The Washington herald., 1922-01-22

. SO .
we take what We can get. Maynard
inter1ected. almost with . feeling Of self
defense.
-Exactiy." came the cool response. But
this legend Of the Giver or the Fulnrler. one
meets II IN - many lands. told In 90 many
tongues; but one never meets any mention
Of enc who Asked II for anything really worth
having. The stories always end In tragedy
Of thsir own msagerness-
they ask for what they want.
FOR what they want Elias Toney. Peter
Gurnsy: offered Whatsoever they ask. even
to freedom itself-and the enc demands his
mothers rent, the other girl. for the beat.
ing Of whom he was sent to jan last month"
Thsrs vas touch Of scorn IN the tones
that came through the mist, ~ II the speaker
w@S wearisd Of nttlsnss. From OF amongst
De oaks the boot Of IN owl followed It Ma
IN echo Of dsrision. Maynard had an I'M
comfortable imprsssion that that seorn. that
sahsfng 3s@ from the place itself. were
somehow directed At him.
They asirsd for what they bsNsvsd m.
- argued. stin vaguely On the dsfsnsfva
.Th@s are few surer tssts Of . mans faith
than 10 offer him whatever he may ask.
Aftsr a1-how Do ws know that w would
o any bsttsr eurssivesf"
.Just for instance. now; what would you
ak for II you met this mysterious Stranger"
ths other laughed. and Maynard. to his sur
priss. found the answer rushing to his iipa
-Tor the Terlsy chair"
n hAd coma out Apparently without. hi
svn veattioa. and following It came . laugh.
1t his ovA szpsnss. that startled him b.
you -. ~ srs an Il iittia faith.- he
grated sBut than. that chair. to ma. would
b ths sassw.y 10 % much. much more
All. yes-eo - mnch. much more
Maynard could not b sure II IT were really
ths other who spokA q Il those words wers
inst ths echo of his own. thrown back to
him b. the incrsazfng mist. Whichever Il
bad bssa, there was withdrawal in them,
and nnafty a. wen. a. though Tits young
s1anssr were completely through with him.
simsst already gonA. in fast without De
fcrmality Of . physical departure.
He sprans to his fest with shout.
.Hers-w.it for NEEDN'T 20 and leave
me here.
30 strong has been the impression Of CRY.
ing 10 empty air that II was with rslisf
that he heard the answer coming amusedly
back.
I'm stnl hers the mist hid me for .
moment. that was all II you wait . while
longer # win clear and you can md your
way back As easily ~ you came"
But can't I 60 with your Maynard
asked. loath to Be- left alone.
wait little wh1s and you win ind It IN
right. I 30 . way that you could not fol.
iow. oooA1y."
~As rssoir.- Maynard called, and the laush
Il farewell that rang back told him that
ths other was already On his way.
Those psuitiess Of night and circumstance
were playing strange tricks on Maynard
For . moment a he stood there, listening
b those footsteps retreattng IN the sane
suprising surenes with which they had
como, hs haA sensation Of being suddenly
snormous. Enormous almost to infnitude,
hs seemed. and those irrsvocably retreatins
footstsps might have been going down into
unsupported depths within himself.
But such thinss would not DO, and he
huddlsd over the ire. striving again for
that grip on himself" a. he wondered
what collegiate Rockiedge would say II 1t
knew the things that its Official guardian Of
the arts was capable Of feeling. As he
warmed his cold hands there came q COM
fortins sense Of ordinarinsss. together with
teuch Of anger At this cool young deni,en
q the moor. who LEFT stranger In such
prsdicament
A rather theatric young man, with his
entrances. his exits. and his metaphysics
The most hopeful thing about him had been
his prophecy Of clearing weather.
whoever he might be. the fellow was ut
least acquainted with the imports Of those
ncile skies. It was but . dew mist, after
ALI blanket which the moor pulled over
Itself against the first chill Of night As
earth and air equalized their temperature
there came rents in that luminous opaque
ness all about. Glimpses of mora distant
oaks. interminable aisles shot through with
the inyStery Of the moon. Like down drop
pins wells the mist wreathed from the
branches. sinking away into the holes b.
tween the rocks Stamping our The rem.