The age-herald., 1898-09-25
PRINT IN THE SAND /. o~

It was just an ordinary foot print in the moist earth on the river bank, a well de- fined imprint of a lady's foot, but it inter- ested me greatly. I am not conscious that l have more than my share of sentiment, or am at all one of those effervescent crea- lures who are stirred profoundly by a wo- mans shoe, empty at that much less would l be expected to interest myself in a mere track in the mud. Yet that foot print touched some chord in my nature that re- sponded instantly. l do not seek to excuse it. When the famous Crusoe was so deeply lgitated by the print of a human foot, there was some reason in the weakness It was a naked foot and it disturbed the soli- tude of years. But the person who made my print q already regarded it with sense of ownership was not barefooted. Far from it. The shoe which pressed that soft bit of earth was of the latest pattern and my imagination at once clothed the owner with all sorts of interesting qualities.
 In the first place, how did the foot print come there? It was about two feet from the waters edge and pointed inland at an angle of forty-five degres, but there was no mate to it and absolutely no other trace of human presence, much less the presence of a lady. It was as if Venus, clothed for once, had come out of the water, poised herself on one foot as she shook the liquid pearls from her hair, and vanished.
 I carefully built a palsade of twigs around the footprint and went back to the house to lay the matter before the boys.
 There were four of us in the party, in cluding our host, Will Esterbrook. This young man had indulged one of his many faneies and leased for summer home an abandoned mill. It was In as pretty a spot as he could find along the Fox, one of the most picturesque rivers in Illinois.
 The mill made a fine summer cottage, if the term cottage could be applied to the an- cient structure of substantial stone, devoid of all ornamentation save a wealth of wood bine which clung lovingly to the unattrac- tive walls, transforming them in summer to winter uesolasior. oi e,--U had been built overlooking the river where 1t wound through most charming wilder ness and poured over an old dam which long before had ceased to be an obstruc- ton. The first floor of the building, except one corner where a kitchen had been en- closed, was left unchanged single room large enough for a dance hall A dining table opposite the kitchen was promise of good cheer abundantly fulfilled; hammocks, swung from the old timber supports and plenty of easy chairs gave the place an air of solid comfort Upstairs, a number of bedrooms had been partitioned off and de- gently furnished. It was strange trans forma tion for the old mill, but none the less delightful
 Pending the arrival of Wills mother and sisters, we four were keeping bachelors hall, and glorious time we were having. There was great seclusion, almost isola- tion, beauty of scenery and plenty of quiet sport, all of which advantages Will set forth to us in glowing speech after we were seated at the table for the first meal at Mill -the-Fox, as the new home had been at once christened Wills way of freeing his mind was to make a speech and we were used to it.
 He stood with one foot on his chair, good fellowship beaming from every feature, as he waved fork for attention. We at once suspended the medtated attack to listen.
 Boys" he said in his most grandiloquent tones reserved for state occasions, fellow prisoners escaped temporarily from life's drudgery, welcome to Mill ll-on-the-Fox. Welcome to this quiet spot. You will not find the rugged beauty of New England, nor the wilder grandeur of the Rockies. There. nature, grown dissipated. has in- dulged in some extraordinary sprees; but here, my friends, here Is where the old girl lives. Here Is her home and her latch string Is always out. Here, she has created true beauty. which is beauty without waste. Here"
 At this point George arose to his full height of six feet one and one-half inches from which lofty position he was wont to look down upon the rest of us, and with wave of his arm stopped the flow of ora tory.
 Excuse me, Will," he said with the air of an oracle and great ear1estness of manner, "beauty without waist would be a mon- strosity."
 That was a full week before, and except for an occasional fisherman, we had been alone in our glory.
 .Will,' said l, upon reaching the mill. 'T thought you said there was no game around here larger than a sQuirrel?"
 "So did"
 "Well, found a fresh track this morning