The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-11-19
CHAPTER IlI.-Continued

was launched silently and the boy
drove it out to me with a few llght
strokes. took the paddle, and we
Crept close along the shore toward
the St. Agatha light, my eyes intent
on the boat, which was now drawing
in to the school pier The proWler
was feeling his way carefully, as
though the region was unfamiliar; but
he now landed at the pier and tied his
boat | hung back in the shadows
until he had disappeared up the bank,
then padded to the pier, told lima to
wait, and set off through the wood
path toward St Agatha's.
Where the wood gave way to the
broad lawn that stretched up to the
school buildings | caught sight of my
quarry. He was young fellow not
above average height, but COmpaCtly
built and stood with his hands thrust
boyishly in his pockets, gazing about
with frank interest in his surround
ings. He was bareheaded and coat
less. and his shirt-sleeves were rolled
to the elbow He walked slowly
along the edge of the wood, looking
off toward the school buildings, and
while his manner was furtive there
was, too, an air of unconcern about
him and l heard him whistling softly
to himself.
He now withdrew into the wood
and started off with the apparent in
tention of gaining a view of st. Aga
thas from the front, and l followed.
He seemed harmless enough; he
might be a curious pilgrim from the
summer resort; but | was just now
the guardian of st. Agatha's and | in
tended to learn the strangers bust
ness before | had done with him. He
reached the driveway leading in from
the Annandale road without having
disclosed any purpose other than that
of viewing the vineclad walls with a
tourists idle interest. The situation
had begun to bore me, when the
school gardener came running out of
the shrubbery, and instantly the
young man took to his heels.
Stop Stop" yelled the gardener
The mysterious young man plunged
into the wood and was off like the
wind.
After him, Andy! After him." l
yelled to the Scotchman.
l shouted my own name to reassure
him and we both went humping
through the beeches. Whoever the
young gentleman was, he had no in
tention of being caught; he darted in
and out among the trees with astound-
ing lightness, and l saw in a moment
that he was slowly turning away to
the right
Run for the gate." I called to the
gardener who was about 20 feet away
from me, blowing hard. | prepared to
gain on the turn if the young fellow
dashed for the lake; and he now led
me pretty chase through the flower
garden. He ran with head up and ell
bows close at his sides, and his light
boat shoes made scarcely any sound.
He turned once and looked back and.
finding that | was alone, began
amusing himself with feints and
lodges, for no other purpose, |
fancied, than to perplex or wind me
BY this time | had grown pretty
angry, for a foot race in a school gar
den struck me with disgust as a child.
lsh enterprise, and | bent with new
spirit and drove him away from his
giddy circling about the summer
house and beyond the only gate by
which he could regain the wood and
meadow that lay between the garden
and his boat He turned his head
from side to side uneasily, slackening
his pace to study the bounds of the
garden, and l felt myself gaining.
Ahead of us lay white picket fence
that set off the vegetable garden and
marked the lawful bounds of the
school. There was no gate and felt
that here the chase must end. and |
rejoiced to find myself so near the
runner that | heard the quick, soft
patter of his shoes on the walk. In
moment | was quite sure that |
should have him by the collar, and
mad every intention of dealing severe
ly with him for the hard chase he had
given me.
But he kept on, the white line of
fence clearly outlined beyond him:
and then when my hand was almost
upon him he rose at the fence. as
though sprung from the earth itself
and hung a moment sheer above the
sharp line of the fence pickets. his
whole figure held almost horizontal. in
'he FASHION OF trained high jumpers.
for what seemed an infinite time as
though by some witehery of the moon.
light.
l plunged into the fence with p
force that knocked the wind ont Of
ME, and as | chung painting to the
plcKets the runner dropped with a
crash into the midst of a glass vege.
taoie frame on the farther side. He