Show 4 OF MOONS t by ROBERT W CHAMBERS illustrations by J J sheridan copyright G P putnam s sons SYNOPSIS the story opens in bew york roy car elhue the atory teller inspecting a aneer reptile ow ned by george godfrey ot tiffany roy and barria and pierpont pont wo depart on a hunting trip to cardinal avonda a rather obscure local ty karris revealed the tact that he had the secret service or the purpose it running down a gang of gold makers I 1 rot lagrange on discovering the gangs formula had been mysteriously killed harris rec elied a telegram of instructions lie and pierpont pont set out to locate the gold making gang A valet re ortch feeding feeing a queer chinaman in the untenanted woods roy went hinting he tell asleep in a dell on wakening he beheld a beautiful girl at a mall lake A birthmark a aragon s claw on roy s forehead had a effect upon the girl who said ier sonde suddenly she dis appeared in terror roy beheld horrible chinese visage peering at him from the woods barels and pierpont pont re turned barris exhibited a reptile like hat owned by godfrey A ball of supposed gold he held suddenly became tahe CHAPTER V continued and who the devil la Yue Laou I 1 said crossly You Laou the moon maker dall of the Kuen YuIn its chinese but it Is believed that has returned to rule the kuen euln the conversation interrupted pierpont pont smacks of peacock beath teath era and yellow jackets the chicken pox has left its card on roy and barels Is guying us come on you fellows and make your call on the dream lady barels I 1 hear galloping here come your men two mud splashed riders clattered up to the porch and dismounted at a motion from barels I 1 noticed that wh of them carried repeating rifles and heavy colts revolvers the followed barels deferentially into the and presently we beard the tinkle of plates and bot ties and the low hum of barels must cal voice halt an hour later they came out again saluted pierpont and me and galloped away in the direction of the canadian frontier ten minutes passed and as barels did not appear we rose and went into the house to find him he was sitting silently be fore the table watching the small golden globe now glowing with scar let and orange fire brilliant as a live coal hewlett mouth ajar and eyes starting from the sockets blood petri fled behind him are you coming asked pierpont pont a little startled barels did not answer the globe slowly turned to pale gold again but the face that raised to ours was white as a sheet then he stood up and smiled with an effort which was painful to us all give me a pencil and a bit of pa per he said hewlett brought it barels went to the window and wrote rapidly he folded the paper placed it in the top drawer of his desk locked the drawer handed me the key and motioned us to precede him when again we stood under the maples he turned to me with an am penetrable expression you will know when to use the key he said come must try to find roys fountain CHAPTER vh at two clock that afternoon at barels suggestion we gave up the search for the fountain in the glade an cut across the forest to the spin ney where david and hewlett were waiting with our gun nd the three dogs pierpont pont guyed me unmercifully about the dream lady as he called her and but tor the significant coincidence of csondes and barris ques alons concerning the white scar on my forehead I 1 should long ago have been perfectly persuaded that I 1 had dreamed the whole thing As it was I 1 had no explanation to offer we had not been able to find the glade although 60 timea I 1 came to land marks which convinced me thai we were just about to enter it barria was quiet scarcely uttering a word to either of us during the entire search I 1 had never before seen him depressed in spirits however when we came la sight of the spinney where a cold bit of grouse and a bottle of burgundy awaited each barels seemed to r his habitual good humor heres to the dream ladal said pierpont pont raising his glass and stand ing up I 1 did not like it even it she was only a dream it irritated me to bear pierpont pont a mocking voice barels understood I 1 don t know he bade pierpont pont drink his wine with out further noise and that young roan obeyed with a childish which almost made berrie smile 1 fr s art frt what about the snipe david I 1 asked the meadows should be in good condition there is not a snipe on the mead owe sir said david solemnly impossible exclaimed banis they cant have left they have sir said david in a sepulchral voice which I 1 hardly recognized we all three looked at the old man curiously waiting for his explanation of this disappointing but sensational report david looked at hewlett and how lett examined the sky 1 I was going began the old man with his eyes fastened on hewlett 1 I was going along by the spinney with the griogs when hewlett came walkin very fast toward me I 1 heard a noise in the covert and I 1 seen in tact continued david I 1 may say he was was you how lett hewlett said yes with a decor ous cough I 1 beg pardon said david but I 1 d rather hewlett told the rest he saw things which I 1 did not go on howley commanded pier pont much interested hewlett coughed again behind his large red hand what david say Is true he began 1 I h observed the dogs at a dis tance ow they was a sir and david stood a of s pipe be ind the spotted beech when I 1 see a ead pop up in the covert oldan a stick like e was halmin at the dogs sir A head holding a stick said pier pont severely the ead nd ands sir explained hewlett ands that eld a painted stick like that sir owlett thinks I 1 to this eie s queer so I 1 jumps in an runs but the beggar e seen me an wen I 1 comes alongside ot david e was gone eilo owlett aez david what the ell I 1 beg pardon sir ow did you come ere aez e ery loud ez I 1 the chinaman la barrein bar the daggs for bawd s sake wot Chinaman 9 aez david h almin Is gun at every bush then I 1 thinks I 1 see am an we run an run the daggs a blundin bo close tu heel sir but we don t see no chinaman tell the rest said david as hewlett coughed and stepped in a modest corner behind the dogs go on said barels in a strange voice well sir when hewlett and I 1 stopped chasing we was on the cliff overlooking the south meadow I 1 noticed that there was hundreds of birds there mostly yellow legs and plover and hewlett seen them too then before I 1 could say a word to hewlett something out in the lake gave a splash as it the whole cliff had fallen into the water I 1 was that scared that I 1 jumped straight into the bush and howlett he sat down quick and all those snipe wheeled up there was hundreds all a squeal ln with fright barels looked at his watch and closed it with a snap and the wood duck came howlan over the meadows as it the old mck was behind david paused and glanced medlia lively at the dogs go on said barels in the same strained voice gothing Ao thing more sir the snipe did not come back 11 but that splash in the lakee 1 I dont know what it was sir A salmon A salmon coulden couldn t have frightened the duck and the snipe thit way j no oh no sir it salmon had jumped they coulden couldn t have made that splash they hewlett no ow said hewlett roy said darras at length what david tells us settles the snipe shooting for today to day I 1 am going to take Pire pont up to the bouse hewlett and david will follow with the dogs I 1 have something to asay to them it you care to come come along it not go and shoot a brace of grouse to dinner and be back by eight it you want to see what pierpont pont and I 1 discovered last night david whistled gamin and bioche to heel and followed hewlett and his hamper toward the house I 1 called to my side picked up my gun and turned to barels 1 I will be back by eight I 1 said you arc expecting to catch one ot the gold makers are you not yes said barris listlessly pierpont began to sheab about the chinaman but barels motioned him to follow and nodding to me took the path that hewlett and david had fol lowed toward the house when they disappeared I 1 tucked my gun under my arm and turned sharply into the forest trotting close to my heels in spite of myself the continued ap ot the chinaman made me nervous it he troubled roe again I 1 bad fully decided to get the drop on him and find out what he was doing in the cardinal woods he could give no satisfactory account 01 him self I 1 would march him la to barris aa a gold making suspects I woula march him in anyway I 1 thought and rid the forest of his ugly face I 1 won dered what it was that david had heard in the lake it must have been a big fish a salmon I 1 thought pro ably davids and hewlett s nerves were overwrought after their celestial chase A whine from the dog broke the thread of my meditation and I 1 raised my head then I 1 stopped short in my tracks the lost glade lay straight before me already the dog bad bounded into it across the velvet turf to the carved stone where a slim figure sat I 1 saw my doglas his silky head lovingly against her silken kirtle I 1 saw her face bend above him and I 1 caught my breath and slowly entered the sunlit glade half timidly she held out one white hand f now that ou have come she said 1 I can show some more of my work I 1 told you that I 1 could do other things besides those dragon files and moths carved here in stone why do aou stare at me so are iou 1119 ysonde I 1 stammered yes she said with a faint color under her eyes 1 I I 1 never expected to see you again I 1 blurted out iou I 1 1 thought I 1 had dreamed dreamed of me perhaps you did Is that strange strange N no but where did ou go when when we were leaning over the fountain together I 1 saw your face your face reflected beside mine and then then suddenly I 1 saw the blue sky and only a star twinkling it was because you fell asleep she said was it not 1 I asleep you slept I 1 thought you were very tired and I 1 went back back where back to my home where I 1 carve my beautiful images see here is one I 1 brought to show you today to day I 1 took the sculptured creature that she held toward me a massive lizard with frail claw spread wings of gold so thin that the sunlight burned through and fell on the ground in flaming gilded patches good heavens I 1 exclaimed this is astounding where did you learn to do such work ysonde such a thing Is beyond price oh I 1 hope so she said earnestly I 1 can t bear to sell my work but my stepfather takes it and sends it away this la the second thing I 1 have done and yesterday he said I 1 must give it to him I 1 suppose he Is poor I 1 don t see how he can be poor it he gives you gold to model in I 1 said astonished gold she exclaimed gold he has a room full of gold he makes it I 1 sat down on the turf at her feet completely unnerved why do you look at me so she asked a little troubled where does your stepfather live I 1 said at last here herel i la the woods near the lake you could never find our house A house of course did you think I 1 lived in a tree how silly I 1 live with my stepfather in a beautiful house a small house but very beautiful he makes his gold there but the men who carry it away never come to the house for they dont know where it Is and it they did they could not get in my stepfather carries the gold in lumps to a canvas satchel when the satchel Is full he takes it out into the woods where the inen live and 1 don t know what they do with it 1 wish he could sell the gold and be come rich tor then I 1 could go back to ylan where all the gardens are sweet and the river flows under the thousand bridges TO BE CONTINUED |