The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-05-11

old face wreathed I'm unusual smiles.
The Pilot has been talking to him too.
"Ivc got 1t, Latour!" he cried out as
he entered. Here you are" And he
broke into the beautiful French Cana
dian cllanson "a la Claire Fontaine,"
to the old half breeds almost fearful
delight.
do you know" he went on, IT heard
that first down the Mattawa," and
away he went into n story of an ex-
periencc with French Canadian RATS.
men, mixing up his French and Eng
fish In so charming n II that La
tour, who I'm his younger days long ago
had beer n shantyman himself, could
hardly know whether he was standing
on his head or OH his heels.
After tea 1 proposed n ride out to see
the sunset from the nearest rising
ground. Latour, with unexampled
generosity, offered his own cayuse,
Louis.
81 can't ride WELL" protested the
Pilot.
"Ah, OATS good ponce, Louis" urged
Lotour. Hes quiet lax wan leetle
mouse; he's ride lak--Yhat you calf
wan horse on de rock" Under
which persuasion the pony was ac-
CGpted.
That evening / saw the Swan Greek
country with new cyes-through the
luminous eyes of the Pilot. We rode
up the trail by the side of the Swan
till we came to the coulce mouth, dark
and full Of mystery.
Come on" l said, 1--WE must get to
the top for the sunset"
He looked lingcringly into the deep
shadows and asked, Anything live
down thcreT"
Coyotes and wolves and ghosts"
"GhostsT" he asked delightedly. "Do
you know, 1 was sure there Were, and
I'm quite sure / shall see Them"
Then we took the Porcupine trail
and climbed for about two miles the
gentle slope to the top of the first ris-
ing ground. There we stayed and
watched the sun take his nightly
plunge into the sea Of mountains, now
dimly visible. Behind us stretched the
prairie, sweeping out level to the sky
and cut by the winding coulee Of the
Swan. Great long shadows from the
hills were lying upon It's yellow face,
and far at the distant edge the gray
haze was deepening into purple. Be-
fore us lay the hills, softly curying
like the shoulders Of great sleeping
monsters, their tops still bright, but
the separating valleys full OF shadow.
And there, far beyond them, up against
the sky, was the line OF the mountains
blue, purple and gold, according as
the light fell upon them.
The sun had taken his plunge, but he
had left behind hin the robes of SAT-
from and gold. We stood long without
a word or movement, filling our hearts
with the silence md the beauty, till
the gold In the west began to grow
dim. High above all the night wns
stretching her star pierced, blue can
opy and drawing slowly up from the
east over tho prairie and over the sleep
ing hills the soft folds Of n purple haze.
The great silence of the dying day
had fallen Upon the world md held
us fast.
"Listen," he said in n low tone, point
ing to the hills. Cant you hear them
breathe?' And, looking Mt their curv-
Ing shoulders, | fancicd 1 could see
them slowly hcaving as II in heavy
sleep. and l was quite sure 1 could
hear them breathe. 1 was under the
spell of his voice and his eyes, and
nature vas all living to me then.
We rode back to the Stopping Place
In silence, except for n word OF mine
now and then which he needed not,
and, with hardly a good night, he left
-.~ - Rl,D H.. ~ 81
ing as IL l had been In n strange coun-
try and among strange people.
How would he do with the Swan
Greek folk? Could he make them
see the hills breathe. Would they feel
as / felt under his voice and eyes7
What n curious mixture he was! 1
was doubtful about his first Sunday,
and was surprised to find all my In
difference as to his success or failure
gone. 1t was n pity about the baseball
match. I would speak to some Of the
men about 1T tomorrow.
Hi might be disappointed In his ar.
pearance. but as l turned into my
shack and thought over my last two
hours with the Pilot and how he had
got old Latour and myself / began
to think that Hi might be mistaken in
his measure Of the Pilot.
fTO uE coNTIIIED