Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-12

| Action, whose cap and bells forever
! command human attention despite all
! values in static things; action, which
| youth imperiously demands and age
secretly Graves! Action, the trickster,
the clown, the jester who forever steals
the scene; who, like the baby's rattle.
keeps infantile intelligence from seeing
what stirs it-Pied Piper who forever
! leads the race away from the still
things that merely are!
| Action! A stir in the sand. A mans
| hand-a struggling head--a writhing
torso-a human body striving up like a
resurrected thing! A man, bearded,
tattered. weak, painting, terrified!
| Springing to his feet-standing at gaze
staggering with Misunderstanding
gaunt arms in mad appeal-listening-
| caught by sound, a vision-throwing
up ragged head-and then plunging
| forward-forward-s out of the
night beyond doors-last nights APP
paration now about to fling himself up
on the girl who sat here within walls
of steel and stone, barriered from him
by 20 hours through which the world
had turned since then!
Light" he screamed. Light"
And vanished at her feet!
Light flooded the studio. Phyllis
was on her feet, cropping for support.
Radley was at her side. She caught
at him and his arm surrounded her
shaking shoulders.
Now, now!' he said softly Softly.
with the infection Of tenderness once
more in it, like balm!
Phyllis turned. Her mothers face
was white and strained; her fathers
grim jaw was set upon his dead cigar;
beads of moisture stood beneath Relief
Brainard's scared eyes; Carol and John
chung to each others hands.
But the man whose resurrection
they had watched was drawing slow,
deep breaths. and smiling UP at them
wanly. 1t was as If he were simply
at the end of his last nights run
which had merely winded him.
You take it even better than the
rest of them" Radley said to him, for
getting his momentary impulse toward
Phyllis.
"Why-shouldnt -" returned the
Van Wrinkle. 81 suppose I must &C.
cept it as one Of the maryels OF the
new world"
"I didn't know but it might be too
much for you" said Brainard.
"You don't think I'll succunlb to
Life. do you," asked the other, when
Death couldn't kill me?'
"Sit down, Phyllis" Radlcy said to
the girl.
told you is true?"
But it was Carol who answered.
eff it is, then what Rip told us is true"
II think it is-now," returned Rad
well. Radley," said Mr. Norman
slowly. st think this won't bear going
unexplained any longer"
n1- t5Tsyy
of it, sir" said Brainard, walking away
from Phyllis chair. He went back
to his light switch, closed the closet
door which stood ajar, and brought
his chair toward them again. II
was ready to tell you last night all
that you want to know-when We were
interrupted by Mr.. Van Wrinkle
II hope the explanation doesn't spoil
it," rlurnured Miss Brainard.
"Oh, you like it, do you?" asked her
nephew. grinning. Il thought you dis
approved
explanation" she answered.
The CLEAN of triumph came back to
Brainard's eyes. Il don't know just
where to begin" he said slowly, tax.
ing out his inevitable cigarette and
, lighting it. This represents some
years Of study, you know, this. little
exhibition I have given you. But
let's go back to ghosts.
He smiled at Carol. but the girl
) did not respond now. She locked at
' John, then frankly nestled against him.
Perhaps you have heard, and per-
| haps you haven't, that one Of the
theories evolved b. men who have
; delved into physical research is that
every event that occurs in the physical
world is definitely, permanently record
ed-as definitely and pernantly as
every human impression received py the
human brain, no matter how nesting,
is recorded in what We call the SUB
conscious memory"
"Oh, this is going to be deep stuff"
Carol came back to an upright pcs
ture and to her usual pertness. VINO
makes the records?"
"IIl let you answer that question,
young lady," returned Brainard. do
YOU know what it is that We some
times call the ether?"
Don't be tiresome, Rad. Make 1t
snsppy!"
"Well. If you know. won't try to
define it, which nobody has succeeded
in doing anyhow. But the ether
being that fundamental thing that
is so far as we know as nearly onanl-
present AS"
"Oh. we know. It's the stuff that
our little planet is suspended in, ike
balloon in the air-only it pene-
trates the balloon. doesn't it?-and is
over and under and through and be,
hind and beyond! Don't try to tell
us scientifically. It's the stun that
space is made of, isn't it? And maybe
everything that's in space, too?
Wen let it go at that" said
Brainard. That's nearly as much as
our little minds can grasp anyway. and
enough for our purpose. But scientists
have belieyed-some of them-and are
increasingly inclined to believe. that the
phychic- are partially right.
at least. They believe that the ether
does receive and record an impression
of a physical event, of every physical
event that occurs, and stores it per-
manently in the locality where 1t takes
placed"
"Well. that's ghostly enough all by
itself, if it's true!" exclaimed John.
i've proved that it is true" said
Brainard quietly.
No one spoke for a moment. To
Phyllis the sense of foreboding re-
turned like child. She reached out
1.