The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-05
(Continued.)

not go, he haStened to say, afraid, as
an artist always is at such a moment,
that his pearls might have been cast
before swine.
Seeing that l had not failed to com
prehend, he settled back upon his bench
and glanced downward with shiver
at his helpless and distorted legs.
A month or more afterward in Berlin
/ put this air into form that made a
song of it, though the finished compost
ton was sadly inferior to the frag
ment l was fully aware of this, but
l had to do it. There was no other
way to get the thing out of my head
Also l wrote some verses which sound
ed like those familiar English trans
lations of classical German songs made
by person ignorant of both languages
and of the art of poetry. Yet patient
and discerning listener might gather
from my lines the gist of the poor
young Switzer's notion.
This little story is necessary to the
telling of a strange thing that hap
pened on Mrs. Witherspoon's lake. 1t
may have been four or five days later
than the incidents described in the last
chapter and meanwhile | had been
making a most egregiOus donkey of
myself from purely altruistic motives.
| had devoted myself to Miss Jones,
taking her away from Trask whenever
l could-and, singularly enough, that
did not seem to be very difficult. Such
small articles as l am master of fire.
quently sufficed to divide the sketching
party under the north tree into two
groups, thus giving me an opportunity
| yN11f o.
times without any at all, l dare say,
looking back upon it now.
NV amiable intention was to give
Trask a chance to learn the truth of his
own heart. | had changed my mind
about telling him to go away, and had
decided that he was really in love with
Miss Witherspoon and didn't know it.
That she loved him was beyond ques-
| ton, and it seemed no more than fair
| that she should be seen for herself and
not hidden in the light of another girls
| beauty.
have mentioned the report that Miss
! Jones was an heireSS, a rumor which,
| in the singular conditions prevailing,
was not able to verify. She certainly
had the way of one accustomed to
everything that money can buy. But
never really charged Trask with mer-
| cenary motives. l believed that he was
dazzled, that he was under the spell of
a physical allurement, which, am will
/ ing to confess, was strong enough some
times to make me tremble. For the
! girl was beautiful beyond belief, and
/ that's the truth about it,
| The experienced reader will say at
/ hot I 10 N o.
possible, and to this opinion l can add
that nothing else need be expected of
me- In matters of romance | am the
complete and perfect blunderhead. Poor
/ little Lucy Ami That 1 should wish
her well and plot in her behalf was
enough of itself alone to lose the game.
This had been going on for the best
part of a week, as l have said, and / was
/ beginning to wonder in odd moments
whether it was my heart or Trask's
| that was the subject of the experiment,
when fate removed the bandage from
my eyes for a small part of a second.
| We were walking in the edge of the
north grove-we four-and this time it
was Lucy AIMS society with which
was favored. / am of the opinion that
| Trask and Miss Jones, who were
| ahead, thought that we had stopped to
| pick some roses. We hadn't, and the
result was that we came upon them
unexpectedly as they stood under a
| gnarled tree with a great black trunk
that looked as broad as a barn door. 1
| can see them now outlined against
| that singular background, the girl
/ aglow self luminous with her beauty;
! Trask in white fannels and looking
remarkably handsome. He had prob
ably picked up her handkerchief and
| in returning it had raised her hand to
! his lips Then she had added another
| hand, clasping his, and had met his
! eyes as he looked up. The picture was
a perfect probationary sweet, yet
sad as if the two had been parting
| forever.
| 1t was all in a flash, and they were
/ in conventional attitudes again, turn
! ing to greet US and startled by the
| swapping of a twig under my foot.
Lucy Ann was very little behind me.
/ shot a quick glance at her, and she
seemed not to have seen. Surely if she
had she was a thoroughbred. 1 gave
no hint to her, nor she to me. unless
perhaps there was less color in her
| cheeks.
In the evening of this day occurred
the incident of the lake. The fire was
burning upon the rocks for the third
| time. Once since the first interchange
! of songs had found the beacon af1ame
| and had thrilled to that wonderful
voice again, responding humbly with
my own for want of a better. | think
! the experience had helped to preserve
me from Miss Jones. Upon this third
/ occasion it was consolation and