell YOU she faltered.
You'll just grunt, or something, and
call it al cant. It's hard fer you
TOTO see
Look here, young woman, I've had
about enough Of this. That's the sec
end time1toni8ht you've spoken dis
para2ingly of my e~yeaight. You owe
me an explanation. In the ordinary
course of feVents, what you intend to
do with your life is no concern of
mine. You can become a nun or go
and drown yourself or clope with a
chorus man for all I care. But I'm in
terested in youg professionally. You're
a case, and I'll lie dingbatted if [
know how to diagnose you. Come
now, what is that one thing?'"
Well, then she spoke. | a 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 some
thing about the fail elections, q burst
| Of laughter ct the speakers table, q
carnation being pulled to pieces by
thumbs and forefin9ers that seemed
oddly like my own. But, distinctly
and u~nequiVocably, I was pre-emi-
nently conscious Of something great
and sweet and soothing coming from
the girl TO me; Of an explanation that
made her procedure rational, even
necessary; Of IN impulse to get down
on my knees and bow my head as
in the presence OF a 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 I sat in the tonneau during that
long, cold ride along the estuary.
Fragments Of her speech remain with
me, but they are Of themselves, alb
aurd ana unconyincing. The love of
| souls Gods ways 'but imitation
/ OF Christ" Ills %boundless loye'-ali
that seems trivial to me and utterly
meaningless, now; but as that girl
| leaned over the table and spoke.
They say there's no fool like an
/ old fool and | know its true; but
| pride myself that I'm not tho sort
| Ct ma to be bamboozled by a pretty
face. No, no; CT one thing I'm Ger.
tain; it was not q case of my being
! hypnotized by what is called feminine
| charm. 1t was not that sort Of appeal
I at all. 1t was a totally new, sensation
-something thrilling, refining, cner-
! eizing. | seemed to he standing on
[ the brow of q high hill and locking
| ever . valley, a Wonderful valley fair
to the eye and filed with fragrance
and with promise.
Bah, this sounds awfully like rot.
It is not as ] have set il down. Let
me look at it all calmly, profession
ally. The girl is an enthusiast, a
dreamer, in love with an idea!
That explanation somehow doesn't
explain. She's not the sort OF girl
to dream @reams-it isn't her temper.
hament at all. She has no quivering
EEt the corners Of the anouth, no shift.
king of the eyes, no ,Gd3eting hands
Filler color. is natural, her skin is firm.
kShe is in perfect health.
+, Auto-sHegestion? OF course. But
that's only a name, .not an explana.
Elton. Here is something that seeming.
~ battles science. it there an an.
Eswer?
Rothberg must know. Rothbere
knows everything in abnormal psy.
Fchology. But is this an instance OF
abnormal psychology? | feel that
some factor, the a~lLimDortant factor
l have failed to grasp. There must
be something in her peculiar condi
ton that | did not see. Her woman's
intuition told her so when she re.
nected on my oyesight.
That something-that nameless, i'm.
Epalpable, elusive something exper
fenced as she spoke those forgotten
words and looked through me with
that unforgettable gaze-will> Roth
berg grasp that?
-EViH Scarlet in Extension"