Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-21

to pretend l do. If l knew enough to
pretend would
''NO,' said Mary, looking at him and
smiling family. you wouldn't"
She turned away as great sound
began to swim and tremblc in the air;
the huge empty space of the church
filled with it, and the two people lis
tcning filled with it: the universe
seemed to fill and thrill with it. The
two sat intensely still, the great sound
all round about them, while the church
grew dusky, and only the organlst's
lamp made tiny star Of light. His
white head moved from side to side be.
meath it rhythmically, or lunged and
recovered with the fierceness Of duel
list thrusting, but he was magnificent
ly the master Of his giant, and it sang
to his magic as he babe it.
Bibbs was swept away upon that
mighty singing. Such thing was
wholly unknown to him; there had
been no music in his meager life. I'm
like the tale, it was the Princess Be-
drulbudour who had brought him to
the enchanted cave, and that-for
Bibbs-was what made its magic daz-
ing. 1t seemed to him long, long
time since he had been walking home
drearily from Doctor Gurney's office;
it seemed to him that he had set out
upon a happy journey since then, and
that he had reached another planet.
where Mary Vertrees and he sat alone
together, listening to vast choiring OF
invisible soldiers and holy angels.
There were armies Of voices about
them, singing praise and thanksgiving:
and yet they were alone. 1t was in
credible that the walls of the church
were not the boundaries of the uni
verse, to remain so forever; incredible
that there was smoky street just yon-
der, where housemaids were bringing
in evening papers from front steps and
where children were taking their last
spins on roller skates before being
hailed indoors for dinner.
He had curious sense Of commune
cation with his new friend. He knew
it could not be so, and yet he felt as if
all the time he spoke to her. saying:
you hear this strain? You hear that
strain? You know the dream that these
sounds bring to me?" And it seemed
to him as though she answered con-
tinually: Il hear! hear that strain,
and I hear the new one that you are
hearing now. I know the dream that
these sounds bring to you. Yes, yes,
l hear it all! We hear-together!'
And though the church grew so dim
that all was mysterious shadow except
the vague planes Of the windows and
the organist's light, with the white
head moving beneath it, Bibbs had no
consciousness that the girl sitting be-
side him had grown shadowy; he
seemed to see her as plainly as ever in
the darkness, though he did not look ct
her. And all the mighty chanting Of
the organs multitudinous voices that
afternoon seemed to Bibbs to be che
rusing Of her and Interpreting her,
singing her thoughts and singing for
him the world Of humble gratitude that
was in his heart because she was so
kind to him. 1t all meant Mary.
But when she asked him what It
meant, on their homeward. way, he was
silent. They had come a few PAGES
from the church without speaking,
walking slowly.
"rll tell you what it meant to me-
she said, as he did not Immediately
reply. almost any music of Handlers
always means one thing above all 9th
ers to me: Courage! That's 1t. II
makes cowardice or whining seem &c
\ infinitesimal-it makes most things Y