The Monticellonian., 1917-02-01

piece upcn the captain, and the helmet on his head and the arm and thigh pieces about him, and strapped on his sword. he might have been an ancient warrior come to life.
 How does it feel? Heavy?" asked Doctor Immanuel.
 Not at all" said OFarrell. Light as thistledown." And though he was little flushed in the face. his breath ing was easy as ever. Now, open the door, please Do I start for the draw 1 ing room"
 He looked at the doctor, but Tarrant answered him.
 All ready" he said Remember. you've got to run. Open the door, walk around the room, and then come l back. Ready? Stop! For heavens sake stop Man, man, are you going to play the ancient Roman with a cigar between your lips?"
 0'Farrell raised his heavily armored arm and plucked the perfecto from his mouth.
 Now then! Col" said Paul Tar rant, and at the word. the captain, like disabled steam engine. leaped through the door and hopped up the stairs, rattling and clattering till the house shook and resounded. We watched him turn the bend of the stairs and approach the drawing room. 1 Then the door opened and three fright ened women stood upon the threshold l saw Mary Rothway's white, startled face; saw 0Farrell stop dead. Then, with a faint cry, Mary tottered toward him and collapsed in his arms, swoon- ing
 Doctor Immanuel brushed past me upstairs. At the bend he turned and pointed sternly toward the library. Tarrant and 1 went down.
 Five minutes later Mrs. Tarrant came in. She said nothing, but went straight up to her husband, flung her arms around his neck and hugged him
 They're as happy as any people can ever expect to be-" she answered. Paul. what in the world made you play that fantastic trick on us?"
 You'll have to ask Doctor Imman- uel, answered the millionaire. He says it's reincarnation; l say it's just human nature. But tell me how it came about?"
 Why, 1t just-happened," answered Mrs. Tarrant. "Mervyn came chatter ing up in that absurd armor, and Mary l just looked at him and fell into his arms, swooning And when she recov- ered-why, they kissed each other in a perfectly shameless manner"
 Huml" said Mir. Tarrant thought fully. Emmanuel may be a crank, but he seems to have a certain hold upon fundamentals which T."
 Which you-?' asked Doctor lm- manuel behind his chair He had come in quietly, and stood in the open door way Behind him, looking Very happy and little bit foolish, were Mervyn and Mary.
 Which l. Oh, the devil What's the use of philosophizing when con gratulations are in order?" asked Tar rant, and, Jumping up. he almost wrung O'Farrelfs hands off Then he kissed Mary, who kissed him back. And O'Farrell did not mind in the least.
 Miss Rothway," said Doctor Im- manuel, would you mind stepping in to the passage moment and closing the door behind you?"
 Why no" said Mary Rothway. evi- dently puzzled. But what am I to do there? How long am l to stay?"
 T don't want you to do it." the doc tor answered. T asked you if you would mind
 You know, Mary, dear" put in her mother, who had joined the group. you wouldn't have liked. to do that earlier in the evening"
 Mary looked more bewildered than ever.
 Wouldn't l really?" she asked. q suppose was rather overwrought, wasn't I? But now 1 don't seem to mind what 1 do-if Meryyn approves.
 "Ahl" said Paul Tarrant to the cap tain. May your married life be found ed unshakably upon that basis"
 But of course" she added, I'm not going to ask Meryyn's approval of everything. He'll have to do things that want, too, won't you, dear?"
 sI'll obey you all my life,' said Meryyn O,Farrell, If you'll obey me just once by getting married before I l start for Guantanamo. Then you know, can get steamship accommodation for two"
 But you haven't explained every thing. doctor" said Paul Tarrant, aft CT the rest had gone and Mrs. Tarrant had retired What was the supernat- ural voice she heard"
 The voice of her former self, which had not fully worked out it's earth l cycle and stroye to dominate her in her present life" the doctor answered. That is a well-knoWn phenomenon. Socrates had a similar theory which l hope some day to elaborate. Next?"
 ''The fear of closed rooms. What was the cause of that, and why did 1t disappear?"
 My dear Tarrant, wouldn't you have fear of closed spaces if you had been buried alive in the heart of hill 2,000 years ago?'
 "Then all her troubles were simply the unfulfilled past hat claimed to dominate the present."
 Exactly That accounts. as you have suggested for every vestige of her nervous malady. The sudden and unexpected apparition of MaXimius in his armor has stirred up that hidden and half-disintegrated personality of