Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-02-25

in the Cardinal Woods. IL he could
give no satisfactory account of him
self I would march him in to Barris
as gold-making suspect would
march him in, anyway, 1 thought, and
rid the forest of his ugly face. l won
dered what it was that David had
heard in the lake. 1t must have been
big fish, a salmon, I thought; prob
ably David's and Howlett's nerves
were overwrought after their Celestial
chase.
A whine from the dog broke the
thread of my meditation and l raised
my head. Then l stopped short in m,
tracks.
The lost glade lay straight be
fore me.
Already the dog had bounded int
it, across the velvet turf to the carvet
stone where a slim figure sat. | saw
my dog lay his silky head lovingly
against her silken kirtle; | saw he.
face bend above him, and caught my
breath and slowly entered the sun-lit
glade.
Half timidly she held out one white
hand.
Now that you have come" she
said, Il can show some more of my
work. l told you that could do other
things besides those dragon-fies and
moths carved here in stone Why do
you stare at me SO? Are you ill.,"
"Ysonde," l stammered.
YES" she said, with a faint color
under her eyes.
Il never expected to see you
again." l blurted out, "-you-I-I-
thought l had dreamed"
Dreamed of me? Perhaps you did.
Is that stranger"
Strange? N-no-but-where did
you go when-when we were leaning
over the fountain together? 1 saw your
face-your face reflected beside mine
and then-then suddenly l saw the
blue sky and only a star twinkling."
1T was because you fell asleep" she
said, "was it not?"
"I-asleep?"
You slept-I thought you were very
tired and l went back"
"Back?-where?
Back to my horne where I carve my
beautiful images; see, here is one
brought to show you to-day"
| took the sculptured creature that
she held toward me, massive lizard
with frail claw-spread wings of gold
so thin that the sunlight burned
through and fell on the ground in
flaming gilded patches.
Good heavens!" l exclaimed, "this
is astounding! Where did you learn to
do such work? Ysonde, such a thing
is beyond price!"
'Oh, hope So" she said, earnestly,
Il can't bear to sell my work, but my
stepfather takes it and sends it away.
This is the second thing l have done,
and yesterday he said l must give it
to him. l suppose he is poor"
Il don't see how he can be poor IL
astonished.
"Gold!" she exclaimed, gold! He
has room full of gold! He makes it."
| sat down on the turf at her feet
completely unnerved.
why do you look at me so?" she
asked, little troubled.
Where does your stepfather liver"
l said at last.
Here"
"Here!"
'In the woods near the lake. You
could never find our house"
"a house!"
"Of course. Did you think l lived in
a tree? How silly. l live with my
stepfather in a beautiful house-a
small house, but very beautiful. He
makes his gold there, but the men
who carry it away never come to the
house, for they don't know where 1t
is, and if they did they could not get
in. My stepfather carries the gold in
Jumps to a canvas satchel. When
the satchel is full he takes it out into
the woods where the men live, and
don't know what they do with it. I
wish he could sell the gold and be-
come rich, for then l could go back
to Yian where all the gardens are
sweet and the river flows under the
thousand bridges"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)