Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-21

Living? DO you mean you have re
turned to your old habits?"
Il have returned to the woods
madame"
You do not intend to stay here?"
| Perhaps"
You must not do itv'
What must 1 do?"
"Ccme back to the house. You have
given us much anxiety"
1 liked the word "us," until I remem-
bered 1t included Count de Chaumont
why did you come out here and hide
yourself?"
My conduct appeared contemplate.
looked mutely at her.
What offended you?"
Nothing. madame"
Did you want Doctor Chantry to lame
himself hobbling around in search of you,
and the Count to send people out in every
| direction?'
mo. madame"
What explanation will you make to the
Count?"
None, madame" I raised my head.
"I may go out in the woods without ask
| ing leave of Count de Chaumont."
He says you have forsaken your books
and gone back to be an Indian.
! / showed her the Latin book in my
hand. She glanced slightly at 1t and con-
| tinued to make her gray eyes pass
! through my marrow.
Shifting like culprit / inquired:
| How did you know / was here"'
"Oh. 1t was not hard to find you after
saw the boat. This island is not large"
But who rowed you across the lake.
| madame?"
81 came by myself, and nobody except
Ernestine knows il. can row a boat.
] slipped through the tunnel and ven
tured."
Madame, I am a great fool. / am
not worth your venturing"
you are worth any danger I might
encounter But you should at least go
| back for me-"
But why should go back?-you will not
long be there"
What does that matter? The import
ant thing is that you should not lapse
again into the Indian"
us any life but the life of an Indian
open to me. madame?"
She struck her hands together with a
scream.
Louis! Sirei'
Startled, | dropped the book and IL
sprawled at her feet like the open mis-
sal. She had returned so unexpectedly
to the spirit OF our first meeting.
20. IL you knew what you are! During
my whole life your name has been cher
ished by my family. We believed you
lieve i'm yourself!"
! seemed almost to remember and per-
ceive what l was-as you see in mirage
one Inverted boat poised on another, and
are not quite sure, and the strange thing
is gone.
Perhaps l was less sure of the past be-
cause | was so sure Of the present. A
Nlsp or brown mist settling among the
trees spread cloud behind her What |
wanted was this woman, to hide in the
WOODS Tor my own. / could feed and
clothe her, deck her with necklaces of
garnets from the rocks, and wreaths of
the delicate sand-wort flower She said
she would rather make Paul a wood
chopper than suppliant, taking the
constitutional oath. ] could make him
a hunter and a fisherman. Game. bass.
trout pickerel, grew for us in abundance.
saw this vision with single eve: II
looked so possible! All the crude imagin-
ings Of youth colored the spring woods
with vivid beauty. My face betrayed
me. and she spoke to me coldly.
rs that your house. monsieur?"
i said II was
And you slept there last night?"
can build much better one"
What did you have for dinner?"
Nothing"
What What ala you have for breakfast7"
Evidently the life proposed To mvsa,,
TO oner her would not suit my ladyi
she took lacquered box from the
cover OF her wrappings, and moved down
the slope few steps.
Come here to your mother and get
your supper"
We sat with our forest table between
us and ate together.
am hungry myself" she said.
giorihed veil descended on the world
III evening had paused while that meal
was In progress II would not have sur
prised me. There are half hours that di-
late 10 the Importance OF centuries. Rut
when she had encouraged me 10 eat
everythlhs 70 the last erumb. she shook
the fringed napkin, gathered up the lac
quered box, and said she must be gone
Monsieur" have overstepped IN.
bounds OF behavior In coming after Won.
The case was too urgent for Consideration
OF myself. must hurry back. for tha
counts people would not understand NV
secret errand through the tunnel viii
you show yourself al the house as soon
as possible?" ~"
! told her humbly that would.
iet me put you In the boat.
She shook her head. 'You NAV fol,ov
after ! am out OF sight. II YOU fail tc
follow w'-she turned IN the act az a.
parting and looked me through.
told her ! would not fan
When Madame de Ferrier disapnearsd
beyond the bushes sat down ana waited
with my head between my hands st,II
seeing upon closed eyelIds her figure. the
scant frock drawn around II. her can
OF dark hair under a hood her 49,
moving from change 10 change. Ana
whether ! sat year OF a minute. cloua~
had descended when looked. a. the.
often did In that lake gorge. SO / waited
no longer, but followed her
fne tos was brown and capped the
TO the earth and twisting smoke fashior
around my feet II threw slnuous sr,,s
In front Of me as thing endowed s.ls6
ife ana capable Of moldina itself: ana
when 1 reached my boat and pushed an
enveloped me ~''e
More psns''stnr shan is plalnmln,as