The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-02-19

| out into the road. Again l heard 1t far
away in the forest and l followed 1t,
for knew it was singing of Ysonde.
When | came to the path that leaves
the main road and enters the Sweet
Fern Covert below the spinney, hes
itated; but the beauty of the night
lured me on and the night-thrushes
called me from every thicket. In the
starry radiance, shrubs, grasses, field
flowers, stood out distinctly, for there
was no moon to cast shadows. Meadow
and brook, grove and stream, were H.
Eliminated by the pale glow. Like great
lamps lighted the planets hung from
the high-domed sky and through their
mysterious rays the fixed stars, calm,
serene, stared from the heavens like
eyes.
l waded on waist deep through
fields of dewy golden-rod, through late
clover and wild oats wastes, through
crimson fruited sweetbrier, BURBERRY
and wild plum, until the low whisper
of the Wier Brook warned me that the
path had ended
But I would not stop, for the night
air was heavy with the perfume of
water-lilies and far away, across the
low wooded cliffs and the wet meadow
land beyond, there was distant CLEAN
of silver, and | heard the murmur of
sleepy waterfowl. l would go to the
lake. The way was clear except for
the dense young growth and the snares
of the moose-bush.
The night-thrushes had ceased, but
| did not want for the company Of
living creatures. Slender, quick-dart-
ing forms crossed my path at inter-
walls, sleek mink, that fed like shad-
ows at my step, wiry weasels and fat
musk-rats, hurrying onward to some
tryst or killing.
never had seen so many little
woodland creatures on the move at
night. | began to wonder where they
all were going so fast, why they all
hurried on in the same direction. Now
l passed hare hopping through the
brushwood, now rabbit scurrying by,
flag hoisted. AS l entered the beech
second-growth two foxes glided by me;
little further on doe crashed out OF
the underbrush, and close behind her
stole a lynx, eyes shining like Goals.
He neither paid attention to the doe
or to me, but loped away toward the
north.
The lynx was In flight.
From what?" | asked myself, Won
dering. There was no forest fire, no
cyclone, no flood.
II Barris had passed that way could
he have stirred up this sudden exc
dus? Impossible; even a regiment In
the forest could scarcely have put to
rout these frightened creatures.
what on EARTH" thought l, turning
to watch the headlong flight OF
fisher-cat, what on earth has startled
the beasts out at this time of night"
| looked up into the sky. The placid
glow of the fixed stars comforted me
and l stepped on through the narrow
spruce belt that leads down to the bor-
ders of the Lake of the Stars.
Wild cranberry and moose-bush en-
twined my feet, dewy branches spat-
tered me with moisture, and the thick
spruce needles scraped my face as l
threaded my way over messy logs and
deep spongy tussocks down to the
level gravel of the lake shore.
Although there was no wind the lit
tie waves were hurrying in from the
lake and heard them splashing among
the pebbles. In the pale star glow
thousands of water-lilies lifted their
half-closed chalces toward the sky.
threw myself full length upon the
shore, and chin on hand, looked out
across the lake.
Splash, splash, came the waves
along the shore, higher, nearer, until
a film of water, thin and glittering as
a knife blade, crept up to my elbows.
| could not understand it; the lake was
rising, but there had been no rain.
All along the shore the water was
running up; | heard the waves among
the sedge grass; the weeds at my side
were awash in the ripples. The lilies
rocked on the tiny waves. every wet
pod rising on the swells, sinking, rising
again until the whole lake was glim-
mering with undulating blossoms. How
sweet and deep was the fragrance
from the lilies. And now the water
was ebbing, slowly, and the waves re-
coded, shrinking from the shore rim
until the white pebbles appeared
again, shining like froth on brim-
ming glass.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
-, AAIAcnE TIME