| Show RIAL STORY R 0 by ROBERT W CHAMBERS illustrations by J J dan 1 sass 8 sS SS copyright G P ms sons SYNOPSIS the story opens in new york roy car delhue the storyteller story teller inspecting a queer reptile owned by georgo george godfrey of Tiff anys roy and barris banis ban is and pierpont two friends depart on a hunting trip to carain cardinal a woods a rather obscure locality 1 I drris barris 3 revealed tile the fact that lie he had coined oiled tile the secret service for the purpose of f ril running nang down a gang of gold malc makers erg prof LaGra lige on discovering the gangs formula had been mysteriously killed barris received a telegram of instructions he and pierpont pont set V cut ut to locate the gold making gang A baet reported port ed seeing a queer chinaman in the r supposedly up untenanted woods roy went hunting he fell asleep in a dell on awakening he li e beheld n beautiful girl at a small lake A birthmark resembling a dragons claw on roys forehead had a mysterious effect upon tile the girl who said her name nam ewas was Xo sonde nde suddenly she disappeared fleeing in terror roy beheld a li horrible 0 rl chinese hi n esel sage pi peering cring at him from tha woods barris and pierpont pont returned tur nad eaurls exhibited a reptile like illch that tha owned jy by godfry godfrey A ball of supposed alive bold gold lie he held suddenly became C CHAPTER hopter V continued continued and who the vilIs decilis de yue laou I 1 sald said crossly you laou the moon alak maker er azil abu of tile the kuen yuin its chinese mythology but it is believed that Yue Laou has returned to rule the kuen yuin the conversation interrupted pierpont smacks of peacock feathers and yellow jackets the chicken pox lias has left its card on roy and barris is guying us come on you follows allows and make your call on the dream lady barris I 1 hear galloping here come your men two mud splashed riders clattered up TIP to io the porch and dismounted at a motion from barris I 1 noticed that both of them carried repeating rifles and heavy colts revolvers the followed barris deferentially into bilto the dining room and presently we heard the tinkle of plates and bottles ales and the low lium hum of barris musical voice half an ail hour later they came out again saluted pierpont and me and galloped away in the direction of the canadian frontier ton ten minutes passed gassed and as barris did not appear appear we rose and went into the house to find him he was sit sitting ting silently before the table watching the small golden globe now glowing with scarlet and orazi orange e fire brilliant as daive a live coal howlett hewlett mouth ajar and eyes starting from the sockets stood petrified behind him are you coming asked pierpont pont a little startled barris did not answer the globe slowly turned to pale gold aam ani n but the face that barris raised to ours was white as a sheet then h he e S stood up and smiled with an effort which was painful to us all we me a pencil and a bit of paper pame he said F brought it barris went to the window and wrote rapidly he folded the pit paper per placed itin it in the top dra drawer of his desk lock locked edthe the drawer handed me ine the ke keland yand key and motioned us 0 precede pae him h 1 i m 1 when again we stood under tile the maples lie he turned to me with an impenetrable expression you will know when to use the key hey lie he said come pierpont pont we must try to find roys hoys fountain CHAPTER VI at two that afternoon at karris barris suggestion we gave up the search for tile the fountain in A the glade and cut across the forest to the spinney where david and hewlett were waiting with our guns and the three dogs clogs pierpont pont guyed me unmercifully about the dream lady as he called her and but for the significant coincidence of csondes Ys ondes and barris questions 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 50 times I 1 carne came to landmarks which convinced me that we were just about to enter it barris w was as 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 in sight of the spinney where a cold bit of grouse and a bottle of burgundy awaited each barris seemed to recover his habitual good humor heres to the dream lady said pierpont raising his glass and standing up I 1 did not like it even if she was 0 only a dream it irritated me to hear Pier ponts mocking voice perhaps 19 parris barris looked at his watch and closed it with a snap barris understood I 1 dont know but he bade pierpont pont drink ills his wine without further noise and that young man obeyed with a childish confidence which almost made barris smile I 1 what wha t about the snipe david I 1 asked the meadows should be in good condition there is not a snipe on the meadows sir said david solemnly impossible exclaimed barris they cant have left they have sir said david in a sepulchral voice chichi hardly recognized 11 zed we all three looked at the old man curiously w waiting for his explanation of this disappointing but sensational report david looked at howlett hewlett and howlett hewlett examined the sky 1 I was going began the old man with his eyes fastened on howlett hewlett 1 I wa was going along by the spinney with the dogs when hewlett came walkin very fast toward me I 1 heard a noise in tile the covert and I 1 seen in fact continued david 1 I may say he was was you hewlett howlett hewlett said yes avith a decorous cough 1 I beg pardon said david but id rather howlett hewlett told the rest he saw things which I 1 did not go on howley commanded pierpont much interested howlett hewlett coughed again behind his large jarge red hand what da david vid say is true he be I 1 V gan 1 I ll observed hob served the dogs at a dis tance ow they was a sir and david stood a lichtin ligh tin of Is s pipe boland tile the spotted beech when I 1 see a cad pop up tip in tile the covert oldin a stick 1110 like e was halmin at the dogs sir of A licad head holding a stick said pier pont severely the ead cad nd ind ands sir explained howlett hewlett ahda that eld a painted stick like that sir owlett thinks I 1 to myself ine self this ere Is s queer so I 1 jumps in an runs but the beggar e seen me an ail wen ven I 1 comes alongside of david lo 10 e was gone ello owlett aez david what the ell I 1 be beg pardon sir ow did you come ere aez e very loud run aez 1 I the chinaman Chim unan is harlyin har liar the daggs for dawds sake wot chinaman aez david ha 11 imin almin is gun at every bush then I 1 thinks I 1 see lm im an we run an run the daggs a blundin bo close to heel sir but wo we dont see no chinaman ill tell the rest said david ns as howlett hewlett coughed and stepped in a modest corner behind the dogs go on said darris barris in a strange voice well sir when howlett hewlett and I 1 stopped cl chasin iasin we was on tile the cliff overlooking the south meadow I 1 noticed that there was hundreds of birds there mostly yellowlegs yellow legs logs and plover and howlett hewlett seen them too then before I 1 could say a word to howlett hewlett something out in the lake gave a splash as if the whole cliff had fallen into the water I 1 was that seared scared that I 1 jumped straight into the bush and howlett hewlett lie he sat down quick and all those snipe wheeled up there was hundreds all a squealing squeal in lil with fright and the wood duck came howlin over tile the meadows as if the old nick was behind david paused and glanced meditatively at the dogs go on said barris in the same strained voice nothing more sir the snipe did not come back hut but that splash in the lake 1 I donth dont know now what it was sir A salmon ilmon St A salmon have bave frightened tile the duck and the snipe that way no io oh ob no sir if 50 salmon had jumped they have made that splash they howlett hewlett NO ow said howlett hewlett roy said barris barns at length what wha t david tells us settles settle s tile the snipe shooting for today to day I 1 am going to take apont up tip to the house howlett hewlett and david will follow with the dogs I 1 have something to say to them if you care to come come along if not go and shoot a brace of grouse for dinner and be back by eight if you want to see what pierpont pont and I 1 discovered last ni night lit david whistled gamin and bioche to heel and followed howlett hewlett and his hamper toward tile the house I 1 called i to my side picked up my gun and turned to barris 1 I will be back by eight I 1 said I 1 you are expecting to catch one of the gold makers are you not yes said bari barris is listlessly pierpont pont began to speak about the chinaman but barris bari is motioned him to follow and nodding to me took tile the path that howlett hewlett and david had followed 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 tile the continued apparition pari tion of the Chi chinaman made me nervous if he troubled me again I 1 had fully decided to get the drop on oil him and find out what lie he was doing in the cardinal woods if he could give no satisfactory account of him self I 1 would march him in to barris as a gold making suspect 1 I would march him in anyway I 1 thought lind and rid the forest of ills his ugly face I 1 wondered what it was that david had heard in the lake it must have been a big fash ash a salmon lon I 1 thought probably davids and hewlette Hew How letts nerves were overwrought after their celestial chase A whine from the dog broke the thread of my meditation and I 1 raised 1 1 my lead head then I 1 stopped short in wnm my tracks tho the lost glade lay straight be 4 fore me already the log dog had bounded intorf it across the velvet turf to the carved i stone where a slim floure sat I 1 sawa my dog lay his silky head lovingly against her silken Ic irtle I 1 saw hert her face bend above him and I 1 caught my iny breath and slowly entered the sunlit sun lit 1 g glide I 1 ade half timidly sl she ae held out one white hand now that you have come she said 1 I can show some more moie of work I 1 told you that I 1 could do othet other things besides those dragonflies dragon hies flies and moths carved here in stone why do you stare at nio mo so are you ill III ysonde I 1 stani stammered mored yes she sald with a faint color under her eyes 1 I 1 I never axie expected acted to see fotr ag again aln I 1 blurted out you I 1 I 1 thought I 1 had dreamed dreamed of me 1110 perhaps youdia you didt i r Is 19 that strange strange N no but where did you go do when when we ve were leaning over the fountain together I 1 saw your face your face reflected beside mine and then then hen suddenly I 1 saw tha blue sl sk y and only a star sta twinkling it was because you fell asleep she sliba said was it ie not 1 I asleep you ale slept pt I 1 thought you were very I 1 tired an 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 cre creature attire that she hold held toward me a massive lizard with frail claw spread wings of gold so thin that the afie sunlight burned through and fell on the ground fill in 4 4 flaming gilded patches va good heavens I 1 exclaimed this I 1 is s astounding where did you learn b to V do such W work ork ysonde such a thing is bey beyond ond price I 1 oil oh I 1 hope so silo she said earn earnestly estl r 1 icart I cant boar bear to sell my work but my stepfather er takes iland it and sends it avny v this is the second thing I 1 have done 3 and yesterday he said I 1 must give it to him I 1 suppose lie he is poor 1 I dont see liow how he can be po poor or if he gives you gold to mo model del in I 1 said s astonished gold agold she exclaimed gold H has ra a room full of gold I ho 10 makes it I 1 sat bat down dowil on oil the turf at her feet completely un unnerved need why do you look at me so she ole asked allied a little troubled where does your stepfather live y I 1 said at last here here in the woods pear near the lake you yom could never find our hoube A house of course did you yon think I 1 ved ived in a tree how silly I 1 live with my stepfather in a beautiful house a small house but very beautiful he makes ills his gold there but the mer men who carry it away never come to the house for they dont know where it is and if they fid did they could not get gel in ill my stepfather carries the gold iv in lumps to a canvas satchel when the satchel is full lie he takes it out inac the woods where the men live and I 1 dont dollt know what they do with it I 1 wish lie he could sell the gold and bo be come rich for then I 1 could go baeb to ylan yian where all the gardens are sweet and the river hows flows under the thousand arid bridges TO BE CONTINUED |
