The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-06-30
.DIANTHE OF
THE WOODS,
It Wasn't a Witch He Caught,
but His Ideal of a Girl.
By M. WOODRUFF NEWELL.
copyright, 1909 by Associated Literary


Andrew Salisbury was on his vaca-
ton when he met his fate.
A severe attack Of typhoid had put
him considerably on the bias, so that
he welcomed quiet recuperating ole
farmhouse twenty miles from lem
on" as desired haven and went there
July.
The old couple with whom he board
ed were one Lemuel Merriwether and
his wife, and they worried constantly
for fear he should have relapse.
"1'm very apt to-" Andrew assured
them often. abeing so weak, you know.
The delirium especially is likely to
return"
Being lone young bachelor. he en-
Joyed their anxiety in his behalf and
worked shamelessly on their sympa-
thies.
my heavenr' exclaimed Mrs. Merri-
wether the morning that he told her
that, throwing away raisin that she
was seeding and putting the seeds into
the cake in her excitement.
"Oh. It's a very sad disease!' con-
tinued Andrew pensively, reaching for
his fifth cooky.
Then he took his camera and went
out for a mornings prowl through the
woods.
The country was in its summer
glory, and just before he started back
to the house he took the picture that
started the trouble.
He had been walking along by the
river. and, struck by clump of birch
trees that fringed dim woodland
path, he trained his camera on it and
sought the finder. He smiled happily
as he saw the picture 1t made-the
slim young trees with the long path
winding up behind them.
'That's finew he told himself and
holding the camera steady, snapped 1t.
he could scarcely wait to get home to
develop 1t.
Mrs. Merriwether saw him coming
and exclaimed anxiously, "Gracious
me. boy, where's the fire?"
Got prize package" he answered
solemnly.
Mrs. Merriwether, honest soul, stared
after him.
"You don't suppose, now. the heats
affected his head, do you?" she whis-
pered to Lemuel as he came up from
the barn little later.
"He's been on the go all day in the
hot sun, and after such a fever as he
had he's liable to have spells Of
looney, you know he said so. just
asked him what he was hurrying so
for. and he said he had prize pack
age, and I declare to goodness l didn't
see nothing but that old camera"
"Shoo. shoe. mother, the boys all
right. It's probably just some of his
funny business"
If they had seen "the boy" at that
precise moment they would probably
have been more anxious than they
were about him.
He was looking at the developed
film with startled eyes. His hands
shook as he held 1t up dripping be-
tween him and the small ruby lamp on
| the table.
by Georgev he said and put it
through the bath again.
A second time he held it up and scru-
tinized it in the dim red glow.
by gum" he said, "it's witch or
I'm going looney!'
There was the path stretching out al
luringly into the woods beyond. There
We're the birch trees, tall and slender
and beautiful, and there, just beyond
them, peering out between two mass
i've oak tree trunks that bordered the
path. was girl or witch or dry
ad, with laughing lips, flying hair and
an extraordinary eighteenth century
gown.
How the dickens!' puzzled Andrew
Its something on the film. There
couldn't have been real girl there
alone. Lord, there amt one within
twenty miles! She surely wouldn't
walk that far, and there was no team
in sight, and, anyway, what would a
girl Of Revolutionary days be doing
here?"
He washed the film carefully and
put 1t through the hypo bath. Then he
washed it again and. hanging 1t up tc
dry, went down to supper.
Il There he talked at random, his MIND
being full of the mysterious picture
His remarks were so rambling that
they confirmed every suspicion thai
Mother Merriwether had formed thai
afternoon.
4 Hes off, she whispered sharply t.
Iemuel outside the kitchen door. tits
the heat. He's way off. Just see how
funny he talks. II he amt better il
the morning Wen have DR.. Snow come
over Well have to watch him with
out his knowing 1t. We must bt
mighty careful not to excite him. oh
goodness, amt 1t awful, that poor boy
My. but typhoids fearful disease"
Lemuel, vastly alarmed, was in
stantly ION to his job" For watch
dog he proved Al. Andrew had diff
Guilty in shaking him OF long enough
to 90 To the dark room Mt bedtime.