The Parker post., 1917-04-21

ed. The face had been Imagination.
He had broOded too long over the pic
ture.
He resolved to satisfy himself, how
ever, and that afternoon he went into
the empty room once more. Nobody
was there. Nobody could have lived
in that room.
He broke down the door of the other
room, but this was only box room.
1t, too, was dusty, and uninhabited.
The young man decided that it was a
dream.
He gave himself few days holiday
and tried to dismiss the matter from
his mind, but it seemed to have taken
hold of his subconsciOus mentality,
and he found himself continually
dreaming of the two rooms. In the
dream a queer thing happened to him:
he seemed to be chasing an invisible
woman who, nevertheless, left her foot
prints behind her. He followed these
steps, imprinted on the deep sand
or dust.
On the second morning he awakened
with start. He had been having the
same dream, and something had urged
him to go back into the first of the
two rooms.
AS he ascended the stairs he almost
fancied that he heard the sound Of
feet pattering somewhere above him.
But when he entered the room it was
empty, as before.
Hubert hesitated. Something in the
dream was coming back into his mind.
1t waS-the footprints in the sand--or
dust. He looked down, and the mean
ing of his dream suddenly became
clear to him.
For the dusty floor was covered with
footprints. He had seen them on the
occasion of his first visit there, but
the fact had not reached the level of
his consciousness, and it had come to
him in the dream. They were wom-
ans footprints, and they all radiated
from one spot.
Hubert looked up. Overhead was a
trap door, hardly discernible in the
stained and blackened ceiling.
And a great certainty took possess
sion of his mind. "COme down" he
called.
From above a girls voice answered
him with an inarticulate cry of fear.
The trap door opened and short
ladder descended. Hubert caught
sight of Il pair of ankles.
But before the girl descended he had
run nimbly up, and to his amaZement
found himself in comfortable little
room under the caves. And face to
face with him was the girl of his
dreams.
"Let me explain!" she cried. 81
didn't mean to intrude here. I thought
the house was deserted wanted it to
write my novel, and-and / came here.
Then when you returned / didn't want
to leave. l thought every day you
would go away. l love the place.
will pay you rental. See, there Is my
typewriter, which l have not dared to
use since you came"
Il don't own the house." said Hubert
slowly. II am an intruder too"
She put her hand to her heart. "YOu
gave me such q fright" she said. 81
have had to creep out at night to get
water, and-well it was just Obstinacy
made me stick. Who are your
IL am Hubert Lee"
''The painter? am Margaret
Lyons. You may have heard of my
book The Redeemer' And you had
no more right here than 1! Why, 1t
makes me hate your
"Come down and let us talk it over"
said Hubert.
The girl consented, and afterward
they had talk to their hearts con-
tent. Each was great admirer of
the others work. And each admired
the other even more. And when HUI
bert left reluctantly for town that
night 1t was with the understanding
that he was to return to paint her.
Which led to other UNDERSTANDINGS,
with the result of wedding bells be-
fOrA tho hnlI vhnolyS hod WIT