Evening star., 1924-01-15
The Lighter of Flames
By William S. Hart
Story Filled With Romance and Adventure .
Copyrhs y Thomas Y. Cro~en

The beautiful curl of ner red lips.
sweet and soft with youth and health,
was tenderness itself. In her daft
service among. her fathers tables
mere mere was foreshadowing of the
Iaithful home-maker. the touch Of
/ universal motherhood. In the deep
| heart of this girl kindness was ever
! uppermost. So now she smiled at
,harieS Randolph. and it was almost
as II she laid her strong. fine hand
powdered hair.
Why. yes she said. simply. IAN
my fathers guest likes my poor
| tunes IT pleasures ME to sing them"
| SO when she had snuffed all the
candies to a brighter flame, and had
! placed more cakes on shelf at the
! back, so that none might go hungry.
she passed through the door to the
ana In the dusk sat down at her be-
! loved Spinnet and laid her long fn-
! gers on the keys.
There are some who strive and
! study at the shrine of music. who
never can lay hold on the muses.
soul. and there are others-untutored
Cnes. sometime s--upon whom she
: lays her touch with magic. making
them her own.
I Such an one was Doxey Fair
| weather. She knew not one note
| from another, not even the names of
her spinnet's keys. but she caressed
! the instrument with love. and 1t gave
/ back to her and all who listened in
the dusk. love and pathos and trag-
edy. and all the great emotions of
this little human life. u pouring free
gift that throbbed and trembled
| crooned and sighed. And when she
! her round white throat it was primal
/ music which flooded the tavern tnd
all the nearby forest. Sometimes Il
passing traveller stopped to listen.
back room forgot their cards to look
| Gown the vistas Of the future where
unknown things awaited.
| 'fAh, youth h,-youth. with it's dreams
and its tendernesses SO poignant as
! TO be a patn.-its egotisms, its thrills,
! its enchantments,
| AS the girl in the outer room began
her nameless tunes the macaronies
commenced their play; though that
ono whose pride and manly beauty
those attributes were common, name
! ly. young Lord Lester, from the
plantation up-river. held his cards
SO long in his hand that he was
"I wager, my lord" said Jack Fris-
bee, gaily, that our princess Of the
| spinnet hath woven a spell Of roses
! and wild honeysuckle to ensnare the
think on love this very minute?'
Lord Lester smiled, dropped his
blue eyes and nodded at the laugh
that followed: and presently all were
attending on their play.
John Fairweather hustled about
them as befitted a good host. seeing
. that the constantly emptied mugs
| were as constantly filled. as Doxey
sang on from her shadows.
Time in spring is negligible. Yet
priceless. It drifts away swift as
swallows a-winging. yet every mo-
ment is precious and beloved. So it
was on this cream laden night.
when the low stars sat in the paIely
dark sky, Like, like queens on their
| earth go by, and girl sang. The
trees in the encroaching forest cent
out 4 vital. sweet smell of growing
and enduring. drawn out more pun
gently by the light dew. 4 tiny
west, like a silver-gold boat helpless
ly adrift on a dusky sea.
Presently a small sound was borne
amid the shrilling of the katydids-
from the direction Of the deeper
forest. travelling at its own slow gait.
Its hoofs, in the soft dusk. made
scarce jarring note in the chorus
OF the night. and the man in the sad
die leaned a trifie forward. as if to
catch, in its delicate entirety. the full
volume of the music which poured
from the low doorway of the Cocks
Feather. When the pair had reached
the beaten earth before the tavern
with light fingers and the animal
stopped. For long time the man
sat silent, leaning sidewise in his
saddle, then stepped soundlessly to
against the Intel with his arms
folded on his breast. Doxey sang on.
Sometimes it was a stirring love-
song of English soldiery. Again it
was a wordless humming, and once IA
fell quiet on the keys, after running
up and down the board. and she said,
very softly:
TGood even. sir-by the door"
The man started. and laughed de-
liehtedly. in a voice as soft as hers.
He had thought himself unobserved
and meant to mount and go on his
idle way without disclosing himself.
But the shsnp eyes Of the girl had
peared warily beside the opening
Mistress" he said half whisper
ing. what can a thief say. taken red
handed. 1t was to steal the strings
out doubtless for another. that did
stop in from the turnpike. 1 crave
your pardon
Nay" said Doxey Fairweather.
rising and coming to stand before
him In the shadows. 'fwhat Is music
for but to delight others? You are
welcomed, and it pleasured you"
The man was silent little while.
~ know not he said at last. "of
another lass who, seemingly spied on
from the dark. her house thus in
truded upon, would have said so
kindly thing as that"
50? Are not all maidens natur-
ally kind, sir?''
standing. FOR the main-a priceless
, thing and scarce to be looked for
, in a woman"
"Is that sor' said Mistress Doxey,
instantly bridling with that spirit
which ever belied her gentle mouth
And who are you, sir. to be thus
damaging I'm a. my sex?'
"1?" The man in the doorway
laughed little. as If amused. why
, lover of the forests, kinsman to the
birds and the free things. I am"
He did not finish his words, for on
the instant the inner door, being al
ready !a t a5ar' swung open to the mas
light poured out directly upon him.
1t showed tall figure clad in worn
bucksktns: = lean face. smiling. its
blue dlsreyes eyes a ae-sparkie spa with the small
| the girl he had found
Patrlck Henry" said Harry Cor
ton. who sat facing the open door
"the gallant lout,"
The stranger laughed and nodded.
las good a name as any,"
Several Of the young gentlemen
frQwned and fiddled with their cards.
when pride was rampant and blood
, ranked high. They liked not this
easy going chap who championed
slave girls from overseas and-kissed
the hand of the governors daughter.
TCome," said Jack Frfsbee INV
friends. the game waits 'Tfs tragedy
to waste good play and the drinking
Of Master Fairweather's ale in star
ing at a wild buck of the woods"
At that needlessly unkind speech
DoXey turned upon the speaker eves
suddenly alfght with anger.