THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 165 
creation, this is worth the labor and cost of 
the investigation.” 
“ Well said!” was his friend’s answer. I 
think you not only * begin to get clearer con¬ 
ceptions,’ but have made great progress, and 
have got fairly out of the mists of your old 
hypochondriac philosophy. I begin to fear that 
your only drawback will be the necessity of 
trying to convert such a heretic as I must now 
confess myself to be, made so, mostly, by the 
cogency of your own reasoning; for, truly, 
Charley, many of your arguments were so 
strongly put that I could find no reasons for 
rebuttal, and so have accepted them as demon¬ 
strations.” 
“Well, Lew,” was the reply, “if that is so, 
I am sorry; for it shows that you have far less 
wit than I gave you credit for. But, to put it 
in a more favorable light, it may be considered 
but another instance, going to show how much 
more ready the heart of man is to receive the 
silly ravings of some half lunatic than the 
soundest teachings of true philosophy.” 
“Thank you kindly,” rejoined Rudolph, “for 
your excellent excuse for my recent conversion 
to your own faith; but, nevertheless, the facts 
