And, pondering thus, he fell sweetly asleep from the rigor of the disputes; the flattering attentions shown him; the joy of the victory; and the exceeding amount of attention and interest he had expended, for human nature has its limitations, even in the case of one so strong as Volos. And while he slumbered, the fascinating stranger (who was really the leader of the argumentative visiting committee), crept into the house and unloaded upon Emo-tione a choice collection of gilt-edged mining stock {pure gilt, all the way through in fact); a bunch of flying-machine bonds, and a 5,000 monkey-power, vestibuled drawing-room, observation-car Auto-mobile called the "Yellow Peril." And when Volos discovered what had happened be wept aloud, crying bitterly, "Odds-bones; s'death - of a cert am I the Baron E. Z. Mark." And thereupon he sent for the wise man who dwelt in the next barony.

The wise man came, and after hearing the story said: "My children, yours is a sad case, but mat-ters may be adjusted without a visit to Sioux Falls, and without the raising of the question of alimony. The trouble is as follows: "Volos, without Emo-tione, has no desire or incentive to do things. He has no wants to satisfy, and therefore does nothing. He needs Emotione to supply the desire. And with-out her he has no feeling - he is nothing but a hard-shell clam. Therefore he needs her to supply the feeling, for verily, and of a truth, feeling is the spice of life. And without her he has no imagina-tion, and cannot see beyond the end of his nose - and what is life without imagination? Gadzooks, one might as well be a mummy!

"And on the other hand, Emotione without Volos, is a consuming fire of desire; an unrestrained imagi-nation; an intuitive faculty degenerated into the basest superstition, most deplorable credulity, and the idlest fancy. Volos has no desire, emotion, or imagination of bis own - and Emotione has no will of her own. "Verily, cannot it be seen by all that this couple needs one another the worst way? Each, alone, is but an incomplete half. United they stand - divided they fall. In union alone is there strength for them.

"And more than this, each, without the other, falls a prey to the wiles of some fascinating stranger. We have seen how Emotione was fascinated and controlled by the stranger who gained access to the castle. But I have also seen (by my magic art) that when Volos was away from borne on important business, and not having Emotione along to keep him straight, he fell a victim to the wiles of the Desire and Imagination of a fair stranger across the river, and did her bidding, and used his will to perform her tasks, instead of those desired by his own Emotione. Verily, art these people quits with one another and should now begin over again. True it is that harmony will be theirs only when they are together.

"And this is the secret of the undoing of Emotione. Without the will of Volos to protect her, direct her, and advise her, Emotione allowed her desire imagination, and emotion to run wild and unrestrained. And so she became so impressionable as to allow herself to be mastered by the will of the stranger, who took advantage of the same and gathered to himself many choice orders for things. And even when Volos sat by the door watching the players, dancers, and jugglers, his attention was so centered on what he saw, that the fascinating stranger slipped through the gate - it was even as if Volos had been absent from home. And, again, when Volos allowed himself to become engaged in weighty discourse with the visiting committee, and used up his energy and force in argument and dispute with them - and when he permitted himself to be 'jollied' into a false security by these United Brethren of the Blarney-Stone - he relaxed his vigilance, and allowed himself to become tired, drowsy and sleepy, and so fell into a doze at his post, and the stranger again entered and took Emotione's orders for goods. "And this then is the Remedy (as my successor, Lawson of Boston, will say in the centuries to follow) - this is the Remedy. Each person of this Men-tative Couple must stick close to the other. Volos must have no 'important business' across the river, which will allow Emotione to be without a protector and adviser. And Emotione must stick close to Volos, and satisfy her curiosity, imagination, emotion and desire, by setting him to work out things for her - to do things dreamed of by her- to get her things she desires - to express the things felt by her. This is the secret of success, dear Mentative Couple - mutual work by desire and will, working in unison and harmony - each faithful to the other - each guarding the other from the fascinating strangers that beset each when separated. Now, then children, stick close to each other!"

And saying this, the Wise Man vanished from sight.

And the moral of this fable of the Mentative Couple is this: That the mind of every man and woman is a Mentative Castle, wherein dwells a Volos and an Emotione. And what happened to the couple in the fable, may happen, and does happen, to many in everyday life. The will, straying from home, and paying attention to other attractions leaves the castle unguarded, and the fascinating stranger enters. And. again, the will has its attention distracted by passing objects of interest, and forgets the castle door. And again, the will allows itself to be fatigued, tired, and jollied by useless argument, and talk, and cogitation, at the instigation of the designing fascinating stranger, and the latter slips past the gate. And in each case, inside the gate is Emotione unprotected and innocent, true to her own nature, credulous, imaginative, fanciful, desireful, and emotional - is it any wonder that she "orders goods" that are not wanted by the family? And the remedy of the wise man as given to the Mentative Couple may be, and should be, applied by every man and woman in his or her Mental Castle. And this then is the moral of the fable.

And thus endeth the fable of the Mentative Couple, who dwell in the Mentative Castle, in Mentalvania, in the days of old when brave knights held their sway and fair ladies had their way.