Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1886-07-08

she had again put the collar on the bear
and left the square with her animal, he
felt as if he also were attached to mag
ical chain, and obliged to follow her in
spite Of himself.
At the entranceof the forest, in the
spot where stood the little cross beside
which she halted in order to take rest
and to sharea piece Of bread with her
savage friend, she perceived that Serbian
was following her.
"What do you want?'' she asked.
'sNothing. belong to the place.
''You are musician9n
mo; my mother has home and gar
den in the neighborhood.
eThen what do you want?D
ST want to follow your
ITO follow mel Are you crazyqp
A smile played softly about the lips of
the handsome girl
"And why can't Im asked Serbian,
quite discouraged.
Because / forbid you to-
The road is free for everybody"
Il shall take good care to compel you
to go back home.
ssYou can't drive away your shadow.
I am your second shadow. pray you
do not beso cruel. Ican't help following
you.
She looked at him with her great sibyl-
line eyes and did not answer, While she
was eating, he also sat down on the grass
few steps away from her.
When she had finished her meagre
meal, she rose up. She took the imperial
road, and Serbian, after watching the
young girl for an instant, followed her
at the distance of about hundred
yards.
He followed her from farm to farm,
from village to village, from one town
to another; wherever she halted, or
wherever she made her bear dance, he
stopped, too, and never ceased admiring
her. He rested in the same place where
she passed the night-whether under q
PEASANTS thatched roof, or under the
starry sky; he quenched his thirst at the
same fountain as she; be assuaged his
hunger whenever she and her bear took
their meals-to-day, perhaps, in a
gloomy tavern, tomorrow among the
stones Of some old ruined castle, or per
haps, in a ditch, under some wild sorb.
He never approached her except when
he felt her to be in ger-when a
drunken man would presume to attempt
to take liberties with her-when she
happened to be in some very lonesome
place-or when, through the night, he
perceived the shining eyes Of a wolf.
Once, during a violent storm, when
she had sought shelter under the willows
bordering a stream, Serbian had placed
himself near her, under a nut tree. and
she had spoken TO him for the second
time.
'sWhat is your name2n
Serbian; and Leptkowitsch is my
family namel And youG"
"My name is ca1ina.
.sYou are not of our couptryq'
sNoln
Then, where are you from2'
From the mountains over there; near
the Hungarian frontier
He asked her nothing more then be
began to look at her. He couldnot sa-
tiate himself with admirins the adorable
creature, whose cha te face was iIlumi-
mated BY two great dark eyes that flashed
beneath her magnificent hair.
''But what do you want to follow me
this way forln she continued, after short
silence. 'Tfiit is simply joke, think
it has been carried on long enongh.n
"0n the contrary, it is very serious
81 beg Of you go back homel'' she
said to him, in her gentlest voice.
Serbian shook his head.
s'You won'tgp
won't. 7
And if order your
As she said these words she rose. and
walked majestically toward him.
ssAnd if I order you, win you obey