Graham guardian., 1913-09-12
Seven Gold Reeds.

w WATCHED her hands as ihPt
deftiy eut md fashioned s,t,e
dry r,s.sls. The air grew warm
as the sun climbed io the z"nith
and IIezekialI ilung aside her coat
The breeze caught the ends 1T her tn
and snapped tllcm behiud hrr Sm
was wholly absorbed in her task. ami
no boy could have manaeed . forkpi
knife better The first reed she mnde
tribe longer than her hand. The
\suopecdlng ones she trimmed tu grTidh
a "a leSsening lengths. till seven IN an
IyN been cut. and then she notchcd
them
Seven" she miirmprcd. laying them
neatly In order on her knee. "l re
member the right number by II poem
read the other day In an old mnga-
zine"
she reached down and pluckeG sev-
erai long leaves Of tough grass with
which she begun to bind the reeds to-
gether. repeating:
Seven gold reeds grew tall and slim
Close by the rivers beaded brim
Pan.- .-the goat hoofed, followed fast.
~ will be easier." said Hezekiuh. "If
you hold the pipes while tie them F"
found this propinqulty whoily
agreeable. II was pleasant to sit on a
log beside Hezekiah. II seemed no far
cry to the storied Mediterranean ana
Pan and dryads and naiads, rs Heze
kiah bound her reeds to the music of
conplets There was no self conscious,
ness In her recitation She seemed to
be telling Of something that she had
seen herself an hour ago,
HE spread hts arms to clasp her there
Just as she vanished into air
And to his bosom. warm and rough,
Drew the gold reeds close enough
"l don't remember the rest" she
broke on "But there. That's a pipe
at for any shepherd" sst's'N
She nut n to her lips aud blew. l
shalt not pretend that the result was
melodious She whlstled much better
without The reeds. but the sight OF her,
sitting on the fallen tree beside the
lake. beating time with her foot, her
head thrown back. her eyes half closed
In a mOckery of rapture at the shrill,
wbeezy uncertainties and ipeptltudes
she evoked. thrilled me with new and
wonderful Iongings. A heart. spirit
like hers would never grow old. She
was next Of kin TO all the elusive. fugi-
tive company OF the elf world And on
such pipe as she had strung together
bs,side that pond TO this day Slcilian
shepherd boys whistle themselves into
tune with TheOcritus.
Take IT," she said. Il cant tell
you more than have. and yet It is all
there, Chimneys. Read the riddle OF
the reeds II you can
| took the pipe and turned II over
carefully In my hands, but ! fear my
Thoughts were rather OF the hands
that lind fashioned II, the fingers that
had danced nimbly upon the stops.
"There are seven reeds-seyen," she
affirmed.
She amused herself by skipping peb-
bles over the surface OF the water
while pondered. and deliberated
hong, for one did not like 10 blunder
before Hezekiah. Then Jumped un
and called to her.
"One. two. three, four, Ave. six
seven. Not until the seventh man Of
fers himself ahall Cecilia have hus
band. Is that the answerr'
X For a moment Hezekiah watched tho
widening ripples made by the casting
of her last pebble. Then she came
back and resumed her seat
"You have done well, Chimney Man
and now I'll not make you guess my
more. though found II all out for my
self. when Aunt octavia gave thu
memorandum book to Cecilia knew !
must have something to do with tn
seventh man You know ! love NJ
Aunt D,iavla's nonsense because M
the Find uf foollslinrss Hike Elyself
aaa The idca OF pretty little note