The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-12

strung chords of nature, but that fell
low! Was not the ear in that great
body too gross for such delicate NUT
terings?
Presently he said:
"May l see what you work at?'
The fellow handed his wooden post.
1t was by no means lovely. The men
and birds were almost g%rotesque in
their labored resemblance to nature
and bore signs of patient thought.
The stranger turned the thing over on
his knee.
"Where did you learn this work."
II taught myself"
"And these zigzag lines REPRESENT
"a mountain"
The stranger looked.
at has some meaning, has it mott"
The boy muttered confusedly:
"Only things"
The questioner looked down at him
the huge, unwieldy figure, in size q
mans, in right Of its childlike Yea
lures and curling hair q child's-and It
hurt him. 1t attracted him, and 1t
hurt him. It was something between
pity ana sympathy.
How long have you worked at
this?"
mine months"
From his pocket the stranger drew
his pocketbook and took something
from it. He could fasten the post to
his horse in some way and throw It
away in the sand when at q safe dis
lance.
Twill you take this for your carv-
ing" N
The boy glanced at the f5 note and
shook his head.
"No; l cannot"
@You think it is worth more?" asked
the stranger, with a little sneer.
He pointed with his thumb to q
grave.
"No; it is for him."
"And who is there?" asked the strar,-
ger.
my father"
The man silently returned the note
to his p%ocketbook and gave the carv-
ing to the boy and, drawing his hat
over his eyes, composed himself to
sleep. Not being able to do SO, after
awhile he glanced over the fellows
shoulder to watch him work. The boy
carved letters into the back.
"If," said the stranger, with his
melodious voice, rich with q sweetness
that never showed itself. in the clouded
eyes, for sweetness will linger on in
the voice after it has died out in the
eyes-"if for such a purpose, why
write that upon it?"
The boy glanced at him, but made
no answer. He had almost forgotten
his presence.
"You surely believe" said the stran-
ger, chat some day, sooner or later,
these graves will open and those Boer
Incles with their wives walk about
here in the red sand with the very
feshly legs with which they went to
sleep? Then why say, sHe sleeps for
everY You believe he will stand up
again?"
"Do youY" asked the boy, lifting for
an instant his heavy eyes to the stran-
gers face.
Half taken aback, the stranger laugh
ed. 1t was as though a curious little
tadpole which he held under his glass
should suddenly lift it's tail and begin
to question him.
II? No." He laughed his short,
thick laugh. 81 am a nan who be-
lieves nothing, hopes nothing, fears
nothing, feels nothing. l am beyond
the pale of humanity, no criterion Of
what you should be who live here
among your ostriches and bushes"
The next moment the stranger was
surprised by a sudden movement on
the part of the fellow, which brought
him close to the strangers feet. Soon
after he raised his carving and laid It
across the mans knee.
eyes, I will tell you," he muttered;
Il will tell you all about it."
He put his finger on the grotesque
little manikin at the bottom (ah, that
mar who believed nothing, hoped moth
ing, felt nothing-how he loved himD,
and with eager finger the fellow moved
upward, explaining over fantastic fig
ures and mountains. to the browning
bird from whose wing dropped a feath-
er. At the end he spoke with broken
breath-short words, like one who ut
ters things Of mighty import
The stranger watched more the face
than the carving, and there was now
and then a show of white teeth be-
meath the mustaches as he listened.
II think" he said blandly when the
boy had done, that l partly under
stand you. 1t is something after this
fashion, is it not" He smiled. "In
certain valleys there was a hunter.'
He touched the g%rotesque little figure
at the bottom. ebay by day he went
to hunt for wild fowl in the woods, and
it Glanced that once he stood on the
shores of a large lake. While he stood
waiting in the rushes for the coming
of the birds a great shadow fell on
him, and in the water he saw a re-
Fiction. He looked up to the sky, but
the thing was gone. Then a burning
desire came over him to see once again
that reflection in the water, and all
day he watched and waited. but night