The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-02-21

world beyond the wilderness; CT if they thought of it, they would not speak.
 Nearly d yeas had passed, when one afternoon she had padded the litfie boat far out of sight down the lake, seeking the last of the wafer-hlies. He vas plncking the grass from the little garden plant. From the brush two sinister eyes were watching him.
 The outlaw Mexican scanned him closely. "Ayl that is the conspirator. Justine. sas him in Mexico-the re- ward is still good-or his head will at least buy my pardon
 Roumanie did not hear the gun. The old man staggered and fell, few drops of blood oozing from the little hole in his temple. The dusky savage sprang for ward with drawn knife, to sever the old mans head from his neck. Two other eyes had been watching.
 A hungry panther scented the blood as she basked upon an over-hsnging bough. And one mans flesh was to her as good as that of another. A yellow beast fell from the limb. The knife was hurled from the Mexican as he was crushed to the earth. He felt the hot blood burst from his mangled throat and blubber upon his oath-parched lips The yellow chops of the panther have grown red. Her hunger satisfied, with a low growl she left the haltdeyoured carcass.
 
 The boat touched the shore.
 "Papap He did not answer so mer- rily singing. Roumanie tripped up the hill. She called again, but the lips that had so often caressed her were cold. She hastened into the house-he was not there. A presentiment of evil seemed to have entered her soul, and although she tried to be brave and finish the song, her lips were quivering. She passed into the garden.
 A glance was all.
 She pressed her hand to her brow and sank upon the ground. Finally she arose. She clasped the cold head to her bosom, as if to warm it, and rocked to and fro. She caressed the blood-te- dabbled hair upon his temples, so oobing. All night, she sat and wept beside the body-for when morning came she knew that it must be buried. At dawn she dug grave and, laying her father within it, she covered him over and raised mound.
 The anguish was more than she could bear. Intelligence fiickered and went out.
 Aimlessly she roamed about the .bor- der of the lake. Sometimes she wove garlands of grasses and flowers and put them on the grave. Sometimes she sat with eyes long fixed on some letters in hieroglyphics, which her father had pre- served as mementoes. These she would fondle, for many hours at time.
 But winter came again and there were no more flowers with which to decorate the grave she loved, and she wept bit terly.
 Then she disappeared! And it is said that, immediately afterwards, a group of lilies in the centre of the lake sprang up and that, when cold winds have blighted all other flowers, those peculiar ones that you sec, continue to bloom; and even at Christmas time are richer and more beautiful than ever-but upon each flower is tiny crimson spot, like a feck of blood. The earliest inhabitants believed | that some plying power had changed | Roumanie into those flowers, and would | never pluck them.
 The name of the lake originated in some letters found by a pioneer upon wonder tallest cypress. All are efaced now except the "M," but he found M-USTIN-," which was all that then remained of Marcus Justine so he called the lake, Muslin"
 He paused.
 "Is that all ?" she asked.
 It is all that ever heard, is it not sad enough ?"
 A tear was in her eye as sine trailed her white hand in the water, letting it trickle between her fingers. "The sun is down let us go back and join our friends"
 The young man took up the paddle again, and white line of bubbles upon the now dark water followed the boat as 1t neared its haven.
 "Wiil you not answer me before we leave Lake Muslin ?" he asked.
 The boat grated upon the cypress. knees close to the bank.
 "Solve 1t as you would have it." she answered as he lifted her out, and for a moment held her in his arms. He kissed H