Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-06-09

with the current; the man at the oars let 1t drift--up or down? While he hesitated, the sun rose from grove of trees beyond the bend of the river. It pointed long fingers of light straight up the stream, and notes dancing in its rays, beckoned him to follow.
 An omen!" he exclaimed, in sud- den burst of boyish enthusiasm, and straight against the current he head ed the boat. @
 Westward we go." he said, playfully. giving rein to the new buoyancy. Follow at your leisure" and he waved his hand to the sun, which now burnt huge copper globe on the horizon.
 It was yet early day when he rowed past the village still with the sloth of the previous Sabbath. The few who were stirring, took no care to blink through the fog at the solitary figure in the boat toiling up stream.
 And hard work it was! Even the Indians strength had felt the strain, and to this man, weakened by illness, whose powers of endurance were rath- CT of nerve than brawn, it was effort indeed. Yet, buoyed by the hope that had sprung in his heart at sight of the gracious souvenir of her presence, he toiled on, scanning each change in the outline of shore, anxious for the first sight of swamp and grove of tam aracks He felt almost sure it would be on the northern bank; Owatoga had given no hint to cross the river Be- sides, many of the Osage tribe were scattered to the north, and it was like ly he would choose the hunting grounds of his own people.
 An hour or two at noon, he put ashore at the foot of poplar-crowned blum, then on-until, with the fiercest blaze of the afternoon sun scorching his tired back, the grove of tamaracks came in sight. Its dense, swampy shade lured him with promises of delicious cool ness-here, too, was another link in the chain which was leading him to her. At the thought his tagging strength revived; his aching arms felt new vigor, and with dozen stout sweeps of the oar, he landed at q little point where one withered tam arack stood apart; the dead brown needles at its crest crown of thorns uplifted to the sky.
 On the edge of the forest stood scrub-oak tree, one branch of which had been bent over and rooted again, giving a curious hump-backed effect. Winslow noted this with start Of pleasure. Another landmark! It Is we'll I have before witnessed Owatoga's forest-craft," he thought.
 Hiding the boat, he rested in the shade, but only for little space. For, with the end of his search 30 near, he could not daily, though the grass was soft and yielding-the turf as a feath- cred couch; the sky marvellous tur- quoise canopy, pierced with a thousand emerald spires.
 Rising, he studied carefully every spot, to discover further signs of the presence of those he sought "Ah!" and he laughed aloud, triumphantly. On the ground he spied scraps of corn bread and an empty bottle. Winslow sniffed at the latter, and made a wry face. Poor little girl" he said, smil- ing, with a pitying shake of the head. One little crust he picked up and slipped into his pocket, glancing shamefacedly at squirred, which, perched on a nearby limb, seemed to note the action with teasing tilt of its head and mocking chatter.
 Unlike Owatoga's direct course through the swampy undergrowth, Winslow's unfamiliar feet led him by a circuitous path to the base of hill on the opposite side from which the Indian and Lavender had emerged the night before.
 Here he paused, and taking the dia- gram from his pocket, studied it again. The swamp of tamarack lies here, and just beyond is the hut of the old man of the woods.'" Just beyond! Where? Beyond this hill? He glanced wearily at the slope; 1t was beautiful with it's carpet of flowers and festoons of ivy looped from tree and shrub. It was inviting-but 1t was