Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-22

Up the slope the ponies were quie
again and, the only sound betwee,
their sentences was that drip-drip o
the moisture distilling in the alchem,
OF the oaks. An ceric place, and !
struck again into Maynard's vein
with slight chill In all this amor
rhousness himself and the rock oi
which he sat seemed the only solidi
tics; even the other man might hav'
been but wrath.
1T certainly poultices one" h
agreed, delighted once more tina
they should so comprehend cacl
other.
And after all, we know so littl;
of what may lie within us to b!
poulticed out" the other went or
"All we know is that those two gor
what they claim to have asked"
ASKED OF what demanded Mayn
ard swiftly, and there was silent in.
tcrval, as il pondering, before tlis
other replied.
who knows? As you said-;l
poultices one. Perhaps of an i'm,
sginatou of some principle of full.
hllment that may lie within each ci
MS We think that we know so muck
but in reality we do not even knoN
how we fulfill our most ordinary
desires"
Our dcsIes," the stranger went
on, his voice coming somberly
through a fresh access of vapor
those thorny crowns of our youth
those pursuing hounds of that
heaven which is said to lie within us
all. And most of us seem content
with lapdogs."
I'VE take what we can get
Maynard interjected, almost with a
feeling. of self-defense.
Exactly came the cool, response
But this legend of the Giver or the
Fulfller, one meets it in so many
lands, told in SO many tongues; but
one never meets any mention of one
who asked it for anything really
worth having. The stories always
end in tragedy OF their own meager-
ress.'
They ask for what they want. y
For what they want! Elias Toll
ley, Peter Gurney; offered whatso-
ever they ask, even to freedom itself
and the one demands his mothers
rent, the other girl, for the beating
of whom he was sent to Jail last
month"
There was touch of scorn in the
tcnes that came through the mist. as
if the speaker were wearied of little
ness. From off amongst the oaks
the hoot of an owl followed it like
an echo of derision. Maynard had
All uncomfortable impression that
that scorn, that echoing jeer from
the place itself, were somehow di-
rected at him.
"They asked for what they be-
lieved in" he argued, still vaguely
on the defensive. There are few
surer tests of mans faith than to
offer him whatever he may ask.
After all-how do we know that we
would do any better ourselves?"
Just for instance, now; what
would you ask for if you met this
mysterious stranger?" the other
laughed, and Maynard, to his sur
rise, found the answer rushing to his
lips.
For the Tolley chair"
1t had come out apparently with
out his own volition, and following
it came laugh, at his own expense,
that startled him by its harshness.
you see, we are all of little faith, :
he grated. "But then, that chair, to
me, would be the gateway to so
much, much more"
more"
Maynard could not be sure if it
were really the other who spoke, or
if those words were just the echo of
his own, thrown back to him by the
increasing mist. Whichever it had
been, there was withdrawal in them,
and fnality as WE'LL as though this
young stranger were completely
through with him, almost already
gone, in fact, without the formality
of physical departure.
He sprang to his feet with a shout.
"Here-wait for NEEDN'T go and
leave me here"
So strong had been the impression
of crying to empty air that it was
with relief that he heard an answer
coming amusedlv back.
I'm still here, the mist hid me
for a moment, that was all. 1t you
wait a while longer it will clear and
you can find your way back as easily
as you came.
But can't | go with you?' May
nard asked, loath to be lett alone. .
wait a little while and you will
find it all right. go a way that
you could not follow. Goodby.
EAU revoir," Maynard called, and
the laugh of farewell that rang back
told him that the other was already
on his way.
Those poultices Of night and cir
cumstance were playing strange
tricks on Maynard. For moment
as he stood there, listening to those
footsteps retreating in the same sur
prising sureness with which they
had come, he had sensation OF be-
ing suddenly enormous. Enormous
almost n in6uifude he seemed and