The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-09-17

too quick for me. and laughingiy van
ished through an opening In the trees.
I was not to kiss her that day.
Calypso was 50 long coming back
that began to grow anxious-was. in
deed. on the point Of going down into
the town In search of her. when she
suddenly appeared. rather out of
breath and evidently little excited
as though, in fact. she had been rum
ming away from something. She
caught me by the arm with laugh.
do you want to see your friend
Toblas?" she said.
"Tobias? Impossiblel"
"Come here" and she led me yard
or two back the way she had come.
and then looked through the trees.
"Gone!" she said. "but he was there
a minute or two ago-or at least some
one that Is his photograph--and of
course he's there yet. hidden In the
brush. and probably got his eyes on
us all the time. Did you see that
seven-year apple tree mover
Ellis favorite tree" laughed.
Hardly strong enough to hang him
on. though" And realized that she
was King Alcinous' daughter.
We crouched lower for moment or
two but the seven-year apple tree
didn't move again, and we agreed
that there was no use In waiting for
Tobias to show his hand.
| ''But what made you think 1t was
Tobias?" asked, "and how did 1t all
happenT
II could hardly fail to recognize him
from your fiattering description" she
answered, land indeed 1t all happened
rather like another experience Of
mine. had gone into Sweeney's
store-you rememberf-and was just
paying my BILL"
I'm the usual coinage" / ventured.
She gave me long, whimsical
smile-once more her fathers daugh-
| ter.
'That, I'm afraid, was the trouble"
she answered; "for as laid my money
down on the counter suddenly no
tlced that there was person at the
back of the store"
"A person?" / interrupted.
"Yesl Suppose we say "A pock-
marked person. was II you"
'What memory you have for de-
tails" / parted; land them"
swell / took my change and man.
aged to whisper a word to Sweeney.
good friend, remember-and came
out. i teok a short cut back, but the
! person that had stood In the back of
the store seemed to know the way
! almost better than $50 well that he
/ got ahead Of me. He was walking Qui-
city this way and so slowly that had
at last to overtake him. He said moth
Ing, just watched me as If interested
In the way / was going-but, I'm
me! And here / am"
swell, them" / said, ''let's. hurry
home and talk 1t over with the king"
The king" as had realized, was
practical romantic" and at once
took the matter seriously, leaving
as might have surprised some of those
who had only heard him talk-his con-
versational fantasies on the theme to
! come later.
Calypso, however. had the first
word.
II always told you, dad" she said
and the word dad" on the lips of that
statuesque girl-who always seemed
ready to take that inspired frame
work of rags and bones and talking
music into her protecting arms
seemed quite the quaintest of para
doxes-"T always told you, dad, what
would heppen, with your fairy tales OF
the doubloons."
quite true, my DEAR" he answered,
"but isn't a fairy tale worth paying
for?-worth little trouble? And re-
member, IL you will allow me, two
things about fairy tales: there must
always be some evil fairy in them,
some dragon or such like; and there
is always-a happy ending. Now the
dragon enters at last-in the form of
Tobias; and we should be happy on
that very account 1t shows that the
race Of dragons is not, as feared. ex-
tinct. And as for the happy ending,
we will arrange 1t. after lunch-for
which, by the way, you are somewhat
late"
After lunch the skiing" resumed, but
In brief and entirely practical vein
"We are about to be besieged," he
said. "The woods. probably, are al
ready thick with spies. For the mo-
ment we must suspend operations on
our Golconda"--his name for the ru-
ms that we were TO excavate-"and
as our present purpose-yours no
less than ours. friend Ulysses-is
to confuse Tobias, my suggestion is
this: that you walk with me mile
or two to the nor'nrd. There Is an
entertaining mangroye swamp should
like to show you, and also you can
give me your opinion of an idea OF
mine that you will understand all the
better when have taken you over the
ground"
| x,,o1I-.xJ IouovH tbo x~fxoc