Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-10-12
THE FINDING OF FINGALL.

"FJngaW Fjng0Ui-Oh, FingdU!"
A gray mist was rising from the river,
the sun was drinking it delightedly, the
swift blue water showed underneath il and
the top of Whitehead Mountain peaked
the mist by a hand-length. The river
brushed the banks like rustling silk, and
the only other sound, very sharp and clear
in the liquid monotone, was the crack of a
woodpecker's beak on hickory tree
1t was a sweet, fresh, autumn morning
in Lonesome Valley. Before night the
deer would below reply to the hunters
rifles, and the mountain goat call to its I'M
known gods; but now there was only the
wild duck skimming the river, and then
rising and fading into the mist, the high
hilltop, the sun, and again that strange
cry: "FingaW FngdU-Oh FingaH,"
Two men, lounging at a fire on a ledge
of the hills, raised their eyes to the mount
ain-side beyond and above them, and one
said presently:
"The second time. It's woman's voice,
Pierre"
Pierre nodded, and abstractedly stirred
the Goals about with a twig.
"Well, it is pity-the poor Cynthie ~
he said at last.
at is woman, then. "You know her,
Pierre-her story!"
"FmgdW HHgdU! FmgdUr'
Pierre raised his head towards the sound :;
then after moment said:
81 know Fingall."
"And the woman? Tell me-"
"And the girl. Fingall was such as
ShOn Mccain, all fire and heart and devil
may care. She was not beautiful except
in the eye, but that was like flame of red
and blue. Her hair, too-then would trip
her, if it hung loose That was all except
that she loved him too much But wom-
en-et pas, when woman gets man be-
tween her and the heaven above and the
earth beneath, and there comes the great
hunger, what is the good A man cannot
understand, but he can see and he can
fear. What is the good? TO play with
life is not much, but to play with soul is
more than a thousand lives. Look at Cyn-
THE
He paused, and Lawess waited patient
ly. He knew Pierre well.
Presently Pierre went on.
"Fingall was gentH He would take
off his hat to a squaw. 1t made no differ
ence what Others did; he didn't think; it
was like breathing to him! How can you
tell the way things happen? Cynthie's
father kept the tavern at st. Gabriel
Fork, over against the great saw-mill
Fingall was foreman of gang in the lum-
ber-yard. Cynthie had a brother-Fenn.
Fem was as bad as they make, but she
loved him, and Fingall knew it well, while
he hated the young skunk. The girls
eyes were like two little lirehies when Fin
gall was about, and what he thought of
her he said to me once: They are the kind
God made for the whole year round He
h., l, 4
a name-Fingall-lik that! | think he
did not expect to stay; he seemed to be
waiting for something, for always when the
mail came in he would be there, and after
wards you wouldn't see him for a time.
So it seemed to me that he made up his
mind to think nothing of Cynthe and to
say nothing"
"FmgGH- FngoW OH, FIHgaHr"
The strange, sweet, singing voice sound
ed nearer.
"She is coming. this way, Pierre" said
Lawless.
81 hope not to see her What is the
good?"
"Well, let us have the rest of the story
Her brother Fem was in Fingall gang.
One day there was trouble. Fem called
Fingall liar. The gang stopped piling.
They expected the usual thing. 1t did not
come. Fingall told him to leave the yard,
and they would settle some other time.
That night there was wicked thing. We
were sitting in the bar-room when we
heard two shots and then fall. We ran
into the other room. There was Fem on
the floor dying. He lifted himself on his
elbow, pointed at Fingall, and fell back.
The father of the boy stood white and still
few feet away. There was no pistol
showing-none at all. The men closed in
on Fngall now. He did not stir; he seem
ed to be thinking of something else. He
had puzzled, sorrowful look. The men
Toared round him, but he waved them back
for moment, and looked first at the father,
then at the son. | could not understand
at first, Some one pulled pistol out OF
Fingalrs pocket and showed it. At that
moment Cynthie came in. She gave a cry.
l do not want to hear a cry like that often
She fell on her knees beside the boy, and