The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-02-24

out of her morbid terror-and the re
suit Is that she intends to enter a sis
terhood, the members Of which are
pledged to celibacy Sc long as they re
main in it, And we all realize that
when Mary enters the doors of this in
st1tution she will leave the world be
hind forever" He bent forward. "She
claims to have had a supernatural
revelation" he said. "She heard voices
telling her to put the world aside and
give up her betrothed. or course 1t
was the hallucination of a hypochon.
driac. But she has done SO. She has
given O'Farrell his conge-and he's
bearing it like man. Only 1t has up
set his customary equanimity."
| Poor fellow. / don't wonder at
that" said Doctor Emmanuel. But
perhaps she may change her mind"
Impossible, Emmanuel. You don't
know Mary Rothway." said Paul Tar
rant.
And she never sees him now?"
mo. They haven't seen each other
for three weeks. And in a few days
the captain accompanies his regiment
to Guantanamo, Cuba. I'm afraid it's
all off, DOCTOR"
We'll, show me your statue of
Maximius," said the Greek doctor, abb
ruptly.
We rose and Tarrant led us out of
his library and through his Assyrian
room into gallery hung with pictures
by the famous Italian and Dutch paint
ers. Here and there, too, could SEGA
Greuze or Vatican, a Corot, a Gains
borough. ! could have fingered here
for hours, ignoring the millionaire's
valueless replicas of ancient statuary
which stood ranged along the middle
OF the floor, but had to follow Tar
rant, and he led us past the Venus of
Milo, whose upturned face dispassion-
ately regarded plaster LAGOON, past
a whole line of Roman emperors, from
Augustus Caesar to Marcus Aurelius,
until we stopped before a life-size fig
ure Of Maximius. Then both Doctor
Emmanuel and were struck by the as
tonishing resemblance of the plaster
face to the flesh and blood face of
O'Farrell. II the captain could have
been attired in armor, with a crested
helmet and a sword, he might have
posed as the original.
Its very like him, isn't it?" said
Tarrant.
ut might be he." answered the doc
tor. Although that does not neces-
sarily count for much."
"You mean that we don't take on the
similitude Of our past physical frame
work." asked the millionaire.
GOD pity the hunchbacks IL that
were so.' Emmanuel said. mo. The
thoughts, the wishes, the will, the soul
of the living man fashion the body OF
his next life. One may be entirely diff
ferent. Still, there are certain natures
SO well developed along their natural
lines that, especially when their bodies
perfectly express their souls, they do
not change. For instance, those fat
Dutch women and phlegmatic burgo-
masters In your Rembrandts must
have looked very similar when they
were the stolid Boeotian Doors of the
days of Aristophanes; and we all know
the unchanging physical type of the
young warrior. the Alexander who may
have met his Nemesis as Charles XII.
OF Sweden. But to come back to my
subject, OFarrell may have been Max
imius. but was not necessarily no. That
Ia what we have to ind out"
Il hardly think oFarrell will give
you much OF an opportunity, doctor"
said Paul Tarrant. But who was this
Maximius 2"
"Maximius," said Doctor Emmanuel, |
twas Roman knight and lived In the
time of Tfberius. He fought in several
border campaigns and covered himself |
with wounds and honors. When he j
came back to Rome he committed q
grave indiscretion-he fell In love-"
.Oh. come. doctor. not 30 very
grave" said Tarrant jestingly.
Grave enough for you, poor fellow"
Emmanuel answered, nodding toward |
the statue. HE fell in love with a
vestal virgin named Horatia. The yes
tails, as Of course you know, were the
holy maidens OF Rome. They were ac-
corded the greatest honors, but woe to
any OF them who looked kindly on any
man before she had finished her thirty
years period OF service. Although the
ancient faith had by the time of Ii
berius degenerated into mere ritual,
the force Of tradition still held with
all It's old severity in the case OF the
vestals, who guarded the city's sacred
relics In their magnificent temple.
Only q very few cases OF unfaithful-
ness on their part have come down to
ns. But Maxrmius saw and loved Ho-
rata, and Horatia-loved Maximius.
They planned to dee together. They
we're caught and brought before the
pontifex. What happened to him his
.ory does not record. although sus-
pect that his life was forfeited. Ho-
.atia persisted in the prescribed man
1er. An ancient vault was unwalIed
beneath the Palatine; she was led into
{, with candle and a loaf of bread;
he vault was sealed again. Another
restal was chosen"
They buried her aIivei" exclaimed
rarrant in horror. Thank heaven we