Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-02-16

Potter whisked me away from thei;
somehow. and we passed under tht
tapestry curtains while one of the two
Hungarian bands Mrs. Ess Kay hat
hired played waltz which made mt
long to dance.
This way to the maze; this way t
the maze" man dressed like beef
eater was continually saying III
stood Just outside the door. in a kline
Of canvas vestibule lined with green
cry, so that 1t looked like the entrance
to bower.
The passage to the marquee had beer
made so beautiful that | couldn't hell
crying out to Potter with admiration
Not an inch Of the canvas showed. FOL
We walked through sort Of tunnel o
roses all lit up with invisible electri,
lights. 1t was like the way to fairy
land. and the floor was covered will
mat Of artificial grass. like they hav.
for stage lawns, Potter said.
! thought when we came to the enc
Of the rose tunnel we should find our
selves in big open space in the mar
quee. but when the tunnel stopped W,
were in narrow alley between tai
green bushes, set so thickly and st
close together that we couldn't see
what was on the other side. Above
us. instead Of the canvas roof Of the
marquee (Which must have been ovel
alb, violet mist seemed to float. will
very fain., soft light filterinl
through 1t, like blue moonlight. | sup
pose it must have been ever and evcl
so many thicknesses OF blue gauze
with shaded lights hanging above. bu
the effect was mysterious and alluring
We had only gone little way when
we arrived at tiny house built ap'
parently of red flowers, and there was
a red light coming out Of the one little
window. "The Witch Of the Woods
Lives Here" said card on the door.
We pushed, and inside was room
with a young woman in white, crystal
gazing as hard as she could. She had
also velvet cushion on which you
laid your hand, and she told your char
acter and your fortune. Some people
in historical dress were ready to come
out just as we were going In. and one
of them said: ats Nine. Cortelyn
Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox must have Civ
en- her at least $500 or she wouldn't
have come a step"
We had our hands done, and the
Witch of the Woods told me that
had come from across the water
but that I would marry man on this
side. and then she saw some one In
the crystal who looked so exactly like
Potter Parker that wished l had
stopped outside her red house.
After this we kept losing ourselves
In different green walled paths and
suddenly coming on booths where va
riety entertainments were going on or
funny cardboard pagodas. where cele'
grated Japanese artists did your por'
trait in five minutes OH rice paper. OF
silk tents with conjuring shows. And
there was a place where you fished In
a small, round pond with magnets and
caught little metal frogs with jewels
in their heads, which you picked out
Farther OH was miniature eastern
bazaar, where girls in gauze danced
while you drank Turkish coffee and
pushed spoonfuls Of sherbet under the
lace on your mask. And there was o
tinematopra;.h entertainment Of bull
fight, which | wouldn't look at. ant
some martyrs being reluctantly eater
by lions. and Otero dancing.
All the masked people we met were
enjoying themselves very much and
saying this was the best thing fo
years. And 1t really was fun. But a
last | thought we must have seen II
all, and I wanted to so out Besides
was tired of being with Potter. who
would be sentimental. though ! begged
him not.
How do you propose to escaper HI
asked. "This is maze. The propel
dodge in a maze Is to be lost, and
am lost. So are you. We're lost to
gether."
"But l want to be found now." salt
l. "We've been lost long enough
There are lots of other things to do"
"And there's all night to do then
in," said Potter. 81 dare say we shal
be lost for an hour or SO yet View
been wandering around from one patl
to another, and we've never seen tn
same thing twice, 30 perhaps there's
lot more to explore"
"You must know" ! said. 1T WASH
kept a secret from you as 1t was fron
me. You must have been through thi
maze heaps Of times, and Of cours
you know the way out"
"If l did I've forgotten It," Potte
coolly remarked. Then he changed hi
tone. "You make me forget every
thing, Betty-everything but yourself.
you're not to call me Bettyr l sal