Elizabeth Garver Jordan

“ One of Herforth's political victims had sent him a box for the opera, and that hospitable youth had invited rather more of his friends than the box would hold to enjoy the music with him. They had had a jolly time. Miss Imboden's dark eyes twinkled as she recalled it. After the opera they had indulged in a little supper—a very good supper, she remembered. She mentally and lingeringly called up the various items of the bill of fare. They had begun with steamed oysters, followed by mallard duck with jelly, celery, and champagne, and ending with the reckless conbination of lobster salad and ices. ”

“ Virginia Imboden looked at the familiar scene with unseeing eyes, her forehead pressed dismally against the window-pane. Before her was this artless evidence of simple prosperity. In the street, beyond the garden wall, white-frocked children played about, daintily regardful of their clothes. The warm summer breeze that had been dallying among the geraniums suddenly bore up to her the tones of a street organ. ”

“ The cable cars that rounded "Dead Man's Curve" bore a freight of fortunate human beings—going home to dinner! The organ man who ground out the ghostly strains of long-forgotten airs on a wheezy little instrument near the corner would soon go home to dinner. The world was full of people to whom dinner was a cheerful commonplace, while to her—
A passing woman, clad in a shabby black gown, had hesitated and was looking at her sympathetically. Miss Imboden realized, with a sudden flush, that she must have staggered a trifle and that she was now standing still. ”

“ It lessens the strain on one's mind. When you find yourself loathing a fellow you can accept the condition as a matter of course instead of speculating about it and fearing that you are doing him an in justice. ”

“ She smiled back at him with as frank a friendliness as his own.
"According to the theosophists," she said, "our souls have recognized each other. They always do, through any number of incarnations, if they are really congenial and friendly. They recognize their enemies of past incarnations, too, and so, when you meet a man and take what you think is an unreasonable dislike to him, it simply means that you and he have had some trouble in another life and that the soul has recognized its enemy. ”

“ You need merely say to yourself, 'Well, he acted so badly in that seventeenth incarnation of his that no self-respecting man could have anything to do with him now.' Whereupon you dismiss him from your mind with a contented smile. ”

“ Miss Imboden was tucked cosily into a big chair near a window overlooking the ivy-covered Moorish court of the hotel; under her tired feet was a hassock, in her hand was a big palm-leaf fan, and before her sat Ruth Herrick, all interest and attention.
"Now I 'll tell you what you 're going to do," said that resolute young person when the tale was ended. "You 're to stay here with me until you get thoroughly settled. I think our city editor will give you a place on 'The Searchlight.' He was asking to-day for some one to do the news of the women's clubs when the season opens. ”