The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-03
By E. Phillips
Oppenhein

heads of the expectant audience, and
| her lips moving slowly as repeating
some prayer or lesson to herself.
A deep awesome hush fell upon
the crowd of fashionably- dressed men
and women. Lord Mauleveu alone
appeared unmoved and careless. He
| had given up his place to a late ar
rival, and was leaning against a
! pillar with his face half in the
shadow. | only could read beneath
that faint supercilious smile which
was lowering round his fine mouth
Astrea slowly dropped her eyes and
| spoke. The first words which fell
from her riveted the attention of
her listeners. Some hidden electricity
| seemed to Turk in the timbre of her
tone. Everyone. even those who had
come prepared to treat the affair s
a joke. or some light form of enter
tainment, were galvanized into rapt
and breathless attention.
st income has said that ! am going
to lecture upon theosophy,' she com
menced dreamily. That is not 50.
Tonight l am breaking the first prin-
ciple laid down by those who have
become the high priests of our order,
| am going to show you all mira
Gle. l am going to speak with one
who has been for a long time dead.
You shall hear her voice; you shall
hear her life; she will speak to you
| of the manner of her death. And
and with no desire to make converts
of any cf you.
Far away in my eastern home.
amongst the mountains, l have heard
her faint, sweet whisperings in my
ear at the break of day In the gloom
! of twilight | have seen her dim, re-
proachful eyes; and in the white
mfsts of the midnight hour, upon the
hills, l have seen her sweep slowly
by, sad and mournful. Yet l have
not called to her to me- | have waited
for this; and now the time has come.
Marfani Marian! eCme beloved sis
ter, it is Astrea who calls you."
She raised her hands with a slow.
sweeping grace, and stood for
moment perfectly motionless. Then,
breaking silence as deep as the 81
lence of death, sweet and low as the
music of an Aeolian harp stirred by
the faintest of summer breezss the
sound of a woman's answering voice
floated upon the air.
Il am with you, Astrea: speak"
Astera raised her hands and an
swered:
q would talk with you for one
brief moment only, of the past-of
the sad DAYS Of YOUR life upon earth.
Look back with me upon our home.
You have not forgotten"
The wonderful music of that an
swering voice again filled the room
u forget nothing, Astera see
our fair country home. and our dear
parents l have found peace and rest
my sister, but earth. too, is a fair
place.
Fair for you, Marian, TIL a mans
treachery made 1t black and foul Do
you remember the night when full of
JOY and love, you whispered cut your
secret to me, and we shed tears of
happiness toeether7 Do YOU remem-
Der the day when, blithe and trustful
you followed your lover to London
Do you remember the bitter hour of
awakening when the light died cut
of your life, the weary waiting, the
heart-sickness. the bowed gray heads
of our father and mother, FASTENED
in their passage to the grave?
TOO well-too we'll" sobbed out
the answering Voice. "Astrea, for
: bear uestion me no more
Y A strange light burned In Astrea's
dark eyes. Her hands were raised
: high above her head, and her form
seemed di1ated and quiverinE with
passion.
= Marian, the man whose selfish
ness wrecked your life and broke our
parents heart lives He is great, and
honored and respected. say but the
word and l will crush him The world
for which he lives shall look upon
his buried past; my fingers shall
raise the VEIL my finger shall point
at ms shame, my voice M; testlmonN,
shall denounce him. Think of the
hour when you found yourself de-
serted, and with your life ruined.
struggling against starvation in Il
garnet, whilst he wandered off in
ease and luxury n willing exile. You
know we'll that he never sought to
find you after that night when you
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