Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1908-10-09
CHAPTER III.

Constable had incurred the especial
displeasure of the mother on former
visit, through the unabashed fashion with
which he had endeayored to pry into the
secrets OF the volcano. Old Pelee was
identified with the inner life of Martin
ique, like the memory and the statue OF
Josephine. Mrs. Stansbury felt that the
mysteries of the mountain were not for
the eyes of man least of all, for the eyes.
of an American, in whom the spirit of
veneration was not. She had very clear
picture in her mind of Constable as he
peered, and possibly spat, into the appall-
ing chasms of the summit, and pottered
about in the dim gorges which scanned the
Titan's hanks. The daughter had shared
a tithe of her mothers opinion until Con-
stables monograph on the mountain had
fallen into her hands. Then she realized
that this was no parvenu who had car
ried on his studies in their midst.
Mr.. Stansbury was away on his annual
trip to the States. The mantle of host
fell, accordingly, upon the ample shoul-
ders of Uncle Joey. He arrived within
an hour, and his trip out to the Madame
had not been futile, since he brought
Breen with him. The latter seemed to
divine at once the defective current be-
tween Mrs. Stansbury and his friend, and
forestalled any slight tension during dim
ner that evening by sprightly narratives
of the voyage. He seemed to attrct the
attention of the elder woman. and to be
stimulated by her close scrutiny of his
face and personality. That evening. after
dinner, the men moved out upon the We
randa to smoke.
'This is secondhand air, Uncle joey"
moment ago and thought | was down
among the steel mills of the lower Mo-
nongahela."
you're the expert in Pelee, not l, Pc
ter" the old planter answered. April
and May aren't our best months, but l
!. never knew such heat between rains as we
are having now."
Constable moved out into the garden
to look at the sky. In no way did he
underestimate the seriousness OF the time.
In the SOUTH low and to the left of the
Carbet peaks, the new moon arose. but
without the sharpness of outline pecu-
liar to the tropics. 1t was an orange
hue, instead of slvery, and blurred, as IL
seen through a fine wire screen. A faint,
low rumbling was heard from the north.
1t was like thunder, but the horizon
above and around Pelee was unscathed
by lightning Miss Stansbury had been
at the piano, but the music now ceased.
"How long is it since the mountain
Of m In
Joey?" Constable asked.
From time to time for the past ten
days. Before that, twenty years. Peter"
"This is quite a novety-this added
egg moon," Constable added. 'It's the
ash-fog lying between. If there isn't a
heavy rain in the night, we'll have a
white world tomorrow"
Miss Stansbury appeared on the We
randa, and moved out upon the lawn,
where Constable was standing.
"Are you really SO greatly worried, Mr..
Constable?' she asked in a low tone.
"Why, the fact that Pelee Is acting out
Of the ordinary is enough to make any one
skeptical of his intentions. There are
a few man-eaters among the mountains Of
the world-Krakatoa, Bandai-san, Coto-
paxi, Vesuvius, Etna-chronic old ruff
fans, whom you can't tame. A thousand
years is nothing to them. They wait,
still as crocodiles, until cities have formed
| on their fanks and seers have built tenn
pies In their riffs. They have tasted
blood, you see, and the madness comes
back. Pelee is suspect"
Ito be continued.)