The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-03

ssSese0SeeSeSeeeoo0ee o0eeooe0seeeeSeev9eoe - I ITO. what?" he demanded. infected by the sudden rush of mischief to her | face and voice, "Tll do anything you
 say. Want me to haul out Steve Mar
 tin an Jack an lick 'em for you, or
 set fire to the old lady's tent?''
 Neither," she decreed sternly: add ing with perverse wistfulness.
 Though it would be interesting to see
 how Mrs. Hawarden's airy dignity | would sustain her in blazing tent.
 No. no. What I was going to dare l you to do is much less spectacular. Nothing more exciting than a walk | A walk?" echoed Conover. 'Why,
 it's near ten o'clock, an cold as char
 ity. Besides. it'll be all dark am damp | in the thick part of the woods" | But I'm sure we'll run across "a | ring of fairieS,-or satyr, at the very
 least. Oh, the night is throbbing with
 magic! And thes forests are calling.
 Shan't we answer the call?' l Sounds to me more like Katydids," l he demurred, But, if you like, we can
 take stroll. We'll be back in half an
 hour or so. an that ought to be early
 enough, even for old Mrs Propriety in | there," with a nod toward Mrs. Ha- warden's tent, But you'll want some | wrap. won't you?''
 1 No. I'm warm as toast. This
 sweaters so wudgy and soft: and it's l as thick as thick can be. Come along." Laughing excitedly under their
 breath. after the manner of school | boys making safe escape to truancy, the two stole away on tiptoes from
 again at their departure. sighed as devotion dragged him from sleep and warmth; and trotted along solemnly in the wake of the two truants. Before, them lay a natural vista winding between ranks of black trees. | Starlight filtered through, giving an uncanny glimmer to the still darkness. Tt is like breaking into fairylandr' gasped the girl, tense and vibrant with 1 the hushed wonder of it all, we are | mortals. We have no right in Oberon's domain. But he sees what very very nice. harmless mortals we are. So he doesn't change us to bats or firefiies. He just lets us tresDass all we want to. And perhaps he'll even let us see 1 a real fairy. An elf, anyway"
 Caleb laughed, in sheer happiness. Of her Oberon rigmarole he grasped little. But he saw she was in child
 ishly wild spirits. and the knowledge of her joy thrilled him. The cold bit deeper as they struck rising ground and followed the glimmering forest vista upward. Both instinctively quick ened their pace to keep from shiver- ing. But mere cold could not quench Desiree's pleasure in the simple escap- ade
 'We are runaway slaves!" she cried, her mood shifting from fairyland to a newer fantasy. We are escaping from a fearsome Simon Legree named Con- | ventionality! Conventionality is wicked master who has whipped us were born. And now we've put him to lsleep in two tents and we're running | away from him. He'd be furious if he woke up: But he's snoring very in duStriouSly. And he surely won't wake,-in either tent-for at least an hour. And by that time we'll be safe back again with our chains all nicely
 riveted on. And he'll never even guess
  | rather think we're running away for ever and-ever and ever,-and then some more after that. And he'll never find us. no matter how long he hunts. We'll spend the rest of our life in the enchanted woodland, and live on ber- ries and nuts. And our faithful hound who's followed us from slavery will catch venison for us. And-and if you ask him very politely, Caleb. perhaps he'll catch tripe sandwich sometimes | for you"
 "Stin remembering that awful break
 of mine?" chuckled Caleb, as unrea- sonably excited as she. That ain't. fair"
 'It. wasn't a break." she pronounced | judgment 'Tt was smashing blow | at our Simon hegree, Conventionality. You are a hero. Not a lowly squidge | See how silver the light is getting, I'm l sure that means we're on the court | yard of the fairy palace. I shouldn't l be one atom surprised if"
 | With a little cry of alarm she clutch | ed Caleb. From almost under her feet partridge whirred upward, his beat | ings wings ratt1ing through the still ness like double castanets. Rex, with i one staccato growl deep down in his | throat, gave chase. But as the bird utterly refused to fly fair, and even resorted to unsportsmanlike rocketings that carried it far up through the tree I tops, the pursuit was quickly over
 Rex, his ruff a-bristle, strutted back to NEn crfr VI 1IrS f1,n 4Srlc. @f Ixfc~ I toes and casting baleful glances of
 warning to left and right at any other
 lurking partridge that might be tempt | ed to brave his ire.
 | What was it? What was it?" de-
 manded Desiree. startled far out of her l fit of eerie gaiety.
 | May be twas one of those fairies l or satires you was hopin' would drop ! in on us," suggested Caleb, unkindly. ''It was a reel treat to see how glad you was to meet him."
 1 You're horrid,'' declared the girl "As if any self-respecting fairy would gunsI I-Oh. the silver is turning gray
 It's fog! The fog Steve Martin said we'd have tonight. And it's coming down around us like, like Niagara 1 of-of-"
 l of pea soup'' supplemented Con- | over. Its thick enough to cut. An ten minutes ago the sky was perfectly l clear. Best get back to the camp, be- 1 foFe the medSly Stun makes us lose our way. Then we would be in a sweet 1 fix"
 | Backward they turned upon their | tracks. Already the guiding tree vistas were wiped out. The two walked rapidly. pushing along with no better l guide than their sense of general di-
 rection. For a full half hour they I walked; Caleb helping Desiree over I series of fallen trees, gullies and ] boulders that neither had noted during | their outward journey
 l Then, out of breath, Desiree halted. l We're not going the right wayT | she exclaimed. Were going uphill. I know we are. I can tell by the feel | ing And the camp lies down by the pond"
 They struck off at another angle. | After ten minutes of fast, difficult | he ofo, Sf