The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-03-17

| LANE HEH-CARE FOX HER," 5
sale, discarnate, her whole desire cen.
tered upon one person-Andrew Gar.
retson. l can picture to myself the
| frantic efforts of this discarnate per.
sonality to clothe itself In flesh again
impossible, for the simple reason
that the mechanism was not at hand,
that the psychic framework for the
new organism had not been built up
slowly, during the centuries, out OF
the satisfaction, in heaven, of the soul
life. In other words, she could no
more come back to birth Immediately
than the peach tree could grow fruit
before it had blossomed. Yet these
ineffectual efforts did project her will
into physical manifestation. A part
of her personality, the part that
loved, became entangled in the body
OF our remote ancestors, the trees
which. as you know, are biologically
constructed from protoplasm, as we
are, and different from animals only
in the lack of a nervous system livery
significant that. II you will refect).
And so the loving part of Mary Las
sale, the part that loved but could
not suffer, grew, Dryad-like, into the
trees and flowers, blindly, instructive
ly, but not Of volition, Tarrant. 1t
was not till ten years had passed that
the soul could, by its superhuman ef-
forts, find the bodily vehicle for it.
self again. And the rest you know"
BAH" said the millionaire, flinging
the end Of his cigar into the fire.
Your theories are-excuse me
sometimes ludicrous."
Then all mythology is ludicrous,"
replied Emmanuel. 1.-THE goddess
Daphne was not changed into a
Laurel, there never were tree spirits.
the ancient Britons were lunatics to
worship the mistletoe, and the story
of Proserpine is not even founded
upon truth"
why, who in the world supposed It
was, Immanuel?" asked the million,
aire
do you imagine" asked the Greek,
buttonholing the other and smiling
up imperturbably into his face, that
religious symbols and mythologies
which lasted for uncountable centuries
we're really founded on nothing at
all?"
"On nothing at ALL" said Tarrant,
smiling.
you don't believe in Santa Claus.
for example?"
Believe in Santa Claus!" ex-
claimed Tarrant. "Well-hardly."
And yet I saw you last Christmas
wearing a white beard and a long
red dressing gown and creeping into
your little boys room" !,
20. WELL" said Tarrant, a little dis
concerted, that, was just pretense.
you know"
"But you found it necessary to in.
vent or rather sustain the Santa Claus
myth in order to embody certain Deep
~ felt spiritual needs-the love of
children, the Christmas spirit-for in.
stance"
IF you like, Emmanuel"
Then" said the doctor triumphant.
y, $50 long as you keep your Santa
Claus I'll keep my peach trees"
And so we went out, Tarrant and I
eaving the little doctor standing be. |
ore his fire like a benevolent gnome.
child at heart, an incurable roman
icist.
He'll never grow up-God bless
Inn" said Tarrant to me.
1t was not late. We walked nm the
venue in the moonlight, enjoying the
'almy air Of the spring. The trees in
he square were almost in full leaf.
was not so very long since the band
lad ceased playing, for the park was
TILL tenanted by a few couples who
occupied isolated seats, absorbed in
ach other, forgetful of the world.
Let's sit down awhile" suggested
'arrant, and SO we took our seats AZ
ne back of a huge tree, where hid.
en- from the sight of the streets. wa
eemed to be in fairyland. Tarrant
rodded the ground with his cane
It's very odd" he said, very odd
ne way that little doctor gets hold ~
ne and grips one. Don't you find n
0! Tnat yarn of his about the peach
richard. for instance-absurd. the
cry height Of pathos. and vet 50 an.