Evening star., 1922-09-10
THE ANTS

She was waiting for him at a stile.
on the far edge of q golden field.
She was slender. fragrant and soft.
Her pretty frock was cut low at the
neck: the beginning of her virgin
breasts swelled del1ciously there. And
her eyes. turned up to him. were lit
tie wet. as Venus 10 at dawn, and the
red chalice of her lips was slightly
opened.
Peter squirmed uneasily: the help
less desolation deepened still on his
face.
But a sharp prick at hts right calf
made him deliver a large slap there
Life from all sides was attacking the
retreat of reverie in which so snugly
he had tried to ensconce himself. From
beneath his slap a small ant dropped
crushed to the ground. But she was
not the only one about. An army OF
ants was passing close to his feet; SO
close. in fact, that they swirled about
these extremities as a host. following
a valley, doubtless some rocky Ell
Captain Peter hastily withdrew his
feet. Kneeling down. stretching his
rather long neck. he proceeded to OBJ
serve what was happening. And. OBJ
serving. soon had removed himself ut
terly from the rake's dry reminiscent
scratching.
A CROSS the drive. from the excava-
"A tion of which Peters fancy had
made lake. from that hole to the
hedge, the ants stretched broad.
rusty-red ribbon. At first Peter
thought they were marching one way.
then he saw that the movement was
a double one. Hundreds of thousands
Of the small carapaced creatures were
marching from the hole to the hedge;
but as many were marching from the
hedge to the hole. They threaded their
way in and out of each others course,
the two movements interpenetrating
each other. And, bringing his long
nose still lower. Peter saw that all
this had a character of panic and dis
NAV that, had this multitude not oeen
denied voice. a great confused clamor
would be rising from it to his high
perched ear.
Of those Fastening from the vicin-
itv Of the excavation, every one was
laden. Carrying it high in their man.
dibles for short exhausting runs. or
dragging it fercely after them: over
.ticks that were great logs to them.
or pebbles that were Himalayas; skirt
ing or piercing clumps OF grass "hich
were impenetrable jungles. they bore
each a small, whitish thing wnicn
looked like a grain. which, IN 1act'
was grain-the grain. the lie spark.
the existence itself OF this aSitateo
nation.
Peter ran glance backward over
their march and found its startine
noint. The ants had all emerged
they were emerging. from five small
holes near the excavation: five little
holes smaller than the hollow of
wildcat straw. Out of them. cease
lessly, in a constant trickle. they ap-
peared into the sunlight. carrying on
high before them. as the monk does
the cross, the sacred larva; or, back
ing up, fiercely snatching 1t along
after them. Here those of the army
who marched the reverse way, and
which all were without burden. met
those that were coming out and. let
ting them pass. after moments
hesitation during which they seemed
to be calling to themselves all their
courage. resolutely plunged head
first down into the earth.
Peter now understood. He was the
witness. the godlike witness. OF just
such a catastrophe as. in the tene-
brous past. again and again had
nearly wiped out his own knid. The
water. which was filing the excava-
ton dug in the garden, from below
had established communication with
the city of the ants. 1t was rising
slowly down in there: slowly, mystic
riously, inexorably; filling the lowest
chambers, rising along the galleries.
bursting into halls; and the popula-
ton. in mute uproar, was fleeing its