The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-26

may dip up stars along quiet shores or
steal into the very harbor Of dreams.
/ knew that furtive splash instantly,
and knew that a trained hand welded
the paddle. My boyhood summers in
the Maine woods were not, l find,
wholly wasted
The owner of the canoe had evident /
ly stolen close to the Glenarm dock, I
but had made off when alarmed by the
noise Of our approach through the !
wood.
Have you a boat near here, Bates?"
I asked.
The boat house is locked and u
haven't the key with me, sir" he re-
piled, without excitement
"Of course you haven't it." I re.
joined, full Of anger at his tone of ire
proachable respect, and at my own
helpfulpess. 1 had not even seen the
place by daylight, and the woodland
behind me and the lake at my feet
were things of shadow and mystery.
| In my rage l stamped my foot.
Lead the way back" I roared.
had turned toward the woodland
when suddenly there stole across the
water voice,-a womans voice. deep,
musical and deliberate
Really, I shouldn't be so angry If
were you!" it SAID with a lingering
note on the word angry.
who are you? What are you doing
there?" l bawled.
'Just enjoying little tranquil
thought" was the drawing, hooking
reply.
Far out upon the water / heard the
dip and glide of the canoe, and saw
family its outline for a moment; then
1t was gone. The lake, the surround
ing wood, were an unknown world
the canoe, a boat of dreams. Then
again came the voice:
Good night. merry gentlemen"
'It was a lady, SIR" remarked Bates.
after we had waited silently for a full
minute.
"Eow clever you are!" I sneered.
night shooting ducks or into people s
houses"
1T would seem quite likely, sir"
should have liked to cast him into
the lake, but he was already moving
away, the lantern swinging at his side.
l followed him. back through the wood
land to the house.
My spirits quickly responded to the
cheering influence of the great library.
stirred the fire on the hearth into
life and sat down before it, tired from
my tramp. / was mystified and per-
picked by the incident that had al
ready marked my coming. 1t was pos
sible, to be sure, that the bullet which
narrowly missed my head in the little
dining room had been a wild shot that
carried no evil intent. l dismissed al
once the idea that it might have beer
fired from the lake; it had crashed
through the glass with too much force
to have come SO far; and, moreover,
. could hardly imagine even a rife bal
finding an unimpeded right of way
= through SO dense strip of wood
found it difficult to get rid of the ide;
that some one had taken a pot sho
at me-
The woman's hooking voice from
the lake added to my perplexity.
= was not, l reflected, such a voice a
one might expect to hear from cour
: try girl; nor could I imagine an
!, errand that would justify a woman
! presence abroad on an October nigh
y whose cool air inspired first conf
- dences with fire and lamp. There wa
- something haunting in that last CT
~ across the water; it kept repeating i
% self over and over in my ears. 1t wa
~ a voice of quality, of breeding an
- charm.
"a Good night, merry gentlemen"
- In Indiana, l reflected, rustics, youn
u or old, men or women, were probabl
:, not greatly given to salutations Of jus
ID this temper.
of Bates now appeared.
&C Beg pardon, sir; but your room
~. ready whenever you wish to retire"
looked about in search of a clock.
There are no timepieces in tn
"a house. Mr.. Glenarm. Your grandfatht
~. was quite opposed to them. He ha
a theory, sir, that they were conduciv
m as he said, to idleness. He consfdere
re that q man should work by his cc1
science, sir, and not by the clock,-th
IN. one being more exacting than tn
., other"
nc 1 smiled as drew out my watch
as much at Bates solemn tone an
,re grim, lean visage as at his quotatio
from my grandsire. But the fello
puzzled and annoyed me. His uno
trusive black clothes, his smooth
es brushed hair, his shaver face, ava
ened an antagonism in ne.
I'm Bates, If you didn't fire that sh
through the window, who did-will "
nv. answer me that?"
nd yes, sir; if I didn't do it, it's qui
large question who did. I'll >gra
ND you that, sir"
1 stared at him. He met my ga
ow without finching; nor was there ar