The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-12-25

| catch glimpse of a dream-lady
Now. 1 say, Hobbs, here's low
place. l could jump"
"Mr. King, If you do that / am
ruined forever. 1 am trusted by
the steward. He would cut off al
my privileges" Hobbs could &c
no further. He was prematurely
aghast. Something told him that
Mr.. King would hop over the
wall.
Just this once, Hobbs" plead.
ed his charge. "No one will
know"
For the love of Moses, sir
i" Hobbs began to wall. Then
he groaned in dismal horror
King had lightly vaulted the wal
and was grinning back at him
from the sacred precincts-from
the playground of princesses.
GO and report me, Hobbs
there's a god fellow. Tell the
guards wouldn't obey. That
will let you out, my boy, and III
do the rest. For heavens sake
Hobbs, don't burst! You'll ex.
plode sure If you hold in like that
much longer. I'll be back in q
minute"
He strobe off across the bright
green turf toward the source OF
all this enchantment, leaving poor
Mr.. Hobbs braced against the
wall, weakened and helpless. II
he heard the frantic, though sub.
dued, whistles and the agonized
"hi!" of the man from Cooks q
minute or two later, he gave nc
heed to the warning. A glimpse
behind might have shown him the
error of his ways, reflected in the
disappearance of Hobbs head be.
low the top of the wall. But he
was looking ahead, drinking in
the forbidden beauties of this
fascinating little nook of nature
Never in all his wanderings
had he looked upon a more invit-
ing spot than this. He came to
the edge of the deep blue pool
above which could be seen the
entrance to the Grotto. Little
rivulets danced down through the
crannies in the rocks and leaped
joyously into the tree-shaded pool
Below and to the right were the
famed Basins of Venus, simmer.
ing in the sunlight, thanked by
trees and banks of the softest
green. On their surface swan
the great black swans he had
heard SO much about. Through
a wide rift in the trees he could
see the great, gray castle, half 6
mile away, towering against the
dense greens of the nearbt
mountain. The picture took his
breath away. He forgot Hobbs
He forgot that he was trespass.
ling. Here, at last, was the
lGraustark he had seen in his
dreams, had come to feel in hi!
Imagination.
Regardless of surroundings OF
consequences, he sat down upoI
the nearest stone bench, and re
moved his hat. He was hot anC
tired and the air was cool. He
would drink it in as if it were al
ambrosial nectar in-and, more
over, he would also enjoy a cigar
cite. Carefully he refrained from
Throwing the burnt-out match in
to the pool below: even such as
he could feel that it might be des
Iteration. AS he leaned back with
sigh of exquisite ease and G
splendid exhalation of Turkish
smoke, a small, imperious voice
from somewhere behind broke in
upon his primary reflections.
What are you doing in here?'
demanded the voice.
Truxton, conscious of guilt
whirled with as much consterna
ton as IL he had been accoste6
by voice of thunder. He behelC
a very small boy standing at the
top of the knoll above him, no,
thirty feet away. His face wa.
quite as dirty as any small boy!
should be at that time of day, ant
his curly brown hair looked as il
| 1t had not been combed since the
lday before. His firm little legs