The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-09-18
CONTINUED from Last lssue.)
CHAPTER Xxx,
asxsn Gold Reeds.

| as the sun climbed to the zenith
and Hezekiah flung aside her coat
The breeze caught the ends of Der tic
and snapped them behind, her: She
was wholly absorbed in her task, and
| no boy could have managed a poke,
knife better. The first reed she made
a trife longer than her hand. The
succeeding ones she trimmed to gradu'
ated lessening lengths. till seven IN all
had been cut, and then she notched
them.
Seven" she murmured. laying them
neatly in order on her knee. Il re-
member the right number by poen
J. read the other day In an old maya
sine"
She reached down and plucked sew.
eral long leaves Of tough grass with
which she began to bind the reeds to-
gether, repeating:
"Seven gold reeds grew tall and slim
Close by the rivers beaded brim.
Syrnix. the naiad. fitted past:
Pan. the goat hoofed, followed fast.
ut will be easier" said Hezekiah. III
you hold the pipes while ! tie them"
l found this propinquity wholly
agreeable. 1t was pleasant to sit Oh a
log beside Hezekiah. 1t seemed no far
cry to the stored Mediterranean and
Pan and dryads and naiads. as Heze-
kiah bound Der reeds to the music of
coupIets There was no self conscious.
ness in her recitation She seemed to
be telling Of something that she had
seen herself un hour ago
He spread his arms to clasp her there
Just as she vanished into air
And to his BOSOM warm and rough.
Drew the gold reeds close enough.
Il don't remember the rest" she
broke OF. But there! That's pipe
at for any shepherd"
She put It to her lips aud blew I
shall not pretend that the result WIS
melodious. She whistied 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 ut the shrttl,
wheezy uncertainties and ineptitudes
she evoked. thrilled me with new and
wonderful longings. A heart. u 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 US she had strung together
beside that pond to this day Sicilian
shepherd boys whistle themselves into
tune with Theocritus!
Take it." she said. Il can't tell
you more than l have. and yet it Is all
there, Chimneys. Read the riddle of
the reeds If you can"
took the pipe and turned it over
carefully In my hands. but fear my
thoughts were rather of the hands
that had fashioned it. the fingers that
had danced nimbly upon the stops.
There are seven reeds-seven," she
affirmed.
She amused herself by skipping peb-
bles over the surface of the water
while pondered. and l deliberated
hong, for one did not like to blunder
before Hezekiah. Then l jumped up
and called to her.
Zone. two, three. four, five, SIX
seven! Not4unhl the seventh man Of.
fers himself shall Cecilia have a hus-
band. Is that the answer
For moment Hezekiah watched the
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 III not make you guess any
more, though l found 1t all out for my.
self. When Aunt Octavia gave that
memorandum book to Cecilia I knew It
must have something to do with the
seventh man. You know love all
Aunt Octavia's nonsense because It's
the kind of foolishness like myself.
and the idea Of pretty little note
book to write down proposals In was
precisely the sort of thing that would
have occurred to my aunt. And it was
in the 6argain, too. that she herself
should not in any way interfere or try
to influence the course Of events. 1t
should be the seventh sutton, willy
nilly. And suspect she's been little
scared too"
"She has indeed! She was almost
ready to throw the whole scheme over
last night. Your naughtiness had got
on her nerves"
..You missed the target that time.
Aunt Octavia loves my naughtness,
and l think she has really been afraid
Sir Pumpkin Virgins would catch me.
Now. l didn't roam my aunt's house
lust for fun. was doing my best to
keep Cecilia from getting into some
scrape about that seventh sutton plan.
found out by chance how to get into
Hopefield and abou.. the hidden stair
way and the old rooms tucked away
there. Papa really discovered that.
A carpenter in Katonah who worked
on the house helped to build papa's
bungalow. and he told us how that
ruin came 10 be there. That dys.
pepsia cure man. who siso immortal