| Show I THE MAKER OF MOONS BY ROBERT CHAMBERS W Author of or The King Zang in la Yellow The Red fled Republic A King and a 8 Few Dukes Etc Copyright by G P Sons Entered at Stationers Hall London VII In a few tew minutes I was able to too stand and walk stiffly into my bedroom where Howlett had a hot bath ready and a hotter tumbler of Scotch Pier Pierpont PIerpont Pierpont pont sponged the blood from my throat wh where re it Mad had ad congealed The cut was slight almost Invisible a 0 mere puncture puncture puncture ture from a 0 thorn A shampoo cleared my mind and a cold plunge and alco alcohol alcohol hol bol friction did the rest Now said Pierpont swallow your hot Scotch and lie down Do you want wanta a broiled woodcock Good I fancy you are coming about Barris Harris and PIerpont watched me as asI 1 I sat down on the edge of the bed ed solemnly sol solemnly chewing on the woodcocks wish wishbone wishbone wishbone bone and sipping my Bordeaux Bordea lJ very much at my ease P sighed his relief r So he said pleasantly It ft was a amere amere amere mere case of ten dollars or ten days I 1 thought you had been stabbed I was not intoxicated I replied serenely picking up Uv a bit oC of celery Only jagged inquired Pierpont full of sympathy Nonsense said Harris Barns let him alone Want some more celery Roy it will make you sleep I dont want to sleep I answered when tire ire you and going to catch your Goldmaker Barris Harris looked at his watch and closed it with a snap In an hour you dont propose to go with us lIS But I do toss me a cup of coffee Pierpont will you just what I 1 propose to do Howlett bring the new box of the mild mUd imported and leave the decanter Now Barris Harris Ill be dressing and you and Pierpont i keep still stUl and listed to what I have to i say Is that door shut tight Barris Harris locked it and sat down Thanks said I BatTis Barris where is the city crt of ot Yian Ylan An expression akin to terror flashel Into Barris eyes and I saw him stop breathing for a moment There Is no such city he said at aten en have I oe been n talking in my Bleep It Is a city I r continued where the river finds under the thou thousand thousand sand bridges where wh re the gardens are sweet scented s and the air is filled with the music of silver bells Stop gasped Barris and rose trembling from his chair He had grown ten years of cr Roy interposed Pierpont coolly what the deuce are you harrying Bar Barrs Barris ris rs for forI I looked at Barris and he looked at al alme atme I me After a second he sat down again Go Goon on Roy he said saidI I must I answered for now I am certain that I have not dreamed I told them everything but even aven as asI asI asI I told it the whole thing seemed sc so vague so unreal that at times I stopped with the hot blood tingling in my ears for it seemed Impossible that thai sensible men in iIi the year ear of our o r Lord 1896 1696 could seriously discuss such mat matters matters matters I feared Pierpont but he did not even I Ismile smile As for Barris he sat with his handsome head sunk on his breast his unlighted pipe clasped tight in both hands When I had finished Pierpont turned slowly and looked at Barris Harris Twice he moved his lips Ups as if about to ask some something something I thing and then remained mute Ylan Yian Is a city said Barris speak speaking speakIng speaking ing dreamily was that what you wished to know Pierpont We nodded silently Ylan Plan Is a city cit repeated Barris where the great river winds under the thousand bridges where the gardens are sweet scented and the air is filled with the music of silver bells My lips formed the question Where is this city It lies said Barris almost t querulously querulously querulously across the seven oceans and the river rive which is longer than from the earth to the moon What do you mean 7 said Pierpont Ah said Barris rousing himself with an effort and raising his sunken eyes I 1 am using the allegories of an another another another other land let it pass Have I not told you of the Ylan is the center of or the It lies hidden in that gigantic shadow called China vague and vast as the midnight heavens a continent unknown impenetrable Impenetrable impenetrable Impenetrable repeated Pierpont below his breath I have seen It said Barris dreamily ly I have seen the dead plains of Black Cathay and I have crossed the mountains of Death whose summits are above the atmosphere I have seen s en the shadow of cast across Abad don Better to die a million miles from and Ater Atar than to have seen lIeen the white close in the shadow sharlow of or I have slept among the ruins of ot where the winds never cease and the is wailed by the dead And Ylan Yian I urged gently There was as an unearthly look on his face as he turned slowly toward me meYlan TianI Ylan I have lived there and loved there When the breath of my body shall cease when the dragons claw shall fade from my arm he tore up his sleeve and we saw a white cres crescent crescent crescent cent shining above his elbow when the light of my eyes has faded forever even then I shall not forget the city of Yian Ylan Why it is my home mine The river and the thousand bridges the white peak beyond the tho sweet scented gardens the lilies the pleasant noise of the summer wind laden with bee music and the music of bells all these are mine Do you think because the feared the dragons claw on my arm ann that my work with them Is ended 7 Do you think that be because because because cause could give that I ac acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged his right to take away is he In whose shadow the white dares n St t raise its head No No he cried violently It was as not from the sorcerer the Maker of Moons that my happiness I came camel It was real it was not shadow to vanish like a tinted bubble Can a sorcerer create reate and give a man the wo woman woman woman man he loves Is as great as then Is God In his own time in his Infinite goodness and mercy he lie will bring me again to the love And I know she waits walts for me at Gods feet In the strained silence that followed I could hear my hearts double beat and and I saw face and most pitiful Barris shook himself and raised his hia head The change In his ruddy face frightened me Heed he hes said with a terrible glance at atme mel me s the print of the dra dragons dragons dragons gons claw is on your forehead and andY Y au knows It If you love then love like a man for tor you yo will suf suffer suffer suffer fer like mea a soul In hell In the end What la is her name again Y Ysonde e d I answered simply f t of c VIII At 9 3 that night we caught one of or the I do not know how Barris had laid his trap all I of the affair ca be told In a min minute mInute minute ute or two We Were re posted on the Cardinal road about a mile mite below the house Pierpont and I with drawn revolvers on one side under undera a butternut tree Barris on the other V a Winchester across his knees I had just asked Pierpont the hour and he was feeling for his watch when far up Uv the road we heard the sound of a galloping horse nearer nearer clattering thundering past ast Then Barris rifle spat flame and the dark mass horse hors and rider crashed Into the dust Pierpont had the horseman by the collar In a second the horse was stone dead and as we lighted a pine knot to examine the fellow Barris BanIs two riders galloped up and drew bridle beside us Hm said paid Barris with a scowl its the Shiner or Im a We crowded curiously around to see seethe seethe seethe the Shiner He was redheaded tat lat and filthy and his little red eyes burned In his head like the eyes of an angry pig Barris went through his pockets me methodically methodically methodically while Pierpont held him and andI I held the torch The Shiner was waa a agold agold agold gold mine pockets shirt bootlegs hat hatt even ven t his dirty fists clutched tight and bleeding were bursting with lumps of soft yellow gold Barris dropped this moonshine gold as we wo had come to call it into the pockets of his shooting coat and withdrew to question the prisoner He came back again In a afew afew few minutes and motioned his mount mounted ed men to take the Shiner In charge chargo We watched them rifle on thigh walk walking walking ing their horses slowly away into the I darkness the Shiner tightly bound shuffling sullenly between them Who is the Shiner asked PIer PIerpont PierPont pont slipping the revolver into his pocket again A counterfeiter forger and highwayman man said Barris and probably a murderer Drummond will willbe willbe willbe be glad to see him and I think it like likely likely likely ly he will be persuaded to confess tt to him what he refuses to confess to me he talk I asked Not a syllable Pierpont there is nothing more for you ou to do For me to do Are you not coming back with us Barris No said Barris We walked along the dark road in silence for a while I wondering what Barris Intended to do but he said noth nothing nothIng nothing ing more until we reached our own veranda Here he held out his hand first to PIerpont then to me saying goodbye as though he were going on ona ona ona a long journey How soon will you ou be back I called out to him as he h turned away to toward toward toward ward the gate He came across the lawn again in and again took our hands with a a quiet affection that I had never imagined him capable of IiI AI I am going he said to put an end to this tonight I know that you fellows have never suspected what chat I was about on my little solitary evening trolls strolls after dinner J I I will tell you Already I have unobtrusive unobtrusively ly killed four of these my men put them under ground just below the new washout at the four fourmile fourmile fourmile mile stone There are aro three left alive the Shiner whom we have another criminal named Yellow or Taller in the vernacular and the third The third repeated Pierpont ex excitedly excitedly excitedly The third I have haye never yet seen But I know who and what he is IsI I know and if he is of human flesh and blood his blood will flow tonight As AB he spoke a slight noise across the turf attracted my attention A mount mounted ed man was advancing silently In the starlight over the spongy meadowland When he came nearer Barris struck a match and we saw that he bore a corpse corpe across his saddle bow Taller Colonel Barris said the theman theman theman man touching his slouched hat in sa salute salute salute lute This grim Introduction to the corpse made me shudder and after a mo moments moments moments ments examination of the stiff stitt wide eyed dead man I drew back Identified said Barris take him to the fourmile post ost and carry his ef effects effects effects to Washington under seal mind Johnstone Away cantered the rider with his ghastly burden and Barris took our hands once more for the last time Then he lie went away gaily with a jest jeston jeston on his lips and Pierpont and I turned back into the house For an hour we sat moodily smoking smokIng ing In the hall before the fire saying little until Pierpont burst out with I r wish Barris had taken one of us with him tonight U UThe The same thought had been running In my mind but butr I said Barris knows what hes about This observation neither comforted us nor opened the lane to further con conversation conversation conversation and after a few minutes Pierpont said sald goodnight and called for Howlett and hot water When he had been warmly tucked away by Howlett I turned out all but one lamp sent the dogs away with David and dismissed Howlett for the night I was not Inclined to retire for fo I knew I could not sleep There was a book lying open on the table beside the fire and I opened It and read a page or two but my mind was fixed on other oth other other er things The window shades were raised and andI I looked out at the firmament There was wag no moon that night but the sky was dusted all allover over with sparkling stars and a pale radiance brighter even than moonlight fell feli over meadow and wood Far away In the forest I heard tho the voice of the wind a soft Iott warm wind that whispered a name Ysonde Listen sighed the voice of or the wind and listen echoed the swaying trees with every little leaf aquiver I listened Where the long grasses trembled with the crickets cricket cadence I heard her ber name Ysonde I heard it in the rustling rus rustling woodbine where gray moths hovered hov hovered hovered ered I heard It In the drip grip drip rip of the dew from the porch The silent meadow brook whispered her name the rippling woodland streams repeated It It Ysonde Ysonde until all earth and ky slit were filled with the soft thrill Ysonde Ysonde Ysonde A sang In a thicket by bythe bythe bythe the porch and I 1 stole to the veranda to listen After a while again x h a little further on I ventured out into the he road Again Apin I heard It far away In in the orest and I followed it for tor I knew ft t was WIS singing o Ysonde When I 1 came to the path that l aves yU he the the main road and enters ent rs the Sweet Street S Fern covert below the spinney I lies hesi hesitated but the tl ebe beauty uty of the night nJ ht T Ii r o lured me on and the s I called me from every ev ry thicket In the I starry radiance shrubs grasses brasses es field fit ld flowers stood out distinctly for tor there was no moon to cast shadows Meadow and brook grove grOc and stream were Il U Illuminated Illuminated by tha th thE pale glow Like great lamps lighted the planets hung from the high domed sky and through their mysterious rays the fixed stars cam calm I serene stared from the heavens like eyes eyes I waded on waist deep through fields of lof dewy goldenrod through late clo clover clover ver and wastes through crim crimson crimson I Ion son on fruited sweetbrier blueberry and wild plum until the low whisper of the Wier brook warned me that the path had ended But I woul not stop for the night I air was heavy with with the perfume of f wa water water Water ter lilies and far away across the low wooded cliffs and the wet meadowland beyond there thera th re was a distant gleam of f sliver silver and I 1 heard the murmur of sleepy waterfowl I would go so to the lake The way was clear except for the dense young growth and the snares of or orthe the he The had ceased but I did not want want for the company of liv living living ing creatures Slender quick darting forms crossed my path vath at Intervals sleek mink that hat fled like shadows at my step weasels and an fat musk muskrats muskrats muskrats rats hurrying onward to some tryst or killing kUling killingI I 1 never had seen so many little wood woodland woodland woodland land creatures creature on the move at night I began to wonder where they all were going so fast why they an aU hur hurried hurried hurried ried on In the same direction Now I passed a hare hopping through the brushwood brus now a rabbit scurrying by flag hoisted As I 1 entered the beech two foxes glided by me a little further on a doe crashed out of the underbrush and close be Continued on Page 11 |
