The San Francisco call., 1906-11-25

Remember" He tried II once more. :.
Across Main street bridge at noonr'
Safety still. the voica came not. But
the words brought him an eerie tremors
for the mist OF memory came with
it, nothing tangible. nothing definite.
but something very far away and
shadowy, yet just poignant enough to
give him queer feeling that he was
really keeping an appointment here.
Was it with some water-sprits that
would rise from the rivsr7 Was IL with
a dryed OF thu sycamores7 He knsw
too well that he might expect strange
fancies to get hold OF him this morning.
and. as this one grew uncannily
as II 20 shake it or The result sur-
priscd him: the fancy remained but
bis headache ana dizziness had left
him.
A breeze wandered up the river and
touched the leaves aud grass to life
sparrews hoped and chirped in the
branches, absurdly surprised, without
doubt having concluded In the Sunday
stiIlness that the world would browse
forever: and the mongrei lifted his
head. blthked ut them. hopelessly wish
ing they would alight nsar him.
scratched his ear with the manner OF
one who has neglected such matters
again. The young corn. deep green IN
the hotton-iand. moved with . staccato
furry, and the dust ghost os q mad
whirling dervtsh sped up ths main road
to vanish at the bridge IN . climax
OF iunacy. The stirring air brought
smell OF blossoms: the distance took on
faint lavender hazes which blended the
outlines OF the nelds. lying like square
coverlets upon the long slope OF rising
ground beyond the bottom-iand, and
smpurpled ths blue woodland shadows
OF the groves.
For the arst time it struck Joe that
1t was q beautiful day. and IL came 70
him that . beautiful day was q thing
which nothing except death, sickness or
imprisonment could take from him
not even the ban OF Canaan Unfore-
warned. music sounded In his ears
again. but he dfd not shrink from IL
now. this was not the circus hand
melody Ike faraway ssrenade at
night. as OF "ths horns Of slfand
family blowing: and he closed bis
eyes with the sweetness Of t.
Go sheadF' he whispered. do thak
all you want TO. II you'll keep Il
up like this awhile I'll follow with
I. Little Brown jug. How Lcvs Thse"
II seems to pay. after aliY'
The welcome strains. however, were
but the prelude 20 a harshsr sound
which interrupted and nnnihilated
them: the courthouse bell changing out
Il. "Ail right" said Joe. ~It's noon
and I'm across Main-street bridge"
him whimsically. Than he shook hfs
head again.
A lady had Just emerged from the
bridge and was coming toward him.
II would be hard to get At Jos's first
Impressions OF her. We can ind convey
ance for only the broadsst and heav-
lest. Ancient and modern instances
multiply the case OF the sIssper who
dreams out long story I'm accurate
color and fns detail, . tale OF years.
IN the opening and shutting OF q door.
So with Joseph, In the BRIEF space or
tbs Iady's approach. And with him, as
with the sleeper. II must havs been
in fact IL was. In his recoliectionS later
Ia blur of emotion
At first sight OF her. perhaps 70 was
pre-eminently the shock % seeing any
thing 30 exquisite where he bad sx-
pected to see nothing at all. For she
was exQuisfte--horrfd as have been ths
uses OF the word, Its best and truest
belong to her; she was that and much
more, from the ivory ferruie OF the
parasol she carried to the light and
slender footprint shs left IN the dust
OF the road. Joe knew st once that
nothing like her had sver before been
seen in Canaan.
He had little knowledge OF the nfi-.
iinery arts. and he needed none TO sec
the MISUNDERSTANDING like that OF the
day he had discovered . little while
ago. Her dress and hat and gloves and
parasoi showed . pale lavender over
tint like that which he had seen over
spreading the western slope (Aftsr-
ward he discovered that the gloves she
wore that day were gray, and that her
hat was for the most part white.)
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longing to what she wore was no
shame to her. not being OF primal I'm
portance beyond herself; Il was but
the expression OF her daintiness and
the adjunct OF it. She was tall. but
IL Joe could have spoken or thought
been capable or calling her lips red
In which case he would not have been
Joe, and would have been as far from
the truth as her lips were from red.
or as her supreme dellcsteness was
from mere slenderness-
Under the summer hat her very dark
hair swept back over her temples with
something near trimness In the extent
to which Il was withheld from being
fluffy. It may be that this approach
to trinness. which was. after all. only
q sort OF coquetry with trimuess. Is
the true key to the mystery OF the
vision OF the lady who appeared to Joe.
Let rs say that she suppressed every
thing that went beyond grace; that the
hint OF doridity was abhorrent TO her.
Trim Is ~ clumsy as SLENDER: she
had escaped from the trimness OF girl
hood as wholly as she had gone through
its co1tishness. Exquisite" Let Us go
back to Joe's own blurred first thought
OF her and be content with thatl
She was to pass hin1-so he thought
--ahd as she drew nearer his breath
came faster.
Remember. Across Main-streas
bridge at nooni''
Was this the fay OF whom the voics
had warned him? With that there be-
fell him the mystery or last night. Hs
did not remember. but II was a. II he
lived again dimly the highest nour OF
happiness In . life thousand years
ago; perfume and music, roses ana
nightingzles and plucked harp strings.
Yes. something wonderful was hap
pening to him.
She had stopped directly IN front OF
him: stopped and stood looking az him
with her clear eyes He did not lift his
own to hers; he had long experiences OF
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