Show J A gc < + > > > > > > > > > > > > + + + + + + + + + + + I I UThe Voice of the Waters 13 h s 11 By Lloyd Roberts S II I II I I 4 + > > > Tw + + I Copllghl I Dolls Eyes Leave your I Wake liP o mland playmates beforo I grow I nesldes breakfast waits I lions rumpled head was thrust between I of the tent She gave ale I flans Ghpg among le Kasp nnd sat upright among of blue nnd gray blankets her I angle tight S Open bwtt do nnd her two tight s Ids of coppery hair trailing beside II I I How did you sleep Dolls Eyes Ire I ically warm and conlfy I re you es first night in camp is rarely sot ii so-t know and you mustnt mind nd ttlng It If you were not and plenty 1 was plenty warm ly and I slept like a dormouse last half of the night But for I was awake listening rs listening and to what pray To the water and she looked hIm seriously with a gloom of able In her round eyes She ex ted him to laugh but his dark face owed only sympathy It was very strange and weird dand frightening I did not know nlng water was like that at hto and she shook her head emnly I cant hear them now u know what I mean dont you yes little one I know The Inns In-ns say It Is the spirits of their ad Many people cant hear them all I canwhen 1 want toP + to-P Well I was just getting dozy and u were very sound asleep when I ard a sudden peal of laughter I 3 wide awake Instantly The noito the rapid seemed twice as loud as Is now Presently I could hear I Ices as if in conversation and the ich of feet on the shingle and I ought perhaps a party of Indians id landed by our canoe I was out to wake you up when tho noise ased and I knew it was only my agination and the noise of the tel Then the voices started again owing louder and shriller and again a Indled away to nothing and there s laughter womans laughter and + e sound of bells and singing and er things and I listened fascinated d somewhat afraid but was ashamed disturb you At the first flush of TO I fell asleep i Youll get used to it right away id If you dont well search out ant I an-t her camping ground where the sf Irlts wont disturb you w The sun had climbed to the top of e ie opposite crest nnd only a few e sps of mist still trailed on thee the-e tel From every direction the dark mbar spruces marched down to thO are and wedged out Into the blue eat lte The tent stood in a small cove r ar the outlet before a beach of yel a iw sand and sheltered from all tho n tads but one To this spot known t 1 14 I f jl Q q le P tI INj l I 11 h Ion + Il on d d at n h he Girl Took the Paddle and Insisted on the Man Becoming Passenger to laid I to his nomad feet the man had f rought the girl the day after they a fere married Before his art and his i millions and moro than all else ex haT JPt tho girl he loved the untracked obi H4eniess and the bringing of tho r1 > 10 together had been a long cher vo hed dream of his heart r sat I One evening as they lolled about atof F fire tho full moon and tho lake he jMmmerlng like a great silver shield of red I them Into the canoe sat The girl took the stern paddle and 1 Isted on the man becoml ° becoming passon nrl er lIe reclined on nn armful of fir 0 ughs beyond the middle thwart with t aft Pipe between his teeth and his taco ward the fir Her sturdy little ea ems SWung the canoe swiftly and ad M Uselessly toward the center of the Ight ke and Into the full glory of the I lily I Q They poke little the night seemed CO beautiful to mar with words After Ja while she began sortl softly to sing 10 Juanita Jes and other of the old raelo ear anil he listened dreamily to tho ear thIng of her voice Alter a 1 time she became aware ot real low mUrmur like wind among tree d ps and she listened Intently She ted t w the there was no wind Sho glanced arc Is head man Ills pipe had gone out I la lad was resting on the thwart ho with her and his closed eyes Wore le tltlel was asleep Then she realized Was the s thn Incessant call of the rap stir ifton tongues slip hail boon hearing olten i st In ast her dreams throughout the ircb atweokandcoaid e and could not forget during day x i as Hardly realizing wlmt eho RJd doing hl8 she throw her rough 7i paddle Gently EQ tho oast water und tho canoe I i 1 > > slipped ahead down the lake Soma strange unreasoning Impulse which she did not try to combat was urging tier nearer She wanted to hear the roar more distinctly it was so mysterious myste-rious and indefinite coming from such i distance Gradually the noise Increased receding re-ceding and advancing as the faint air currents moved away or toward them until It sounded more like the distant thunder of surf than wind Tho man still slept his ears too familiar fa-miliar with tho sound of quick waters for It to penetrate his dreams The girl lifted her paddle from the water and laid It across the gunwales In front of her The canoe had begun to feel tho pull of the Current and drifted steadily toward tho outlet A premonition of danger made her dip her blade and back water a few strokes The canoe came to a standstill stand-still almost Immediately She noticed this and realized she could safely go nearer That thin dark line fascinated her as fear of a groat height draws some people to the very edge ofan abyss and then those terrible voices beyond were calling Incessantly but In words she could not quite understand The line of bent water crept nearer and then suddenly seemed to rush upon them 4 rho blade slashed the surface desperately des-perately but stronger hands than hers had the canoe in their grip Tho light craft appeared to come to life und leap forward with eagerness Her sharp scream woke tho man to Instant realization bf their danger but too late to escape It As they shot like an arrow down that smooth slope of water ho yelled for her to turn nnd scrambled dexterously over the forward Athwart into the bow snatching up tho spare paddle at tho same time I Ho remembered that the only course that had looked at all likely ran close to the left wall and he threw the canoe over to that side Every nerve and muscle in his body was alert for Instant action His ears had become deaf to the tumult Back In his brain was only one idea and that was to win The light craft bobbed about dizzily and again and again dipped her gunwales under The crosscurrents crosscur-rents twisted and hammered her and only his great strength and skill saved them from swift destruction Each moment he marveled that they still survived and In the wild confusion of rocks and waves and blinding spray and pallid moonlight it seemed moro instinct then aught elso that guided them aright The girl kneeled low and swung her paddle from side to side as the canoe slewed this way or that and she was dimly conscious of a wild Joy and ext ex-t 11 tl th h i 11 h ltlKlllUU UllUUll It till Their flight had continued for perhaps per-haps 30 secondsthough It seemed as many hours to the manand they had won almost to the foot of the curve when a powerful eddy wrenched the paddle from the girls grasp and threw the canoe full Into the trough of the offshore waves The next Instant they were In the water As they went over the man had thrown himself forward for-ward and had caught the girl by tho shoulder with one hand Then darkness dark-ness closed over their heads He felt the Icy clutching of the currents cur-rents the suffocation and the hopeless hope-less battling for life His brain was on fire and his lungs bursting but his grasp on her shoulder did not weaken Then another eddy whirled them to the surface and the moonlight flooded his eyes He saw the trees reeling by and the white waves high above him I but In that unei instant caught a glimpse of a low point rushing to meet him Then they were dragged beneath again He struggled night lly with a gleam of hope In his heart and suddenly his feet scraped on tho bottom One more effort and the sands rose solid beneath him and ho staggered ashore dragging the girl His senses wore growing numb and tho light was fading Ho fell forward on his hands and knees Then remembrance re-membrance of the girl flashed through his consciousness like some strong stimulus and strength surged back through his veins Ho tore open hoi blouse and felt her heart fluttering weakly beneath his fingers Tears oi relief began trailing down his wet cheeks and yet It took 15 minutes ol vigorous rubbing and working of her Implorlngs and kisses arms and oven before a long sigh came from her I her eyes opened dazed parted lips and ly rteTolhlassd amazement he found his match safe had withstood the soaking soak-ing perfectly and In a few minutes he had started a huge bonfire of driftwood drift-wood Ho took oft her outer garments wrung them out and spread them and close to the heat and in an hour she adventure for the the worse little was When the light grew strong enough skirted to show them the way they back through the woods anti after a of hard scrambling of hours couple beside their beach came out on tho Inccu and p111 layIn camp theY tont All da mornIng cached rested and next but some IIlanlets and provisIons everything pro-visIons and struck back through the for the nearest settlement wilderness And the little lake In the heart of the sole prop became the woods thin lordly moose nnd tho lazy ot ort strange loons that the and porcupine mockingly nt something that laughs so no man can understand |