Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-15

was Wholly dbSOrped III DeT task. ana
40 boy could have managed pocket
knife better. The first reed she made
a triie longer than her hand. The
succeeding ones she trimmed to gradn-
ated lesseninc lengths. till seven in all
had been cut and then she notched
them
Seven" she nurmured. laying them
neatly in order on her knee. II re-
member the right number by poem
l read the other day in an old maya
zine"
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 brin.
SyrniX. the naad. fitted past;
Pan. the goat hoofed. followed fast.
at will be easier" said Hezekiah. If
you hold the pipes while tie them -"
found this propinquity wholly
agreeable. 1t was pleasant TO sit on a
log beside Hezekish. Ii seemed no far
cry to the stored Mediterranean and
Pan and dryads and naiads. as Heze-
kiah bound her reeds to the muSi,' az
coNpets. There was no self conscious
ness in her recitation. She seemed 10
be telling of something that she haG
seen herself an 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 Off But there! That's pipe
At for any shepherd
She put il To her lips and blew.
shall not pretend that the result was
melodious She whiStled much hettal
without the reeds. but the sight OF he-,
sitting on the fallen tree beside the
lake. beating time with her foot. her
head thrown back. her eyes half closed
IN mOckery Of rapture ar the shrill.
wheeZy uncertainties aud ineptitudes
she evoked. thrilled me with new and
wonderful lodgings. \ heart. Il spirit
/ like hers would never grow old. She
was next of kin TO al! the elusive. fugi-
tive company of the elf world. And on
such a pipe rs she had strung together
/ beside that pond TO this day Siciian
shepherd boys whistle themselves into
tune with Thcocritus.
Take H." she said. Il can't tell
you more than ] have. aad vet it is all
there. Chimneys Read the riddle Of
the reeds if you can"
| took the pipe and turned & over
carefully in my hands. but ! fear my
thoughts were rather of the hands
that had fashioned il. the fingers that
had danced nimbly upon the stops.
There are seven reeds-seven," she
affirmed.
She amused herself by skipping peb-
bIeS over the surface Of the water
while ! pondercd nd | deliherated
long. for one did not IKE to bIunder
before Hezekiah. Then jumped up
and called to her.
One. two. three. four. FIVE. six
seven. Not until the seventh man of.
fers himself shall Cecilia have n hus-
band. Is that the answer
For moment HezeEiah watched the
widening rippes made by the casting
Of her last pebble. Then she came
back and resumed her seat.
You hare done well. Chimney Man.
and now III not make you guess any
more. though l found II all out for my
self. When Aunt Octavia gave that
memorandum book 10 Cecilia knew II
must have something 10 do with the
seventh man. You know ] love all
Aunt Octnvia's nonsense because its
thu kind Of foolishness l like myself
and the idea Of pretty little note
book 70 write down proposals in was
precisely the sort of thing that would
have occurred To my aunt. And II was
IN the bargain. too. that she herself
should not in any way interfere or try
TO influence tk.e course of events. II
should be the seventh sutton, willy
nilly. And ! suspect she's been little
sea red too"
She has indeed. She was almost
ready TO throw the whole scheme orel
last night. Your naughtiness had go
on her nerves"
You missed the target that time
Aunt Octavin loves my naughtiness
and ! think she has really been Hfrait
Sir Pumpkin Virgins would catch me
Now, | didn't roam my aunts hous
just for fun, was doing my best 4
keep Cecilia from getting into SOM
scrape about that seventh suitor plan
| found out by chance how TO get int
Hopefield and about the hidden stair
way and the old rooms tucked ava.
there. Papa. really discovered thnt
carpenter IN Katonah who worke'
on the house helped to build papa
p bungalow. and he told US how tina
ruin came 10 be there. That dyt
pepSia cure man. who also immorta
lied himself by inveDting the ribles
umbrella. was very superstitious. Fl
believed that II he built an entirel
new house he would die. So he ha
his architect build around and retail
4 thOse two rooms and that stairway Q
[ a house that had been on the groun
D almost since the Revolution. Mr.. Pei
D Derton. the architect humpred hin