Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-14


had made the old La Fleur place the
dread of belatcd hunters and bewildered
cattle-drivers. Not man had ever tarrled
about the charmed spot and escaped. The
three edged knife had done its bloody
work unfailingly. That cross-hilted, rus
ty old weapon had become familiar to my
eyes, although | had never seen it. who
welded itY Here again | am within II
breath of answering \ bat-like thought
Just beyond the tarthe.t reach of my
mind | strain every faculty III vain as
one strains ones memory for II lost but
almost remembered name. Indeed, every
one who had any thing to say about TINS
legend of the Sattallia appeared to feel
this peculiar effect of grazing as II with
the fuger-tips of the mind, the fullest
knowledge of the subject.
Driven to the hut in Il victim, the cross
hilted three. edged knife had been found,
50 it was said, by several persons at widely
separated times. but in each instance It
had escaped mysteriOusly from the pos
session of the finder to again pursue It's
bloody work along the Sattilla. tried III
vain to find some one of the individuals
who hod seen the weapon, but here again
the elements of tantalizing proximity to
my desire took the place of success. So,
too, the exact situation of La Fleur place
was not known by any Que OF my lntOr-
mants. though they all spoke of II as well
settled, the best established point on the
Satilla, in fact. Almost anybody, they
thought, might direct me to It,
In the course of Il lelsurely canoe-voy
age down the river, noted several places
where plantations had once existed; but
no feature particularly suggested La
lcui p'aGe' ! N"n V,'i y - ~ ''i"
N'n "''7"' GV'' ~ 'i ~ ,
',,, I,,, ~ tbnn1,ht
,I .,,,in iii!o nnt,Gms
nalf-remembered song.
Wa WI d. .'iT,i' '' t,t ~ f'moirui
nIe1t iv"i' nVi W. ',r,a 'f
an! ui9Joln'o' a,V.S w II Guy 49, ,,
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t,'t MIN !, "; thot i.,,.,,,v ,,av so dom.
oSvu " ~ ~ ~ oii'' ~, iro L
s0,,'n "ncmit trirlt If fancv nerfnrmnG al
oo,ie " wy IN " 49,, ,u 49,
HoatS ~ Sto,esdTc o"' rs cnnat il tritI
n,,, u ~ t%at 10 .iIanca of Tho
80, 'o .'ti oni'' t',,'si. tt,nh Lri, ~
49," 1891 '' IN IN ~" HittaI h, ,.I7
M'nReu sols o,,u as ,h n, ir Wy va
IN $50 M ~, t,n,,a' M 'i0"
uelite eU ~ tiit 49, pit ""I "ii as
ot99ia . ue""' ~ t ~ Eu,ne o. ny ue"i
VI " N.C'lii'' 49, .,,i, ne "iio.eo wy
uPPGt ni I II. ,nS if,i,,'' lazy! oeI..,eu ~
Wy" ~ oO " 20 ~ ~. va ''ii' Ga "!' ~
"uCvH - i, E!''. ",'h go 81 ;.ic .
SUM VI huiiilulifS 'oeo i %!u vi oo"Sil'IS
VIM II pau vi IT, l'u even more
pursued my plant gathering and sketch
ING and matchmaking, but not to the eX-
clusion of the continually Increasing in
terest in the legend of La Fleur place and
the mysterious knife of the Sattilla
Toward evening one day, and what a
glorious day it had been, was pulling my
canoe along with leisurely paddle-strokes
down the low -murmuriug river between
the walls of dusky, moss mantled forest.
The air was STILL but not over-warm, or at
least noted no special sultrness. although
the sky glared and the sun had shone all
day with fierce splendor. For an hour or
two had not seen plant or Hover pos
sesslng any new interest and so had given
myself over to an absorbing revery The
woods which had lately been so cheerfully
noisy with the songs of birds and the rus
tie of breeze stirred foliage, were now alb
solutely soundless saving that he liquid
plash of my paddle sent little echoes down
the dim aisles, the very phantoms of sweet
sounds.
The first vague thrill of something I'M
usual touched my nerves as low, heavy,
indefinite sound, like the striking of some
sharp instrument INTO non resonant
body, came from somewhere in the forest,
Il II.