The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-03-08

The very old man read:
HBy this sympathy one can become
all things, one enters into the fulfill
fnent Of his desires, and with peace
there comes an ending of all sorrows"
1t was mystical book of the Mid
die Ages that the old scholar read, and
at length, when he had come to the
end. he lay back on his mattress and
sent his wishes FORTH
He was sseventy-f1ve years old. Years
before he had been famous as an
i Egyptologist, but life had gone so hard
with him. that he was satisfied at the
end to shut his garnet door and sur
round himself with his few books and
pieces of furniture and dream OF the
past.
He had no kith or kin. Years, many
years before he had loved girl. She
had married another. She must be an
old woman now, the man thought
nearly has age. He wondered how life
had dealt with her; whether she had
children; whether she ever thought OF
him.
he did not know that Alice had been
dead nine years, and that she had died
with his name upon her lips. Her
marriage had been happy, as marriage
+ goes, but when one comes to the end
4 things fall into their true proportions,
and she knew then that the love Of her
4 youth had been the love Of her life.
Because she was not free from the
Illusion of the world she lived again
not consciously, though at some period
10 her evolution long distant she was
to remember each of the incarnations
Of the past She lived, q child OF
eight years, the only one Of poor
mother who earned her living In a
amau country town.
II dent know what wen do when the
new baby comes" her mother said to
hea.
The father had died Eve months be-
fore Ia an accident.
! IBut guess God will provide" she
added.
The little giri played In the bare
room while her mother was at work.
| Vague thoughts fitted through her
mind. Although she did not know It,
they were submerged memories of her
past life, the longing for the compan-
Aonahip Of her youthful lover, who
now, an aged man, lay dreaming In his
wasrst
And he was thinking: 'The gross
ness Of that youthful love Is burned
away. only want to see her, Just to
git with her, be with her, and have her
for my comrade. )"
That Is the spiritual love, which is
nawer unfulflled and never fails Of
accomplishment, not only In one life,
but In many lives.
And he read again by the falling
lauplight the words Of the strange
book:
sBy this sympathy che can become
all things, one enters into the fulfill
ment of his desires, and with peace
there comes an ending Of all sorrows."
As he lay there upon his bed he sent
his mind out to the girl he had loved
Ia youth. He saw her not as an old
woman. but young and fresh and beau
tiful as when they had loved.
And this makes no difference; the
soul remains unchanged although the
body changes.
And the child. playing In the bare
room, stopped In her play, and felt the
wish. flung out across a thousand
miles Of space across the great chasm
that bounds the separate lives Of men.
It became translated, in her child
Ish brain, into the longing for play
mate.
It grew stronger as the old man
sent out all the intensity Of his wish
until he seemed to lose his own identity
and to become one with the loved Oh
jact.
And then he had no longer any per
sonality of his own, for all souls are
one IN the Oversoul.
IN the morning the old woman who
cleaned his room found him lying bach
on his bed He looked asleep; it was
not until she shook his shoulder that
she found he was dead.
sDeath Of an old scholar" the papers
briefly commented. He had lived q
Df6XlC lA1cy CHUNG Al ldA1A0s lac was
forgotten. It was sad, but thousands
Of lonely old people died every year
under Just the same conditions. His
death was a blessing to him.
But thousand miles away q child
stopped In her play and happy smile
came upon her face. Softly she tip
toed to the door Of the adjoining room
and knocked
'.May come In, MammaT \
"Cone In, dearie-"
She went softly to the bed and stood
looking down at the tiny form nesting
n the hollow of her mothers arm.
The babe stretched up his little arms
toward her In hardly conscious recog-
milton. And both were glad.
Gypsy Wedding Custom.
AZ Hungarian gypsy wedding, one