Evening star., 1913-11-23

steps up the mountain taking trail that he and his
son themselves had worn to place that to them
as a shrine. The white bloom of the laures seemed
ghostly to him He kept his head lowered, that
he might the still and waxen fragrant flowers
This king of mountaneers this strong g-soued son
of the everlasting hills, sank down beside the
covered mound beneath the white -barked BEECH and
was very still for long time. The little voices of the
night and of the soltudes whispered to him things
that were strange and terrible. The faraway lightning
of the coming storm beat in upon his brain through his
eyes. He hid his face in the crook of his that he
might not see it. The utter darkness almost as
bad as the fitful flashes He bent low the
His body seemed to sink down with his heart, down,
down. into snothering and abysmal gloom.
"Poor Mani" in his soft drawl. in tones of infinite
sadness "Would it be righto If the boy could be won
over-even then would it be right?"
He went to his feet, straight any pine on the
mountain in spite of his forty years. And for brief
moment during flash of the storm-lght his
him standing with his great stretched out against
the blackness of the east, seeming strangely like liv
ing cross.
NOV there lived Deep hemlock- filled cash in the
lower end of the Little Laurel Mountain very
gray and very wrinkled old who gained liveli-
hood by the digging of herbs and the telling OF fortunes
Her name was Granny Sewers She reputed to be
the seventh daughter of seventh daughter and people
far and believed her to be in possession of remark
able seeing powers and of great wisdom in matters per-
tanning to affairs in which love concerned. Those
who knew her said that she most discreet person.
and that need fear that his secrets told to her,
would ever become the property of the public.
Nathan Towers had always hoote1 at such things as
fortune telling and future reading; bet he turned
to the weird old because he knew of nothing else
to do in the solving OF his problem Anyway he didn't
have to believe what she told him.
Even at high noon, because of the thick and inter-
acng branches of the giant hemlocks, it like twi
light in the cove in which dwelt Granny Sewers.
Nathan stood staring into the gloomy interior of the
old woman little cabin for half minute before he made
out the outlines of stopped figure half sitting, half
living in a chair before wide -mouthed fireplace in
which a brew of herbs simmered almost dead Goals.
He hailed her in low tone "Granny'
A black cat with white stripe running down its
breast rose at the sound of his voice. ached its back
lazy and stretched its legs after another Nathan
called again, and louder The fortune teller rose sty
and turned her whole body with her head because of
rheumatism in her shoulder.
la la" she cried in tone that to her caller like
the creaking of door on wooden hinges. She pulled
her glasses from her forehead to her eyes, and looked
again toward the man who stood hesitatingly the
threshold @And la if it hain't Nath Towers Well,
now Nath Towers, come right in and set down, and
rest yore bones
Nathan leaned his long rifle against the door-facng
walked heavily the floor, and dropped into
a chair that had but half bottom The old woman
resumed her seat before the fireplace dipped live coal
into her clay pipe and turned her parchment-lke face
toward her prospective patron
@And so, Nath Towers she said in her creaking
way, you're in little trouble haint youo'
Nathan did not wonder that she knew. He
aware of the fact that his difficulties had put out plain
signal on his face He of the who feel the
adverse keeny too keeny to hide it altogether and he
knew it, primitive as he was.
"Yes," he told Granny Sewers, "I'm in little
trouble
la creaked the old fortune-teler, "an1 shore
knowed it! WE'LL Nath Towers, and will it be cyards
coffee grounds, what manner o tellin'e'
"I'l leave it to you, Granny
1Coffee grounds, then Nath Towers: the1n's the
best way"