Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-26

uraIist ite nov ;e author Of Attack on the
| Mill, Souvenirs" Mana, etc.
The vicar assembled his pulpit, in his
wide surplice of the whiteness of angels
The pretty little baroness sat in her
usual place, near a hot-air register
where she could be warm, and opposite
| the chapel of Holy Angels.
The vicar meditated, as usual Then
he wiped his lips with fine linen hand
kerchief. Opening his arms like an an
gel about to take flight, he bent his
| head and spoke.
| Like a stream of running water in
| the great nave was his voice. Like an
enormous sigh Of the wind among the
| leaves was the wears voice. And that
! sigh or puff of wind increased slowly
until the breeze became hurricane and
the voice rolled beneath the arched root
with the majestic rumble ef thunder
| Yet now and then the voice would be-
come soft, like an occasional ray CT sun
shine in the heavy storm of his elo-
quence.
| The little baroness enjoyed every mo-
ment Of all this. from the first breeze to
! the last blast. Her attitude was greedy
and delighted, like that of some one
VIII lidu lIIt lcllIleO app cCidt
sary to enjoy this sort of thing. She
loved this mans eloqucnce like dainty
morsel, and she would get every pos
sible shade of exquisite enjoyment out
Of it. Such was celestial joy--the &C.
Stasv Of all devout persons.
The wears music had burden OF
meaning. His topic was fasting. He
told how the modification of the flesh
pleased the Deity to whom he prayed
He would bend over the edge of the
pulpit, like a great white bird on a
perch, and gay:
Brothers and sisters mine, the hour
has come when all Of us must bear our
cross. crown ourselves with thorns,
ascend our Calvary and walk with
naked feet among the rocks and bram-
bleS"
The little baroness thought this sem
tence was especially well put-eXcep-
tionally we'll turned She blinked her
some delectable morsel. Then the re-
newing symphony of the wears elo-
quence lulled her into a semi-dHeamy
state. Her inner being was voluptuously
thrilling to the pleasures Of listening.
Only one thought marred the enjoy
ment Of the little baroness. That was
that the vicar seemed to be hurrying
He would be through before his usual
time if he kept up such pace. Which
would mean that the coachman of the
baroness would not be at the door-she
would be forced to wait-and it was
cold and rainy outside, this night.
Yet one must suffer when one is de-
vout. She had come out in the most
terrible weather so as not to miss the
wears eloquence. Though her pious
pleasure was troubled, it had not been
sacrificed, that was certain.
Sudden explosions of verbal violence
would awaken the baroness from her
reveries She would then slowly nod
her head in approval. 1t seemed that
her opinion always conceded with that
of the vicar. But she soon resumed her
musings and would be lost in dreaming
comfort. How could she help it-seated
at her ease in comfortable place, near
the hot-air ventilator cushion under
her feet to keep them off the cold floor
Really, you know, the little baroness
came to church for kind OF festival of
her senses. The nave, with its shadows
and light. The incense. The gold and
marble ornaments. Her person-plump
pretty. petted. flattared-came to in
dulge itself in the sights and sounds and
smells which delighted it. The immense
beatitude thrilled her.
The vicar was still at the height of
his fervid wrath. In his speech he
plunged his devot listeners into the
deepest pits of damnation. At a final
sentence Of this percration his hearers
could be seen to shudder. Even the lit
tie baroness, almost asleep though she
was, smiled vaguely as though in ap-
proval.
Perhaps it should be said that the
little baroness was we'll acquainted
with the vicar. AS a matter of fact
he had been her guest at dinner only
the previous evening. The vicar was
very fond of truffied salmon pate, and
pomard was his favorite wine.
Indeed. between 35 and 40 as he was
the vicar was handsome. He was dark
with round and rosy face, like the
merry face Of servant girl on farm
He handled his knife and fork we'll at
table, and was an excellent CONVEX
sationalist Women, it may be guessed
adcred him. The little baroness was
quite fond Of him, in a manner OF
speaking.
But the vicar played no favorites
He went from baroness to countess. and
from countess to marchioness, and sc
on to other penitentS throughout his