The Lamar register., 1909-02-03


dragon-fiies on the stone, these fishes
and shells and butterflies you see."
You! They are wonderfully deli
cate-but those are not American
dragon-fiies."
"No-they are more beautiful. See,
| have my hammer and chisel with
me-"
She drew from a queer pouch at her
side n small hammer and chisel and
held them toward me.
You are very talented" I said;
where did you study"
81? I never studded knew how.
| saw things and cut them out of
stone. Do you like them? Some time
| will show you other things that
have done. If l had great lump of
bronze / could make your dog, beauti-
full as he is"
Her hammer fell into the fountain
and leaned over and plunged my arm
into the water to find it.
1T is there, shining on the sand"
she said, leaning over the pool with
me.
Where" said I, looking at our re-
fiected faces in the water. For it was
as yet, to look her long in the face.
The pool mirrored the exquisite
oval of her head. the heavy hair, the
| eyes. l heard the silken rustic of her
girdle. l caught the flash of white
arm. and the hammer was drawn up
dripping with spray.
The troubled surface of the pool
grew calm and again l saw her eyes
reflected.
Listen" she said in a low voice,
do you think you will come again
to my fountain?"
Il will come" I said. My voice
was dull; the noise of water filled my
ears.
Then swift shadow sped across the
pool; / rubbed my eyes. Where her
reflected face had bent beside mine
there was nothing mirrored but the
rosy evening sky with one pale star
glmmering. I drew myself up and
turned. She was gone. I saw the faint
star twinkling above me in the after
| glow. / saw the tall trees motionless
| in the still evening air. / saw my dog
| slumbering at my feet.
The sweet scent in the air had
| faded, leaving in my nostrils the
| heavy odor of fern and forest mold.
| A blind fear seized me. and I caught
up my gun and sprang into the dark
| ening woods. The dog followed me.
| crashing through the underground at
my side. Duller and duller grew the
| light, but / strobe on the sweat pour
| ing from my face and hair. my mind
chaos. How l reached the spinney
| can hardly tell. AS turned up the
| path l caught glimpse of a human
| face peering at me from the darkening
thicket-a horrible human face, yell
low and drawn with high-boned cheeks
| and narrow eyes.
| Involuntarily / halted; the dog at
my heels snarled. Then / sprang
straight at it. floundering blindly
through the thicket, but the night had
fallen swiftly and found myself pant
ing and struggling in a maze of twist
ed shrubbery and twining vines. I'M
able to see the very underground that
ensnared me.
| It was a pale face. and a scratched
one that / carried to a late dinner that
night Hewlett served me. dumb re-
proach in his eyes, for the soup had
been standing and the grouse was
juiceless.
| David brought the dogs in after they
had had their supper. and l drew my
chair before the blaze and set my ale
on a table beside me. The dogs
curled up at my feet, blinking gravely
at the sparks that snapped and flew
in eddying showers from the heavy
logs.
David" said I. did you say you
saw a Chinaman today"
II did, SIR"
What do you think about 1t now?"
| 81 may have been mistaken, sir"
But you think not. What sort of
whisky did you put in my flask to-
day."
THE usual, sir
rs there much gomez"
About three swallows, sir, as
usual"
You don't suppose there could have
been any mistake about that whisky
no medicine could have gotten into
it, for instance?"
David smiled and said: mo, sir"
'.Well," said I, Il have had an ex'
traordinary dream
When / said dream" l felt COM
forted and treasured. I had scarcely
dared to say it before. even to my
| self.
AN extraordinary dream" re-
peated; 81 fell asleep in the woods
about five o'clock. in that pretty glade
where the fountain-I mean the pool
is. You know the place."
Il do not, SIR"
described 1t infinitely. twice. but
David shook his head.
Carved stone did you say, sir? I
never CHANGED on 1T. You don't mean
the New Spring"
mo, mol This glade is way beyond
that. Is 1t possible that any people
inhabit the forest between here and
the Canada line?"
Nobody short of Ste. Croix; at least
I have no knowledge of any"
"Of course" said /, when thought
saw Chinaman, 1t was Imagination.
OF course / had been more impressed
than l was aware of by your adven.
ture. OF course you saw no China