Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-22
By
Gardner
Hunting.

yond. Look! Her hand-in them
cogs!"
The mill hands looked So did Brain
ard and young John Norman. Brain
ard shut off his light.
John was swearing softly, as uncon-
Sclously as man SnuffleS with cold.
Brainard turned up the lights to full
illumination in the white room.
Remember, it's not real-now," he
said, taking out his handkerchief to
dry his wet hands.
"But-hell and damnation-it was!"
groaned John, rubbing his palms vio-
lently across his eyes.
7 thought you were getting little
We'll, not to sheer horror!" inter-
rupted the young man. He hesitated
do you suppose" he said at last, that
it was something like that Carol saw?"
Whatever she saw, she's gotten
nravely over it," replied Brainard
thing else"
"Unlabeled? Not mel" John rose
stiffly from his chair. Then he turned
on Brainard. Suppose somebody who
has chance to tamper with your stuff
switches something like that in on YOU
when you think you've got, say, Santa
Claus for the kids"
Brainard was silent.
There may be new ways of sending
you poisoned candy, Rad-just as mod
ern as the Vicarion!"
And there will be new ways of
checking up on it." said Brainard.
Makes me think I didn't half get
what happened to Carol" said the boy,
going toward the door. II wonder
where she is" But he turned before
he went out. Twill you put somebody
after the knights-and-ladies- tournament
stun for me, Rad?" he asked.
Branard bent over a tray Of bombs
| after the young man had left him.
The Shrek of that woman in the mill
re-echoed in his ears. Probably that
accident had happened, like thousands
OF Its sort, back in the days before
safety devices came into general use.
II 1t hadn't, he might have forced a
reform IN week by showing that scene
TO legislators about the land. It oc-
CURED to him that other reforms might
be initiated by similar means. The
enid labor problem-about which Phyl-
lis talked! Suppose he should devise
method OF exhibiting a scene where it
was not nticipated-Suppose he could
thrust 1t, say, into the unwilling midst
OF a decorous assembly of parlor re-
formers-Suppose he should fling any
raw subject that needed attention any,
Where before the worlds involuntary
gaze. 1t was conceivable that he might
ma a way. But the idea palled upon
nun almost as soon as thought Of. He
took I'D another unlabeled bomb
He had no special desire to see an
other blood-curdling episode, yet there
was fascination in the possibility. He
knew that this was what many a spec
tator would feel who found the Vicarion
means to crafty other instincts. for
was there not an instinct that drew
crowds to the scenes of accident in the
street? And if somebody were mangled
there they liked it better! Not that
anybody ever admitted such a taste,
except inadvertently. But what did it
matter what they admitted? The
fication pail?
John had licked his lips over the de-
LaliS OF heroic violence. Carols antidote
for shock had been more of the same
or as near as she could get to it. an
parently. Mrs. Norman could dwell upon
the pathoS In portrait that cast no
glamour over her old mother. Her hus-
oand's taste had alternated for DAYS
between Capt. Webb In the Niagara
Whirlpool and the Alabama's unex-
pioding she'll hitting the Stern-post of
The Kearsarge! Brainard had provided
them these things. Some of them he
was showing in the theaters, having
once caught their index. And this typ
ically normal family, unsatiated, though
no longer amazed, probably represented
what most other normal families would
be ike three months from now. There
were many degrees between netting
them in novelty ana Skewering them
with horror! But his resources were
unlimited. And if Liquid Life were a
habit-forrning drug he could supply an
increasing dose.
He put the bomb into it's niche in
the wall, threw his switches and walked
TO chair. He would let this run its
course, whatever it might be.
The preliminary fare of red light
flooded over him as he sat down. Then
the tinkle of a tiny waterfall made its
Dubbling voice heard.
He turned to see a bright thread
trickling from low ledge of rock,
around which gnarled the roots of huge
trees thrust through masses of ferns
IKE recumbent, halr-clothed giant
limbs. pool, deep, Swallowed, edged
with reflected greens OF messy banks
ana hanging leaves, with a pale surface
bloom of blue from a far-off unseen
sky, caught the little fall near an outlet
at its edge and took scarcely a ruffie
from its drops. Turf like a velvet rug
| spread out toward him as If laid invit-
lngly for his feet, sunlight in long, low
rays that could belong only to the
| tender morning came from somewhere
| away behind him--he could almost feel
its warmth on his head and shoulders
and touched the grass, the little
beads OF moisture that hung like strings
OF moonstoneS on the rocks, the feath-
cry fronds of the ferns that caught
from 1t peacock hues, the rough bark
OF trees that became taking crusts of
precious metals, the shacowed hooks till
they were fairy caverns hung with pur-
Pile! bird of unknown species and
fplumage like red embers fitted in and
allghted with an upward dip at the
edge OF the pool. Alertly it turned it's
eyes-miraculous eyes, listening eyes!-
once, twice, here and there, then drop
ped its beak and raised its head to
drink
Here was magic! A butterfly drifted
In ON capricious wing, gorgeous as sun
sets own broidery, and settled fasci-
mated. In the maaSed foliage above soft
nutter-and the drinking bird raised
Its head and whiStled low mating call
like a laugh at discovery of Springs
inner meaning. A stir at the leaf
screen-and the man to whom it was
given to look into this paradise saw
the green wall part and eyes look out
and into his own!
His breath and his blood stood still,
The parted opening closed. A slender
white foot thrust out, hand brushed
branches aside, a figure of loneliness,
with deW-splaShed limbs shining like
silver bronze, emerged! A thing of pearl
and sunshine! Eternal youth in eternal
down! In garments of gossamer- like
shredded morning mists, with vagrant
leayes caught in it like eager, caress-
ing hands; hair like the clinging ten
drills Of passing night, eyes Wistful as
| the memories of drnamsI