Show fJ 0 Marker M k er of if 0 f Moons M l ns Author The By ROBERT Red of Republic The W CHAMBERS King Kin A In King Yellow and anda I a Few Dukes etc Copyright 1896 by G P Sons Entered at Stationers Hall London Continued from Last Sunday IV rv She was standing still Mill when I ap approached approached approached the pool poo The forest around us was so silent that when I spoke the sound soun oun of my own voice startled me meNo meNo meNo No she said and her voice was smooth as flowing water I have not nott lift ut t t my way Will VIll ho come to me your beautiful dog Before I could speak crept to her and laid his silky head against her knees But surely surel said I you did not come orne here alone Alone Aone I did come alone But the nearest settlement is Car Cardinal Cardinal Cardinal dinal probably nineteen miles from where we are standing I 1 do not know Cardinal she said Ste Croix In Canada is forty miles at least how did you come into the Cardinal woods I asked amazed am Into the tho woods she repeated a lit little little littie tle tie impatiently Yes She did dill not answer at first but stood caressing with gentle phrase and gesture Your beautiful dog I am fond of but I am not fond of being boing questioned she lle said quietly My name is Ysonde and I came to the fountain here to see your our dog I was properly quenched After a mo moment moment moment ment or two I did say that in another hour it would be growing dusky but she sh neither replied nor looked at me meThis meThis meThis This I r ventured is a beautiful pool you call it a fountain a delicious fountain I have hae never before seen it It Is la hard to imagine that nature did all this Is It she said Dont you OU think so I r asked I thought I wish when you youKO ou ouo KO go o you would your our dog My my dog It Jf you dont mind she said sweet sweetly ly Jy and lOd looked at me for tor the first time In the face For an instant our glances met then she fhe he grew grave and I saw that her eyes lYES were fixed on my m forehead Sud Suddenly Suddenly denly she he rose and drew nearer look looking lookIng lookIng ing Intently at my m forehead There Thereas I was as a faint mark there a tiny cres crescent crescent cent Int just over oer my m eyebrow It was a birthmark I Is that a scar sea she demanded drawing nearer That mark No NoNo Noo NoNo No o Are you sure she insisted Perfectly etly I replied astonished Aa a birthmark Yes may I ask why 1 j As s she drew away fromme from inc I saw that the color had fled from her cheeks For a second she clasped both her lunds over her hex eyes as If It to to shut out my face then slowly dropping her hands she sat down on a long square block of stone which half halt encircled the basin and on which to my amazement I saw carving went to her again and laid ald his head in her lap What is your our name she asked at length Roy Mine Is Ysonde I carved these dragonflies on the stone these fishes and shells and butterflies you see You They are arc wonderfully deli delicate delicate cate but those are not American dragonflies No Nothey they are more beautiful See 1 I have my hammer and chisel hisel with me meShe She drew from a queer queer pouch at her side ide a small mall hammer and chisel and held them toward me You are very talented I said where here did you ou study I I never novel studied I knew how I saw things and cut them out of stone Do you ou like likO them Some Somo time I will show you ou other things that I have dene If I had a great lump of ot bronze I could make your our dog beautiful as ashe ash ashe he h is isHer Isler isHer Her ler hammer fell Into the fountain and I leaned over and plunged my arm arminto armInto arminto into tho the water to find it It is there shining on the sand she said leaning over the pool with me ml Where I said looking at our re reflected reflected faces in the water For it was only In the water that I dared as yet yetto yetto yetto to look her long in the face The pool mirrored the exquisite oval of her head hlad the heavy hair the eyes ees 1 heard the silken rustle of her girdle I caught the flash of a white arm and the hammer was drawn up dripping with spray The troubled surface of the pool grew calm alm and an again I saw her eyes re reflected Listen slie said in a low voice do you jou ou think you ou will come again to my fountain I will come I said My voice was dull the noise of water filled my cars ears Then a swift shadow sped ped across the pool I rubbed my eyes Where here her reflected face hal had bent beside mine mino there was nothing mirrored but the rosy evening sky sk with one pale star glimmering I drew myself up and turned She was gone I saw the faint star twinkling above me ma in the after afterglow afterglow afterglow glow I saw the tho tall trees motionless In the still evening air I saw my dog slumbering at my feet Tho The sweet scent in the air had faded leaving In my nostrils the heavy odor of fern and forest mould A blind fear seized me and I caught up my gun and sprang into Inta the darkening woods The dog followed 1 me crashing through the undergrowth at my m side Duller and duller grew the light but I strode on the sweat pouring from my face and hair my mind a How I reached the spiney spine I can hardly tell toll tollAs tellAs tellAs As I turned up the path I caught a glimpse of a human face lace peering at me from the darkening thicket a horrible human face yellow and drawn with cheeks checks and narrow eyes ees Involuntarily I halted the dog at ry ny y heels snarled Then I sprang straight t It floundering blindly through the thicket but the night had fallen swift swiftly swiftly ly y and I found myself m panting and struggling In a maze of twisted shrub shrubbery shrubbery bery beo and twining vines unable to see seethe seethe seethe the very undergrowth that ensnared me melt It lt was a pale face and a scratched one that I carried to a late dinner that night Howlett Hewlett served me inc dumb re reproach reproach In his hii eyes for the soup had been standing and the grouse was Wag juiceless David Dald brought tho the dogs in after they had had their supper and I drew my chair before h fore the blaze and set my my ale aleen aleen en a table beside me The dogs curled up at my feet blinking gravely at the sparks that snapped and flew flow In eddy eddying eddying ing mg showers from the heavy birch loss logs os David said I J did Jid you say ay you saw sawa a Chinaman today I did sir What do you thing about It now II I may have been een mistaken sir I I But you think not sort of whisky did you put in my flask to today today today day The usual sir sirIs sirIs sirIs Is there much gone About three swallows sir sit as usual I F You dont think there could have been any mistake about that whisky no medicine could have gotten into it for instance David smiled and said No sir sirWell sirWell Well Veli said I I have had an ex extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary dream When I said dream I felt comfort comforted ed and reassured I had scarcely dared to say It before een even to myself An extraordinary dream I repeat repeated ed I fell asleep in the woods about 5 in that pretty glade where the fountain I mean the pool Is You know the place I 1 do not sir sirI I described It minutely twice but David shook his head Carved Cared stone did you say sir I never chanced on It You dont mean the New Spring No no This glade is way beyond that Is it possible that any people Inhabit the forest between here and aud the Canadian line Nobody short of Ste Croix at least I have hae no knowledge of any Of course said I when I thought I saw a Chinman it was imagination Of course I had been more impressed than I was aware of by your adventure adventure adventure ture Of course you ou saw no Chinaman I David Probably not sir said David dubiously I sent him or o to bed saying I should keep the dogs with me all aU night and when he was gone I took a good long draught of ale just to shame the devil as Pierpont said and lighted a cigar Then I thought of Barns Banis and Pierpont P and their cold bed for I knew they would not dare build a fire and In spite of the hot chimney cor corner correr ncr ner and the crackling blaze I shivered in sympathy Ill tell Barris Barns and Pierpont the whole story stor and take tale them to see the fountain I thought to myself what a marvelous dream it was Ysonde If it was a dream Then I went to the mirror and exam examIned examined Ined the faint white mark above my eyebrow I V About 8 S next morning as i t tsat sat listlessly eyeing e eing my m coffee cup which Howlett Hewlett was filling Gamin and set up a howl and in a moment more I heard Barns Banis step on the porch Hello Roy said Pierpont stamp Ing into the dining room I want my breakfast by jingo Wheres Howlett Hewlett none of your cafe au lait for me meI I want a chop and some eggs Look at that dog hell wag the hinge off of his tail tall in a moment Pierpont said I this loquacity is astonishing but welcome Wheres Barris Barns You are soaked from neck to ankle Pierpont sat down and tore off his stiff muddy leggings Barris Barns Is telephoning to Cardinal Springs I believe he wants some me of his men down Gamin you rou idiot Howlett Hewlett three eggs poached and moro toast what was I saying sa Oh about Barris Barns hes struck something or other which he hopes will Ill locate these gold making fellows I had a jolly time hell tell you ou about it Billy Billy I said In pleased amazement you are learning to talk Dear me You load your our own shells and you ou carry carr your our own gun and you ou fire It yourself hello heres Barris Barns all allover allover allover over mud You fellows really ought to change your our rig whew what a fright frightful ful UI odor i Its probably this said Barris Barns tos tossing tossing tossing sing something onto the hearth where It shuddered for a moment and then began to writhe I found round it in the th woods by the lake Do you know what it can be Roy noy To my disgust I saw that it was an another another another other of those spidery wormy crab crablike crablike crablike like creatures that Godfrey Godfre had In I thought I recognized that acrid odor I said Bald for the love of the saints take it away from the breakfast table Barris Barns But what is it he persisted un slinging his field glass and revolver Ill tell you what I know lenow after breakfast I replied firmly Howlett Hewlett get a broom and sweep that thing Into the road what are you ou laughing at Pierpont Howlett swept the repulsive creature out and Barris Barns and Pierpont went to change their clothes for dryer raiment David came to take the dogs for an airing and in a few minutes Barris Barns and sat down downIn In his place at the th head of the table Well Vell I said is there a story to tell teU Yes not much They are near the lake on the other side of the woods I mean these I shall col collar collar collar lar one of them this evening I located the main gang with any certainty shove the toast rack this way vay will you rou Roy Ro no I am not at all aJI certain certain tain tam but Ive nailed one anyway Pier Pierpont PIerpont Pierpont pont was a great gre t help really and what do you think Roy He wants to join the secret service Little Willy Exactly Oh Ill dissuade him What sort of a reptile was that I brought rought In Did Howlett sweep It away awa He can sweep It back again for tor all aJI allI I care I said indifferently Ive finished my breakfast No said Barris Barns hastily swallowing his coffee Its of no importance you youcan youcan ou I can tell me about the beast Servo you right night if I had it brought in on toast I returned Pierpont came In radiant fresh from the bath Go on with your our story Roy Ro he said and I told them about Godfrey and his reptile pet Now what In the tile name of common commonsense commonsense sense Jense can Godfrey find Interesting In that creature I ended tossing my cigarette into the fireplace Its Japanese dont you think said Pierpont No said Barris Barns it Is not artist artisti artistically cally grotesque its vulgar and horri howl ble It looks cheap and unfinished Unfinished exactly said I like an American humorist Yes said Pierpont cheap What about that gold serpent Oh the Metropolitan Museum bought b it you ou must see it its mar marvelous marvelous marvelous Barris Barns and Pierpont had lighted their cigarettes and after a moment we all aJI rose and strolled out to the lawn where chairs and hammocks wire were re replaced placed under the maple trees tyes c cDavid David passed sun gun under rn r dogs 11 p 4 r I i i Three guns on the meadows at 4 41 this afternoon said Pierpont Roy said Barris Barns as David bowed and started on what did you do yes yesterday yesterday This was the question that I had been expecting All night long I had dreamed of Ysonde and the glade gl de in inthe Inthe inthe the woods where at the tile bottom pf f the crystal fountain I saw the reflection of her eyes eres All the morning while bathing and dressing I had been per persuading persuading persuading myself that the dream was not worth recounting and that a search for the glade and the imaginary stone tone carving would be But now as Barris Bards asked the question I sudden suddenly ly decided to tell him the whole story See here you fellows I said abruptly I am going to tell you ou something queer You can laugh as much as you ou please too but first I want to ask Barris Barns a question or two You have been in China Barris Bawls Yes said Barris Barns looking straight Into my eyes Would a Chinaman be likely to tou turn u nfl lumberman Have you seen a Chinaman he asked In a quiet voice I dont know David and I both imagined we did Barris Bawls and Pierpont exchanged glances Have you sen seen one also I dg d turning to include Pierpont No said Barris slowly but I know that there is or has been blen a Chi Chinaman China naman na in these woods The devil said L LYes LYes LYes Yes said Barris Barns gravely ravely the devil if you like a devil devila a member of ot the I drew my chair close to the ham hammock hammock hammock mock where Pierpont lay at full length holding out to me a ball of ot pure gold goldWell goldWell Well Yell said I examining the en engraving engraving engraving graving on its surface which represented represented represented a mass of twisted creatures dragons I supposed Well VeIl repeated Barris Bawls extending his hand to take the golden ball this globe of gold engraved with reptiles and Chinese hieroglyphics is the sym Bm symbol symbol bol of the Where did you get it I asked feeling that something startling was impending Pierpont found It by b the lake at sunrise this morning It is the sym symbol symbol bol of the Kuen Yuin he lie repeated the h terrible t u the sorcerers or of China and the tile most murderously diabolical sect on earth We Ve puffed pulled our cigarettes in silence until Barris Barns rose and began to pace backward and forward amons anong among the trees twisting hs hIs gray moustache The Kuen Yuin are sorcerers he said pausing pausin before the hammock where Pierpont lay layl watching him I mean exactly what I say sorcerers Jve seen them Ive seen them at their devilish business and I repeat to you solemnly solemn that as there are angels above there is a race of or devils on earth and they the are sorcerers Bah flab he hl cried talk to me of Indian magic malc and Yogis and all that claptrap Why Vh Roy Ro I tell you ou that the have absolute control of ofa a hundred mil mu millions millions lions of people mind and ami body body bod and soul Do you know what goes on In the Interior of China Does Europe know could any human being conceive of the condition of that gigantic hell heIl pit You read the papers you hear diplomatic twaddle about Li Hung Chang and the emperor you see ac accounts accounts accounts counts of battles on sea and land and you know that Japan has raised a toy tempest along the Jagged edge roge of the |