Show w I 1 0 m 05 CC S re FI I 1 A L aft asa STOR y ia 1 11 41 2 1 t 11 THE fearl ILA 4 z ea OF wa 0 0 N 5 T by ROBERT W CHAMBERS 4 91 illustrations by J J sheridan 8 y 14 axi 4 N copyright 0 P V ms sons soni SYNOPSIS the story opens in new york roy car aen hiso the storyteller story teller inspecting a guarr aur ra tile owned bv george godfrey of ity it y roy hoy and harris and pierpont Iler pont I 1 two friends depart on oa a hunting trip to cardinal wooda it 11 rather anther obscure locality 11 harris larris revealed the tact that lie ha had tho the secret service tor for tho the purpose oi of running down a gang 0 of sold gold ni inal Alcera cers aror acra age on dl the banca a n ize formula had find been mysteriously fl killed i harris rec received elved a telegram of in truc tlona ile and Iler pont set not out olit to locate tio the gold bold inaki nir gang A valet to rc ported it 11 queer chinaman in the untenanted woods roy noy went 11 11 1 iro to fell in a dell on 11 aing lie beheld it 11 beautiful girl nt at a i niall lake A birthmark birthina rk a dragons claw on hoys forehead fore liend had a mysterious effect upon the girl who baill eald nor her name wits ysonde suddenly she aria dla dim fleeing in terror roy hoy beheld horrible chinese visage peering at him from aliv woods harris barris and Iler pont ro re turned barris it a reptile like that owned by godfrey A ball bail of supposed gold lie is hold held Rud suddenly denly became alive lie ile told of the ccuen euln a clil nation of sorcerers numbering and explained that tho the moon maker their ruler whose crescent cymbol a dragon claw was kuppr 1 sed 1 to have returned turned rp io to earth 1 harris arris 1 rier liter ont nt a and 1 roy hoy failed to find Ye andas daB de dell 11 inter anter I 1 aloy oy hunting came to the tha beauta su ful where ho hn found ysonde site she told lim film how her stepfather evident y a chinaman mada gold bold and of its ills mys erl arlt as suddenly Budden lv all turned binck blade ana nd roy bitoy awoke to ciul himself atu stunned tilled a no na agick hg on ills his own doorstep hoy quickly Ick I 1 y barris under tinder a anys iii sd arf si opell told of lils ills stay anning ilio cia me rc aers hla his lovo love there and its ita nesb ending endline CHAPTER ali continued binti 1 I havo have lived thore there and lavod there whoa when the breath of 0 my ni body shall cease when tho the dragons elaw claw shall fado fade from my arm ana lie he tore tora aphis loave nud we saw a white shining above his elbow when the light of 0 my iny oyos hab fade eded 1 I foro forever vei thon avon illin ash shall all not torget forget the city of why ti it la Is my litno the river and tho the thou band aana brydges tho the white peak beyond the sweet scented gardens the lilies tho 06 pleasant noise ot of the summer wind laden jaden with beo bee and tho the music of bell bella ralli those thise do you think because the ku kuon euln feared the dragons claw conmy arm that my work WM K Is i you think bec because tuso yue lanou could give that chati I 1 acknowledge his right to take away Is ho he dangl in whose shadow the white water lotus dares not raise itts its head not nol not nol lie he cried violently it was not from yue laou the cerer the maker aker of 0 moons that my aay happiness camel came it was wan real tt it was not a shadow to vanish like a tinted bubble can a sorcerer create and nd give a man tho the woman lie he loves ts s yuo yue laou as great as ag dangl then bangi Is god coq in ills own time ilme in ills infinite goodness and mercy ile ho will bring inn again to the woman I 1 love and I 1 know she waits for me at gods feet in the strained silence that followed ia V could hear my hearts double beat ind nd I 1 saw PIer ponts face blanched ond nd pitiful darris barris shook himself and raised his head bead the change in his tuddy ruddy face frightened me lle heed edl ho w said with a terrible glance at me the print of the dragons Ira gons cl claw aw ib on your forehead and tue laou knows it if you must love then love like a man for you will suffer like a soul in liell hell in the end what la 14 her name again ysonde YB I 1 answered slin simply ply CHAPTER vill at nine that night we c caught aught ono of the gold makers I 1 do not know bow barris had laid his trap all I 1 baw aw of the affair can be told in a minute or two wo we were posted on tho the cardinal road about a mile below the house rier pierpont pont and I 1 with drawn revolvers on an one side under a butternut tree barris on the other a winchester across his knees I 1 had just asked pierpont pont the hour and he be was feeling tor for his watch when far up the road we heard tho the bound of a galloping horse nearer braier clattering thundering past then barris rifle spat flame and the darl dark mass horse arid and rider crashed into the dust pierpont pont hid had the half stunned horseman by the collar in 16 a second the horse was stone dead and as we lighted a pine knot to ev et amino the fellow harris barris two rider galloped up and drew bridle beside us ilal said harris barris with a scowl lt leithe its ithe the AS shiner bIner or im a moon XhI abaer fier we crowded curiously around to see the shiner llo ile was redheaded red headed fat and filthy and his little red eyes teamed in his head bead like tho the eyes of an augry angry pig I 1 barris went through his bis pockets methodically while pierpont pont held hirn him ond and I 1 held the torch tho the shiner was a gold mine pockets shirt bootlegs hat bat even his dirty fists clutched tight and bleed bleeding inz were bursting with lumps of soft yellow gold barris dropped this moonshine moons liln 0 gold as we hail conio come to call it into the pockets of ills shooting coat and withdrew to question the prisoner lie ho came back I 1 again it jn a row minutes and motioned ills his mounted men to take the shiner in charge wn we watched them rifle on thigh walking their horses slowly away into the darkness the shiner Sh lnor tightly bound shuffling sullenly between them thel I 1 who la Is the lie shiner ner naked asked pierpont slipping the revolver into his pocket again A counterfeiter counter felter forger and highwayman said bald harris barris and probably a mim murderer lerer drummond will bo be glad to see ailin and I 1 think it likely lie ho will bo be persuaded to confess to him what lie he refuses to confess to nio me lie talk I 1 asked 11 not a syllable there Is s nothing wore moro for you to do for mo me to do are you not coming back with us harris barris no paid harris barris wo we walked along the dark road in silence for it a while I 1 wondering what barris intended to do but lie ho said nothing moro more until wo we reached our own veranda hero here lie ha held out his bis hand first to 0 o Dont then to me saying goodby good by as though lie ho wore were go ing on a long journey lour noy how soon will you be back I 1 called out to hini him as aa lie ho turned away toward the taio gate lie came across the lawn again and again took our hands with a quiet affection that I 1 had never imagined him capable of 1 I am going lie he said to put an end to his gold making tonight to night I 1 know that you follows fellows never naver suspected what I 1 was about on my little solitary evening strolls after dinner I 1 will tell you already I 1 have unobtrusively killed four of these Eold gold makers my men put them under ground just below the now new washout wash out at the four mile stone atone there aro are throe three left alive the shiner whom we have another criminal named yellow or yeller in the vernacular and the third the third repeated pierpont pont excitedly cit edly the third I 1 have never yet seen but I 1 know who and what he is I 1 know and it if ho he Is of human flesh and blood his blood will flow tonight to night As lie ha spoke a slight noise across the turf attracted my attention A mounted amounted man was advancing silently allent ly la in the starlight light over the spongy meadowland I 1 N I 1 nil then barris rifle spat fire when he came nearer barris struck a match and wo we saw that he bore a corpse across his saddle bow 1 col danis barris dan Is said the man touching his slouched hat in salute this grim brim introduction to the corpse made me shudder and after a moments examination of the stiff wide eyed dead man I 1 drew back identified said barris banis ban Is take him to the four mlle mile post and carry his effects to washington under seal mind johnstone away cantered can the rider with hla his ghastly burden and darris took our hands once more for tho the last time then he be went away gayly with a jest on ills his lips and pierpont pont pout and I 1 turned back into tho the house for an hour wo we sat moodily smoking in tho the hall before the tire saying little until pierpont pont burst out with 1 I wish barris had taken one of us with him to 1 tho the same thought had been running in tny my mind but I 1 said barris knows what hes about this observation neither comforted us nor opened the lane to further conversation and after a low few minutes pierpont pont said goodnight good night and called for hewlett and hot water when lie he had been warmly tucked away by howlett hewlett 1 I 1 turned out ont all but one lamp sent th the dogs away with david and dismissed hewlett owlett If for the night I 1 was not inclined to retire for I 1 knew I 1 could not sleep there was a book lying open on the table beside tho the fire and I 1 opened it and read a page or two but my mind was fixed on other things the window shades were raised and I 1 looked out at al tho the star set firmament there was no moon that night but the sky was dusted all over with sparkling stars and a pale radiance brighter oven even than moonlight tell fell over meadow and wood far away in the forest I 1 heard the voice of the wind a soft warm wind that whispered a name ysonde Ll listen alsten sten sighed tho the voice of the wind and ll listen sten echoed the swaying trees frees with every little leaf it a quiver I 1 listened herc tho the long grasses trembled with tho the crickets cadence I 1 heard her name ysonde I 1 heard it in tho the rustling woodbine whore where gray moths hovered I 1 head it in the drip drip of thu the dew from the porch tho the silent meadow brook whispered her namo nama the rippling woodland streams rb nv heated it ysonde ysonde until all oarth earth and sky were filled with the soft thrill ysonde ysonde ysonde A night thrush sang in a thicket by the porch and I 1 stole to the veranda to listen after a while it began again a little further on I 1 ventured out into tho the road again I 1 hoard board it far away lit in the forest and I 1 followed it for I 1 knew it w was as singing of ygonde when I 1 came to the path that ae leaves avea tho the matti road und and enters entera the sweet forn fern covert below the spinney I 1 he hesitated but tile tho beauty of the night lured ine ina 0 on n and the night thrushes called me from every thicket in the starry radiance lad tance shrubs 31 iral gra grasses field flowers ll owera stood out distinctly for thero there wits was no lie moon to east cast shadows meadow and brook grovo arid and stream were II if etim inaldo d by tho the palo iala glow like great lamps lighted the planets planeta hung from tho the high domed sky arid and through their mysterious rays the fixed stars stare calm stared from the heavens like eyes I 1 waded on waist deop deep through fields of 0 dewy goldenrod golden rod through late clover clever and wild oats wastes through 9 it crimson fruited sweetbrier blueberry arid and wild plum until tho the low whisper of the wier brook warned me that the path had ended but I 1 would not stop for the tha night air was heavy with the perfume of 0 water lilies and far away across the low wooded cliffs and the wet meadowland beyond there was a distant gleam of silver and I 1 heard the murmur of sleepy waterfowl I 1 would go to the lake anio way was clear except tor for tho the dense young growth and the snares of the moose bush buah the thrushes had ceased but I 1 lid did not want for the company of living creatures crea turea Si slender onder quick darting forms crossed rny ray path at intervals sleek mink that fled like shadows at my step wiry weasels ani and tat fat muskrats musk rats hurrying onward to some tryst or killing I 1 never had seen so many little woodland creatures on the move at night I 1 began to wonder where they all were going so eo fast why they all hurried on in the same direction N now ow I 1 passed a hare hopping through tile the brushwood now a rabbit scurrying by flag hoisted As I 1 entered the beech second growth two foxes glided by me a little further on a doe crashed out of the underbrush and close behind her stole a lynx eyes shining like coals lie he neither paid attention to the doe or to me but loped away toward the north the lynx was in flight from what I 1 asked myself wondering thore there was no forest fire no cyclone no flood it if barris had bad passed pas sed that way could he ha have stirred up tip this sudden exodus impossible even a regiment in ti the forest could scarcely have put to rout these frightened creatures what on earth thought 1 ii turning to watch the headlong flight of a usher fisher cat what oni oil earth has startled the boasts beasts out at this time of night I 1 looked up tip into the sky the placid glow of the fixed stars starr comforted comforte d mo me and I 1 stepped on through the narrow spruce belt that leads down to the borders of the lake of the stars wild cranberry and maase bush entwined my feet dewy branches spattered me with moisture and the thick spruce needles scraped my face as I 1 threaded my way over mossy logs logo a and na deep spongy tussocks socks down to the level gravel of the lake shore although there was no wind the little waves were hurrying lit in from the lake and I 1 heard them splashing among tho the pebbles in the pule pale star glow thousands of water lilies lifted their half closed chall chalices ces toward the sky I 1 throw threw myself full length upon the shore and chin on hand looked out across tho lake splash splash came the waves along the shore higher nearer until a film of water thin and glittering as a knife blade crept up to ray my elbows I 1 could not understand li it the lake was rising but there hail had been no rain all along the shore the water was running up I 1 heard the waves among the sedge grass the weeds at ray my side were awash in the ripples the lilies rocked on the tiny waves every wet pod rising on the swells sinking rising again until the whole lake was glimmering with undulating blossoms how sweet and deep was tho the fragrance from the lilies and now the water was ebbing slowly and the waves receded shrinking from the shore tim rim until the white pebbles appeared again shining like froth on a brimming glass 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