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Show WALTER PRICHARD FATQN CC4yHiOKT W OOUtMtUAV. fAAOC O CO. SYNOPSIS. -,- I Krew tlrmt of my work ns n eollriio hint ! itt-tnr u Tul buy u New KiiKUitul furm on altit 1 hisixel my railn o I el K) to botiril at IWl i ViiiU''h. Kelt help me to hlift a erupi'Mti'i- ami u Cr r. il.vot I'Ulnr. ttie oii'iilo-, I'. r4 Hie rrl'itli H Hint rlHiiiK s iii'i i'nh. .' on tlm liieisrt MIKti eonmicm-rji jilewlfA' I stnfl ti prune Uio oreimnl (lert. I'ur.l iM.li-r hulltln l-enli-itisi-H iiroioiil II' twin III eiluce. Mm. Tfliiple lnri'8 MiH. I'llllt; Tin' inn as u luillSCklif JHT. Hlllt UlllliHIIireH tile I'Olllllltf ef M n -w 1'iuiril'T rii'iii New York. 0 When a bchelor, who be- X y llovea himself 'mpervloua to X y lovely womin'i wllea, reaches X y the age when he beglna to think X y that marriage la the better atate X Y of life for man and then meet X Y one of thoae lovely women he A Y performs In a manner highly X Y amualng to folka already mar- A CHAPTER V Continued. "Sure." said Mike, "you'll git It right yet. lint I was golu' to put me cauliflowers cauli-flowers there." I paid "frlnd Monissy" for tin-town! tin-town! as the faroiT noon whistle nt Slab City blew, and took my lunch down to the brook while the scraper rattled otT down the road. The brook reminded me of the pool 1 was goinj; t( bti'.M. and the pool of a vague dream, last night of the new boarder, and then, w itli the patness of 3 "well-made" play the boarder herself her-self entered, us It were. That Is. I beard the buguy coining, and the voice of Pert. I lay down Hat behind the tall weeds and grasses, and remained balden till the buggy bad passed. Then I finished my lunch, and lay for a ijuarter of an hour lazily regard Ing the sky, a great blue sky with cloud ships floating at anchor In Its depth., while the IndeseriiinMe fragrance fra-grance of May In moist place filled my nostrils and a song sparrow practiced prac-ticed in the alders. As I got up to return to ivy work, I saw suddenly that the old apple trees in my orchard were showing pink Just a frail hint of It In the veil of young green. A great cumulus cloud piled up like a Himalayan peak In the west beyond my mouse-gray dwelling. To the left, the new lawn was shiny brown, and as I climbed the slopes the smell of It came to me. Out still farther to the left my land was already staked In rows of packed earth, neatly. The scene was beautiful to my eyes, and the Imagined beauty of tomorrow mnde me almost run through the orchard to leave my lunch basket In the kitchen and get my tools for the afternoon's work. At five o'clock, as Joe was leaving leav-ing the garden, and Mike had gone to the bnrn to milk the cows. I, too, put up my tools, resolved to enjoy an hour's loaf my first since I bought the farm! I scrubbed my hands and face at the kitchen sink In a tin basin which recalled my childhood, took a long draft from the tin dipper, filled my pipe, and strolled down through the budding orchard toward the brook. The song sparrow was still singing. The cloud Bhlps were still riding at anchor. an-chor. Even with my pipe In my mouth I could smell the odor of moist places In May. Walking beside the brook, I auddenly found the green spears of an Iris plant amid the grasses. I had scarcely gone six paces when I beard the crackle of footsteps on dead twigs somewhere ahead of me, and a moment later the vague form of a woman was visible making her way amid the Impeding dead branches. I stood still. She did not see me till she was close up. Then she gave a slight start and said, "I beg your pardon. par-don. I trust I am not trespassing." I looked at her. while my pipe bowl was hot In my calloused hand. She was scarce more than n girl, I fancied, pale and unmistakably not of this country world. I cannot say how she was dressed, save that she wore no hat and looked white and cool. But I saw that she had very blue eyes on each side of a decidedly tilted nose, and these eyes were unmistakably the kind which twinkle. "Trespassing Is a relative term," said I, after this, I fear, rather rudely prolonged scrutiny. "You talk like 'Hill's lihetoric,'" she smiled, with a cpilck glauce at the Incongruity of my clothes. "Naturally." I replied. "It was the textbook I formerly used with my classes." There was a little upward gurgle of laughter from the girl. "Clearness, force and elegance, wasn't that the great triumvirate?" she said. "Something like that. I believe," said . "I am trying to forget." "Aud are these pines yours to for-jjet for-jjet In? It should be easy. I was walking out there In the road, aud I spied the brook over the wall nnd climbed through the briers to walk lie-fide lie-fide It. because It wan trying so hard to talk to me. That was wrong of me, perhaps, but I never could resist a brook nor pine trees. They are (uch nice old men." "Why, then," I asked, "are the little Tlrgln birches always running away trooj them'.'" Her eyes contracted a second, and then twinkled. "The birches plague them," she replied. ' How do they plague them?" I demanded. de-manded. "Pull their pine needles when they are asleep, of course," she answered. "Thank you for letting me walk here." "Not at all." said I, "It Is alwn,s a pleasure to entertain a true natural 1st." She smiled and made to pass on. 1 stood a little aside. In silence. . nd In that moment of silence midden'', from near at hand, from Houiewii. i" In these very pines, there rang out :h-golden :h-golden throb of n hermit thrush so close that the grace noted of his song were audible, cool and liquid nnd lovely. love-ly. The suddenness, the nearness. Ihe ulMiicss of this song made It hide scrlhnbly thrilling, nnd the girl nnd I both stood rigid, breathless, peering Into the gloom of the pines. Again the call rang out, lint n It lo farther away this time, more plaintive, more fatry-llke fatry-llke w ith distance. She took a step as If to follow, and Instinctively I put out my band, grasping her arm to restrain re-strain her. So we stood nnd waited, while from farther still, evidently from Imp i2' ' U'i iv.-, 71 J V I Put Out My Hand to Restrain Her. the tamaracks In the corner of my lot, came the elfin clarion. The singer was a good one: bis attack was flawless, flaw-less, and be scattered his triplets with Mozart inn ease and precision. Still we waited, In silence, but he did not sing ngnln. Then In a kind of wonder the girl turned her face to mine, and In a kind of wonder I realized that I was still holding her arm. She appeared as unconscious of It as I, till I let my hand fall. Then she colored a little, smiled a little, nnd said, "What was It? I never heard anything so beautiful." beauti-ful." "A hermit thrush," T answered. "Thoreau once described his song as Vool burs of melody from the everlasting ever-lasting morning or evening.' I think that expresses It as well as words can." "I have always wanted to hear a hermit," Bhe said wistfully. "And. oh. It Is lovelier than I dreamed! I am going now before I get too jealous of you for having one nil your own." "Don't go!" I said Impulsively. "The hermit has never sung for me. That song must have been In your honor." The moment when I stood holding her nrm, the moment when she had turned her wondering, eager face to mine, had been very pleasant. It was dusk now In the pines, and, looking westward, the low sun was making daggers of light between the trees. My ghost thnt I had brought up from the pump suddenly -walked again, but walked In flesh nnd blood, Willi blue eyes nnd tilted nose. I was undeniably undeni-ably affected. My voice must have betrnyed It as I repented, "Don't go!" "But I fear It is time for my supper," sup-per," she snld, with a little nervous laugh. "The thrush has evidently gone for his." "Birds cut early," said I. "They have to, because they get up so early, after flint worm." Her laugh was once more an up-gushing up-gushing gurgle. The tenseness was broken. I found myself walking by her side through the maples, and pointing point-ing out my house. She clapped her hnnds ecstatically. "Oh," she cried, "they made the front door out of a highboy! How Jolly! Is It as nice Inside?" "It's going to be nicer." snld I. "I'll peep through the windows," she smiled. I led her to my new south door, proudly showing my new lawn nnd the terrace, nnd telling her where the roses were to be, nnd the sntullal, and dilating di-lating on the work my own hands had done. With a silly, boyish enthusiasm. I even displayed the calluses and Invited In-vited her to feel of them, which she did as one humors n child, while I thrilled quite as childishly nt the touch of her finger tips. Then we peeped through the irlnss rtnor. Tim low sun was streaming In through (lie west window and disclosed the old oak beam neroHH the celling. Hard Cider hud creeled flie frame of Ilie bookease nnd double net lie, which would perfectly per-fectly niiiliii the mailt. is ns soon us Ihe molding was on. One side of the Keltic raced toward one Hiooky old lire place, the other toward the second. "Two llrephicesl What luxury!" "You hcc," snld I, "when I get tired or reading philosophy nt the east tire place, I'll Just come around the corner nnd rend 'Alice In Wonderland' ut the west chimney nook." "Double fireplaces twin fireplaces twin fires! That's It, Twin Fires! i'hnl ought to be the mime of your bouse." "You're right!" I cried, delighted. "I've never been able to think of a name. That's the Inevitable one -Hint's Flaubert's one right word. You must come to my christening party and break a bottle of wine on Ihe healih." She smiled wistfully, as she turned a way from the window. "I must sure l.v go to supper," she said. "Goodliy, and llnink you for your wonderful concert." con-cert." We walked to the road, hut to my surprise she did not turn toward the iiluge but toward Bert's. A sudden light came. "Are you the broken -down hoarder?" I cried.' The gurgle welled up, and the blue eyes twinkled, but she made no reply. "Just for that," said I, "I won't carry buck Mrs. Bert's basket." As we entered the Temples' yard, Mrs. Bert stood In the kitchen door. "Well, you two seem to have got acquainted," ac-quainted," she remarked In a matter-of matter-of fact tone. "Miss Goodwin, tills is Mr. I'pton I told you about. Mr. I'p-tou, I'p-tou, this Is Miss Goodwin I told you about." "Mrs. Temple," said I, "you are another. an-other. You didn't tell me." "Young man," she retorted, "where's my basket ':" "I left It behind on purpose," said I. J "Then you'll hev ter come home to ycr dinner tomorrow." she said. "Well. I'm willing." I answered. "I guess you be," en Id she. At supper she returned to the theme, which appeared to amuse her endlessly. "Miss Goodwin," she said. "I want ter wnrn you thet Mr. Upton's terrible afraid somebody's golu' ter adviso him how ter build his garden. He's a regular man." I replied quickly: "Your warning Is I too late," said I; "Miss Goodwin has already begun by nailing my place." "You can change the name, you know." the girl smiled. "How can I?" I answered, with great sternness. "It's the right one." Whereupon I went up to my work, and listened to the sounds of soft singing sing-ing In the room across the hall. CHAPTER VI. The Ghost of Rome. "Stella Goodwin." "It's rather a pretty name." I thought, as I read It on the flyleaf of a volume she had left In Mrs. Bert's sitting room. The volume Itself amused me Chamberlain's "Foundations of the Nineteenth Century." Cen-tury." Fancy coming to the country for a rest, and reading Chamberlain, most restless because most provocative of books! I was Idly turning the leaves when there was a rustle on the stairs, nnd Miss Stella Goodwin entered en-tered with a cheerful "Good morning." "See here," said I, "what are you doing with this book, If you are off for a rest? This Is no book for a nervous wreck to be reading." "Who said I was a nervous wreck?" she nnswetied. "I'm Just tired, that's all. I guess it's really spring fever. I saw a spear of real grass in Central pnrk, nnd ran awny." "From whnt?" I nsked. "From the dictionary," she replied. "The which?" said I. "The dictionary. Would yon like ma to sing you a song of the things that begin with "hy'?" She laughed again, and began ta chnnt In burlesque Gregorlnn, "Hyo-potamus. "Hyo-potamus. hyoscnpular, hyosclne, ITyo-scynmne.hyoscynmlne. ITyo-scynmne.hyoscynmlne. Hyoscynmns " "Stop!" I cried. "You will have me hypnotized. See. I'm on the "hy's' myself! my-self! Flense explnin not sing." "Well," she laughed, "you see It's this way. I have to eat. drink, nnd try to be merry, or tomorrow I die, so to postpone tomorrow I am working on a new dictionary. Somebody has to work on dlctlonnrles, you know, nnd Justify the pronunciation of America to man. I'm sort of learned, In a mild, harmless, antl-mllitnnt -way. It Isn't fair to keep the truth from you I hnve a degree in philology! My doctor's doc-tor's thesis was published by the press of my kind university, nt $1.50 per copy, of which ns many as seventeen were sold, and I'm still paying up the money I borrowed while preparing it. I stood the dictionary pretty well down to the 'hy's,' and then one day something some-thing snapped Inside of me, and I began be-gan to cry. That wouldn't have been so bad, if I hadn't mnde the mistake of crying on a sheet of manuscript by a learned professor, about Hyoscya-mus Hyoscya-mus (which is a genus of dicotyledonous dicotyledo-nous gamopetalous plants), nnd the ink rnn. Then I knew I should have to take a rest in the cause of English, pure nnd well defined. So here I am. The doctor tells me I must live out of doors nnd saw wood." 0 Do you think Miss Stella Good- A y win Is too much of a highbrow a y to make a first rate wife? Or A y aro highbrows Just as human as X y the rest of us once they've fast- X 0 ed real life? X (.TO Bl CONTINUED. i |