Evening star., 1926-05-16

of q man hidden
inside, like q snail
in its shell, and long double row OF
war heroes resurrected into blood
bones and live muscles by an artist
with q few chalks. 1t is such a Won
der-world of silence up there. that
when the woman in search OF crys-
tai ball CAME to q glass case filled with
dull-colored bowls, hatchet heads and
the like that had been dug up in her
own Maryland the sight somehow
hypnotized her back-far back--into
a bare-legged tad on treasure hunt
for arroWheads in the fresh-plowed
field that had been furrowed by black
Bill Pye and his mules - just IKE
these in the case; all to be played with
and lost-eXcept for one that, after
many years. turned up to be hallowed
as an ancestral treasure and framed
in silver for pinto be lost again,
forever.
Then the trail turns and you see the
crystal ball shining far ahead through
a rainbow loveliness that pronerly be-
longs to flowers and tropical butter
flies, but are minerals instead.
The big ball, sheltered under glass.
weighs 100 pounds, with a diameter
Of l3A inches. 1t was made from
rock crystal and is said to have been
cut from a boulder of 1000 pounds.
the largest Of its kind in existence. II
you are interested in the occult you
may find an extra charm in the fact
that the crystal came from Burma,
was cut into shape in China and pol
ished in Japan, the process requiring
some IS months for completion. 1t
was loaned to the Museum by the Flu
Rushing Co. of New York.
Naturally, necromancer ladies and
gentlemen and the fiction writer's
could tell you that Eastern magic is
In this ball, and that no future Is too
complicated to be visioned In its
crystal depths, but, honey-just stand
before that ball and study its refiec-
tion of every breath Of movement
around; shadows and high lights; its
seeming nearness of objects yards
away--its concentration Of surround
ing scenes into personal interiors"
and its tricky way of drawing you
into its intimate circle, and you will
| know that crystal ball occultism Is
bunk, so far as personal belief Is con-
cerned, and that another superstition
| has gone to smash. 1t Is magic, all
right, but the seeress Is Mother
Nature who explains herself only to
| those wise enough to understand.
Sure, people have seen things-seen
one breathless instant the woman
saw over her shoulder a real nice
looking man. Then the man turned
away--which would have been a per
fectly natural proceeding-but 1t was
only reflection that had caught him
yards away.
While the big, round ball is the su.
preme mineral in the collection. you
get more genuine pleasure out Of the
colorings of the general display.
There is no tint too delicately lovely
to be found in that world of minerals
many of them from soil to which
nature has denied the gay varieties
Of flowery growth. There are ap-
parent saucers of pistache ice cream
tho tone changing from Nile to
deepest forest green's, alternating
with frothy white. A tourmaline from
the Far West and as big as a peck
basket is Of pearl white. lowered
with chryanthemums of old rose
as natural as If designed by man.
A citrine quartz, from Brazil, Is a
solid chunk of golden sunshine. and
you can see imaginary brides in
snow white and silver, secondmourn-
ing widows in amethyst and shiny
| black bead inserts, and fluorites Of
every gorgeous hue that a 1apper's s
poor little flap whose ina agination
was richer than her purse.
After you have had long, glori-
Gus afternoon all to- yourself-with
merely a here and there tourist to
share the big place with you - you
enter q door. And as you cross its
threshold you know you have stepped
back into the World War. II Is a
large, square room with the life Of
that conflict pictured on It's walls:
Pershing, as like as life, and just the
same size, standing by his horse;
President Wilson, his mind on the
paper before him, and a something in
his face that betokened the greater
thing to come; French Marshal Foch.
with his blue-cloth breast covered
with ribbons and gold and bronze.
and, most splendid OF all, a tall and
slender figure in the scarlet beretta
and cassock Of a prince OF the church,
and the expression of a man both
soldier and saint-a cardinal, but also
a fighting Mercier. At the lower cor
ner Of the frame was fastened a great
sheaf of laurel.palm tied with purple
satin ribbon. Just as you are saying
to yourself that you will stay in this
room for hours clock sounds, and
1t is time to go home.
X X X y
MOT meaning to be morbid, but
= if you have read about two men
who are to be put to death by gas
| next week in Nevada, you may be
| interested in this:
Out on the desert there is a prison
not built by hands, in that it was
originally mountain of volcanic
| stone that has been shaved off at the
! top and quarried out and hewed
around into one Of the most impreg-
nable strongholds in the country. But
q horseshoe hangs above the entrance.
| Which puts Nevada one over Dante.
In the course of the quarrying and
hewing a convict's pick found a
human footprint, 40 feet under the
stone. Careful excavation discovered
other prints that now track the court
yard of the prison, and have been de-
scribed by scientists from the Smith.
sonian Institution (which puts this
yarn in the local zone) as tracks made
by a man IL feet high, who wore
| ocin Thn Iio%ox