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diff --git a/old/53802-8.txt b/old/53802-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a00beaf..0000000 --- a/old/53802-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9845 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Drowsy, by John Ames Mitchell, Illustrated by -Angus Macdonall and John Ames Mitchell - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Drowsy - - -Author: John Ames Mitchell - - - -Release Date: December 25, 2016 [eBook #53802] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DROWSY*** - - -E-text prepared by Ralph and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 53802-h.htm or 53802-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53802/53802-h/53802-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53802/53802-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/drowsyjam00mitciala - - - - - -DROWSY - - - * * * * * * - -BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - - THE SUMMER SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY AT MT. DESERT - THE ROMANCE OF THE MOON - THE LAST AMERICAN - "LIFE'S" FAIRY TALES - AMOS JUDD - THAT FIRST AFFAIR - DR. THORNE'S IDEA - THE PINES OF LORY - THE VILLA CLAUDIA - THE SILENT WAR - PANDORA'S BOX - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: "A FANTASTIC, SOLEMN REGION"--_Page 208_] - - -DROWSY - -by - -JOHN AMES MITCHELL - -_Author of "The Last American," "Amos Judd," -"Pines of Lory," "Pandora's Box," etc._ - -With Illustrations by -Angus Macdonall and the Author - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -New York -Frederick A. Stokes Company -Publishers - -Copyright, 1917, by -John Ames Mitchell - -All rights reserved, including that of translation -into foreign languages - - - - -To the Reader - - -This is not a fairy tale. - -The wonders of to-day, we are told by scientists, will be to-morrow the -common things of daily life. - -Wireless telegraphy, it appears, is but the crude beginning to a deeper -knowledge of the mysteries that surround us. Waves of thought, like -waves of light, obedient to our will, may supplant the spoken word and -the written message. - -And we learn that Space, the borderless abyss through which we move, is -vibrant with electric life. But still unsolved is the mystery of the -force that holds the moon, for instance, to its orbit around the earth. -And it holds it with a mightier power than bars of steel. - -If it be true that the human voice goes out into space, on and forever, -as other waves, why should not a lover on a nearby planet receive the -message from an earthly maiden? If waves of thought keep pace with -waves of light, the call of a human heart would surely reach him. - -This tale of Drowsy is the somewhat romantic narrative of a woman -and a reckless lover. An unusual lover, to be sure, with a singular -inheritance; but very human--and with a full equipment of human faults -and virtues. While his achievements may seem to us incredible, the -coming generation may regard them as commonplace events. - -It was Pliny, the elder, who said, "Indeed, what is there that does not -appear marvelous when it comes to our knowledge for the first time?" - -So, if this story of Drowsy seems a fairy tale, let us remember that -the Atlantic Cable would be a fairy tale to Columbus. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. THEIR OWN AFFAIR 1 - - II. HOW THE ACQUAINTANCE BEGAN 19 - - III. UNCLE HECTOR'S VERDICT 33 - - IV. MATRIMONIAL 43 - - V. HE MEETS TWO LADIES 72 - - VI. HE ALMOST GETS RELIGION 103 - - VII. TOWARD THE LIGHT 116 - - VIII. A WORKER OF MIRACLES 132 - - IX. DREAMS? 144 - - X. THE FARTHEST TRAVELER 162 - - XI. UNSIGHT UNSEEN 172 - - XII. "INCREDIBLE!" 189 - - XIII. A MESSAGE 221 - - XIV. OVER SEAS 229 - - XV. A GARDEN OF WONDERS 235 - - XVI. THE SOUL OF A SONG 251 - - XVII. "I MEAN IT" 259 - - XVIII. THE CAŃON OF DESPAIR 267 - - XIX. A YOUNG MAN TALKS 273 - - XX. ANOTHER MESSAGE 280 - - XXI. ABOVE THE CLOUDS 290 - - - - -Illustrations - - - "A fantastic, solemn, region" _Frontispiece_ - - FACING - PAGE - "Gracefully he floated over their heads" 28 - - "A cocoanut palace against a mountain of vanilla ice - cream" 114 - - "I want to know how the earth looks when you are - standing on the moon" 120 - - "And now, today, down at the bottom of the ocean, - those cities and those marble temples are still - standing" 124 - - "Could lift it in the air to any height, crew, passengers, - and cargo" 154 - - "And glide forever, a homeless vagrant through the - dusky void" 170 - - "Far and fast, even for a bird man" 180 - - "But who ever saw such a diamond?" 198 - - "A most unusual country!" 206 - - "But once a city?" 208 - - "Older than human history" 209 - - "The dried bones of its own past, whatever it was" 212 - - "But why build their cities in those sunless chasms?" 213 - - "And over everything an awful silence" 214 - - "A world of dust and ashes" 215 - - "The diamonds are there, and plenty of them" 216 - - "With long arms and very short legs" 217 - - "But the Diva was far away. She heard nothing save - the thing unheard by others" 226 - - - - -DROWSY - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -I - -THEIR OWN AFFAIR - - -Breath of Scandal. - -Imperishable zephyr! Dispenser of delight to all:--save those it -touches. Floating in playful sport around the globe, it does little -harm to callous sinners. But it blights, with a special and vociferous -joy, superior persons. - -The higher and more immaculate the victim the greater the general -mirth. In the wake of pleasure it may have, at times, a comic side; at -other times it kills--and with agonies that are not for publication. - -In a certain month of May it loitered up the eastern shore of the -Adriatic, lingering briefly at Rovigno, just long enough to nip the -budding romance of an interesting widow. At Orsera it electrified the -leading citizens by linking, in a gentle whisper, the name of a lady -of spotless reputation with a Platonic Friend. It spared Parenzo. But -at Cittanuova it fanned into flame a general curiosity regarding the -relations of a Captain of Cavalry with the wife of a certain careless -husband. At S. Lorenzo it merely put two lovers on their guard. - -Then onward for Trieste. In this search for savory victims it -overlooked a villa high up a hillside. Here, indeed, the Breath of -Scandal might have entered and rejoiced! But the villa, as if guarding -against this very visitor, had drawn before its face a screen of trees -and vines and flowers. As wise old Bumble takes his morning nectar from -the choicest flowers, so here might this fateful zephyr have drunk his -fill. - -There was mystery about this villa. - -Natives, whose business brought them in the vicinity, were enchanted by -the beauty of a woman's voice. In melody and in power it was, to them, -a revelation. Two middle-aged gentlemen--one of them the Curé of S. -Pietro in Selve--both lovers of music and who attended operas at Milan -and other cities heard the celestial voice one day when passing near -the villa. They were charmed. Both knew it was no ordinary singer. But -the singer's identity was not discovered. - -On this particular morning a young man was sitting alone in the -Loggia of the villa. Westward, through one of the open arches, he -gazed upon the deep, blue waters of the Adriatic, far down below. -Small boats, with sails of various colors, floated here and there, -like lazy butterflies. The man was reclining in an easy chair like an -invalid--which he was. Bandages encased his throat. A bullet through -his neck, two months ago, would explain these bandages. It was the -price he paid for striking an Austrian officer across the mouth. The -Austrian officer had made an offensive remark concerning the Diva. The -young American was a good shot and in the duel, three days later, he -sent a bullet through his adversary's chest. It so happened that the -Austrian, being also a good shot, sent a corresponding missile through -the young American's neck. Then the Diva and her defender had fled -to this villa; not together, but separately, to escape the Breath of -Scandal. Here, in this ideal nest, they found peace and privacy. Not -under their own names. Ah, no! If the lady's identity were suspected -the thrilling news would have circled the globe. One cannot be an opera -singer of world-wide fame and suddenly become obscure. The Diva's -Italian friends and the public believed that she was rusticating -somewhere, with relatives. The American's friends in Paris had heard -about the duel, but knew nothing of his whereabouts. So, alone and -happy, here on this Istrian hillside, they laughed at Mrs. Grundy, -and lived and loved at leisure. And what sweeter victory than looking -down from a perch of safety upon the world below where the Breath of -Scandal spared neither the guilty nor the innocent? Kind providence -had so managed that the Diva's immediate family was not inquisitive. -It consisted solely of her father, a famous scientist, whose portrait, -with its high forehead, shaggy hair and drowsy eyes was a familiar -face to Italian students. So absorbed he was in study and experiment -that the adventures of his yet more famous daughter caused him no -uneasiness. Had the Breath of Scandal entered his laboratory, it would -have been ignored--or ejected as a liar. The Diva's husband--known as -"The Calamity" by her friends--a handsome gentleman of noble family, -had long since become immune to the Breath of Scandal--so well encased -in his disrepute that he could sink no further. He and the Breath of -Scandal were boon companions. At present he held a government position -in Siam. Three years he had been there, and might remain for ten years -more. So, at the cozy Istrian villa were no jealous eyes to disturb a -lover's dream. - -On this May morning, too warm, perhaps, in the sunshine, but perfect -in the shade, the American, in his reclining chair, was listening -to a singing voice. It came to him from an inner room of the villa. -Dreamily he listened, with half closed eyes, and smiling mouth. It had -been rather a handsome face before the duel. Now the features were too -sharp, and the eyes showed lack of sleep. This old Hungarian song--a -mother's prayer, now coming from the Diva's lips, and heart--was her -lover's favorite, and her own. It was given with the depth of feeling -and the art of a great singer, herself soon to be a mother. There are -things in music, often the simplest songs, that stir the imagination -and reach the secret chamber of the soul beyond all others. This -Hungarian prayer was one. It had become, to these two people, a hymn of -hope, with its love and fears, its yearnings and its joy. And into it -the Diva gave her very soul. - -The song ended. Then, with eyes still moist, the Diva walked out into -the loggia. - -A pleasant thing to look upon, this goddess of the ravishing voice. -There seemed bewitchment in her figure, in her carriage, in her head -and neck, in the low, wide brow with its blackest of black hair. -Beneath the heavy lashes of the midnight eyes lurked tragedy. Their -mysterious depths disturbed the hearts of men. Yet her lips told more -of mirth. Certain critics maintained that her greatest triumphs were -in comedy. But as nearly all grand opera is for tragedy she rarely -appeared in lighter rôles. This morning, as she stepped out into -the loggia, she could have passed for almost any heroine--either of -tragedy or comedy. Her robe, a thing of light material, might be any -shade or color; perhaps a delicate purple ground with a smiling yellow -pattern--or vice versa; so artfully designed that the outlines of her -figure became elusive. - -She bent over, kissed the invalid, and pressed a cheek against his -face. Then she straightened up and stood beside him, looking down with -a smile that was more than friendly. The invalid returned the smile. It -was an easy thing to do. For what is easier than returning the smile of -a singing goddess vainly sought by other men, when she descends from -pinnacles of glory--and freely, joyfully surrenders herself, and all -from an overpowering love? In the smile that lingered between them were -things whose utterance is not in words of any language:--things that -true lovers, and they alone, can ever know. Close beside him she drew -a wicker chair, and she sat in silence for a moment, studying his face. -Earnestly she looked into his eyes as if searching his secret thoughts. - -Flowers may be the language of love, but in this case it was also -French. The Diva was Italian and her French was more than good. And -Dr. Alton's French, for an American, was not so very bad. But since -the leaden messenger had entered his neck three months ago, he had -spoken no word, of French, nor of any other language. It was still a -question whether he would regain his voice or be forever mute. And in -those three months of ceaseless devotion there had come to the Diva an -amazing gift. So intense had been her desire to know his thoughts, so -persistent her efforts to know what his silent lips would utter, that -at last the wish was granted. A mysterious power had come: a power that -transferred to her own brain--or soul--the thoughts his lips could not -express. - -The conversation to an eavesdropper would have seemed a monologue by -the lady, with long pauses. In these pauses she was reading her lover's -thoughts. The young man's pleasure in these gazings was even greater -than the Diva's. Within her eyes, themselves an entrancement, he found -love and infinite devotion. Under their spell he asked no greater joy -than opening wide the secret chambers of his soul. - -"Did the little blond hero happen to notice how I finished the prayer -song this morning?" - -The little blond hero--who was some inches taller than the Diva when on -his feet--nodded. He nodded slowly and carefully in consideration of -the bandaged throat. - -"And that it was a little different from the way I usually sing it?" - -Again the answer was a careful nod. - -"How did he like it? Is it better that way?" - -This time, after the faint, affirmative sign, she gazed longer into the -adoring eyes, waiting a less simple answer. She found it, and with no -aid from his lips. - -"Yes, that was my idea precisely. More strength in the final passages; -the deeper feeling of a mother's appeal." Then, with closed eyes and -clasped hands: "May the prayer be answered, for my whole soul is in it!" - -On the clasped hands the invalid laid one of his own, with a gentle -pressure, telling of sympathy, hope and confidence. She opened her eyes -and returned his smile. "Yes, yes. We must be cheerful; always cheerful -and full of hope. It will be better for the child." - -After a silence, in which both looked thoughtfully over the tree tops, -toward the distant coast of Italy, beyond the butterfly sails far below -moving here and there on the shimmering surface of the Adriatic, she -turned, in response to another pressure of the hand, and again looked -deep into the patient's eyes. - -"No, Dr. Cervini says there's no harm in my singing unless I fatigue -myself. And I never do that." - -But his face was anxious. So with an air of cheerful confidence she -exclaimed: - -"I have decided on a boy. Yes, a boy! Smile again. I love to see you -smile. Why a boy? Because boys are stronger and bigger than girls; more -reasoning; more honest. What? Not so lovable as girls. Oh, nonsense!" - -Here a pause. - -"I don't quite understand. Think that again.--Oh, well I shouldn't -mind if he was. I love bad boys. Of course we don't want a cowardly, -mean-spirited, stingy, cold-blooded, deceitful kind of badness." - -Here, after another pause, she laughed. "Yes, I suppose that is just -what I do mean--a bad boy who is good." - -Another silence, and another laugh. "No, never!" "But tell me, Defender -of Women, why do you wish for a girl? Because what? She might be a -perfect copy of myself? Oh, honey-mouthed humbug!" - -She rose, stooped over, kissed him, and sat down again. - -"Well, I shall be happy, very happy, whatever the Bon Dieu gives us." - -The next silence was longer. - -"Yes, that is all very true. Heredity counts. There's no doubt of that. -Half Italian, half American--there are worse combinations. But I am -doubtful about the American half." Here she frowned and slowly shook -her head. "I have a torturing suspicion that all Americans--with one -heavenly exception--are ignoble things." - -The blond hero smiled and closed his eyes. - -"Not an opera singer in the whole country," she went on. "No music, no -art, no Roman ruins; just a race of handsome, reckless, blood-thirsty -young doctors. And the whole miserable wilderness, the whole continent -itself, was discovered by an Italian! Think of that! Think of how much -we owe Columbus, you and I! Were it not for him we should never have -met--for you would not exist. You owe everything to Italy. Still, we -love each other just as much. That is the important thing. Nothing else -really matters." But she frowned and shook a finger. "Nevertheless, -if it's a boy I shall name him Columbus Michael Angelo Dante Victor -Emanuel Alton, just to hide the dishonor of his father's nationality." - -The invalid clasped the finger, and held it. For a moment two pairs of -eyes looked deep into each other. Then the Diva laughed. "What ideas -you have! The Good God gave you a sunny heart, my beloved. And you -know--Oh, you know well--that whatever----" - -At the sound of a distant door bell she stopped abruptly. Into her face -came a look of mild alarm. Both knew that no visitor was welcome. Who -could enter this bower unless shadowed by the Breath of Scandal? The -next moment, however, her face brightened. "Oh--of course! It's the -good Dr. Cervini. I had forgotten he was to come early to-day." - -The man who entered kissed the tips of the Diva's fingers. Then he -shook hands with the American. - -Tall, thin, of brown and leathery skin, with a prominent Roman nose, -fierce mustaches and pointed iron gray beard, he could easily have -passed for Don Quixote. But the fierce mustaches failed to hide the -lines of mirth about the mouth. And from two calm eyes beneath the -threatening eyebrows gleamed sympathy and benevolence. It was generally -believed that Dr. Cervini had ushered into the world more princes and -princesses, more grand dukes and duchesses, more future kings and -queens than any man in Europe. In those cases where there might be a -question as to the propriety of the little one's arrival, he was more -than trustworthy. In such affairs the Silence of the Tomb, compared -with Dr. Cervini, was noisy gossip. - -After various questions concerning the patient's progress he exclaimed: - -"What patience, what godlike self-control are exhibited by Dr. Alton! -Younger and more up-to-date than I, with a perfect knowledge of the -human throat, yet he submits to my advice and antiquated treatment! -Medals should be his!" - -Dr. Alton, of course, protested, in silence, and the silent protest -was put in words by the Diva. So ran the conversation for a time, Dr. -Cervini watching the Diva with deepest interest. - -"Do you realize, Signora," he said at last, "that you have developed a -most extraordinary faculty?" - -"Is it so very remarkable?" - -"It is, indeed! In all my experience, and you know it covers many -years, I have seen nothing quite like it. Hypnotism, mental telepathy -and the old familiar tricks are very different matters. In your case -a sound mind in a sound body merges itself in closest communication -with another mind, equally sound and normal. I am wondering if you -could still read the doctor's thoughts if there was no common language -between you. Or is it his unspoken words that you read?" - -The Diva reflected. "No, it is not his words. I feel sure I should know -his wishes even if there were no such things as words." Then, turning -to her lover: "Tell me, wicked one, do you have to think in words when -we talk together?--No, he says not." - -"An amazing faculty!" murmured Dr. Cervini. "I have never seen nor -heard of such a case. You two, as I understand, can carry on an endless -conversation, and without a word from him." - -"Yes, except, sometimes, names of people or of places. Then, if I don't -know them, he writes them for me." - -"Could you read the thoughts of another person, do you think? Of -others, beside our invalid, here?" - -"Oh, I am sure I don't know! I never tried. It's a terrible thought. -Could anything be more frightful than to know, at times, what people -really thought of you? No, no, Heaven forbid!" - -Dr. Cervini laughed. "Oh, you would have little to fear on that score!" -Then, tapping the hand of the invalid, "But you and I, Doctor, we -professional sinners!--well--that would indeed be humiliating! Our -crosses would be heavy!" - -The invalid smiled, then looked at the Diva. And the Diva laughed, -blushed and shook her head. - -"What does he say?" - -"It's too foolish to repeat. He's a silly boy." - -"I insist upon knowing." - -"He says----. No, no. I couldn't repeat it! His brain is affected. His -blond wits are wandering." - -Dr. Cervini frowned and looked his fiercest. "What manners! Secret -messages in the very presence of a guest!" - -"Well--he says the unspoken thoughts of a grateful world might -intoxicate me, and he doesn't enjoy drunkards." - -Dr. Cervini laughed. "No, you are mistaken, Doctor. She has already -survived that test. No living conqueror has sailed in triumph on such -seas of glory. No other queen or goddess has achieved her victory -without losing something of the simplicity, the freshness and the charm -of youth. The hearts of men are hers. To entrance the world, to----" - -"Stop! Stop!" Again the color came to her cheeks. "If you said it too -often, I might believe it, and then--adieu to all simplicity." - -The two men protested--each in his own manner--against all denials of -their sincerity. - -More serious conversation followed. Dr. Cervini, after final -instructions for the patient, departed, the Diva going with him to the -outer door. As usual at these partings, she pressed him for an honest -opinion of the patient's condition. And, as usual, it was favorable. - -She laid a hand on his arm. "You are telling me the truth, aren't you, -old friend?" - -"Yes. On my honor. In a fortnight he shall eat and drink and talk in -comfort. Believe me. Now, now! No tears! I know what a strain it is. -You have been simply magnificent all through these weary weeks. Don't -weaken now. The worst is over." - -"Yes, I will be brave. But the hardest of all is to see him suffer. He -never complains. He tries so hard, so hard, to be cheerful! It seems, -at moments, as if I could bear it no longer." - -"Go away for a week or two. I can bring an excellent nurse." - -"No, no! Never that!" - -"Then remember the child. It must not come into the world with the face -of a tragic mask; with weeping eyes and wrinkled brow." - -She smiled and promised. But, after bidding him a cheerful good-by, -and when the door had closed, she dropped into a chair and pressed -both hands against her face. It was a determined effort to keep back -the tears. They came, however; but the luxury was brief. With an air -of somewhat fierce resolve she arose, stood just long enough before a -mirror to dry her eyes, then, humming the gayest of airs from a comic -opera, she went out into the loggia and rejoined the sufferer. - -Meanwhile, Dr. Cervini descended the driveway of the villa to the -postroad. There he stopped, leaned upon the parapet and looked down -upon the scene below him; the little town at the foot of the hill, and -the sky-blue Adriatic. - -At the sound of an approaching carriage he turned. The approaching -equipage was obviously patrician. It pertained to a lady of the High -Nobility. Save the two men in livery on the box and the Breath of -Scandal, this Countess was traveling alone. She and the Breath of -Scandal were boon companions. This intimacy bore no resemblance to the -corresponding intimacy among common people where purity is defiled, -homes ruined and good names besmeared. With the Countess the Breath of -Scandal became a sweet perfume--wafting around her person an intriguing -atmosphere of mystery, romance and patrician vice. - -Friendly greetings passed between the lady and the doctor. Then the -lady asked for information. She suspected from something she had heard -that the Diva was in this vicinity. - -"Now, tell me, Doctor. Where is she?" - -"She? In this vicinity?" - -"Come now, I am not to be deceived. You may as well tell me at once. -Where is she? You are one of her intimates and I saw you come down that -avenue. As the only truthful man in Austria, you may as well confess -that she lives at the end of it." - -The truthful man raised his Mephistophelean eyebrows, smiled and slowly -shook his head. "Alas, I wish, indeed, she were there! There is a -villa, Countess, but no Diva in it." - -The lady frowned. "Who then?" - -"Nobody you know, or are likely to know. The occupant is a deservedly -prosperous manufacturer of excellent chocolate." - -"Are you sure?" In her manner was suspicion, not quite allayed. - -"Well--I have spent the last hour there--and many previous hours." - -"Very likely. But I don't believe you." - -"Am I a liar?" - -"I really don't know." - -"But you just said I was the only truthful man in Austria." - -"Merely a form of speech. I meant relatively. You might be the most -truthful man in Austria and yet have no standing in heaven--or any -other honest resort." - -Dr. Cervini smiled. "True, too true! But who told you our Diva was here -about?" - -"A connoisseur. A judge of voices. One who could not be mistaken. He -heard her voice one evening, here, along this road." - -"Was he sure it was the Diva?" - -"Absolutely." - -"Ah, now I understand. Delicious! Really, it's too good to keep to -ourselves. If we could only interview him together, you and I!" - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean my chocolate king has a young daughter, who sings. And she -sings--yes--she sings well. But, vocally, she bears about the same -resemblance to our Diva as a guinea chicken to a skylark." - -"Could our connoisseur be quite such a fool as that?" - -"A real connoisseur can be anything. But possibly he had dined too well -on that particular night. However, even when sober a musical critic -can----" He stopped abruptly, with a gesture of annoyance. "Oh, what -a memory! My humblest apologies to our connoisseur. He was right, -absolutely right. He made no mistake." - -"Then she is here, after all?" - -"No, she is far from here. But I had entirely forgotten, for the -moment, that she passed this way not so long ago. In the town below -there, she lingered a day or two on her way to France." - -"Is she in France?" - -"Yes, for the summer;--and for rest." - -"What part of France?" - -"Ah, that, Countess, I must not tell." - -"But I am one of her oldest friends! Am I not even to correspond with -her?" - -"Well, you know her one object in going there is for absolute rest, not -even writing letters. I see you are hurt, dear lady, and I understand -your feelings, but I am sworn to secrecy." - -The lady stiffened, and settled back in the carriage. "Hurt! I should -say so. And why not, pray?" - -Dr. Cervini seemed to reflect a moment. "Well, Countess, will you give -me your solemn word of honor to guard the secret if I tell you?" - -"I promise." - -"Do you happen to know the town of Tarbes?" - -"No." - -"Have you ever been to Foix?" - -"Never heard of it." - -"Well, she has rented a little villa somewhere between those places, -but back in the mountains." - -"What mountains?" - -"The Pyrenees." - -"God protect us! Is she there?" - -"She is. Her doctors and her family all insisted upon her having a six -months' rest. And she needs it." - -"Provoking! Most annoying! And here I have had a long drive beneath a -broiling sun--and all for nothing." - -Dr. Cervini waved a solemn finger. "Don't forget your promise." - -"Yes, I will remember. But, the young American doctor who struck--and -then killed a captain. Where is he?" - -"In his own country." - -"In America?" - -"Even so." - -"Shameful! Shameful!" - -"Why shameful, Countess?" - -"Because I hoped they were together--as they should be. It's too -delicious a romance for the lovers to spoil by parting." - -"Lovers! She hardly knew him. If a favorite prima donna were to adopt -every man who fell in love with her she would have no time for music. -Heavens! What a regiment of followers!" - -"Nevertheless," said the lady, in a more serious manner, "I blush for -the Diva." - -"Why blush?" - -"I always blush for virtue." - - * * * * * - -As the carriage, with the Countess, escorted by the Breath of Scandal, -disappeared around a curve in the road, Dr. Cervini removed his hat, -looked heavenward and murmured: - -"Angels of mercy, forgive a liar." - -But the lie did well. Never again came the Breath of Scandal so near -the Diva. The lovers' secret remained a secret. Even her father, the -famous scientist with the drowsy eyes, died twenty years later not -knowing that he had a grandchild. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -II - -HOW THE ACQUAINTANCE BEGAN - - -Seven years have passed. - -Under the arching elms in a Massachusetts village, one Sunday morning -in July, various persons were moving toward a house of worship. The -house of worship was white, with a portico of Ionic columns. - -Among the branches of the elms a noisy congregation of non-sectarian -birds seemed to be laughing at the Orthodox bells. - -Dr. Alton, leading his little son by the hand, was walking beside -the parson. Dr. Alton was but little over thirty years of age. His -son was nearly seven. When the older physician died, two months ago, -this younger Dr. Alton, his only child, had returned from Europe and -announced his intention of continuing his father's practice. Why an -attractive young man, shining with honors from the medical schools of -Paris and Vienna, should be willing to hide his talents in a village -like Longfields was an interesting mystery. Some argued that the death -of his young wife had broken his heart and killed ambition. But this -morning, as he walked to church, beneath the singing elms, he took -cheerful notice of the things about him. He enjoyed the greetings of -old friends of his boyhood. - -Some yards behind, in this progress toward the church, came Mr. and -Mrs. David Snell. Mr. Snell was listening to the discourse of his -wife. He listened with the patience and the fortitude attained by long -experience and by force of will. His beard was gray, his eyes were -blue, his shoulders narrow and his figure slight. Also, he had a gentle -voice and gentle manners. But it was known among his friends that this -gentleness was by no means a manifestation of any inward weakness. -While patient and much enduring, there were times when he became -more determined, more "cantankerously sot" and unchangeable than the -movements of the planets. Deacon Babbit once said, "Compared with David -when he gets his dander up the Rock of Ages is a weather-cock. The only -safe thing to do is to stand from under and let him be." But these -transformations were rare, and often forgotten. - -"I don't care," Mrs. Snell was saying, "people have a right to gossip -when a handsome young man comes home from Europe with a child like that -and refuses to open his mouth about its mother. I don't believe it -_had_ a mother." - -"P'r'aps not. P'r'aps it grew on a pumpkin tree and the doctor jest -picked it." - -"You know what I mean, David. We never heard of his being married -durin' those six years he was over there--over there studyin' medicine. -Studyin' medicine! I guess he studied a good many things besides -medicine." - -"Been a fool if he hadn't. Medicine ain't the only interestin' thing in -this world." - -"Don't be coarse, David, and excusing vice. You know very well he -should not deceive people about it." - -"How has he deceived anybody?" - -"By saying he was married to this boy's mother--and she died." - -"Well, ain't it true?" - -"No." - -"How do you know it ain't?" - -"Because if it was true he wouldn't be so secretive about it. There's -nothing to be ashamed of in marrying an honest woman and having a -child." - -"No," said Mr. Snell. "Nuthin' specially surprisin' about that. Good -folks have done it." - -"Then why be hiding something? All his old friends are naturally -interested in his wife and he'd naturally tell us--unless there was -something he was ashamed of." - -"Ashamed of? Well, Rebecca, you certainly can talk like a fool when you -put your mind on it." - -Mrs. Snell flushed. "Really! Indeed! So you think it's perfectly -natural for a man to hide from his old friends all knowledge of his -marriage--as he would a murder?" - -"Yes, if he wants to." - -"Well, I don't. And that's the difference. And we'll see what other -people in this village are going to think about it." - -Mr. Snell stopped, laid a hand on his wife's arm and wheeled her -about. He spoke in a low voice, but his words were metallic in their -clearness. "Now look here, Rebecca Snell, you jest go slow on startin' -that kind of talk. Dr. Alton's a good man. We are mighty lucky to have -him in the old doctor's shoes. Longfields is a mighty small village for -a man with such an education as he's got. And if it ever got to his -ears that you'd been insultin' his dead wife's memory--well--you'll get -jest exactly what you deserve, and I'll help give it to yer. I mean it. -Now shut up." - -Mrs. Snell glanced at the light blue angry eyes now looking steadily -into her own. Between those eyes and her own face, a long and bony -finger, quivering with anger, was moving slowly, to and fro. It came -very near her face. She blinked, tightened her lips and took a backward -step. Then her husband, in a low voice, husky with rage, the vibrating -finger almost touching her nose, spoke once more. - -"And you _stay_ shut up!" - -After a pause, just long enough for his message to be acknowledged by a -nod of obedience he started on toward the church. - -Mrs. Snell followed after. - -In that congregation were persons who came to worship their -Creator--the ostensible purpose of the gathering. Miss Susan Pendexter, -on the other hand, a somewhat emotional spinster, came to worship -the preacher, Rev. George Bentley Heywood. She was thrilled by the -originality, the power and the beauty of the sermon which to his -own wife seemed, as usual, prosy and commonplace. Many were present -because afraid to stay away. Among these were the young men. Children, -of course, were present under compulsion, accepting the sermon as a -punishment. - -No gathering could be more democratic. These descendants of the -Pilgrims were not encumbered by class distinctions. Judge Dean, for -instance, the most influential citizen of the village, would never -presume to patronize either Abner Phillips, the harness maker or Elisha -Bisbee, the blacksmith. Uncle Hector, who kept the store, would have -snubbed all the reigning monarchs of the earth had he suspected them -of willful condescension. The somewhat restless man in a side pew, he -whose stiff hair stands straight on end, who snuffs and clears his -throat and looks pleasantly around the church, is Lemuel Cobb, the -stage driver. He is a descendant of a famous Governor of Plymouth -Colony and has a brother who is now President of a Western College. And -the two Allen "girls," Nance and Fidelia--now over sixty--have one of -the best pews in Church. The fact of their being largely dependent for -food and clothing, rent and fuel, on the bounty of their neighbors, -lessens in no degree the courtesy they receive. - -It was natural that Dr. Alton and his son, this morning, should be -objects of lively interest. This interest was all the greater from -certain unexplained events in Europe kindly referred to by Mrs. Snell. -But other persons were less suspicious than this lady. Nearly all the -members of the congregation--and of the township for that matter--were -old friends of this Dr. Alton's father. Few among those here present -failed to recall, with gratitude and affection, the dead physician. -The older members he had either sustained in sickness or had postponed -their departure to realms above. The younger ones he had ably assisted -into our merry world. This younger Dr. Alton, now present, bore some -resemblance to his father. He had a good expression and a pleasant -smile, but he was, of course, too young to carry those deeper lines of -study, of work and kindly deeds that marked his father's face. - -So high were the backs of the pews that the smaller children were -almost invisible. Only the tops of their heads were in sight. But -Dr. Alton's son, for a wider knowledge of this new world, folded his -short legs beneath him and sat upon his heels. This was welcomed--in -silence--by many persons in the congregations. They could now satisfy -their curiosity as to his appearance. And the face was disappointing. -His eyes, as they moved in a drowsy way over the faces about him, -seemed dull and almost stupid. They seemed half closed by heavy lids. -And his short, cherubic mouth might indicate a want of decision. -His hair, short, thick and dark grew in a straight line across his -forehead. Altogether, with his stiff hair, plump cheeks, short neck and -placid manner, he seemed a different type from the little Yankee boys -of Longfields. - -Mrs. Waldo Bennett, the tall, straight woman with startled eyebrows, -said to herself, as she watched his slow moving eyes, studying in mild -surprise the church and the people about him, "That little heathen -was never in a house of God before." But she was wrong. This was, to -be sure, his first experience in a New England church, but he had -been in cathedrals. And he was surprised at the difference in size -between this cathedral and those at Milan and Canterbury. Leisurely, -and with no embarrassment or self-consciousness, his eyes wandered -slowly over various persons who were watching him. But when his eyes -encountered Mrs. Snell they opened a trifle wider. There, in surprise, -they rested for a moment. For in this lady's face he found, not the -amiable curiosity of his grandfather's grateful friends, but a pious -disapproval of his very existence. Almost threatening was her look of -hostility, of reprobation and contempt. There was censure in it, and -condemnation. She was studying him as one of the Higher Angels might -study the meanest imp of Satan. For Mrs. Snell, while not impervious -to the consolations of religion, found more solace, just at present, -in believing Dr. Alton a special envoy from Sodom and Gomorrah. As -for the boy, she detected, in his evil eyes and voluptuous mouth, an -agent of the devil for the future debauchery of Longfields. She was not -especially prophetic in other matters but, for this boy, she predicted -an unspeakable career. - -And the boy, while unable to divine all her thoughts or to realize -this blighting forecast, did not fail to catch the general message. -For a moment he returned her gaze, calmly and undisturbed; then as -calmly looked away. He was seeking refuge in the thought that perhaps -she hated all other boys just as much. Perhaps the women in this new -country were fiercer than those in Europe. - -The very next minute, however, something happened--something so much -more thrilling that he forgot completely the square jawed, ominous -woman. As he looked away from her hostile glare he encountered the -eyes of the parson's daughter. And such eyes! How different from Mrs. -Snell's! These eyes were the two most astonishing things he had ever -seen. They were not far away--in a pew at right angles to his own--and -they were looking straight at him! They had thick, dark lashes. They, -also, were severe, but in a different way from Mrs. Snell's. They -certainly were frowning at him. From Mrs. Snell's eyes he felt like -running away--for safety. These other eyes seemed more surprised than -angry--as if demanding an apology for something. Although but six -years old they were remarkably effective for weapons with so little -experience. Not that she was a flirt at that age: she was nothing more -than a rather willful little girl, already somewhat spoiled: one of -those clever females intended by nature to succeed, from the cradle up, -in getting whatever they desire. - -The boy's eyebrows went up and he smiled, involuntarily, in spite of -her frown, and his slumbrous eyelids opened a little wider. He enjoyed -beautiful things, in whatever form, and those eyes, whether hostile -or friendly, were wondrous things. Then, when he had just begun to -stare at them, comfortably, came one of the surprises of his life. It -was more than a surprise: it was a blow, a shock, a humiliation. For, -this girl, with no warning, made a face at him! She wrinkled up her -nose, slightly raised her chin and stuck out her tongue. And, while -he gazed in wonder, she unfolded the legs upon which she was elevated -and sank from his vision like a mermaid beneath the waves. He was -more astonished than angry. That such an affront, so undeserved, so -undignified and so insulting should come from so angelic a face was -something new in his experience. In his desire to see more of this -novelty he forgot his surroundings, and to the surprise of neighboring -worshipers, and before his father could stop him, he clambered to his -feet and stood up on the seat of the pew. - -Accelerated by his father's hand and by a whispered word, he came down -to his proper level. But Mrs. Snell had seen the act. It strengthened -her conviction that this future corrupter of youth had no respect for -the House of God, and was already dead to any religious influence. For -a time the Corrupter of Youth kept his eyes on the place where the eyes -had vanished; but in vain. They seemed to have disappeared forever. So, -being a boy, he found interest in other things. - -The tall windows of the church were open at the top, and those members -of the congregation, not enthralled by the sermon, could see snowy -clouds drifting idly across a bright blue sky. Through these open -windows came the song of birds;--voices of the heathen birds already -mentioned; good singers but with little reverence for the Gospel Word. -To the Corrupter of Youth, also, the Gospel Word had little interest. -He was looking up, through the open windows, at the floating clouds, -the swallows and the white pigeons. One swallow, less discerning than -his friends, flew into the church and fluttered about before escaping. -He was followed, with envious eyes, by the Corrupter of Youth, who -decided there and then--a decision often made before--that when he grew -to be a man, and could do as he pleased, he also would fly:--up from -the earth, high up into the clouds like a bird! - -Perhaps it was the warm day and the preacher's voice, but after a -while he began to feel sleepy. And, anyway, why should a bird be so -much better off than men and other animals? Why stick so tight to the -ground? It didn't seem fair. Why should a hen--just a hen--have wings -and not a boy? If he himself had wings--my gracious!--he would rise -and sail up through the open window, up and far away above the clouds, -into the blue sky itself! Among the gods and angels he would float -around. And just to show what he could do, he would astonish them with -extraordinary evolutions. For speed, originality and distance, his -flights, with curves and sudden stops, would startle even sparrows -themselves. There was pleasure, too, in swooping down, and showing his -contempt for these heavy, easily satisfied persons all huddled together -between the bare walls of this foolish little Longfields cathedral. -Darting downwards, but in easy curves, to the very window through which -he had been looking up and out, he now looked down and in. Hovering at -the open window, his body without, his head within, he frowned upon -the upturned, startled faces of the earth-bound congregation. Then -he entered. Gracefully he floated over their heads. For a moment he -hovered over Mrs. Snell, who uttered a loud scream, then fell dead from -terror. Next, above the girl with the wonderful eyes he moved slowly to -and fro, as fishes move in water. This just to show her what kind of a -floating boy he was. Descending a little, until his face was close to -hers, he looked straight into her startled eyes and wiggled his nose -like a rabbit. And it frightened her almost to death! - -[Illustration: "GRACEFULLY HE FLOATED OVER THEIR HEADS"--_Page 29_] - -'Twas a great thought! - -He smiled as he reveled in it. But there are dreams too beautiful -to be true. And when, at last, his soul rejoined his body he saw -the preacher had folded his hands upon the Bible in front of him, -and was praying. The members of the congregation, with bowed heads, -were listening in solemn silence. Then the dreamer, now wide awake, -slid from his seat, stood up, put his mouth to his parent's ear and -whispered: - -"Father, quick! His eyes are shut. Let's get away!" - -Parents can be dull. On this occasion his father certainly missed a -golden opportunity. He merely shook his head and failed to act. - -However, the weary service was almost over. The prayer ended; the -congregation stood up and joined in the final hymn. The dreamer also -stood up. Also, he opened his cherubic mouth, and sang. The words he -knew not, but he sang without them. His unfamiliar voice surprised -Miss Martha Lincoln, a middle-aged maiden just in front of him. Twice -a week she gave music lessons in Worcester. Now, involuntarily she -looked behind. Her surprise was great when she discovered the performer -to be a small boy whose diminutive mouth could hardly open wide enough -to put forth the music that was in him. Clearly this courageous singer -possessed an ear and a sense of harmony that were a part of himself, -and not acquired. - -At last, the benediction finished, the people came slowly out of -the pews into the aisle, and moved toward the open doors. Greetings -occurred between people who lived miles apart and seldom met, except -on Sundays. The boy stuck close to his father. One of his hands kept -a tight grip on Dr. Alton's coat. As the top of his head was not above -the waists of people about him he received little attention. Many -persons overlooked him. But just before reaching the vestibule he heard -a voice close to his ear, on his own level. It said, distinctly, but in -a tone too low for the taller people to hear: - -"How do you do, little stupid?" - -He turned. There was the girl with the wondrous eyes! But now the eyes -glistened with malicious triumph. For an instant he was too surprised, -too disconcerted, to grasp the situation. Like a ship that receives -a raking broadside from an unexpected quarter and reels beneath the -shock, but recovers and prepares for action, so Cyrus Alton pulled -himself together, blinked and faced the foe. Then it was that the -maiden herself received a shock. For this boy, instead of "sassing -back" as she expected, inclined his head and body in a ceremonious -bow--as elaborate as the skirts and legs of the surrounding grown-ups -permitted, and inquired politely: - -"Why do you say that?" - -So surprised was the girl, so startled by this unprecedented, this -unheard of politeness in a human boy, that her expression swiftly -changed to one of comic dismay. She was dumb. The miracle stupefied -her. In their wonderment the beautiful eyes became yet larger and -more beautiful. But the lips were speechless. Then, once again she -vanished, this time behind her mother's skirt. - -And that is how the acquaintance began between Cyrus Alton and Ruth -Heywood. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -III - -UNCLE HECTOR'S VERDICT - - -It so happened a few days later that this acquaintance was renewed. -Cyrus, sitting on the doorstep of a house in the village, waited for -his father, who was visiting a patient within. - -Two little girls came along, arm in arm. They stopped in front of him. - -One of them said: "A new boy." - -The other said: "Isn't he funny!" - -In one of these persons Cyrus recognized the girl who made faces at -him in church. As they stood smiling, brimming over with mischief, he -arose, lifted his hat and made a sweeping bow, as d'Artagnan might have -saluted Anne of Austria. It was so well done, with so much grace and -solemnity, that the two girls were startled. Things of that sort had -never occurred in Longfields. The girls giggled. They believed he was -"showing off" to amuse them. But he was not showing off. It was merely -his usual manner of saluting ladies. When the hat was again on his -head, he looked calmly at the girl with the eyes and inquired: - -"Why did you call me stupid?" - -For an instant she was taken aback. Then with a smile of defiance: - -"Because you _look_ stupid." - -"But I am not." - -"Well you look so, anyway; doesn't he, Martha?" - -Martha nodded and giggled endorsement. But Ruth Heywood herself stopped -giggling, and said more seriously: - -"It's your eyes that are funny. They are half awake. They are so drowsy -they make me sleepy to look at them. Can't you open them wider?" - -Cyrus made no answer because he could think of nothing to say. But -as the heavy lidded eyes looked into Ruth Heywood's, with their -supernatural tranquility, it seemed to the maiden as if the accumulated -wisdom of mankind was rebuking and despising her. The same expression -came into her face that came there in church; a rapid change from -bantering gayety to doubt and misgiving. But she wheeled about, with -an air of indifference, and walked away, leading the devoted Martha. A -little way off she turned her head and called to him: - -"Good-by, Drowsy!" - -With that they both scampered away as fast as they could run. - -After this interview the acquaintance marched--or rather jumped -ahead--with all the velocity of youth. Cyrus passed her house every -time he went to the village and interviews were frequent. All -discourtesy in their first meetings was forgiven--and forgotten. To his -ceremonious salutations, with their astonishing bows, Ruth Heywood soon -became accustomed. Also, she ceased being impressed by his judicial -gaze, for she soon learned that the heavy lidded eyes concealed neither -disdain nor supernatural wisdom. She discovered, in short, that he was -just a boy. But he proved neither sleepy nor stupid. - -Certain traits, however, quite at variance with those in other children -of her own age, made him an object of her special concern. She began -to regard him as her own personal property, something to be watched -over, guided and protected. Although she had known but six years of -terrestrial life, some feminine, kindly instinct was already prompting -her to be mother and grandmother to him, also aunt and sister and all -the female blessings that he missed at home. He was, to be sure, just -about her own age, but he was shorter and less assertive. And there -certainly is--at times--a distinct advantage in being able to look down -upon the person you are trying to impress. - -When Ruth wanted a thing she wanted it very much, and at once. With -strangers she always got it. Her beauty, combined with her manner--when -she chose--were irresistible, it appeared, to all human males between -the ages of ten and one hundred. She could smile the smile that routed -reason and paralyzed all powers of resistance. This smile, as she grew -older, with the sensitive mouth and conquering eyes, never lost its -charm. And the unsuspecting Cyrus was either brave or timid, patient or -angry, happy or unhappy, at the witch's will. - -Moreover, his mental processes were quite different from those of Ruth. -He was slower in reaching conclusions. Her own swift decisions amazed -him. She dazzled him at times, by a mysterious intuitive agency whose -lightning turns he did not pretend to follow. - -Cyrus, more than other boys, was a lover of beautiful things. Flowers, -pictures, music, color, all gave him pleasure. In the presence of an -American sunset he would sit in solemn adoration. To this lover of -beautiful things Ruth's eyes were as windows of heaven. Into them he -could look and wonder; quit the earth and imagine all things. They -soothed and stirred his fancy like summer skies and solemn woods--or -flowers and thunderstorms. And when they rested on him, in reproach, -they filled him with delectable guilt. - -Ruth and Truth were one and inseparable. Truth was part of herself. -Truth and Cyrus, on the other hand, sometimes parted company. And they -parted easily. Truth was a good thing--he knew that. But there seemed -to be occasions when Truth and Wisdom did not pull together; when the -immediate results were disastrous. When those moments came he preferred -the exercise of his own wits; the triumphs of his own invention. And -his invention was rich and ready. - -On one occasion, when rebuked by his father for telling a lie, he -replied, after a moment's thought, and with earnest conviction: - -"I don't see any fun in telling the truth all the time. Anybody can do -it." - -However, aside from this little matter of despising Truth, he was a -reliable boy. He kept his promises. And it should be said in justice -that, while an easy and successful liar, his mind was open to reason -and he could be made to realize the sin and folly of his ways. His -interview with Uncle Hector, for instance, showed a willingness to see -the light. - -Uncle Hector kept the store. He was seventy-five years old, tall, very -erect, wore a green wig and was a bachelor. The wig was not really -green, but certain tints of its original golden brown had changed, in -the passing years, to a peculiar greenish yellow. His own original -virtues, however, had not deteriorated. He was honest and true. -Everybody liked him, and all the children called him Uncle. He wore -dark clothes, and a stiff, old fashioned collar--a sort of dickey--for -he had a hired man to do the rough work about the place. - -Toward noon, one February day, Cyrus and Ruth entered the store. Uncle -Hector was off at the further end talking with a customer:--Mrs. -Bennett. Nobody else was there. While waiting for Mrs. Bennett to -finish her business Cyrus and Ruth admired, as usual, the wonders -about them, and inhaled the intoxicating air; an air heavy laden with -odors of molasses and vinegar, of coffee, calico and oranges, of the -spices of Araby and the rubber boots of New England. On the top of -the counter, which was on a level with the nose of Cyrus, lay a dollar -bill. Cyrus saw it, and by standing on his toes he could reach over -and take it--which he did. He held it in the fingers of both hands and -drank in its beauties. Then he held it closer to Ruth's face, that she, -too, might admire it. - -"Just think!" he said. "A dollar is a hundred cents; we can buy a -hundred sticks of that candy you like!" - -Ruth had doubts of his ownership. Yet she considered the discoverer's -feelings. - -"But, Cyrus, it isn't yours." - -"Yes it is!" - -"Oh, no!" - -"Yes. Findin's is keepin's." - -Ruth had never heard this principle before, but she accepted it because -it came from Cyrus. And Cyrus, this fortune in his fingers, felt as all -men feel when raised, without warning, from poverty to wealth. - -Mrs. Bennett departed and at last Uncle Hector towered behind the -counter smiling down upon the two upturned, excited faces. - -"Well, Miss Ruth Heywood, and Mr. Cyrus Alton, what can I do for you -this morning?" - -Again Cyrus raised himself upon his toes, pushed the dollar bill as far -over on the counter as he could reach, and exclaimed: - -"A whole dollar's worth of that red candy with the white stripes!" - -Uncle Hector's genial smile gave way, for a moment, to an expression of -surprise. - -"Where did you get this money, Cyrus?" - -"Father gave it to me." - -"Oh, Cyrus!" exclaimed Ruth. - -The liar turned and looked at Ruth, not in anger at being exposed, but -in a sort of calm amazement that so sensible a girl should ruin so good -a plan. Ruth, however, was not the person to compromise with sin. - -"Cyrus Alton! How _can_ you say such a thing?" - -Kindly but sadly Uncle Hector looked down upon the boy. - -"Tell the truth, Cyrus." - -Cyrus, unabashed, met Uncle Hector's reproving gaze. He even smiled, as -any honest man might smile, to show his spirit was above defeat. - -"I found it just now, right here on this counter." - -Uncle Hector's face was still serious. "Are you sure it's your dollar?" - -"Yes, sir. Findin's is keepin's." - -Uncle Hector stroked his chin and twisted his mouth, as if wondering -how to answer. "Well--er--if you should take one of those oranges and -refuse to pay for it, and just walk away with it and say 'findin's is -keepin's'--would that be all right?" - -"No, sir, because I know they are for sale. This dollar wasn't." - -Again Uncle Hector stroked his chain and twisted his mouth. And Cyrus -smiled up at him, the smile of triumph. It was obvious, even to Ruth, -that this opening skirmish was a victory for Cyrus. She also smiled -up at Uncle Hector and nodded, signifying that her escort was an able -person. - -But Uncle Hector was not vanquished. He laid the dollar on the counter, -off near Cyrus' face, to make it clear there was no forcible retention -of doubtful property--that justice should be rendered to the smallest -boy as fairly as to the biggest man. Then he straightened up, pushed -back his coat and inserted his thumbs in the arm holes of his vest. -And there was something in his smile and in his confident manner that -caused uneasiness in Ruth. - -"If I should go to your house, Cyrus, and carry off a handsome sled -with the name Hiawatha on it in blue letters, refuse to give it back, -and say 'findin's is keepin's--would that be all right?" - -"No, sir, because you know it's my sled, and there's no other like it." - -Again was Uncle Hector taken by surprise, and in his face the two -children saw signs of the hesitation which often leads to defeat. -Ruth's faith in Cyrus rose yet higher. As she smiled at the tall figure -behind the counter her expression said as plainly as words, "Nobody can -get ahead of Cyrus." - -But Uncle Hector, while not prepared for such an answer to his -question, even now was unconquered. "Cyrus," he said, "you'll make a -great lawyer some day. You are mighty good at an argument. But suppose -a stranger took that sled, and when you ran after him and told it was -yours, he should say 'findin's is keepin's and refuse to give it up. -Would that be all right?" - -"Oh, no!" - -"Why not?" - -"Because I had told him it was mine." - -"Well, now, Mrs. Bennett bought seventy cents worth of tea and sewing -silk just before you and Ruth came in. She laid a dollar bill on the -counter and I gave her the change--thirty cents. Then we went away for -a minute to the back of the store and left it lying here. When I came -back I found you claimed it, saying 'findin's is keepin's.' So, if you -keep it, I lose seventy cents' worth of tea and sewing silk and thirty -cents in cash." - -Cyrus frowned, and looked sidewise at the bill. Ruth also frowned. As -she looked up at the jar that held the striped candy tears came to her -eyes. Uncle Hector smiled pleasantly upon the two troubled faces and -inquired in his gentlest manner: - -"Now, Cyrus, just as man to man, whose bill do you think it is?" - -Cyrus worked his lips, and looked away. He stood firm on his legs, -but inwardly he staggered beneath the blow. It was a whole dollar, -and gone--gone forever, before he could spend it! He might never have -another. Full grown men have been known to collapse under sudden loss -of fortune. He dared not look at Ruth. It might unnerve him for the -sacrifice. With tightened lips and blinking eyes he reached up over the -counter and silently pushed the bill away, as far toward the new owner -as his short arm could do it. - -"Thank you, Cyrus," said Uncle Hector. "I knew I was dealing with a man -who would do the right thing when he saw it. And now, let's have some -candy together and celebrate the occasion. What'll you have, Ruth?" He -moved his hand, at a guess, toward the glass jar that held the pink -candy with the white stripes. - -She nodded. "Yes, I like that best." - -He placed a stick of it in the lady's hand. - -"And you, Cyrus? The same, I suppose?" - -"No, sir. I'll have a cocoanut cake." - -Uncle Hector replaced the jar; then, as he laid the cocoanut cake in -the extended hand: - -"But you wanted the candy a minute ago; a whole dollar's worth." - -"That's when I was treatin' Ruth. I thought it would please her to -think I liked what she liked." - -"But you don't care for that candy?" - -"No, sir." - -Uncle Hector's face took on a new expression. He straightened up, -lowered his chin, regarded the small boy in front of him was a peculiar -look, bent forward and held an open palm quite close to the wondering -face. - -"Shake hands." - -Cyrus reached up and placed his small hand in the extended palm. - -The large hand closed over the little one. - -"Cyrus, you are a gentleman." - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -IV - -MATRIMONIAL - - -A June morning. - -The sky, this morning, is the bluest blue; the air delicious. There is -fragrance in it, of buds, new grass and flowers. Also, in the air, is -the joy of living, and the promise of even better things to come. - -But Ruth Heywood, sitting upon the front door step of her father's -house, seemed oblivious to the surrounding rapture. Her thoughts were -solemn. Half an hour ago she had witnessed a marriage in her own -parlor. Her father, a clergyman, had united two lovers in the bonds -of matrimony. The ceremony had deeply impressed the youthful witness, -curled up in the big arm chair near the window. And after the departure -of the happy couple she had been still further, and yet more deeply -impressed, by her father's explanation of what the ceremony meant. -Now, sitting in the sunshine on the front steps, her youthful mind was -struggling with the marriage problem. It certainly seemed a grand idea, -this bringing together of a man and woman to love each other dearly -all the rest of their lives, with no drawback, and to make each other -supremely happy, not only in this life but in the life to come. The -more she thought and the deeper she went into this inviting subject the -better she liked it. And she wondered why anybody should delay an hour -before entering the holy state. - -From this maiden dream of everlasting bliss she was gently awakened -by peculiar sounds. These sounds came from the lips of a jubilant -boy, dancing along the center of the street. If explanation were -necessary the sounds might be interpreted as a song of praise to the -Creator for producing such a perfect day in such a wondrous world. -To further emphasize the joy of living the boy's arms were swinging -above his head and his eyes were heavenward. He wore a blue and white -checkered shirt-waist, brown knickers, stockings of the same color and -copper-toed shoes. His hat, being a nuisance, had been left at home. - -With him was a dog. And the dog, even more than his master, seemed -intoxicated with present conditions. The fact of being alive had -stirred him to a wild activity. At dazzling speed he was describing -circles about the size of a circus ring around the singing boy. He -traveled like a thing possessed and with a velocity somewhat faster -than a shooting star. And the eyes of Ruth Heywood, although young and -active, blinked as they tried to follow him. - -She called. - -"Drowsy!" - -Cyrus stopped, turned about and made a sweeping bow. When he -straightened up the maiden beckoned, and said, "Come here." - -As he seated himself beside her, she asked: - -"Were you ever married, Cyrus?" - -For an instant the boy was taken aback. As he turned and looked into -the maiden's eyes, ready to carry on the joke, he saw those eyes were -more than serious: they were almost tragic in their earnestness. - -"Why, of course not! I'm too young." - -"No, nobody is too young. It's a lovely, beautiful thing and everybody -ought to do it." - -Cyrus was clearly surprised; but, always polite to ladies, he nodded -his appreciation of the new truth. "I didn't know. I thought only grown -folks got married." - -"No; it is everybody's duty. And it's my duty and yours, too." - -Cyrus' eyebrows went up. "Me? Mine?" - -"Yes. It's a beautiful thing and makes us all better. Father says so." - -"Did he say children, too?" - -Ruth hesitated. "He--he--said it makes everybody better--more -unselfish--and of course he meant nobody is too young to be made -better." - -Cyrus nodded. "I s'pose that's so." - -"And I want to marry you," said Ruth. - -Cyrus nodded. "I'm ready, if it's a good thing." - -"It's a lovely thing." - -"What's the kind of good that it does?" - -"It makes us better." - -"Yes, but--but in what ways is a feller better?" - -"Oh, in every way." - -"Can he play ball any better?" - -"I guess so." - -"Is a married feller stronger and can he run faster than the feller -that isn't married?" - -"Oh, yes." - -"Well, that's a good deal. Does it take long to have it done?" - -"Just a few minutes." - -As a new suspicion entered the mind of the prospective groom he edged -away a few inches. "Does it hurt?" - -"What hurt?" - -"Getting married. Does a dentist do it--or something like that?" - -Contemptuously the maiden answered. "'Course not! You are a very -ignorant boy. We just stand up before father and say 'I will,' and -'Yes' and 'It is' or 'I do' and short things like that. Father does all -the rest." - -Then Ruth explained the ceremony, and described minutely the scene she -had witnessed an hour ago in her own home. - -"That's easy enough," said Cyrus. "Anybody can say those things." - -"Everybody does it," said Ruth. - -Cyrus smiled; it seemed a smile of relief. "That's funny. I'd always -thought being married was kind of important, and kind of--kind -of--lasted a mighty long time." - -"It does. It lasts forever. That is why it is so beautiful and lovely. -Everybody is better forever and ever." - -Cyrus frowned. "I don't know." - -"Don't know what?" - -"I don't like the--the long time. S'pose we got enough of it. We'd have -to keep on just the same." - -"Oh, Cyrus! Would you get tired of me?" - -"No, 'course not! Nobody could ever do that! But s'pose I died in a few -days, would you have to be married all the rest of your life to a dead -boy?" - -"Yes, and I would be very faithful to your memory. I would never marry -anybody else and I would put lovely flowers on your grave every day." - -"Ho! I don't believe that!" - -"Yes I would!" - -Cyrus put both hands on his knees, stiffened his arms, straightened -up and drew a long breath of the morning air. "Anyway, I'd rather be -alive." - -"Of course you would! So would almost anybody for a time. But you are -very silly and ignorant if you think being married is going to kill -you." - -"'Course I don't!" - -"Then you mustn't say such things." - -"I guess I only just meant that if I was married I'd rather be alive -than dead. But what do we have to do after we are married?" - -"Oh, everything--just what other folks do, of course." - -"And what's that?" - -"Why--sit opposite each other at breakfast, go around together, and own -things together, and have the same pew at church. You at one end and me -at the other, with our children between us." - -Cyrus frowned. "Our children?" - -Ruth nodded. - -"But I never heard of a boy eight years old having real children." - -Ruth closed her eyes in solemn meditation. Cyrus, after waiting in vain -for an answer said, with a laugh: "Think of me with real children, -p'r'aps biggern I am! They could lick me in a fight." And he laughed. -"That is funny, isn't it?" And he gave her arm a shake, as if to wake -her up. - -At the sound of laughter Zac, sitting on the step below, cocked his -ears, wagged his tail and sidled up closer to Cyrus, who reached -forward, gathered up the loose skin at the back of Zac's neck and gave -him a friendly shake. - -"Anyway," said Ruth, "everybody ought to get married. Your father and -mother and my father and mother were all married." - -"Yes, I s'pose they were." - -"Of course they were. They would be ashamed not to. All good and wise -people marry. Why, King Solomon, who was wiser than anybody, had seven -hundred wives." - -"How many?" - -"Seven hundred." - -"Seven hundred! Oh, get out!" - -"But he did!" - -"Seven hundred, all alive at once?" - -"Yes." - -"Jimminy! That seems an awful lot for one man, doesn't it?" - -Ruth confessed that it did. - -"Nobody in Longfields has more than one, have they?" - -Ruth mentioned several citizens, but could recall none who had more -than one wife. - -"If one," said Cyrus, "is enough for men around here, why should your -Solomon need seven hundred?" - -"I don't know. Perhaps the Bible tells." - -"P'r'aps," said Cyrus, "he was homely or mean or something like that, -and instead of one good one he had to take seven hundred bad ones." - -"No, I don't believe it was that." - -Cyrus reflected a moment. "P'r'aps they were all mighty good and there -being so many of 'em was what made Solomon so wise." - -"I shouldn't wonder." - -There came a silence. Then Cyrus straightened up and spoke with -emphasis. "I just don't believe he or anybody else had seven hundred -wives. It's too many. It isn't likely, somehow. No feller would want -that much." - -"Why, Cyrus Alton! Don't you believe what the Bible says?" - -"Yes--I--I--'course I believe it if you and the Bible both say so, but -seven hundred does seem a mighty big lot." Then, as he looked away, -over the common, his eyes rested on two persons who stood talking -together across the way, and he asked: - -"Were Solomon's wives real live women like Mrs. Strong and Mrs. Clapp, -over there?" - -"Of course they were!" - -Cyrus closed his eyes. But through his ears came the thin, far -reaching, nasal voice of Mrs. Clapp. "Did seven hundred women like that -sit around the breakfast table with Solomon every morning?" - -"I s'pose they did." - -For an instant Cyrus faltered. He lowered his eyes and studied his -shoes with the copper toes. There might be a darker side to matrimony, -a noisier, less peaceful side, than Ruth had pictured. But, as he -turned and looked at his companion, it came upon him, like a ray of -sunshine that a hundred Ruths would be, oh, so very different from a -hundred Mrs. Clapps! - -"Did all those wives," he asked, "sit with Solomon in one pew on -Sunday?" - -Ruth made no answer. - -"Doesn't the Bible say anything about that?" - -"I don't remember." - -"Well, if they did, I say he must have had a mighty long pew. Do you -s'pose they all slept in the same bed?" - -"Perhaps." - -Cyrus laughed. "Seven hundred wives in one bed! Cracky! I guess old -Solomon slept on the floor!" - -He turned and smiled into the girl's face. But he saw no mirth, only -surprise and disapproval as the lovely eyes looked into his own. He was -learning his first lesson in the noble art of suppressing humor in the -presence of humorous things when taken seriously. And he blushed at -his own frivolity. Moreover, his sympathy for the much married Solomon -did not weaken his allegiance to the girl beside him. There was, to be -sure, a peculiar excitement in the idea of sitting at breakfast with -seven hundred Ruths entirely his own. Yet, somehow, the vision daunted -him. Even the vision of a hundred Ruths, all just alike, filled him -with a kind of awe--an awe of more things than he could ever live up -to. Seeking courage and consolation, he looked down into the face of -Zac as a companion more like himself--on a lower spiritual plane. Zac, -still sitting in front of them, always looking earnestly into the face -of whoever was speaking, appeared interested in the conversation. Cyrus -stroked his head, then stood up. - -"Let's go ahead with this marrying, if you say so. But where's the fun -of it?" - -"Oh, in doing such a beautiful thing--and being better." - -"There's no great fun in being better. We are good enough already." - -"Oh, Cyrus! Nobody is good enough already except our fathers and -mothers and ministers." - -Ruth's manner was solemn. The responsibility of the enterprise seemed -to rest entirely on her own shoulders. While she was deciding, with far -away look, on the next step, Cyrus said: - -"There's a big circus picture on Mr. Wade's barn, just stuck up this -morning. It has a great big tiger crawling up an elephant, and soldiers -fighting Indians, all big, in splendid colors! Come over and see it." - -Ruth frowned. In her very pretty eyes, as she turned them in sadness on -the prospective groom, was pity--the almost tearful yet contemptuous -pity with which Wisdom looks on Folly. - -"Cyrus, you are just a boy. You don't understand things." - -"Don't understand what things?" - -"How important this marriage is." - -"Oh, that's all right. I'm ready. Let's go ahead now and have it over -with. What do we do first?" - -"We must go in to father and ask him to marry us, just as he did those -people this morning." - -"All right. Come along." - -As the two children entered the house, Zac with a bark of joy bounced -into the hall ahead of them. It was a loud bark, a piercing, youthful -bark, that might disturb a dozen clergymen if working on their sermons. - -Ruth stopped. "Hush, you horrid dog!" - -"Zac, shut up!" said Cyrus. "Go back, and stay on the porch." - -But Zac preferred to accompany the expedition. Without openly refusing -to obey, he merely bounced about, just out of reach, wagged his tail -and smiled in the faces of the bride and groom. - -"Shall we let him come?" said Cyrus. - -Ruth hesitated, but only for an instant. "No. A dog barking at a -wedding would be unreligious." - -So Cyrus, by pleadings, threats and gentle force induced his more -worldly comrade to remain without. But he said good-by to him as he -turned away. For, in parting with this bachelor friend, he may have had -feelings in common with other matrimonial heroes when marching to the -altar. - -Meanwhile, the Rev. George Bentley Heywood, father of the prospective -bride, stood at the west window of his study. His thoughts were far -away. In his hand was a letter from a friend in China. This friend, -a missionary, had presented, in eloquent and convincing words, the -various joys, spiritual, material and social that attended the servant -of God when converting the heathen of the Orient. - -Mr. Heywood's imagination had responded to the winged words and was -already disporting itself in the Chinese vineyard. There had been other -letters, all with the same message. And, now, standing at the window -with the letter in his hand, he was thinking, and thinking hard, over -the most important decision of his life. - -Mr. Heywood was a serious man. Upon his person lay no superfluous -flesh. His face, otherwise severe, was tempered by the eyes of a -poet--eyes of a gentle, somewhat solemn beauty. They were pleasant to -look into. Ruth had inherited these eyes, and in her childish face they -shone with an added beauty. They were dreamy eyes, a soft brown-black -with blacker lashes, and either tragic or mirthful, as occasion called. - -When the study door opened--with no preliminary knock--there was -annoyance in the clergyman's manner as his eyes turned toward the -intruder. This time there were two intruders,--Cyrus and his fiancée. -Mr. Heywood frowned when the two small people advanced to the center of -the room. He was in no mood for answering children's questions. But, as -he frowned, Cyrus bowed--one of his best and most elaborate efforts, -bringing the heel of one foot against the instep of the other, all -with a gracious, sweeping salutation of his free hand--the one that -was not leading Ruth. It was the greeting of one gentleman of the old -school to another, of deference and good wishes. Mr. Heywood, partly, -perhaps, from his thoughts being in China, found himself also bowing -deferentially, as if to some exalted and venerable person. Suddenly -realizing the absurdity of such an obeisance he straightened up and -frowned again. Then he spoke more harshly than if he had not blundered -into such a foolish action. - -"Well, children, what is it?" - -Cyrus spoke. "We have come to get married." - -"Who?" - -"We. We--us." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Ruth and I want to get married." - -Mr. Heywood frowned again and blinked, as if to summon his wandering -wits, undecided whether to believe or doubt his eyes and ears. His -thoughts, barely returned from China, seemed unequal to a sudden grasp -of the situation. - -"What are you saying?" - -"I am saying that Ruth and I want to get married." - -"Whose idea is this?" - -"Mine," said Ruth. - -As the father met the earnest eyes of his daughter he almost smiled. - -"Where did you get such an idea, Ruth?" - -"From seeing the people you married this morning. You said marriage was -a beautiful thing." - -"So it is. So it is. But that was very different. Only grown people -marry, so run away, children. I have no time for play this morning." -And he turned away and sat down at his desk. - -"But, Mr. Heywood," said Cyrus, "this is not play. This is important." - -"Important? Why important, Cyrus?" - -"'Cause Ruth wants it." - -This time Mr. Heywood smiled. "That's a good sentiment, Cyrus. It shows -a kind regard for the lady. But run away, both of you. I am very busy -this morning." - -"But, Mr. Heywood," said Cyrus, "what's Ruth done that she should be -punished and not have what she wants, and wants ever so much?" - -"How punished?" - -"By not getting what she wants." - -"And what do you say she wants?" - -"Me." - -The father laughed. "Oh, it's you she wants, is it?" - -"Yes, sir." - -Mr. Heywood drew a hand slowly across his mouth as he looked -inquiringly at Ruth. - -Ruth smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir." - -Her father also nodded as in polite recognition of her wishes. Turning -to Cyrus, he inquired, "What are you going to live on? What is going to -be your business?" - -"I'm going to be a discoverer, like Columbus." - -"I am afraid there won't be much left to discover by the time you are -a man--not on this earth, at least. The big continents are already -discovered." - -"But there will be new countries at the bottom of the sea, and under -the earth and on the moon, and such places." - -"On _such_ places! Dear me, Cyrus, do you think of taking your wife to -the moon?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"But how will you be supporting Ruth all that time? A husband should be -earning money." - -"Oh, that part'll be all right! I'm going to be a train robber." - -"A train robber!" - -"Yes, sir." - -Mr. Heywood whistled softly and looked at his daughter. "Well--now--is -that a nice business, Ruth, for a model husband? Do you want to marry a -train robber?" - -Ruth smiled and nodded. "Yes, I shall always like Cyrus and whatever he -does." - -"But suppose Cyrus is imprisoned for life, or hanged, as often happens -to train robbers?" - -Cyrus interrupted, and spoke contemptuously. "No, I shan't be that -kind! It's only the stupid ones that's caught!" - -Mr. Heywood closed his eyes for a moment and appeared to be thinking it -over. "Of course, it's possible,--just possible, that you may change -your mind as you get older." - -"No, sir. 'Cause a man gets lots of money that way and gets it quick -and easy. And there'll be jewelry, too. I shall give the jewelry to -Ruth." - -"And I," said Ruth, "shall give lots of it to mother. Mother likes -jewelry." - -"Yes," said Mr. Heywood, "most women do. But isn't stolen jewelry a -little----" - -Again Cyrus interrupted. "But that won't be stolen jewelry. When you -steal anything you get it when the other feller isn't looking--kind of -sneakin'. I shall take it right before their faces." - -"Yes, but you threaten to kill them if they resist. That's robbery, -isn't it?" - -"Yes, sir, but robbery isn't like stealing. It's more--more--it's -braver." - -"Braver? Possibly. And you really consider robbery an honorable -business?" - -"Oh, yes." - -"And I can help him," said Ruth; "we would work together." - -Mr. Heywood looked from the cherubic lips of the groom into the clear -eyes of his superlatively conscientious little daughter and murmured: -"Yes, you would be of great assistance." Then, after a pause: - -"Now, Cyrus, you and Ruth come to me twenty years hence and if we are -all alive and Ruth still wants you I have no doubt we can arrange a -wedding." - -"Twenty years!" exclaimed Ruth. "Why, father, we shall all be dead!" - -"Oh, no! I trust not." - -"Or too old--too awful old!" - -"No, indeed! You will be twenty-seven. Call it fourteen years, then you -will be only twenty-one." - -"But," said Cyrus, "we may forget all about it in fourteen years." - -"Then it will be no disappointment to you if you can't marry. But run -along now, children, I have no more time for you." He spoke with such -decision as he began reading the letter in his hand that the unmarried -couple turned about and slowly vanished. - -When they passed out into the open air, a stranger might have thought, -from the manner in which Zac bounced with joy and lifted up his voice, -that Cyrus was emerging from the Valley of the Shadow of Death. As they -stood again on the porch, the corners of Ruth's mouth were drooping. -There were tears in her irresistible eyes. Cyrus laid his hands on her -shoulders. - -"Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy. If you want to be married, we just -will." - -The maiden shook her head. "He said not." - -"No, he didn't. He only said he was busy." - -"He said only grown people got married." - -"But he didn't say children couldn't if they wanted to." - -In the maiden's face came a brighter look. "Yes, that is true, isn't -it?" - -"'Course it is! And we will be doing something new and different. It -makes folks famous to be the first to do things. Look at Christopher -Columbus, and look at Benjamin Franklin, the first man to fly a kite -and steer lightnin' and make it mind him." - -"Was he married when he was a child?" - -"Nobody knows. But if you and I are the first children to get -married--the very first, why our pictures might be in history books." - -Ruth laughed. "That would be funny, wouldn't it?" - -"Yes, wouldn't it! And under it would be printed Mr. and Mrs. Ruth -Heywood." - -"Oh, no! It would be Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Alton. It's always that way." - -"Then we'll be the first ones to do it the new way. We needn't do just -like everybody else. But who's going to wait fourteen years. Not us! If -your father is too busy to do it, we'll get somebody else." - -"Who?" - -"I dunno." And he looked away toward the common and became thoughtful. - -Now Cyrus' ideas of matrimony were vague, and impersonal. As a game -it had never interested him. He had given it no attention. On some -other subject he had definite views--such as war, baseball, voyages of -discovery, balloons, maple sugar, battleships and the different kinds -of ice cream. But this marriage business, now that Ruth wanted it, -had suddenly become important. And when Ruth really wanted a thing he -felt that reason, religion and the Laws of Man and Nature should stand -aside. Moreover, Cyrus was no quitter. He was not of those who are -easily discouraged. Persistence, the sort that stiffens in disaster, -was one of his dominant traits. A precious gift on occasions; but there -were times, in the bosom of his own family, when it was not admired. As -guides to character the drowsy eyes and cherubic mouth were, in this -particular, misleading. Behind them lay the tenacity of purpose which -so often transforms defeat into victory. In this present emergency -there seemed to him especial demand for achievement. Ruth wanted -something and when Ruth wanted something it was not for him, nor for -others, to reason why. - -So now, while the bride, crushed to earth, was mourning the downfall -of a high endeavor, her companion had not accepted defeat. With roving -eyes and tight shut mouth he was seeking some other road to victory. - -Inspiration came. - -Seeing no road to victory, up or down the village street, his eyes -turned heavenward. As they rested on the spire of the Unitarian -church, just across the way, there came an answer to his appeal. It -came through the open windows of the church--the notes of an organ. He -turned and seized his fiancée by an arm. - -"Ruth! Listen!" - -"To what?" - -"To that music! It's Horace Phillips practising on the organ!" - -Ruth nodded in acknowledgment of the fact, but she saw no relation -between the music and their late rebuff. - -"We can go right over there and get married," said Cyrus. "It doesn't -matter who does it so long as it is in a church and there's music." - -"Are you sure?" - -"Yes, of course! Ask anybody." - -There was nobody to ask, so he took her by the hand and started -forward. She held back. He pulled harder. "Come along. There's the -church all open; and the organ playing. It's just the place to be -married." - -She yielded. "But there's no minister to do it." - -"That don't make any difference. As long as we are married in a church -with music, anybody can do it." - -He spoke with authority--the kind that carries conviction and puts an -end to controversy. - -As they started, however, she again held back, and exclaimed, in a -final despair, "Oh, I forgot!" - -"Forgot what?" - -"The ring. We have to have a ring." - -"What's the use of a ring?" - -"Nobody is married without a ring. The man puts a ring on the woman's -finger and says things." - -"Well--I can say the things and we'll just play there's a ring." - -"No." - -"Oh, come along!" - -"No." - -Now Cyrus had become interested in this business. He felt a pride in -carrying it through. To fail now would be disgrace. In vexation he -raised his right hand--the one not holding Ruth's--and thrust its thumb -between his teeth. On that hand something glistened. - -"Why, there's a ring!" exclaimed Ruth, "right on your finger! Isn't it -lucky." - -Cyrus regarded the little silver band. - -Ruth repeated: "Isn't it lucky!" - -Cyrus hesitated. "Do I have to give it to you?" - -"Yes." - -"For you to keep and not give back?" - -"Yes, of course!" - -"But Henry Wheelock made it for me out of a ten-cent piece. I've only -had it a little while." - -"Oh, Cyrus! Would you be so mean as that?" - -"I'm not mean! You know I'm not mean! Henry Wheelock made it out of my -own ten-cent piece and I--I--don't want to lose it." - -A look of sorrow in Ruth's eyes suddenly changed to contempt. "Then -keep your old ring! I'm sure I don't want it." And she pulled away the -hand that was in his, wheeled about and started to reënter the house. -But Cyrus caught her by the arm. - -"Oh, that's all right, Ruthy! You shall have it. Come. Don't let's -fight." - -So began this lovers' quarrel. But as often happens, the male of -the species besought and appealed, apologized, promised everything, -acknowledged guilt and sufficiently humbled himself until Sweet Peace -returned. Then all was forgiven, and a second time they started for the -church. Zac brought up the rear. - -On the church steps sat Luther Dean and the New Boy. The New Boy had -lived in Longfields only a few weeks. He differed, in many ways, -from the other boys of the village. He was blasé, and older in his -feelings; he came from a larger town and had seen more of the world. -His tendency, now,--natural, perhaps, but unrepressed--was to despise -more simple people. He gave the impression among still younger boys -of having crowded into his ten years of life a red career of war and -piracy, of wild adventure, of reckless deeds and thrilling escapes. -These experiences were rather suggested than described, always in a -casual off-hand way, calmly and without excitement, in a voice and -manner tempered by the wisdom of the ages. And his eyes, light blue -and frigidly serene, moved slowly from one listener to another in a -weary but patient condescension. His usual haunts, it appeared, were -the upper ether, and the deep sea, the cańon and the prairie, the -impenetrable forest, the decks of battleships and fields of carnage. - -As the bridal couple approached the steps, Cyrus called to Luther -Dean and beckoned to him. Luther came forward. So also did the New -Boy--the Budding Outlaw--although he was not invited; and his presence -embarrassed Cyrus, for this was a private business, in a sense, and -not for the general public. Besides, Cyrus did not like the New Boy. -However, he braced up and put on a careless front. - -"We want you to marry us, Luther, now, here in the church." - -Luther frowned, then smiled. "Me? Marry?" - -"Yes, marry us--Ruth and me." - -"Golly! I--I--never married anybody." - -"That don't matter. Anybody can do it." - -"But I'm too young. It takes a man." - -"No, it doesn't. Ruth can tell you what to say. It's all easy. Come -along." - -They entered the church; but Zac, like many of his kind, was -unpleasantly affected by music, so he remained outside. - -Up the main aisle they started, Luther in front, the bride and groom -behind, holding hands. In the gallery above Horace Phillips was -practising various tunes, and the voice of the great organ filled the -church. To the bride and groom, both lovers of music, the notes of the -organ seemed more impressive than ever in the now empty building. - -But the wedding procession had barely started up the aisle when the -ceremonies were rudely interrupted. The Budding Outlaw, smarting -perhaps at being ignored, followed close behind and yielded to a -vengeful impulse. Ruth's hair, gathered by a ribbon behind her head, -was flowing down her back like a golden mane. The Budding Outlaw -reached forth and seized a handful, then gave it a violent jerk, as if -driving a horse, and he said, - -"Hi there! Giddap; giddap!" - -Ruth cried aloud in pain, "Stop it! Oh, stop it! It hurts!" - -She could not turn her head, but raised her hands in vain efforts at -protection. - -Cyrus wheeled about. "Let go that hair!" - -And he scowled in anger at the aggressor. But the aggressor merely -renewed the twitchings with: "Giddap hossey. Giddap." - -"Let go that hair," once more said Cyrus. - -The Budding Outlaw, for answer, twitched the golden hair again, and -harder than before. As Ruth in helpless agony was still raising her -hands to her head, Cyrus aimed a blow at the Budding Outlaw and hit -him in the face. But the Budding Outlaw was one year older and one -year bigger than Cyrus, and twenty years cooler, more cynical and more -blasé. So, without even loosening his hold on the bride's hair, he -struck out with his free hand and landed full on Cyrus's mouth. The -blow was so well directed that the recipient staggered back and stood -for a second or two as if dazed. On the Budding Outlaw's face was a -smile of easy victory--and contempt. Cyrus saw it. In Ruth's face he -saw torture and helpless anger. Then he threw himself again at the -enemy. And again the enemy without loosening his left-hand clutch on -the golden hair, sent his fist against the approaching face, landing -full on its nose and followed it by a sudden push. Cyrus staggered back -across the aisle and leaned against the nearest pew. He blinked, and -drew a hand across his bleeding mouth. His nose seemed--to him--about -twice its usual size and rapidly growing bigger. Then Ruth, forgetting -her own pain, cried out: - -"Oh, Luther, Luther! Help Cyrus!" - -But, either from wisdom or some other reason, Luther refrained from -interfering. He looked at Ruth, then down at the floor, then up again -at the Budding Outlaw, now terrible in his easy triumph. Ruth called -again to him, yet more urgent--a passionate appeal for help. It was the -cry of one old playmate to another, for the rescue of a bosom friend. -But the organ above was pouring forth its music and Luther turned away, -pretending not to hear the cry. - -Cyrus, during this moment's lull, did some rapid thinking. He saw the -folly of his previous attacks. So, as Ruth was uttering her second -appeal to his lukewarm friend, he advanced again, but more slowly than -before, ducked his head and dodged a blow, then jumped, and closed with -the enemy. And to the Budding Outlaw it seemed as if a dozen boys were -on him. Blows rained upon his face. Copper toed shoes were hammering, -with the rage of demons, against his sensitive shins. He let go the -maiden's hair, as all his hands were none too many for this peaceable -boy now suddenly transformed into a reckless and bloodthirsty athlete. -He could not reach Cyrus's face, as that face, for protection, was -pressed close against the Outlaw's own chest. And when, at last, he got -both hands against Cyrus's face and body to push him off he felt ten -fingers tighten about his throat with a grip that scared him. For now, -as the two iron thumbs were pressing his windpipe with murderous power, -he realized that this boy was fighting with the fury and the strength -of those who fight for victory or for death. He gurgled, gasped, pulled -Cyrus's hair and beat wildly at his head. But when a man is fighting -for the woman of his choice--or for any other holy cause--he has the -strength of many. So with Cyrus. The tearing of his hair, the blows -upon his head and face and body were as summer zephyrs. For him, at -the moment, death could have no terrors. He was in this struggle for -victory or annihilation. - -No boy can live without breathing, and the Budding Outlaw's strength -was going. Cyrus forced him to the floor. Then, knowing nothing of the -Rules of the Ring, he hammered him in the face and jammed his knees -into his stomach, as if to kill. - -At last, after a final blow and jab and kick, he climbed to his feet, -stepped back and looked down at him. Ruth seized him by an arm and -tried to drag him from the church. - -"Come! Come quick, before he gets up!" - -But a change had come over the once peaceful groom. The lust of battle -was in him. He paid no attention to her words. Breathing hard, with -bruises on his face, his lips bleeding, he beckoned to the figure on -the floor as if angry at delay: - -"Come along. Get up." - -But the Dare-devil of the West, the killer of Indians, the Pirates' -Terror, had no intention of rising. Enough was sufficient for this -Despiser of Peace, this Tormentor of Brides. To fight in orderly -fashion with a boy you know you can lick--that's one thing. But to -struggle with wild animals, cyclones and supernatural forces that -ignore the rules of war and really mean to kill you, and will,--unless -you can get away,--that's very different. Moreover, something was -telling him now that a big will in a little body can demolish giants. -He knew he was stronger than Cyrus, but the thing with which he had so -suddenly become acquainted was the spirit within this smaller boy--the -same old spirit that stirred the Greeks at Marathon, and the handful -of Lexington farmers. And now, before him, with the swelling nose and -bleeding lips, glowered the embodiment of that immortal spirit. The -Tormentor of Brides suspected, and his suspicions were correct, that -if he hurled this boy a dozen times against the opposite pews he would -still come at him, and each assault would be more deadly than its -predecessor. - -Cyrus, again ignoring the Rules of the Ring, stepped forward and kicked -him. "Come, get up! Get up. Finish it!" - -Slowly the New Boy shook his head, with a gesture of defeat. He -muttered something too low to hear--words drowned in the notes of the -organ. He refused to rise. - -Then Cyrus turned and held out his hand to Ruth. In drawing the back -of a fist across his mouth during the conflict his cheeks had become -smeared with blood. As Ruth stared in a kind of terror at this gory -visage with riotous hair, swelling nose and still bleeding lips, she -saw in the erstwhile drowsy eyes a look that was unfamiliar; a look -of determination, as if no arguments from God or man or devil would -be considered. Weak and all atremble, her one desire was for hurrying -home. But she obeyed the unspoken mandate and laid her hand in his. -Then Luther, also in obedience to an unspoken command, this time a -peremptory gesture toward the pulpit, again started up the aisle. -And it so happened as the little assemblage resumed its interrupted -progress the great organ in the gallery burst forth with Wagner's -"Wedding March"; and it filled the church. - -The marriage ceremony passed off well;--that is, of course,--making -allowance for the officiating person who had no knowledge of what he -ought to say, or of what he was saying. With constant promptings and -corrections from the bride--who although somewhat hysterical at the -moment, had a remarkable memory for the sound of words--Luther managed -to get along. To misunderstand certain promptings was excusable, for -the music was confusing. Horace Phillips, in the gallery, ignorant -of what was happening below, had started off with the full force of -the organ, and he continued with enthusiasm until the swelling notes -resounded through the empty building. - -Ruth supplied all the language. - -_Luther._ Will you take this wedded girl for your wife? - -_Cyrus._ I will. - -_Luther._ Will you take this wedded boy for your husband? - -_Ruth._ I will. - -_Luther._ Do you promise to endure with all your worldly goods? - -_Cyrus._ I do. - -_Luther._ Will you hold on for better than worse? - -_Ruth._ I will. - -_Luther._ You promise to obey? - -_Cyrus._ I do. - -_Luther._ Until death departs, richer or poorer and cherish. - -_Ruth._ I do. - -_Cyrus._ It is. - -_Luther._ I denounce you as man and wife. - -_Cyrus._ I do. - -_Ruth._ No, Cyrus, you say nothing. - -_Cyrus._ Nothing. - -_Ruth._ No, no! You don't say anything--just keep still. - -_Luther._ With this ring I you wed. - -_Cyrus._ No. _I_ say that! - -He said it, and with heroic self-control bade a silent farewell to his -silver treasure as he slipped it on a finger of the bride. Then, to the -rejoicing music, they marched down the aisle. - -Outside the church the bride, who feared a renewal of the conflict, -looked about with anxious eyes for the Budding Outlaw. But she had no -cause for alarm. The Budding Outlaw was visible, far down the street, -beyond the common, marching with humble mien, reflecting sadly on the -uncertainties of human life. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -V - -HE MEETS TWO LADIES - - -Miss Anita Clement was the maiden lady who had rented, with her two -unmarried sisters, Mr. David Lothrop's house at the west end of the -village. She had a girlish figure, good features and soulful eyes. -Her exact age was somewhere between twenty-five and forty. This -lady's delicate beauty was impaired a trifle by a nervous mouth which -told, in spite of all efforts to the contrary, that its owner was -easily annoyed, and was a stranger to the various blessings of a -tranquil spirit. She had no sense of humor; but this deficiency was -counterbalanced by a profound respect for the conventions of life, and -by a sincere and humble adoration of her own religious creed, with -a corresponding contempt for all others. Her dominant attribute was -timidity. Compared with Miss Clement, the average mouse was a fearless -desperado. As is usually the case with such temperaments, her nerves -were assertive. - -This particular November afternoon they seemed to have started a revolt -throughout her whole interior mechanism; and she decided to consult a -physician. So she walked out to Dr. Alton's house. On this walk--about -two miles--she passed a group of boys playing with a football. Now -boys, to Miss Clement, were the living emblems of noise and danger. Her -one dread concerning a future existence was the possibility of there -being boys in Heaven. And, in this life, the things she dreaded most -were fire, burglars, run-away horses, smallpox and boys. Her sympathy -with boys was akin to her sympathy with thunderstorms and pirates. In -passing boys in the street or on the common she held her breath in -nervous terror, expecting to be struck by a baseball, or bat or stone, -green apple or snow-ball, according to season. Only in color and in -clothing did she recognize any difference between boys and Comanche -Indians. She loved Law and Order; whereas, to a boy, Law and Order were -merely bars to freedom. She had reasons for believing that the highest -ambition of every normal boy under twelve years of age was to become an -influential outlaw. And she was not far wrong. - -This being Saturday afternoon, and no school, the earth seemed swarming -with these offensive creatures. However, by going around the common -instead of across it, she reached Dr. Alton's house alive--and rang -the bell. The door was opened by yet another boy, eight or nine years -of age. Miss Clement, being a newcomer in the town, had not the honor -of this child's acquaintance. Knowing all boys to be barbarians, with -no manners, she was surprised when this one acknowledged her presence -with a smile of welcome and a ceremonious bow. It was the kind of -salutation that Louis XIV would have given to the Queen of Spain. She -might have expected it from an elderly dancing master, but never from -a boy in this New England village. Taken by surprise, she was silent -a moment, fearing this youthful savage, perhaps more uncivilized even -than other boys, was amusing himself at her expense. A good look at his -face, however, allayed suspicion. In his calm eyes and radiant smile -there was nothing but pleasure at seeing her. Beside him stood--or -rather bounced--a youthful dog. He was a fox terrier. Judging from the -activity of his tail and from the general expression of his person, -the arrival of the visitor was affording him joy and excitement. In a -tentative bark he told his welcome. - -But Miss Clement hesitated. Her dread of boys was only equaled by -her aversion to dogs. How a civilized person could live in the -same house with a dog she had never been able to understand. Their -manners and customs were unspeakable. And the exuberant vitality -of this dog annoyed her. His joy was unreasoning and intemperate. -He wagged his tail with such energy as to sway his entire person. -Judging from outward vibrations his very soul was wagging. He gave the -impression--to this visitor--of having a frivolous nature. And she -found solace in the thought that, later on, he would be made to realize -that life was a serious thing. - -"Is Dr. Alton at home?" she inquired. - -"No, ma'am," - -"Do you know when he will return?" - -"Oh, very soon! Won't you walk in?" and he stepped aside, holding the -door wide open. At the same time, he waved with his free hand a courtly -gesture toward the interior of the house. Inwardly disturbed by this -unexpected deportment of a barbarian, Miss Clement walked into the -sitting-room and seated herself on a sofa, near the open fire. It was a -large cheerful room with white woodwork and a pale green paper on the -walls, somewhat faded in places near the sunny windows. Scattered over -the large center table were many books and periodicals. On the floor -in front of her was a pair of scissors and a family Bible. The Bible -was open and three of its illustrations, recently extracted, were lying -beside it. The author of this mutilation climbed into a large arm chair -directly opposite, sitting very erect, as if on his best behavior. He -was watching her with undisguised interest and approval. - -But the dog was inclined to be familiar. He jammed his nose against -her skirt and ankles and sniffed in a most offensive way. The boy saw -that these things annoyed her and he called off the brute, rebuked him -and apologized to the visitor. "I guess you have a dog, and Zac smells -him." - -Miss Clement, with some severity, denied the accusation. "Indeed, I -have no dog." And it was clear from her manner that she had no such -associates. - -Now all boys were alike to Miss Clement. The only striking features in -this one's face were his eyes. Their heavy lids, coming far down over -the iris, gave a half shut, drowsy look to his face, and Miss Clement -felt sorry that his parents should be afflicted with such a stupid -child. His fat, cherubic little mouth, however, seemed to indicate a -cheerful spirit. As the two sat facing each other, the young male and -the adult super-civilized female, the lady from some undefined reason -felt ill at ease. Yet she knew that nothing was more absurd than a -woman of her age being ill at ease in the presence of a nine-year-old -boy. As she looked again into his eyes she began to realize that their -very drowsiness gave an impression of abnormal serenity and repose--as -of concealing hidden depths of wisdom. Also they seemed to be sitting -in judgment on her. The fact of his being a boy aroused antipathy. -Although she knew that many good men had once been boys, as certain -butterflies have once been worms. Moreover, she knew it was not really -his own fault that he had come into the world in that form. They were -necessary evils, like taxes and old age. - -"Are you Dr. Alton's son?" she asked. - -"Yes, ma'am." - -"What is your name?" - -"Cyrus." - -While Miss Clement was wondering why New Englanders persisted in -giving such names to helpless children she was startled by his saying, -regretfully: - -"You don't like that name." - -"Not like it? Why do you think I don't like it?" - -"I know by your face." - -Miss Clement blushed. The tranquil eyes were looking sadly into her own -as if investigating in a friendly way her most secret thoughts. She -became embarrassed. - -"Why, yes--I like it." - -"It is better than some other names." - -"Indeed it is! Very much better!" - -"It is the name of a great conqueror." - -"Yes--of course--and--perhaps you may be a great conqueror yourself -when you grow up." - -"No. I don't care for that business. I shall sit on the high seat of -a big, gold band-wagon of a circus full of splendid music, with eight -white horses. I shall drive the horses and listen to the music." - -"Yes, that will be very nice." - -The room seemed warm after the November chill outside, and Miss Clement -drew off her thick gloves. As her left hand dropped carelessly beside -her, upon the edge of the sofa, she felt a sickening contact with -something warm and very wet. Quickly she withdrew the hand. With an -exclamation of disgust, she held aloft the befouled member. But the -dog, whose generous tongue by one lingering stroke yielded such a vast -amount of moisture, had risen upon his hind legs to accomplish it, and -now stood looking up into her face for recognition of the friendly -act. His reward was a look of loathing. And for a moment she still held -aloft the varnished hand, uncertain what to do. - -The boy laughed. "Why, it's nothing but dog spit!" - -He drew forth from his pocket a handkerchief. - -With two steps forward he offered it to the lady. As he did so he bowed -with the pretentious grace of a Chesterfield advancing to the relief -of Beauty. But Miss Clement recoiled. For on this handkerchief were -blood stains--also mud--and green paint. Too much disgusted to think of -manners, she ignored his offer and used her own handkerchief. But she -shrank from replacing it in a clean pocket. - -Looking down at the floor she frowned. - -"I hope it was not you who cut those pictures from that nice book." - -The Vandal smiled, and nodded, giving the impression of pride in the -work. - -"Are you the only person in the house?" she asked. - -"Yes, ma'am. Joanna's gone to the store." - -Again she frowned down at the litter on the floor. "Does your mother -know what you have been doing here?" - -"Oh, no!" - -"Has she never told you not to cut up books?" - -"No, ma'am." - -Miss Clement frowned again, and stiffened a little. - -"And your father? Does he allow you to do such things?" - -"I don't know. I didn't ask him. Are you fond of pictures?" - -"Yes--I am fond of pictures." - -He got down from his chair, picked up the three engravings, came and -stood beside her, leaning against her knees. He laid the pictures in -her lap and asked which she liked the best. - -One engraving showed Joshua commanding the sun to stand still; one -showed Elijah going to Heaven in his fiery chariot; and the other--she -almost blushed as she looked at it--showed Susanna and the elders. -Susanna wore no clothing and the elders were shocking old men. - -"Which do you like best?" he repeated. - -She pointed to Joshua. - -"Which next?" - -She pointed to Elijah. - -"Now--I don't care for that feller himself," he said, "but I like -the pretty lady. Best of all, though, I think, is the horses and the -chariot going right up into the sky. Just think of it!" he exclaimed; -"just think of going way up into the sky! I think I shall do it myself! -Did he really go up that way with those fat horses?" - -"No, I think not." - -"Then it's a fairy story." - -"No, it's a Bible story." - -"What's the difference?" - -"Bible stories are true stories and fairy tales are made-up stories." - -"But you just said this man didn't go up to Heaven with a span of -horses." - -"Not in just that way--probably." - -"Did he go up at all?" - -Miss Clement hesitated. "Well--I suppose he did, perhaps." - -"I betcher he couldn't go up in any way like that with horses treading -on nothing but air." - -Miss Clement had not come to this house for a theological argument. But -she said nothing and merely heaved a sigh, a sigh of weariness. - -But the boy was still fresh. "What was this man's name?" - -"Elijah." - -"Elijah what?" - -"I don't think he had a last name." - -"Where did he live?" - -"Off in the East." - -"If any one should write him a letter, asking him how he went up that -way, and addressed the envelope just Elijah, off in the Yeast--would he -get it?" - -"Oh, no; he died long, long ago. - -"Well, anyway, I am going up myself, some day, but not with horses. -Horses couldn't do it. When I go I shall go with a kite, a big kite -with a long string. I shall have a box kite. You know what a box kite -is?" - -"I think so." - -"Well, it will be a big box kite longer'n this room, with me sitting -inside and Luther Dean flying it. When it gets ten miles up in the air -I shall reach down with long scissors and cut the string." - -As he stepped back to study the effect of this news, she found his -drowsy eyes were no longer drowsy, but wider open and all aglow with -enthusiasm. "That's my own idea!" - -She smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is very original." - -"And then I shall sail way up as high as I want to. Perhaps to the -moon!" - -"Yes, that will be very nice." - -"What's the use of crawling about on the earth like a bug? I'd rather -be a bird." - -Miss Clement nodded assent and lowered her eyes to the mutilated Bible. -But his enthusiasm was contagious. She almost believed, for a moment, -that he could do it. However, she was uncomfortable in the presence -of this barbarian. She knew, from experience, the awful frankness of -a boy; the statements he can make, and his cruel questions; questions -that upheave religions, that lay bare your secret doubtings and -impugn the wisdom and the motives of the Creator himself. A boy's -thirsty, delving little mind is never satisfied with your easy answer -that "the ways of the Almighty are inscrutable." As this interview -proceeded she realized--and to her chagrin--that there was something -about this vandal that caused her a peculiar kind of restraint and -self-consciousness--almost diffidence. Being distinctly a nervous -person and gently irritated at her own self-consciousness, Miss Clement -looked about the room, over the boy's head, with an expression -somewhat more severe than the situation required. But his instincts of -hospitality were not so easily suppressed. Pointing to a dish of fruit -on a further table, he asked: - -"Won't you have an apple?" - -"No, I thank you." - -He seemed disappointed. Then as his eyes rested on a little music box -that lay on the table beside him, he exclaimed, with enthusiasm: "You -like good music?" - -In her own voice there was less enthusiasm as she answered, "Yes, -I--think I--do." - -Miss Clement suddenly realized--as happens with nervous people--that -she was annoyed by these foolish questions. Instead of replying she -straightened up and looked first at the clock, then at the boy. She -found him gazing at her earnestly, as if trying to read her thoughts. - -"This music box," he said, with signs of embarrassment, "plays five -lovely tunes: The Last Rose of Summer, Hear Me, Norma, The Carnival of -Ven----" - -"Not now," she interrupted. - -Had her host been an older man, with a knowledge of women--if such is -possible--this unexpected change of manner would have been a warning. - -"It's four o'clock," she added hastily, and her smiles had vanished. -"Are you the only person in the house?" - -Taken aback, and obviously mortified by this sudden change of manner, -he took a backward step and replaced the music box on the table. In -his face, with a slight quivering of the lips, came the first signs of -embarrassment he had shown. He bowed: not the gracious, self-possessed, -courtly salutation of a kingly welcome with which he had first -greeted her, but a solemn inclination of the head, as one who humbles -himself--but gracefully--before an angry deity. And he murmured: - -"I am sorry." - -Her eyebrows went up. "Sorry for what?" - -"I don't know--exactly." - -For an instant she failed to understand. Then into her face came a -gentler expression. "Yes, you do! You are sorry because you think you -have troubled me; but it is I who beg your pardon. I am ashamed of -myself. You have given me a lesson in politeness." - -And she smiled her sweetest smile. Whereupon the sunshine returned -to his own face. Encouraged by this change of atmosphere, he resumed -with new courage his rôle of host. For a moment he studied her face, -uncertain as to what was expected of him. Folding his hands above his -head, he glanced about the room, searching for inspiration. It came. -His face brightened. The slumbrous eyes sparkled. Coming a step nearer, -he demanded with suppressed enthusiasm: - -"Do you care for snakes or mice?" - -The visitor regarded him with a kind of terror. - -She frowned, turned her face to one side and shook her head. The host -misunderstood the movement. - -"But it's no trouble. I can get them both. They are right here in the -woodshed." And he started toward the door. - -"Come back," she said, "I don't care to see either of them." - -"But the snake is dead and the mouse won't bite. He knows me." - -Miss Clement shuddered: "No! No! Don't speak of them again! Come back." - -He came back. She knew, and had always known, that boys themselves were -a species of reptile. She felt, at this moment, that whatever this boy -did must be regarded from that point of view--and forgiven. And as she -wondered how a benevolent Creator could permit, in a decently ordered -world, the existence of boys, the Vandal exclaimed in a reflective -tone, but with a smile of amusement: - -"Women are funny!" - -At that moment the grandfather clock in the corner struck four. Miss -Clement frowned in that direction. "When did Dr. Alton say he would be -back?" - -"He didn't say." - -"But you told me he would return soon." - -"Yes, ma'am." - -"But you really don't know when?" - -"No, ma'am." - -"Then you told a fib." - -The Vandal smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." - -"But that is wrong, you know. You should always tell the truth." - -"Yes, ma'am. But I thought it would be good to have you come in, and -sit." - -Miss Clement almost frowned and smiled in one expression. "But you did -wrong. Doesn't your mother punish you for telling such fibs?" - -"No, ma'am." - -"Is she not at home?" - -"Oh, no!" - -"When do you expect her?" - -"Oh, never!" - -"Never?" - -The drowsy eyes, in astonishment, opened a little wider. "Of course -not. She is dead." - -"Oh, that is too bad! I am very sorry. Was it long ago that she died?" - -"Oh, yes! Long, long ago. More than twenty years." - -"More than twenty years! I think you must be mistaken. How old are you?" - -"Nine next July." - -"Then your mother could not have died twenty years ago." - -"Yes. She died long before I was born." - -Miss Clement slowly shook her head. "But not twenty years. That is -impossible." - -"But she did." - -"Then she was your step-mother perhaps?" - -"No. My own mother." - -This conversation was becoming so very absurd that Miss Clement made -no answer. She merely looked away--and studied the room. - -The boy smiled as if amused at her ignorance. "Don't you understand how -it was?" - -The lady's only reply was to close her eyes wearily. But he stepped -nearer and laid a hand on each of her knees, to wake her up. - -"Don't you see," he said, "the difference between eight and twenty is -twelve, isn't it?" - -"It is." - -"Well, then she must have been dead twelve years when I was born." - -Now Miss Clement could never do arithmetic. She abominated figures, -and these words were uttered with so much conviction--reënforced by -the wisdom of his eyes--that her brain became tangled for a moment. -It seemed to shrink, in a sort of nervous bewilderment, from this -fantastic puzzle. He smiled at her obvious confusion, moved backward -a step or two, folded his hands behind him and squirmed with delight. -"It's funny you don't understand. I guess I am smarter than you are." - -Miss Clement shut tight her lips and looked away--anywhere. Her own -brain seemed laughing at her. - -"I s'pose," said the Vandal, "I don't need a mother much." - -"Every boy needs a mother. Is Joanna your sister?" - -He laughed at such an absurd mistake. "No! She's lots older than you -are. She's housekeeper--and lots of things." - -Miss Clement looked about the room, at the pictures on the walls. They -were mostly engravings and photographs. - -"Is there a portrait of your mother here?" - -"No, ma'am." - -"Not anywhere in the house?" - -"No." - -"There must be a photograph." - -"No." - -"Are you sure?" - -"Yes'm." - -"That is very strange." - -"Why?" - -"Because--because--it is most unusual. Did she die here in this house?" - -"Oh, no! Of course not!" - -"Why of course not?" - -"Because she died in Italy." - -"Was she Italian?" - -"I guess so." - -"Have you never seen a portrait of her?" - -"No, ma'am." - -Miss Clement frowned. There seemed to be a mystery here. Possibly a -scandal of some sort. And her interest quickened. "I suppose your -father talks to you about her sometimes." - -"No, ma'am." - -"Never?" - -"No, ma'am." - -"Of course he has told you where you were born?" - -"P'r'aps." - -"Perhaps what?" - -"P'r'aps he did." - -"But you don't remember?" - -"No, ma'am." - -Nobody likes to be thwarted in the pursuit of knowledge. In this case -it seemed to Miss Clement that the deeper she delved the less she found. - -"Don't you remember ever having seen a portrait of her?" - -"Of course not." - -"Why of course not?" - -"Because there isn't any." - -This seemed a good reason. But Miss Clement felt that either she--or -this boy--was being deceived. - -The Vandal, whose drowsy eyes had scarcely moved from the study of her -face since she entered the room, saw the look of disappointment. It was -a somewhat petulant expression in which she would not have indulged had -her host been twenty years older. But he saw it so clearly that he was -moved to sympathy. With all the joy and enthusiasm of a great idea, he -exclaimed: "My father may know all about her. I will ask him to tell -you!" - -A chill of horror swept up Miss Clement's spine. She suddenly realized -what awful mischief a youthful savage--either from ignorance or -perversity--might accomplish. She stood up. "No! Don't mention it to -him--nor to anybody." - -"Why not?' - -"Because you mustn't." - -She could see, in the Vandal's face as he looked up at her, that he -enjoyed this--to him--unaccountable fright. He even laughed. "There's -nothing to be afraid of." - -"No, of course not!" And she tried to smile. "But promise me you will -not ask your father, nor anybody else." - -To this super-sensitive lady there appeared in his uplifted eyes a -cruel, triumphant delight, as he said--"Why did you ask if you don't -want to know about her?" - -"Merely in the way of conversation." And she added, with her sweetest -smile--"merely from a friendly interest. You are a nice boy, and you -understand, I am sure." - -He nodded; but his eyes, in their slumbrous wisdom, seemed almost -contemptuous. - -"Promise me," she insisted. "Promise me you will say nothing about it -to anybody." - -"Yes, I promise." - -"You are a nice little boy--and I must go, now. I will call again in a -day or two. Good by." - -He bowed as he said good-by. Then he followed her out into the hall, -ran before her and held the door wide open. As she passed out he bowed -again; the same deferential obeisance with which he had first greeted -her--as from Louis XIV to the Queen of Spain. - - * * * * * - -As Miss Clement crossed the common on her way home she saw a group of -children looking skywards, and she heard the word "Eagle." She stopped, -and also looked up. And as she looked, and watched the bird, floating -tranquilly in the upper air, in a wide, slow circle, majestically, with -no apparent effort, so high above the earth that he might be a visitor -from another planet--she recalled the words of her recent host: "What's -the use of crawling about on the earth like a bug? I'd rather be a -bird." - - * * * * * - -An hour later Dr. Alton returned afoot. He had left his horse in the -village to be shod. As he walked up the driveway he noticed a figure -standing on the mounting block before the house. It was so enveloped in -the golden glories of a setting sun that Dr. Alton failed, at first, -to recognize his own son. The figure seemed a part of the sunset--more -an ethereal spirit than an earthly boy. Cyrus was standing erect and -motionless, his head thrown back as if inhaling inspiration from the -radiance about him. Such prolonged and voluntary immobility would -be unusual in any boy. Moreover, Cyrus maintained this attitude, -forgetting--or ignoring--the customary greeting to his father. After -waiting a moment before his strangely indifferent son, a feeling of -uneasiness began to mingle with Dr. Alton's surprise. - -At the foot of the block sat Zac, looking up at the silent boy. And -Zac, also, might be a little off in his mind for he, too, failed to -welcome or even to notice the returning parent. - -At last Dr. Alton spoke. "What's the matter, Cyrus? Dreaming you are a -bird?" - -Slowly Cyrus lowered his face, his eyes still shut. And slowly the eyes -were opened as if waking from a sleep. They showed a mild surprise -at his father's presence. But he answered, in a low voice, as if his -spirit still lingered elsewhere: - -"Somebody wants us." - -"Who?" - -"I don't know." - -"But you know who told you." - -"No, sir. Nobody told me." - -"What do you mean, Cyrus? Wake up. Is it an emergency call?" - -Cyrus raised a hand and pointed before him, toward the south. - -"It comes from off there." - -Dr. Alton frowned, less from irritation than from fear that this -foolish utterance of his son might be the forerunner of some future -spiritualistic obsession--or other mental derangement. - -But he spoke gently. "Whose house do you think it is?" - -"Oh, I don't know at all! It comes from way off--way off! It's in the -air; not a loud sound, like somebody near. More like a--like a--breath." - -"What does it say?" - -"It says--it says--oh, I dunno. It isn't words." - -"Then how do you know they want me?" - -"It wants us both. It wants me too." - -Dr. Alton smiled. "Do they want your help as another doctor?" - -But Cyrus did not return the smile. He obviously regarded the message -with a certain solemnity--and awe. Again he closed his eyes and again -turned up his face. - -"It is still coming." - -"What is still coming, Cyrus? The same message?" - -"Yes, sir, the same message--that we are wanted there." - -"Where?" - -"I don't know. But it isn't anywheres near here. It's a good ways off. -And we are wanted very much;--oh, very much!" - -Dr. Alton turned away. "Well, Cyrus, when you get your message in more -definite form I shall be glad to consider it." - -As he entered the house, however, he stood in the doorway a moment, -looking back. Cyrus was still standing on the mounting block, with face -upturned. On the ground sat Zac, still waiting patiently for his hero -to return to earth. - -When Cyrus followed his father into the house he found him warming -himself before the open fire. He approached and stood before him. - -"Father, why isn't there a picture of my mother somewhere round the -house?" - -Dr. Alton raised his eyebrows at the unexpected question. "Why do you -ask, Cyrus?" - -"'Cause somebody was here to-day who wanted to know." - -"Who?" - -With a knowing shake of the head the diplomat answered, "Oh, I mustn't -tell you. I promised not to." - -"Well, you must keep your promise." - -"But why isn't there one?" - -"It's a long story, Cyrus. Some day I will tell you, but not just now." - -"But why not now? This is when I want to know. I may forget about it." - -Dr. Alton was familiar with the gimlet quality of the youthful mind. -"Well--Cyrus--let us wait and see if you forget it. And if you----" -At that moment he happened to look more carefully at a letter in his -hand, delivered during his absence and which he had just taken from -the table. Cyrus waited for him to go on. He waited in vain. Dr. Alton -stepped hastily to the window for more light, and read the letter. It -was evidently of unusual interest, as he forgot to finish his sentence. -And when, at last, Cyrus asked him to continue he did not even hear his -son's voice. - -The letter was written in a woman's hand, and in French. - -At the supper table that evening father and son were sitting alone, as -usual. The son was talkative, but the father was silent; so silent that -Cyrus, at last discouraged by the complete indifference of a usually -sympathetic audience, became silent himself. - -And the father had abundant material for thought. He was trying to -understand how the message in the letter had reached the boy. By what -mysterious agency had this yearning of a woman's heart stirred the -brain of the far away Cyrus? Could there be a harmony between these two -spirits so intimate as to render the written word superfluous? These -were questions he tried in vain to answer. - -When the meal was finished and Joanna began to clear away the things, -Dr. Alton surprised her by asking if Cyrus had a good suit of clothes. - -"A good suit of clothes! Of course he has!" - -"I mean, a nice new suit, that is becoming to him." - -"He has that pretty dark suit with the wide collar that he wears -Sundays." - -"Yes,--yes--I know--but would that be good enough to wear in New York." - -"In New York? Is Cyrus going to New York?" And there was a ring of -dismay in Joanna's voice. - -"I think so." - -"When?" - -"To-morrow." - -"What for?" - -Dr. Alton hesitated. "I have some--sort of business there and--will -take him with me." - -"Will he stay long?" - -"Only a day or two." - -"Heaven be praised! I began to be frightened." - -The doctor laughed. "You needn't worry, Joanna. We shall come back -alive--and very soon." - -The next day Cyrus and his father were in the wicked city. The -important business of the following morning was taking the boy to a -fashionable establishment and fitting him out in stylish raiment. -And when the deed was done Dr. Alton realized that Cyrus, in these -new, well fitting clothes, with his intelligent face and erect little -figure, was not a boy to be ashamed of. - -"To-night," said Dr. Alton, "we go to the opera." - -"Opera." And Cyrus repeated the new word. "Opera. What is that, father?" - -"It's a theater, where they sing." - -"Isn't the circus better?" - -"Well, yes; sometimes it is better. But you come to the opera with me -to-night and to-morrow I will take you to the Hippodrome. That's fair, -isn't it?" - -Cyrus agreed that it was. - -To a boy of eight, who has never been to any theater, Grand Opera is a -strong beginning. When he and his father took their seats--seats not -too far from the stage--Cyrus, in wonder, looked about him and above -him, at the vast auditorium, the gorgeous architecture, the radiant -women and their flashing jewels. And so many of them! This was a new -world of which he had never heard. Wide open were his eyes; also his -mouth--and all his senses. He absorbed everything. The overture filled -him to the brim with a celestial joy. Such music he had not imagined. -Then, to his surprise, all the lights were lowered and the vast chamber -was in gloom. And when, the next moment, the great curtain began -slowly to ascend, disclosing the scene behind, then, indeed, came the -culmination of his joy and amazement. - -What followed was bewildering--the music and the changing lights; the -peasants, the soldiers and the kings and queens. And everybody singing! -Then the ballet, with the fairies! The boy was enchanted. - -But, among the many figures, there was one that stood out the clearest. -It was a woman. Her face, her voice, her singing and her story moved -him beyond any of the others. The words that were sung were strange -words and they told him nothing, but he guessed the story. This -lovely woman with a lovely voice had a diadem in her hair and was in -trouble--troubled by a hateful man in splendid clothes, with lavender -legs. But, however deep her trouble, she sang so well and in such -a heavenly voice that the whole audience applauded her, again and -again. It was clear, even to a child, that she was the queen of the -evening, the star of stars. And once, between two acts, when she came -out upon the stage, between the good lover and the wicked nobleman, -bowing to the audience in acknowledgment of flowers, Cyrus saw, and -saw so clearly there was no mistake, that she looked directly at him, -Cyrus, and at his father! And as she saw them, she bowed and smiled -more radiantly than ever! And so clear it was that he looked up and -whispered: - -"Why, father, she was bowing to us!" - -He saw his father was smiling back at her as he murmured, "Yes--she is." - -That, in itself, was exhilarating. - -But no human boy can withstand for an infinity of time an infinity of -new emotions--however delectable. At the end of the second hour Cyrus' -head was resting against his father's arm, and his eyes were closed. -But in his sleep he heard the music. In his dreams came the voice of -the Lovely Lady. His eyes, only, were closed. In his ears, and to his -weary but enchanted brain came all except the actual vision. When his -father woke him from this gentle sleep the great curtain was slowly -descending at the end of the final act. Music filled the air,--volumes -and volumes of it. Countless people were on the stage; kings and -queens, lords and ladies, peasants and soldiers, all singing their -loudest. So many noisy people Cyrus had never heard. And in the center -among the kings and queens was the Lovely Lady, also singing. - -A few moments later, after the great curtain had descended, a half -dozen of the principal singers came filing out in front of it, holding -hands, and bowing and smiling to the audience. The Lovely Lady received -heaps of flowers. And her eyes, as she bowed and smiled, rested for a -moment on Cyrus himself. - -The next day, as to weather, was disappointing. The cold, damp air, -the leaden sky and the flurries of snow were a surprise to Cyrus, -as it was just plain, country weather, and bad at that. It seemed -out of place in a fine, big city. And he was again surprised, in the -afternoon, when his father took him into Central Park. He considered -it a waste of time, when so much of the city had not been seen. They -walked along the borders of a lake, through some woods, then followed -a path up a little hill. And, two or three times, when they came to -other paths, his father took from his pocket the French letter he had -received at home, and seemed to study it as if it told him where to go. -On one of these halts the boy protested. - -"Why do we come here, father? We can see trees at home." - -"Yes, you are right, Cyrus. But we go only a little further." And when -they came to a rustic bench in a secluded spot, quite hidden among -trees and shrubs, Dr. Alton seated himself. - -"Are you tired?" Cyrus asked. Dr. Alton looked at his watch. "No, I am -not tired." - -"Then let's go back to the city, and be seeing things." - -His father laid a hand on his shoulder and patted it. - -"There is no hurry. We can wait a minute. It is rather pleasant here, -don't you think?" Then he looked along the path in both directions as -if expecting something. Cyrus was too polite to say what he really -thought, so he merely scowled and swung his legs, hitting the toe -of one foot against the heel of the other. Meanwhile his father -kept looking along the path by which they had come as if expecting -something. - -And something came. - -It was a lady, and she was hurrying toward them. Instead of going by -she stopped and greeted Dr. Alton. And the greeting was more than -friendly. There were kisses, and they stood for a moment in each -other's arms. Tears were on her cheeks when she stooped down and put -both hands on Cyrus' shoulders and looked earnestly into his face. -In her own face there was a look of excitement, and of joy. More -tears came to her eyes. And her eyes were full of expression, with a -peculiar droop, that gave an air of calmness and repose. She kissed -the boy,--kissed him several times--then held him at arm's length, -said something in a foreign language--then kissed him again. Although -she was evidently an important person, and beautiful and kind and -very gentle and affectionate--and he liked her furs as he stroked -them--nevertheless Cyrus accepted her attentions with surprise, and -with a mild resentment. No woman had ever treated him in this manner, -and these caresses embarrassed him. Moreover, her face and voice -awakened memories--memories as of fairy tales with music--of things -unreal, yet positive, and fresh in his mind. His frown was from an -effort to remember what her face and voice recalled. At last, of a -sudden, the clouds vanished. Into his puzzled brain poured a flood -of light. The frown gave way to a smile of triumph as he exclaimed, -holding her at arm's length with both hands against her chest: - -"Oh, I know now! You are the lady of last night!" - -She looked up at Dr. Alton for a translation but guessed the meaning. -And when it came she nodded, laughed and confessed--but in a language -Cyrus did not understand, although familiar to his ears. Seating -herself on the rustic bench, she held Cyrus in her lap, and with Dr. -Alton as interpreter they conversed together. She asked many questions: -if he was happy, in good health, what he thought and how he spent his -time, and lots of other things. And Cyrus was delighted to learn more -about her strange adventures of last night. And to know that the wicked -man with lavender legs could do her no harm. - -She was certainly a wonderful lady, as charming now as in the story -of last night. And Cyrus asked many questions about that story, all -of which she answered. Of course, it was slow and troublesome not -understanding her language--nor she his, except a few words--but Dr. -Alton was a willing translator. It all ended, however, in an unexpected -way. After one of her embraces, more affectionate even than the others, -Cyrus startled his two companions by asking in the joyful voice that -comes with a grand discovery:-- - -"Are you my mother?" - -With a frightened look she drew back. The last word she understood. -Instead of answering she glanced up at his father, as if for -assistance. Into Dr. Alton's face, also, had come a look of alarm; -then a frown. But he answered pleasantly: - -"No--Cyrus. No. Why should you ask such a question?" - -"Because she acts just as Elmer Snow's mother acted when he came back -from the hospital." - -When this was translated she leaned back, bowed her head, and covered -her face with her hands. When she raised her head there were fresh -tears on her cheeks. - -Cyrus apologized. "I am very sorry. I didn't mean anything--in -particular. I only--just thought I'd ask." - -She patted his shoulder to assure him no harm was done. - -"This lady, Cyrus, is an old friend of mine," said his father. "And is -very glad to see you and is sorry you have no mother. That's all." - -Now Cyrus would sooner doubt a voice from heaven than his father's -word; and any one could easily see that the lady was much disturbed--so -much disturbed that it shortened the interview. The parting with his -father seemed painful and took a long time. Both had much to say. They -seemed to cling to each other, and he kissed her several times. At -last, after a tearful farewell to Cyrus, with a long embrace in which -her wet cheeks were pressed long against his face, she hurried away. - -There was sorrow in his drowsy eyes as he watched the departing figure. -No woman had ever treated him in such a way, and he had begun to like -it. Before she disappeared around a curve in the path, even before -the sound of her pleasant voice had died away in his ears--something -happened! - -A fat, gray squirrel, followed by another fat, gray squirrel jumped -upon the bench just where the lady had been sitting! And there they sat -almost within reach! - -He was young. Within a month the unexplained lady, her face, her voice -and her caresses had begun to fade from his unfledged memory. But the -two gray squirrels, almost within reach, sitting up with their funny -little hands crossed upon their portly stomachs, he remembered clearly. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -VI - -HE ALMOST GETS RELIGION - - -Cyrus was in bed. - -The history of the case is instructive and should be a warning to other -champions. - -On a certain afternoon in the fourteenth year of this hero's life the -home team had met and defeated the baseball club from a neighboring -village. The score was twenty to thirteen. Such a victory deserved -celebration. So Cyrus, with half a dozen fellow champions, went to -Mrs. Turner's little ice cream parlor and regaled themselves. Each boy -had three ice creams, and as the money still held out they decided on -a fourth. But Mrs. Turner, having a friendly interest in her patrons, -declined to be further identified with this particular debauch. - -To victors in the national game this was humiliating. Defeat in an ice -cream parlor after triumph on the diamond, was not to be accepted. -So they adjourned to the store where a fresh lot of cocoanut cakes -had just come in. These cakes were not dry and fly blown like their -predecessors. They were fresh, full and well rounded, soft and juicy -and nicely browned on top. Wilbur Cobb said he could eat a dozen. But -Cyrus, familiar with the deceptive richness of cocoanut cakes, said no -boy could eat a dozen, but that he, Cyrus, could eat more than Wilbur. -This aroused the sporting instinct of the party and it was arranged, on -the spot, that these two champions should compete. The boy who ate the -most should pay nothing toward the cost of the cakes. The cakes were -two cents a piece. - -Cyrus won. He ate nine and claimed, with justice, that were it not for -the space already occupied by the ice cream and sponge cake he could -have eaten still more. - -Half an hour later these same boys, in passing through Deacon Bisbee's -orchard, found the taste of green apples cool and refreshing, for the -moment, after the somewhat milky fullness caused by the ice cream -and cocoanut cakes. And they partook with reckless freedom. What -exclamations of surprise or warning may have passed between those -hereditary foes, the ice cream and green apples, when the apples -entered those overworked stomachs is not recorded. But the apples -conquered as easily as the Barbarians when they entered Rome. For -green apples, on occasion, resemble Truth: they are mighty and will -prevail. And Cyrus, after starting homeward, began to feel, in that -region between his chest and legs, as if he had swallowed a football. -The distention was painful. Moreover, as he hurried on, the football -seemed growing bigger and harder. Also, it showed signs of life. From -his interior came rumblings; the rumblings that precede a storm. All -through this central zone, this sphere of distention, pains were -starting up, sharp, swift, far reaching. It appeared to him that -through his equator lightning played. At first these playful spasms -darted here and there in a frolicsome way--like airy nothings. Though -somewhat threatening and reverberant they did not alarm him. They -seemed well intentioned pains, like harmless gleams of lightning on a -summer night. But these spasms became less friendly. They grew sharper -and more threatening. Soon, like flashes in a real storm, they were -shooting here and there as if rending him asunder; no longer playful, -but the kind of lightning that rips the bark from trees, tears bricks -from chimneys, and spires from churches. When near his own home this -storm within grew fiercer yet, and wilder in its fury. So sharp the -agony that he clasped the afflicted territory with both his hands, and -leaned for support against a fence. - -Never before, in his brief career had he realized that the human body -could be rent and plowed and torn to shreds without killing the owner. - -At that moment Mrs. Eagan came along. Mrs. Eagan had a large face, -a large chest, large hips and a large heart. And she was carrying a -large basket--of things for the wash. Cyrus withdrew his hands from -that region where the tempest raged, straightened up, lifted his hat -and bowed. And it was done as respectfully as if Mrs. Eagan were -the leading lady of the land. Mrs. Eagan, with a smile of pleasure, -returned the salutation, not gracefully perhaps, for she was hampered -by the heavy basket. She knew Cyrus, and she knew that in his courtesy -to her sex he made no distinctions. She knew that if the Queen of Sheba -were passing at the same moment, the Queen of Sheba would have received -an obeisance not a bit more deferential than the obeisance to Mrs. -Eagan. But as she looked more carefully at the boy's face, her friendly -eyes saw clearly there was trouble. - -"Why, Cyrus! Are ye sick? Ye are as white as a sheet." - -"Yes'm." He spoke in a fade-a-way voice, and he smiled from sheer force -of will. "I feel very--very--I don't know." And one of his hands moved -instinctively to the sphere of revolt. His head drooped, partly from -pain; partly from shame that these awful spasms had weakened his legs -and might effect his courage. - -"'Tis there ye are sufferin'? 'Tis the belly ache?" - -Cyrus nodded. "Yes--Mrs. Eagan--and I never--had--such a----" The lips -quivered, his head sank lower and he leaned against the fence for -support. Mrs. Eagan laid down her basket. Then closer to the smaller -white face came the larger red one. - -"D'ye feel so bad as that, little man?" - -Cyrus nodded, with lips tight pressed to conceal a quivering he could -not control. He looked into the light blue eyes, now near his own, and -tried to smile. - -Mrs. Eagan said no more. Cyrus felt an arm behind his legs, another -across his back, and he was lifted from the earth. She lifted him in -her arms--as Hercules might have lifted a spring lamb. With his head -against her shoulder she carried him easily up the long driveway to his -own home. - -There were sleepless hours that night, and Cyrus did some unusual -thinking on important subjects. For, as it happened, he had recently -read portions of the Old Testament, quite by accident, and was much -impressed, temporarily, by certain statements of the Hebrew fathers. He -inferred from that book that the Ruler of the Universe was watchful and -vindictive, and dependent upon constant praise; that for any dodging of -this praise and worship hell fire and eternal damnation were ordinary -penalties; that the sins of the fathers were visited upon the children, -forever and ever--which seemed unfair. The impression of all this upon -his youthful mind was that any person who really believed these things -must be either impossibly good or scared to death. While in good health -those awful utterances did not worry him. Now, however, in the silent -hours of the night, weakened by the devastation in his interior, he -became less callous to such warnings. Those Hebrew fathers, backed by -the vindictive Almighty, might get him before daylight and consign him, -forever, to the fires of hell. - -But at last he slept. And when he awoke the sun was shining in his -chamber--and he was still alive! However, when Joanna came up with his -toast and tea, and sat at his bedside, he was still haunted by the -awful prophecies of the Hebrew fathers and by the suspicion that the -Avenging Deity might still have an eye on him. - -Joanna was a well-built woman of forty, with good features and an -honest face. For nearly twenty years she had lived in the Alton family -as housekeeper, nurse, companion, cook, friend and servant: and, -incidentally, as mother to Cyrus. While Joanna's education had been -scanty, her common sense was abundant. Her attendance at church was -regular, and Cyrus felt, naturally, that her views on Paradise and -Purgatory could be relied on. So he asked if religious people were more -likely to get to heaven than other folks. - -"Of course," said Joanna. - -"Which kind are the surest?" - -"The Good People." - -"I mean, which kind of religion is the--is the safest?" - -"Each one thinks his own is." - -"Which do you think, Joanna?" - -"Congregationalist." - -"Is that yours?" - -"Yes." - -"Do they have a better chance than Baptists or Methodists or -Unitarians?" - -"I guess they do." - -"But the Unitarians have the biggest church." - -"Yes--in this village." - -"What do they believe,--the Unitarians?" - -Joanna closed her eyes. "Oh, I can't tell you exactly. They believe -something about God being the only thing to worship--the most important -of all." - -"Well,--isn't He?" - -"Why--er--yes." - -"What's bigger?" - -Joanna frowned. "Bigger than what?" - -"Bigger than God?" - -"Why, nothing, I suppose." - -"Then it seems to me He is the One to be friends with." And Cyrus -leaned back on the pillow, and turned his face toward the light. Joanna -stroked his head. - -"But don't you worry, little boy. You are not goin' to die just because -you are sick." - -"Are you sure?" - -"Of course I am sure, so is your father sure. To-morrow you will be all -well again." - -"Yes, but I shall die some day and I might as well be ready. You think -the Congregashalists have the best chance of getting to heaven." - -"Yes." - -"Then I'll be one. What do I have to do?" - -"Nothing, but just go to church." - -"Is God a Congregashalist?" - -Joanna hesitated. "Well--nobody really knows." - -"Not even a minister?" - -"Perhaps he would. But you have asked enough questions. Now try and go -to sleep." - -Cyrus obeyed, and slept. But that evening when his father came up and -was sitting by the bed he made further efforts to get light on the -darkest of all subjects. Dr. Alton, however, saw signs of a feverish -excitement in the usually calm eyes of the invalid, and he decided -upon a soothing course of religious instruction. He knew that this -sudden thirst for knowledge in a fresh field could not be allayed by -any off-hand advice to forget and slumber. So with a smiling face -he answered questions as if the matter in hand was of no immediate -importance. - -"Father, was Jesus so very good?" Cyrus began. - -"Yes, indeed! The best of men!" - -"He wasn't better than you, I bet." - -"Indeed he was, Cyrus; very, very much better." - -"Ho!" said the boy; "I don't believe it." - -Dr. Alton explained, in few words, certain important differences -between Our Savior and other men. Cyrus listened, and understood; then -inquired: - -"Was He a Congregashalist?" - -Dr. Alton smiled, and shook his head. "Never, Cyrus! Never! He couldn't -have been if he tried. And He was not the man to try. There was no -cruelty in him. He was all forgiveness." - -"Then he must have been a Unitarian, a Piscopalian, or Baptist or -Methodist--or something like that." - -Dr. Alton closed his eyes and stroked his chin. - -"No--I should say not. He might possibly have been a Universalist, or a -Unitarian. But why are you so interested in religion all of a sudden? -Afraid you are going to die?" - -"No, not now. But all lost night I was afraid." - -His father took one of the small hands in both his own and smiled into -the invalid's adoring face. "There's no hurry about choosing your -creed, little man. Benevolent Creators are not punishing children for -theological errors. But we can talk it all over later, when you are -well." - -Cyrus also smiled--"But tell me, father, just for fun, what religion is -the best?" - -"Well, Cyrus, that's hard to say. There are many to choose from." - -"Why, I thought the Christian religion was the only real one." - -"Well, that's what the Christians think--naturally." - -Cyrus frowned. "But what's the use of so many?" - -"No use whatever. One good one would be enough for everybody--and save -heaps of trouble." - -"But the Christian religion is the best, isn't it--to go to heaven -with?" - -"That's hard to say. Nobody really knows. It's a good Sunday religion, -but it doesn't seem to work so well week days." - -"I guess it's safer than any of the others, isn't it?" - -"Possibly. But you needn't decide in a hurry, Cyrus. Take your time and -look around a little." - -"Do people always look around before choosing their religion?" - -Dr. Alton laughed. "No, they do not. In fact, it is considered a sign -of moral depravity to think too much for yourself in those matters. To -be at peace with mankind you must follow your neighbors. It is all -merely a matter of geography. When you know the name of the country you -know their religious beliefs. There is not much thinking done." - -"That's funny," said Cyrus. "But a Christian is lots better than any of -the others--isn't he?" - -Again Dr. Alton smiled. "Well, he himself thinks he is. But all virtue -is not centered in the Christian. When you get up to-morrow and wish to -get well and strong you will begin to eat again, won't you?" - -"Gracious! I guess I will! I could eat a house." - -"Yes, you will be hungry enough. And you will feel like eating quite a -variety of things, I suppose." - -"Oh, won't I!" And as Cyrus spoke the pallor of the Saint was submerged -in a glow of fleshly desire. - -"Good! And you shall have it! Now we will play, for a minute, that -Christianity is pie." - -"Is what?" - -"Is pie. Just pie. But there are various creeds of pie among the -Christians; there's apple, pumpkin, mince, squash, cocoanut, and all -the others." - -"Me for cocoanut!" exclaimed the invalid. "Cocoanut pie beats 'em all!" - -"That's a matter of taste. But you prefer cocoanut pie to all the -others?" - -"Oh, yes!" - -"Very well. Now there's apple for Methodist, mince for Episcopalian, -cocoanut for Unitarian, pumpkin for Congregationalist, and so on, -through the list." - -Cyrus laughed. "And which are you?" - -"I haven't decided yet. But you must stick to your colors and have more -faith in cocoanut than in all the others." - -"Oh, yes! That's easy!" - -"And so you eat nothing but cocoanut pie." - -"Nothing else at all?" - -"Nothing else. So long as you are a Christian you must stick to your -creed. You must feel considerably wiser and better than outsiders who -are eating grapes, and roast turkey and custards and watermelons, and -pudding and ice cream, and all who eat anything except your one kind of -pie." - -"Oh, I couldn't do that!" - -"But you must, if you want to be a true defender of your cocoanut -creed. For all the others are outsiders. Those pudding, turkey, grapes, -custard and ice cream people don't believe in your pie." - -Cyrus slowly shook his head and pushed out his lips. "I couldn't -despise people for eating things they liked." - -"Neither could I, Cyrus. So, for the present, anyway, we will eat -whatever we want to. And we are just as sure of going to Heaven as if -we stuck to one kind of pie." - -"Yes, we will," declared the invalid, and in his face and voice had -come the enthusiasm of fresh hopes and a new life. "If our minister," -he said, "would talk like that in the pulpit, about roast turkey and -ice cream and things to eat, it would be more--more interesting. -Wouldn't it?" - -Dr. Alton bent over Cyrus and kissed him good night. "Yes, but he -wouldn't dare--unless his congregation consisted of empty boys." - -The father's diagnosis was correct: his treatment a success. During -that short half hour the patient had been converted from a terrified -sinner to a hopeful gourmand. The anxious look had left his eyes. The -lips were smiling. - -And that night, instead of fitful wakings interspersed with dreams of -hell and Hebrew prophets, of death, damnation and eternal punishment, -he slept a solid, tranquil sleep. And such dreams as came were happy -dreams. He dreamed of puddings of the richest kind, of turkeys all -stuffed and ready; of various pies, of custard, of pastry, and of ice -cream, all of which he ate, and ate--and ate. And lying flat upon his -stomach on a sponge-cake raft he floated in a sea of pineapple sherbet. -He would bite off edges of the raft, then, with his whole face in the -boundless ocean, he would suck up long gulps of this divine material. -And his permanent residence was in a cocoanut palace against a mountain -of vanilla ice cream. - -When morning came, and he awoke and sat up in bed, he was himself -again. In the sunshine of his room the bottomless pit had lost its -menace. His spirit, refreshed by slumber and now guided by his nose, -ignored the fires of Purgatory and was hovering over the more friendly -heat of Joanna's kitchen stove. - -A few days later, when he was curled up at one end of the sofa with a -book, he asked: "What is the transmigration of souls?" - -[Illustration: "A COCOANUT PALACE AGAINST A MOUNTAIN OF VANILLA ICE -CREAM"--_Page 114_] - -Dr. Alton explained. - -Then Cyrus, after a good look into the face of the dog beside him: -"Whose soul do you suppose is in Zac?" - -"That's a hard one, Cyrus. I could only guess at it." - -"But it means for dogs, too, doesn't it?" - -"It certainly ought. I shouldn't accept it unless it did." - -"Then I say that whatever soul came into Zac was the soul of a mighty -good man." - -"Yes--no doubt about that." - -"Just think! Zac may be George Washington!" - -"Well--you can't be too sure. You have all the good people in history -to choose from, you know." - -"Yes, of course. I guess, after all, he isn't George Washington. He is -quicker and jumps about more." Then after another look into the dog's -adoring face: "Besides, I don't believe any great man in history would -be so awful fond of me as Zac is." - -"Oh, he might be. Washington would have liked you, I think; although he -might not have followed you about so closely." - -Other famous men were mentioned: the Emperor Augustus, Magellan, -Shakespeare, Daniel Boone and Fenimore Cooper--also Joan of Arc. But it -was agreed by both father and son that the best known characteristics -of those persons were not sufficiently obvious in Zac to make a clear -case. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -VII - -TOWARD THE LIGHT - - -The snow lay deep--and still it fell. - -On a low stone wall by the roadside Ruth Heywood sat in solemn -meditation. With melancholy eyes she watched the door of the little red -school house a hundred yards away. On the porch of that school house -shivered Zac, also waiting. He, too, kept his eyes on the door, but he -had no intention of rebuking the prisoner--should he ever appear. Why -try to improve an already perfect thing? - -Above Ruth's head the North Wind, moaning through the leafless branches -of the maples, played dirge-like airs. Now, late in the afternoon, the -darkening sky seemed bearing down upon the snow-covered earth. And -Ruth's thoughts were all in harmony with the world about her. There was -reason for a joyless face. More experienced women than Ruth had found -sorrow and defeat in acting as guardian angel to erring males. - -Other children had gone home. Cyrus was being held in punishment. And -the punishment was just. The Guardian Angel disliked this business, but -Cyrus had no mother, aunt or sister, and his father, being only a man, -did not realize the situation. Therefore, it seemed clear to Ruth that -she was the chosen instrument by which Cyrus was to be rescued from a -career of shame and failure. - -At last the boy appeared. Zac bounced with joy, stirring the snowy air -with cries of welcome. And Cyrus, glad as any other prisoner to be -again at liberty, came running after. - -Ruth walked out into the road and stood before him. As he stopped there -was a smile on his face, the old familiar smile of the guilty, who -hope to soften the face of Justice. But Justice was not beguiled. On -the face of the Guardian Angel came no returning smile. Instead, with -accusing eyes, she slowly shook her head. - -"Cyrus, you ought to be ashamed." - -"Why?" - -"You know very well why. You are bad, very bad, and teacher was right -to keep you after school and punish you." - -Cyrus gave up smiling. He reached forth and toyed with one of the horn -buttons on the Guardian Angel's coat. "I don't think I am bad just -because I hate that geography." - -"It's your duty to learn it whether you hate it or not. You will grow -up an ignorant, good-for-nothing man unless you study your lessons. -Everybody knows that. You ought to go straight home and tell your -father you have been kept after school. Just tell him all about it. -Will you?" - -There was a puckering of the boy's mouth, but no answer. - -"If you were stupid, and couldn't learn if you tried, it would be -different, but you are just perverse and--and bad. If you don't do -better I shall just go and tell your father myself." - -"Oh, Ruthy! You wouldn't do that!" And he let go the button and took a -backward step, as one who shrinks from a faithless friend. - -"But it's for your own good, Drowsy. And, besides, teacher will tell -him if I don't." - -"I s'pose she would." - -"You don't want to grow up and know less than anybody else--even less -than school children?" - -Cyrus smiled. "That _would_ be funny!" - -"No, it would _not_ be funny. Do you think it would be funny to dig -ditches all your life and drive oxen like old Sim Barker?" - -"But what makes him so bad is because he's foolish and dirty and has -tobacco juice in the corners of his mouth. Geography wouldn't help -_him_--nor anybody else. Geography!" And Cyrus uttered the word with -a fathomless contempt. "That geography just makes me sick--just sick, -sick, sick--and mad! What stuff it tells you! Which is the largest -African Lake? Where are the Barbary States? What about the surface -of Abyssinia? What are the products of the Cape of Good Hope? Who in -thunder cares for the climate of Uruguay or the exports of Ecuador? -Who'd ever be such a fool as to want to remember the population of -Thibet? And who cares anyway? Any jackass can know those things -whenever he wants to by looking at a map or that fool geography." - -"Oh, Cyrus, you mustn't talk like that!" - -But the revolutionist went on. "Why don't they tell us things worth -remembering? Look at my lesson to-day! The Island of Madagascar! Who in -thunder wants to know about the products of Madagascar? Hoh! It makes -me sick!" - -"But, Drowsy, Madagascar is an important island and----" - -"Important grandmother! Any fool can read about it. Why don't they tell -me things I want to know?" - -"What thing _do_ you want to know?" - -"I want to know things that other people don't know. I want to know -how the earth looks when you are standing on the moon. I want to know -what's lying in the mud at the bottom of the Tiber--all the bronze -and gold and marble things; and what sort of people live on the other -planets, and why cats and dogs can see in the dark. And if God is good -and not mean--why did he make Bobby Carter a hunchback?" - -"Oh, Cyrus! It's wicked to talk like that!" - -"No, it isn't. I'm only asking about it. I'm only asking why teacher -doesn't tell us things worth knowing. I want to know what would happen -if you dug a well through the center of the earth. Would a stone keep -on dropping till it came out the other side?" - -"That is gravity," said Ruth in her wisest manner, glad of a chance to -hold her position as mentor. - -"Yes, but the name doesn't help any. If I got into a big cannon ball -and was shot up into the air how many hundreds of miles would I go -before I would fall back? And if you should go up in a balloon a mile -high I want to know if you would stay still and see the earth going -round and round beneath you or would you have to go with it--and -Massachusetts always just underneath." - -"There's no use in knowing that." - -"Yes, there is. When I'm grown up I may do something like it." - -Ruth laughed. "You silly boy! Nobody ever did such a thing." - -"But _I_ may. Lots of things have been done that were never done -before. And mighty surprisin' things, too!" - -[Illustration: "I WANT TO KNOW HOW THE EARTH LOOKS WHEN YOU ARE -STANDING ON THE MOON"--_Page 119_] - -There was no denying this. So Ruth, for want of words, merely gazed -upon him in sorrow and disapproval, as any Conservative might gaze -upon any Radical. Before she could frame a speech to fit the look the -orator again rushed on. He spoke rapidly and with feeling. The drowsy -eyes became wider open. His hands with the gray mittens moved freely in -the snowy air. To Ruth it was a sudden transformation of a prospective -ignoramus into an inspired orator. In a higher, thinner voice he -demanded: "What makes one kind of electricity do what another kind -can't? And if men are so smart, why didn't they use electricity -thousands of years ago instead of just now? The air has always been -full of it." - -This was an interesting question. But the Guardian Angel had no answer -ready. - -"And what makes light travel so fast? Why, just think of it, a hundred -and fifty thousand miles in one second! And heat. There's lots to -learn about heat. Why do folks burn wood and coal in winter instead -of storing up heat in summer when there's too much of it. They keep -ice all summer. And why not keep heat all winter? And just look at -sunshine! Why not keep some overnight to read by? I could do it if I -was a man." - -The orator paused to get his breath. - -"But, Cyrus, perhaps you can learn all those things later." - -"But I want to know 'em now. Not the things I've just been reciting, -the climate of Texas, the crops of New South Wales and the population -of Wurtemburg. Hoh! I could be a teacher myself and tell things -everybody knows already. Teachers are no smarter than anybody else. I -asked her why some families, like the Herricks, have all boys and other -families all girls." - -"What did she say?" - -"She just couldn't tell me. And she didn't like it when I asked her why -God, who knows everything, should do foolish things." - -"Oh, Cyrus!" - -"Well, he makes warm days in April to start things going, then sends a -sudden frost and nips the blossoms and kills the crops. Any fool farmer -knows better than that." - -Ruth frowned. "You should not say such things." But the orator ignored -the rebuke. "Instead of telling me about the wrecks and ruins and the -treasures and the forests at the bottom of the ocean, teacher tells me -how many bales of cotton and barrels of molasses come from Alabama. -Why, Ruthy, at the Island of St. Helena the ocean is nearly six miles -deep!" - -"But, Cyrus, nobody really knows just what lies at the bottom of the -ocean." - -"Hoh! That's just it. Teacher stuffs us with things everybody knows. -All the easy things. Any cow or any hen can know 'em. I want the other -things. If she's a teacher she ought to know about the bottom of the -sea. She ought to tell us about Atlantis. There's be some fun in that." - -"Atlantis?" - -"Yes. That was the big island out in the Atlantic Ocean that suddenly -disappeared. It sank to the bottom of the sea. Don't you remember?" - -Ruth was honest and slowly shook her head. Yet she knew that her -position as mentor, spiritual guide and good example became weaker -should the ignoramus she was rebuking display more learning than -herself. - -But Cyrus was too much absorbed in the bigness of his subject to think -of himself or other trifles. "Why, Ruthy, it was a whole kingdom, -this island--a continent. It was covered with beautiful temples, whole -cities and lots of people. And all of a sudden--nobody knows why--it -disappeared beneath the waves! And now, to-day, down at the bottom of -the ocean those cities and those marble temples are still standing!" - -[Illustration: "AND NOW, TODAY, DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN, THOSE -CITIES AND THOSE MARBLE TEMPLES ARE STILL STANDING"--_Page 123_] - -"Where was this island?" - -"Off to the west of Spain, and Africa. People think the Azores and the -Canary Islands are the tops of mountains of that sunken country." - -Ruth said nothing, but the enchanting eyes spoke plainly of surprise -and wonder. "When did that happen?" - -"Way back in ancient times; before Greece began." - -The enthusiasm of Cyrus produced its effect on Ruth, and the earnest -eyes of Ruth had their usual effect on Cyrus. He laid one of his hands, -in its gray worsted mitten, against the Guardian Angel's chest. "And, -Ruthy, just think of those white marble temples! Just think of the -streets and houses! Think of all the statues and the helmets, shields -and swords and spears all lying around down there at the bottom of the -ocean! Think of all the ornaments in gold and silver! And think, that -in those great white cities with all their treasure, coral and sea -plants grow instead of trees! And the only living things are fishes -swimming in and out among the statues and the monuments, the palaces, -the forums and the amphitheaters." - -The orator drew a long breath, then in a lower tone: "I'd give anything -to spend a day in that place." - -Little batches of snow had gathered on the heads and shoulders of -the two children. For a moment they stood in silence, Ruth gazing -thoughtfully at Cyrus, Cyrus gazing in anger and contempt toward the -school house. - -At this point there came a sudden change in the Guardian Angel's -manner. She realized the necessity for different tactics. Familiar -with Cyrus's astonishing cleverness in argument she suspected that he -was justifying his own guilt by this dazzling display of wisdom. Then -came a swift transformation in the irresistible eyes, from sympathy to -rebuke. - -"Stop," she said. - -Cyrus stopped--midway in a sentence. - -"Those reasons you can tell to teacher. They are no excuse for being a -lazy boy; I shall tell your father unless you do better." - -Then she turned and walked away, striking her cold hands together for -warmth. Cyrus followed, treading the narrow path in the snow made by -horse's feet. - -But shivering Zac, who had good excuse for shivering after his long -wait on the windy porch, ran joyfully ahead. He had borne with patience -this long delay. Cyrus picked up a handful of snow and molded it into -a ball. As they were passing the store he caught Ruth by a sleeve and -pointed to a boy more than a hundred feet away. The boy was stooping -over a sled. - -"What'll you bet I can't hit Luther from here?" - -Now Cyrus was a surprisingly good shot. He seemed able to hit whatever -he fired at, and from unbelievable distances. His surprising accuracy -in this direction had made him pitcher on the village nine. But Ruth, -remembering her rôle as Guardian Angel, merely turned about and started -on again in dignified silence. But from the corners of her eyes she -watched the unsuspecting Luther, for she knew the missile would reach -its mark. Her silent prophecy was correct. Through the snowy air the -missile flew. It landed, with force, on the victim's back, just below -his neck. He straightened up and looked about. Then with a shout of -defiance he scooped a handful of snow, quickly rolled it into a ball -and sent it toward the enemy. Here the unexpected happened. The snow -ball, thrown in a hurry, would have missed Cyrus by a yard or more -even had Fate allowed it to go its way. But Deacon Phineas Whitlock -intervened. This stern old puritan of ferocious aspect, of iron will -and despotic temper, the terror of children and of all other habitual -sinners, was just passing Cyrus in solemn dignity, toward the store. - -The snowy sphere forwarded by Luther landed full upon the deacon's -mouth. And, as the deacon's mouth happened to be partly open at the -time--from his habit of preaching to himself--he received within it a -portion of the missile as it smashed and spread about his face. Swiftly -he wiped his face with the back of a hand. His temper was a hot one. -Luther knew it, and he grabbed the rope to his sled and disappeared -down the hill behind the store, with a velocity no elderly deacon could -hope to attain. Spluttering and wiping snow from his mouth and nose he -turned threatening eyes on Cyrus. In a voice between a gasp and a shout -of rage he demanded: - -"Who is that boy? Who is he? What's his name?" - -Cyrus shook his head. "I don't know, sir." - -"Yes, you do! Who is he? What's his name?" - -"I don't know, sir. Honestly I don't." - -"Don't know, you young rascal! You have eyes. What's his name?" - -But Cyrus, with a protesting, most polite and sorrowful gesture with -both his hands, again proclaimed his ignorance. "I really don't know, -sir. The air is so full of snow I didn't see his face." - -Deacon Whitlock again spluttered. His speech was incoherent, but doubt -and anger were plainly indicated. However, he turned away--still -muttering. - -Then the Guardian Angel approached the liar. "Cyrus Alton! How can you -do such a thing?" - -"What thing?" - -"Deacon Whitlock knows perfectly well you knew who it was, and that -you told him a lie. And he will despise you for it. So would everybody -else. So do I despise you for it." - -His only answer to this was a look of mingled sorrow and remonstrance. -Then, instead of trying to defend himself, as the Guardian Angel -expected, he looked away. He also heaved a sigh,--a sigh of weariness -and discouragement, an unboylike, elderly sigh such as grown-ups use. - -The Guardian Angel continued. "And I should think you would be ashamed -to be such a coward." - -Cyrus stiffened at the word. "A coward!" - -"Yes, coward. People only lie when they are afraid. If you had been -brave you would have told the truth." - -"But, Ruthy, you don't understand. I did it to save Luther. If Deacon -Whitlock knew who it was he would tell Luther's father and Luther might -get a lickin'." - -Ruth shook her head. "Your duty was to tell the truth--or say nothing." - -"No, sirree! That isn't true. The Bible says do unto others as you'd -like to have other fellers do unto you. And I did just what I would -want Luther to do for me." - -This line of defense was confusing, and Ruth was familiar with his -skill in argument. She knew well enough the pitfalls he could dig for -the embarrassment of any adversary. So, regarding him with the sternest -look she could bring into a very gentle face, she said: - -"It is wrong to tell lies and you know it is. And you are bad--just -bad. Why don't you button up your coat in front? The snow is actually -blowing down your neck." - -And she drew the collar of his overcoat closer about his throat and -tried to fasten it. "Why, the button is gone! Joanna ought to see to -it. You really ought to have a mother, Drowsy. You aren't half taken -care of." - -This time Cyrus had nothing to say in his own defense. She laid a hand -against his cheek. "Your face is hot. I believe you are sick now!" - -Cyrus smiled, and nodded. "I shouldn't wonder if I was." - -"Why? How do you feel?" - -"Oh, sort of--sort of--funny." - -"How, funny?" - -"I don't know. Sort of cold and then hot and then cold--and kind of -trembly. That's why I didn't hit Luther on the head instead of down on -his back." - -"Now, Cyrus Alton, you go straight home and tell your father just how -you feel. Tell him all about it." Then, with increasing severity: "It's -a shame you haven't got a mother. I believe it is because you are bad -and that's the way God punishes you." - -Then she turned away and started on again, Cyrus close behind. In front -of her own home she stopped suddenly and wheeled about;--so suddenly -that Cyrus walked against her. He took a backward step, and as they -looked into each other's faces he said, quietly: - -"No, it doesn't." - -Ruth's eyes opened wide, in surprise. "Doesn't what?" - -"It doesn't mean what you asked." - -"But, Drowsy, I didn't ask anything!" - -"You thought it, though." - -"Thought what?" - -"That because I told lies now I would not be an honest man when I grew -up. But that isn't so. I shall be an honest man." - -"Yes, but I hadn't spoken a word. How could you tell what I was going -to say?" - -"Oh, I dunno. I can often do that." - -"Yes, you have done it before, but how do you do it? How do you know? -Just guess at it?" - -"No. It sort of comes--as if--well--just the usual way--only without -the words waiting to be spoken. I guess it's natural enough." - -"Natural enough! Why, it's most mysterious. Nobody else does it." - -"Oh, p'r'aps lots of people do it. We don't know everybody." - -"But if many people did it we should have heard about them. No, it's -very mysterious. Why, Drowsy, I had just opened my lips to say your -being such a liar now proves you will be a dishonest man and you said, -before I uttered a word, 'No, it doesn't.'" - -Cyrus smiled. "I guess it must be a sort of telegraphing without wires, -like that man Marconi has just discovered." - -For a moment they stood in silence, Ruth looking earnestly into the -boy's slumbrous, half smiling eyes, trying vainly to explain the -unexplainable. "It's all the harder to understand," she said, "because -you could only see the back of my head. And this horrid storm was -blowing between us." - -"Yes, it's funny, and I dunno much about it. But I believe I could get -it if I wasn't seeing you at all; I mean, if you were way off, out of -sight." - -"Really?" - -"Yes, sir! I believe I could. Let's try it some day. Will you?" - -"Yes, little Drowsy, when ever you say." - -Once more she laid a hand against his face. - -"Your cheeks are hot again. Now you go straight home and tell your -father just how you feel, and have Joanna sew on that button. Will you?" - -"Yep. All right." - -He started off. About a dozen yards away he stopped and looked back. -She was still standing where he left her, and was watching him. The -obvious lack of confidence in his promise--or her air of authority with -all this military discipline caused a momentary revolt. He picked up a -handful of snow, rolled it quickly in a ball and threw it. She saw it -coming, but merely bent her head and lifted an arm in protection. - -'Twas a good shot. But the snowball, being soft, merely broke against -her arm. Ruth lowered the arm and raised her head, slowly and calmly, -as a Guardian Angel who is invulnerable to earthly weapons. She pointed -toward his home. - -Cyrus raised his cap, moved it grandly through the air in a sweeping -curve, bowed very low, then turned and marched away. - -He walked with no suspicion of pursuit. But Ruth had obeyed a sudden -impulse. She started forward on a run, and when close behind him gave a -sudden push with both hands. He tumbled forward into a drift and rolled -over on his back. As he started to get up, she pounced on him with all -her weight. Then with both knees on his chest she rubbed his face with -snow. - -Had the assailant been another boy, Cyrus would have kicked and struck -and fought him off. But you do not kick and strike your aunts, your -mother or your best girl. So, he merely pushed and wriggled about, with -eyes and mouth tight shut. - -Zac seemed to enjoy the business as much as Ruth. He barked and plunged -about as if cheering for the victor. - -Well into Cyrus's face Ruth rubbed the snow. "Take that, you horrid -boy, and that, and that!" - -With a triumphant laugh she took her knees from his chest, jumped to -her feet and ran away. And as she ran she expected just what happened. -For Cyrus, also quickly on his feet, drew the backs of his mittens -across his eyes for clearer vision, then sent a snowball toward the -vanishing figure. It landed between her shoulders. But she ignored it, -and ran into her own house without even a backward glance. - -For a moment Cyrus stood and watched her, then started homeward. - -It was a friendly enough parting, but it might have been different had -they know how many years were to come and go before they met again. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -VIII - -A WORKER OF MIRACLES - - -Something of a liar was Cyrus, in emergencies, but he told the truth -when he said "lots of things have been done that never were done -before; and mighty surprisin' things, too!" - -History bears him out. The stories of Grimm and Andersen are -commonplace events besides the victories of Science. Interesting, -indeed, would be the views of Galileo on wireless telegraphy, or -Botticelli's opinion of the "movies," or even what language the British -commander might have used at Bunker Hill had the Yankees employed -aeroplanes. Since the impossible is now in daily use, the dream of the -visionary in every home, incredible things have ceased to astonish. -Fairy tales are coming true. - -So thought Dr. Alton, on the afternoon following that last interview -between Ruth and Cyrus, when he was suddenly converted from incredulity -to compulsory faith in an achievement which he had believed -impossible. As he drove up to his own house Cyrus leaned out of the -sitting room window and told him to go at once to Mrs. Heywood who had -fallen on the stairs and broken a leg. Dr. Alton asked no questions, -turned about and drove off. A few hundred yards along the road he met -Mr. Heywood, who, much agitated, and traveling fast, as if trying to -walk and run at the same time. The doctor stopped and the clergyman -climbed in. As they started off Mr. Heywood exclaimed, out of breath: -"How fortunate this is. I was afraid you might not be at home. Poor -Alice, I fear, has broken her leg." - -"Yes, so I heard. I am on my way there." - -"On your way to my house?" - -"Of course." - -Mr. Heywood turned in surprise. "You say you--you knew of the accident?" - -"Yes." - -"But, Doctor, you couldn't. It happened less than ten minutes ago." - -"Cyrus told me. Perhaps somebody telephoned him." - -"But I have no telephone." - -Dr. Alton smiled. "Possibly somebody is a faster runner than you." - -"But no one was there except Alice, Ruth and myself." - -"Ruth may have done it." - -"Ruth has not left her mother. She is there now. And nobody else knows -of it." - -For a moment Dr. Alton was silent. "Bad news travels fast, Mr. Heywood." - -"But not when there's nobody to carry it." - -"Yes, there's that miraculous new messenger boy, wireless telegraphy." - -Mr. Heywood was in no mood for argument and said no more as Dr. Alton -obviously had little faith in any mysterious messenger. So, for the -moment, the subject was dropped. - -When the bone was set--and it proved a simple fracture--Mr. Heywood -followed Dr. Alton to the door. "I wish, Doctor, you would ask Cyrus -how he got his information--just to gratify my curiosity." - -"Are you absolutely sure that Ruth did not tell him?" - -Mr. Heywood, for answer, stepped back into the hall and called to his -daughter, who at once came running down the stairs. - -"Ruth," he said, "do you know how Cyrus heard of your mother's accident -so soon after it happened?" - -"Yes, sir. I told him." - -"You!" exclaimed her father. "Why Ruth, you never left the house!" - -"And Cyrus," said Dr. Alton, "is at home, confined to the house with a -bad cold. At least that's where he ought to be." - -"Oh, sir, he is!" said Ruth. "He sent me a note asking me to talk to -him, on the porch, from our house at just five o'clock, and I did. -Mother fell on the stairs just as I began to talk so I told him about -it." - -"Do you mean," said her father, "that your voice carried from this -house to his, nearly a mile away?" - -"Oh, no, sir! Cyrus doesn't have to hear your voice, always. He has a -special way of knowing things." - -"A special way of knowing things?" - -Ruth nodded. - -"What do you mean, Ruth? What things?" - -"Things you don't say." - -"But you did say to him that your mother had an accident." - -"Yes, sir; but he didn't have to hear it. He gets it some other way." -She added, with a smile: "He doesn't get it through his ears." - -"Then how does he get it?" - -"I don't know. He says it is in the air. He says he thinks it's a kind -of wireless telegraph and must work the same way." - -"Most extraordinary!" murmured Mr. Heywood, and he looked at Dr. Alton -as if hoping for more light on a cloudy subject. Dr. Alton, however, -was gazing thoughtfully at the girl, whom he knew to be truthful. He -also knew the misleading possibility of a child's imagination. "Do you -really think, Ruth, that Cyrus learned of the accident in that way?" - -"I don't know, sir. I couldn't hear anything from _him_." - -"You mean if he answered back you couldn't get it?" - -"Yes, sir. Nobody but Cyrus could understand anything at all, so far -away." - -"He knew that you couldn't hear anything _he_ said?" - -"Yes, sir. He just wanted to find out if he could tell what a person -said so far away without hearing it." - -Mr. Heywood turned to Dr. Alton. "He evidently succeeded, and it seems -quite incredible." - -Dr. Alton did not reply, directly. He had closed his eyes, and his own -thoughts, whatever their nature, were so absorbing that Mr. Heywood's -voice had failed to reach him. His abstraction, however, was brief. -With a smile he shook hands with Ruth. "I thank you for your testimony, -little lady. You make a perfect witness." Then to her father: "I shall -interview Cyrus at once and we will try to reach a better understanding -of the mystery." - -He promised to call in the morning to see Mrs. Heywood, and then -departed. - -When he entered his own house, half an hour later, he found the worker -of miracles asleep on a sofa near the open fire. Curled up at his feet -lay Zac. But Zac was not asleep. When the doctor moved toward the fire -and stood before it, warming his hands, Zac followed him with his eyes. -These cautioning eyes were saying: "Don't make a noise or you'll wake -him." - -Dr. Alton understood. He made no noise. But as he looked down upon the -sleeper he saw signs of vivid dreams. The sleeper kicked, muttered and -moved his hands. One vigorous kick landed on Zac's forehead, but the -recipient merely closed his eyes, hoping for better luck another time. -One more kick, spasmodic and violent, just missing Zac's head by an -eighth of an inch, and the boy awoke. As he awoke he sat up and shouted: - -"She's out!" - -Seeing his father he swung his legs over the side of the sofa, blinked -and laughed aloud. Zac also laughed:--that is, he barked. He always -barked when Cyrus laughed, just to be in it. To do whatever Cyrus -did was, of course, beyond a dog's ambition, but laughter being a -manifestation of his owner's joy, he expressed himself with sincerity -and enthusiasm by tail and voice. Moreover, by always joining Cyrus -in his mirth the world might know that their tastes were similar. In -fact, to be identified with Cyrus in any way was glory enough for any -dog. Cyrus was really the Only Boy. There were, of course, other boys, -but they could not all be Cyruses. God was not running this world -on any such plan. There was always one specimen that overtopped the -others. Only one Helen of Troy, one Socrates, one Columbus, one George -Washington and one Cyrus. Zac was not familiar with these names but -they serve their humble purpose in fixing the status of the human being -that he loved and respected above all others. - -"That's the funniest thing that ever was," said Cyrus. "What do you -think I dreamed? I dreamed we were playing ball on the ice on Minnebuc -Lake; us fellers against the women, and we all had skates on. I was -pitchin'. Mrs. Snell was at the bat and Deacon Whitlock first base. -Mrs. Snell's kind of fat, you know, and fierce and dignified, but she -wore trousers like the rest of us. Oh, it was funny!" - -Here the miracle worker paused and wagged his head, indicating -suppressed mirth. "Well, I gave her a twister. Jimminy! Wouldn't I -like to give such balls in a real game! 'Twas an up and down curve and -a fade away all in one. It went like a cork screw. No feller would -ever try to hit it. But Mrs. Snell did! She just shut her eyes and let -go--and she hit it! I caught it and threw to first. It turned into a -snowball between me and Deacon Whitlock and hit him square in his wide -open mouth--for he's always talking to himself, you know." - -"Yes, I know." - -"Well, Mrs. Snell dropped her bat and went sliding down to first--on -her skates--and when she got there she couldn't stop. She just scooped -up Deacon Whitlock as if he'd been a little boy and carried him off -in her arms. He was screamin' and kickin' and wavin' his arms like a -mad baby. And Luther, who was out in right field, grabbed her by the -trousers and tried to hold her back. Oh, it was funny!" - -Again the worker of miracles was convulsed with mirth. - -Dr. Alton nodded, smiled and expressed a proper appreciation of the -unusual game. He looked down into the boy's laughing face, as he spoke, -and there came to him an impression, considered trivial at the moment, -but remembered later with a livelier interest. It seemed to him, for -a brief moment, that Cyrus's smiling eyes were gazing deep into his -own as if groping, in a friendly way, for unspoken thoughts. Dr. Alton -realized that this impression was probably due to his recent discovery -of the boy's extraordinary faculty--a usual look in Cyrus's eyes which, -earlier in the day, would have made no impression. But the look was -short, little more than a glance, and Cyrus lowered his eyes to his -swinging legs and pulled up a stocking which was slipping down. - -"This afternoon," he said, "I broke a pane of glass in the parlor." - -"How did that happen?" - -"Well," said Cyrus, still watching his swinging legs, "I was playing -barn-tick in the parlor with Zac. I would throw the ball against the -wall and catch it when it bounced back, and every two or three throws -I'd let Zac get it. Then once, I threw it kind of careless----" - -"Carelessly, you mean." - -"Yes, sir, kind of carelessly and it hit the window instead of the -wall." - -Dr. Alton slowly moved his head in acknowledgment of the explanation. -The other subject on which he desired light was so much more important -than any broken window pane that neither his face nor manner expressed -very serious disapproval. In fact, Cyrus had hardly finished his -confession before his father spoke. - -"How did you happen to know, this afternoon, that Mrs. Heywood had -broken her leg?" - -"Oh, that was a great idea! I've invented a new kind of wireless!" And -he went on to tell, but in different words, the same story that Ruth -had given. "And just think! if everybody can do it there won't be any -need of telegraph machines, or letters either. People can talk miles -apart--just talk, as Ruth and I did!" - -"Yes, of course, but how long ago did you find you could do this?" - -"Only to-day. This was the first time." - -"But Ruth says you often know what people think, or are going to say, -before they say it?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"How long have you been able to do this?" - -"Oh, p'r'aps three or four years." - -"Why did you never happen to tell me?" - -"I supposed you knew. I supposed everybody could do it." - -"No; it's a very unusual faculty--very unusual indeed." Then, with a -smile: "I suppose you have often known what _I_ was thinking?" - -Cyrus laughed. "Oh, yes; lots of times!" - -"When was the last time?" - -Cyrus hesitated. He looked down at Zac, as if for encouragement. Then, -with a glance from the corners of his eyes: "Just now." - -"Just now!" - -Cyrus bobbed his head and grinned. "Yes, just now." - -"Why--what was it?" - -Again Cyrus hesitated. His father smiled--the smile of reassurance. "Go -ahead and tell me about it." - -"Will you promise not to be angry or say anything bad?" - -"Yes, I promise." - -"Well, when I broke the window pane in the parlor to-day I was going to -wait and let Joanna tell you about it when I was out of the way. But -when you looked at me to-night after I had told about the dream I saw -that you were in such a hurry to find out about the message from Ruth, -that you wouldn't think so much of the window pane. So I told you." - -Dr. Alton smiled and kept his promise, refraining from criticism. -But he recalled the look in the boy's eyes, a few moments since--the -look as of gently exploring another's thoughts. The recollection at -this present moment brought a singular feeling almost of awe; as of -something beyond human limitations. Was he on the border land of the -supernatural? And yet, as he looked into the honest face of Cyrus, his -wonder did not lessen. He found, therein, no solution of the mystery. -He discovered nothing beyond the familiar face of his normal, sane -and healthy boy, absorbed in things that became his age. He knew that -Cyrus, like other boys, would rather eat than pray; that he preferred -stealing apples to hearing sermons and would rather be a pirate than -a bishop. This knowledge did not trouble the father. He had been a boy -himself. - -Then, sitting on the old sofa beside Zac and Cyrus, he asked -many questions. They were all answered. Cyrus had nothing to -conceal. With boyish frankness he told many things, some serious, -some amusing--little secrets of his own--when he had enjoyed his -extraordinary gift. His experiences in divining the thoughts of others -were given as matter of fact occurrences. He had believed, until now, -that this power was possessed by all the world. - -It was a cozy group on the old sofa before the open wood fire, Zac, -Cyrus and Dr. Alton, and they stayed an hour or more. Dr. Alton began -to realize that this faculty was not only mind reading but something -far beyond. That thoughts of others should come to this boy with -no effort of his own was almost incredible. Even more amazing was -the transmission through space not only of spoken words but of the -unuttered wishes of far away friends. Was his son the master of a vital -secret, a mysterious power now unknown to science but, in future years -perhaps, to be common knowledge? Was it within the realms of material -science? Or was it an individual form of spiritual sympathy, some -ethereal harmony attuned by superhuman guidance to a chosen few? - -When Cyrus had gone upstairs to bed Dr. Alton sat long before the open -fine, remembering. And there was much to remember. At last he stepped -out into the night air and stood upon the doorstep. Before him, in -the moon-light, were snow-covered fields, tall skeletons of elms and -maples, their leafless branches like barren memories against the sky. -But this New England landscape was not what he saw. He saw, through his -closed eyelids, the blue waters of the Adriatic. Close beside him a -pair of loving eyes, dark, tragic--but smiling now--were looking deep -into his own and the woman's lips were asking if it were possible for -the unborn child to inherit its mother's power of divining another's -thoughts. And he--the wise young doctor!--shook his head and smiled at -the foolish question. - -And, lo! not only had the power descended to the boy but with it had -come an added faculty even more mysterious and unbelievable! - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -IX - -DREAMS? - - -It was the very next morning that Ruth's father, the Rev. George -Bentley Heywood, received an urgent appeal from China to fill a vacancy -in the missionary field. Ten days after receiving the message he, his -wife and tearful daughter, were on a train for San Francisco. - -The days that followed were solemn days for Cyrus. And it so happened -that the next ten years were solemn years for Longfields. A new -railroad carried through a neighboring town left the village stranded. -The young men began to leave. When a house burned there was no -rebuilding. The tottering sheds behind the weed-grown cellar of the -Baptist Church were typical of the town's decay. It was significant -that when Philetus Bisbee died--house and carriage painter--his -business had so shrunk that no one took his place. The burning of the -inn meant that Longfields as a resting place for travelers was to be -forgotten. - -People died in Longfields, but few were born. Pupils at the little red -school house dwindled to about a dozen. The teacher's pay was so small -that to accept the position became an act of charity to the village. - -When Judge David Lincoln moved away he expressed sincere regret: "I am -sorry to go, but lawyers cannot thrive on memories alone." - -Wits of neighboring towns referred to the sleeping village as Pompeii, -Old Has Been and Long Memories. The main street with its overhanging -elms was always silent. And the common, once noisy with excited -children, was solemn in its stillness. Every day seemed Sunday. - -In short, Longfields went the way of many other New England villages. -It became a restful and picturesque reminder of better days. But, after -all, it was merely following, in its decay, the example of famous -queens of fashion, Troy, Babylon and Thebes. - -This gentle retirement to oblivion affected Cyrus less than his father. -For Dr. Alton sent him away to school, to prepare for college, and the -absent boy almost forgot the tragedies of his home. Moreover, Cyrus -found much excitement in his new surroundings; much to learn--and -unlearn--from contact with so many others of his age. They came from -town and country and from almost every state. What he got from books -was least in interest and often the least in value. That million-sided -problem, Human Nature, was, as usual, the hardest to understand, the -last to be solved. - -Rarely does a boy with Anglo Saxon blood in his veins find it -necessary to cure himself of too much polish. But even in this case -Old Human Nature was triumphant. When away from Longfields Cyrus -found his ceremonious courtesy was misapplied, misunderstood and -almost a misdemeanor. His eighteenth century bows were regarded by his -chambermaid as ironical; by his classmates as a silly affectation, -and were resented by his instructors as efforts to be funny at their -expense. - -Further discouragement came one day in the friendly warning of an older -boy. "You know, Drowsy, or you don't know, that those salaams of yours -give the impression that before you came to this academy you were the -colored porter on a parlor car." - -The result was that before the end of the first term his manners were -only a trifle better than those of other boys. Except, of course, when -taken off his guard, as in his interview with the wife of a certain -prosperous citizen who slipped and fell in coming out of the post -office. She was a sensitive lady, irascible and of massive proportions. -As she landed on the sidewalk, two snow white stockings with stalwart -limbs inside waved briefly before the public eye. They resembled the -whitened limbs of a billiard table. Letters fell from one of her -hands. With the other she clung convulsively to a large umbrella. Three -girls involuntarily laughed aloud. - -As the lady climbed to her feet two light blue eyes shot fury from a -purple face. When Cyrus stepped forward to gather up the scattered -letters he forgot all his recent training, raised his cap, moved it -gracefully in the air and bent low and reverentially--as the First -Lord of the Bed Chamber might salute his Sovereign. But the boiling -lady identified this seeming mockery with the laughter of the maidens. -She brought the fat umbrella hard down upon the head of Cyrus, and -she struck with all her might. Luckily for the recipient her hand was -quivering with rage, and no physical damage was accomplished. But the -damage to his pride was serious. As he straightened up and looked the -lady in the face his cheeks were hot. The erstwhile drowsy eye showed -astonishment--and anger. His cherubic lips had parted: "Then pick 'em -up yourself, you stupid old----" - -At that instant he recalled an injunction of his father. "Whatever may -happen, Cyrus, always be a gentleman." He had not been told just how a -gentleman should behave when beaten on the head with an umbrella--and -in public. But he closed his lips without even beginning the sentence. -He bowed again, and this bow was even more elaborate than the first. - -"I beg your pardon, madam." - -Then he turned, put on his cap and walked away. - -Again was heard the giggle of the girls. That a person should apologize -for being hit on the head with an umbrella was too funny for silence. - -Meanwhile, the cost of all this experience and of his pursuit of -knowledge fell heaviest on his father. The practical obliteration of -his native town and field of work meant financial embarrassment for -Dr. Alton. The few remaining inhabitants of the village were now too -poor to pay a doctor. To fit Cyrus for college, and keep him there, Dr. -Alton exhausted the small capital left him by his father. When that -was gone he tried to sell his orchard and the best portions of the -farm. But no purchasers appeared. He did sell, however, to a dealer in -Boston, some family heirlooms; rare pieces of Colonial furniture and -all his Canton china. - -To Cyrus, meanwhile, Fate was paying especial attention--with more to -come. During his last year in college a surprising change took place -in his ways of spending time--surprising, but familiar to biographers. -Such transformations, where indifference suddenly changes to ambition, -indolence to industry, and where the trifler becomes in earnest, -have frequently occurred, as with Julius Cćsar, St. Paul, Henry V of -England, William Shakespeare, Mirabeau and many other notables. So -there was nothing original in this sudden awakening of Cyrus. During -the first three years of his college course he was a "good fellow." -When classmates entered his room with "Come along, Drows, old man; -chuck the books, and now for the real life," he joyfully obeyed and -took chances on recitations: with the usual result that only distant -relations were maintained with the upper end of his class. It was the -price of popularity and of the joy of living. Toward the end of his -last year, however, his more festive companions were horrified by an -unexpected miracle. A little book came into his hands. It threw a -dazzling light on the possibilities of electricity. It aroused his -curiosity and so kindled his imagination that he turned his back on -the "real life" and became studious. This sudden thirst for knowledge -caused a shock to his festive pals. They were anxious about him. For, -indeed, is there not cause for alarm, when a Bully Boy, a Rattling Good -Sport and a Live One suddenly loses his grip on "real life" and becomes -a Bookworm, a High Brow and a Dead One? - -But Cyrus did not weaken. He clung to his new love. Unavailing were -such arguments as "Chuck the science, Drowsy. There's time enough for -wisdom when you are old!" or, "Don't be a chump, Drows. You can't be -young forever. Remember, Youth is short and Science long." - -And he felt neither shame nor repentance when his own chum rebuked him. -"Drows, old man, you are just a crank. Harvard Students are not giving -points to old sharps in science. For God's sake don't be a freak and -get musty before your time." - -But words were wasted. This new ambition had brought to him a -revelation of his real self. He had no suspicion, at the time, that the -reading of this little book was to lead to adventures surpassing the -wonder tales of his childhood. To his brain came a dazzling light. He -began to realize the infinite possibilities of man's power, with the -hidden forces of the universe once in his control. A fantastic dream, -perhaps, but the more he thought the deeper grew his conviction. He -knew--or thought he knew--that he had it in him to open wider the door -that hides the secrets of the air. Greater still would have been his -confidence had he known that a part of his inheritance was the courage -and the genius of the famous Italian scientist who wrote the book. And -it appeared from the little portrait of the author that he, too, had -slumbrous eyes. It was ordained, however, that their relationship was -to remain hidden both from the great discoverer and from his yet more -daring grandson. - -At the end of the four years at Harvard, Dr. Alton's finances were -low, indeed. But Cyrus argued for a course in Chemistry and Physics at -the Institute of Technology in Boston. He took the course, and it was -clearly understood that it meant bitter economies for both father and -son. But the economies were calmly faced. Some of them meant serious -sacrifice in personal comfort, not only in the little luxuries of life, -but in clothing, food and fuel. Of blows to pride they made no account. - -At last Cyrus finished his course at the "Teck." His return to -Longfields was on a smiling afternoon in May and he found his father -at home, sitting on the porch with Luther Dean. Cyrus and his boyhood -friend had seen little of each other during the last six years. Luther -had grown into a rather handsome young man. Otherwise Fortune had not -favored him. With many other American boys, his ambition was to become -a millionaire, and to be quick about it. And with many other boys in -this upsetting country, he looked down, in fancy, from the glittering -peaks of sudden wealth, upon the patient plodders in the valley below. -Not for him the goody mottoes of the Sunday School. Not for him a -wasted youth in "starting at the bottom, working your way up" with -"slow but sure," and all the other maxims for smothering talent. For -him the Napoleonic grasp of opportunity, the cutting of the Gordian -knot. He believed in quick achievement. He believed - - "There is a tide in the affairs of men - Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." - -And he believed in short cuts. His models for success were the -millionaires "who had struck it rich." And he was firm in the faith -that his revolt from "Patient Industry," "Honest Toil" and similar -delusions was a sign of genius. In other words, he was the sort of -youth no man desires in his employ. For brief periods he had held -positions in different establishments in Worcester. Now, again, he was -out of a job. - -But Luther's manners were good, and his raiment above reproach. At -present, as the three men sat on the porch, his spruce attire was in -striking contrast with the almost shabby garments of Dr. Alton and his -son. But Dr. Alton happened to be one of those men who have no need -of clothing unless for warmth or propriety. In his head and face and -figure were lines of strength and beauty that gave distinction. In his -bearing and in all his movements there was dignity and a natural grace. -Were he dressed as a beggar at a coronation he would have held his own. - -As for Cyrus, the last ten years seemed to have made little difference, -merely transforming him from boy to man; this change, as wise men have -long suspected, being mostly outward. He grew to the usual height, had -the usual number of teeth, recited from the usual books, played the -usual games, committed the usual follies, absorbed the usual experience -from the various victories and defeats of our usual life, still -retaining at twenty-one the drowsy eyes and curving lips of his early -childhood. Deep within him, however, were aspirations and a strength of -purpose that contradicted the languid eyes and boyish mouth. - -After the greetings, and when various questions had been asked and -answered, Dr. Alton lighted his old briarwood pipe, took a whiff or two -and said to his son: - -"And the great idea, Cyrus, any further developments?" - -"I should say there were! I've got it, father!" - -Dr. Alton raised his eyebrows. "Really? You don't mean----" - -"Yes I do. I mean just that. I have found it. It's the wonder of -wonders. And it works--even better than I hoped." - -Dr. Alton straightened up and smiled--a smile of surprise and pleasure. - -Cyrus returned the smile. At the same time his drowsy eyes became less -drowsy and in his voice was a mild excitement. "And so simple! Why, I -feel like laughing when I think of it. The only wonder is that hundreds -of people have never discovered it." - -"What is it?" said Luther. - -Cyrus hesitated a moment, as if to be sure of his words. "It's a simple -and inexpensive device for concentrating in a space about the size of -your two hands any quantity of electrical force." - -"When you say any quantity, do you mean enough to run a typewriter--or -an automobile?" - -"I mean enough to run a railroad train or an ocean steamer; or to lift -this house--or any other building." - -Luther smiled the smile of doubt. "And the thing is no bigger than your -two hands?" - -"It resembles two metal soup plates back to back." - -Luther whistled--a short whistle signifying a deficiency of belief. -"That sounds kind of--kind of--as if somebody had wheels in his head. -How does the miracle get its power?" - -"From the atmosphere around it." - -"With no dynamo, nor motor, nor transformer?" - -"All that is between the metal dinner plates. Why manufacture power -when the whole universe is vibrating with it? It is like manufacturing -air to breathe." - -Luther leaned forward, excitement in his face. "Why it doesn't seem -possible. And you have really done it, Drowsy?" - -Cyrus nodded. - -"But it will revolutionize everything!" - -"Yes--it will." - -"Is it some new form of electricity you discovered?" - -"No, merely a new way of applying our old knowledge. You see, it has -been known for some time that air is energy. Dancing about us, in the -atmosphere, is plenty of power waiting to be harnessed; power enough to -toss mountains into space if we could only direct it. You may have read -about the tremendous force in the vibrations of atoms." - -"No; not a word." - -"Well, every atom is a center of energy. And every atom is composed -of millions of electrons. Do you happen to be interested in electro -kinetics?" - -"Don't even know what it means." - -"It relates to the properties of electric currents. My discovery is -merely the concentration and directing of those currents. The apparatus -is about the size of an apple pie, and so simple that I laugh when I -think of it." - -"But, Drowsy, you can't get so much power in such a little mechanism. -That thing could never start a locomotive or an ocean steamship." - -"Start it! A dozen of these little things fastened to an ocean -steamer could lift it in the air to any height, crew, passengers and -cargo, and drive it at any rate of speed and for any distance. And at -no cost." - -[Illustration: "COULD LIFT IT IN THE AIR TO ANY HEIGHT, CREW, -PASSENGERS, AND CARGO"--_Page 155_] - -Luther whistled. "Is Cyrus guying us, Doctor, or is he only dotty?" - -Dr. Alton smiled, but gave no answer. - -"After you had lifted the steamship up into the air," said Luther, "how -soon could you get her across the ocean?" - -"That's for the captain to decide. He could do it comfortably in an -hour or two--or, in five or ten minutes, if he were really in a hurry." - -"Oh, I say, Drowsy, come down to earth again, and join us." - -"No, I can't come down when I once get up. But I don't blame you for -not believing it, Luther. I only believe it myself when I see it -working. It is really easy to understand, though, when you know that -electro magnetic waves in the ether are cavorting through space at the -rate of about a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles a second, forced -by our friends the electrons. There's no reason why my device should -not go at about the same rate. That would take our passengers and cargo -across the ocean in considerably less than one minute." - -Dr. Alton shook his head. "No, Cyrus, that's too sudden even for a -Yankee." - -Luther assumed an expression of alarm. "Do you think Cyrus will get -over this, Doctor? Is he wild on other subjects, or is it only one -screw that's loose?" - -Cyrus laughed and turned toward his father. "What an awful joke if -Luther should be right! I could easily believe it a crazy dream if one -or two scientists had not already prophesied it. The thing was sure to -come. And now that it's here it seems too simple to be true. I merely -happen to be the first man to stumble on it." - -"Just what is it?" said Luther. "How do you do it? What's the process?" - -For an instant their eyes met. To Luther came an odd sensation he had -known as a boy--that the tranquil gaze of Cyrus was reading his secret -thoughts. As his thoughts at that moment were not for publication the -sensation was disturbing. To hide his embarrassment he turned away -toward Dr. Alton, and made a joking remark about trips to Europe, over -and back, on Saturday afternoon. "It even beats wireless," he said. - -"Well, rather!" said Cyrus. "Wireless will soon be a back number." - -Again Luther whistled. "Wireless a back number! Well, that's certainly -going some!" - -But Dr. Alton showed little surprise, merely regarding his son more -attentively. "What is to take its place, Cyrus?" - -"Just the spoken word. Its transmission through the ether with no -mechanical appliance for sending or for receiving." - -Luther smiled. "It will have to be a pretty loud voice." - -"No louder than wireless. It will be carried by the same forces that -carry the wireless message, only more simply applied. The air about -us is alive with electric force that is perfectly willing to take our -messages without the machinery." - -Dr. Alton smiled. "Well, you seem to have confidence in it. That's a -good beginning, anyway." - -Cyrus also smiled. "I have already done it." - -"Already done it?" - -"Yes, sir; and more than once. Billy Saunders and I went out into the -country, stood nearly a mile apart, spoke in ordinary tones and each -heard more than half the other said." - -"With no instruments whatever?" - -"None except a little receiver about the size of your watch." - -Luther whistled again. On his face was a look of surprise--the Surprise -that's the brother of Doubt. - -Dr. Alton was looking earnestly at his son. "Is that really true, -Cyrus? Are you absolutely sure no previous knowledge of each other's -intentions may have helped a little?" - -Then Cyrus explained the experiments in detail. He told how they -purposely chose subjects unknown to each other; how they put on paper -the words as they arrived; that the percentage of messages correctly -received increased at every trial; and that weather conditions, wind, -rain or sunshine seemed to make little difference in the results. -After answering other questions, he said to his father: - -"But that is only the beginning. The day is coming when even the spoken -word will be superfluous." - -"Just what do you mean, Cyrus?" - -"I mean communicating thought by electric induction--by direct -vibrations." - -"Say, Cyrus!" exclaimed Luther, "the Arabian Nights isn't in it with -you!" - -"No, it isn't," said Cyrus. "For I have already done it." - -"Done what?" - -"Sent thought waves--and received them." - -"Oh, come off." - -But Dr. Alton was looking earnestly at his son. He recalled one or two -occasions when Cyrus had accomplished this very thing. And now, as they -looked into each other's eyes, he suspected his own thoughts, at this -very moment, were being read. His suspicions were correct, for Cyrus -answered an unspoken question. - -"Yes, sir, it's the same as those you are recalling. But now I -understand it. Much depends, of course, on the individual. Latent -faculties in individuals, however, can be surprisingly developed. I do -believe that within a few years our thoughts, spoken and unspoken, will -be traveling through the air as wireless travels now." - -Dr. Alton made no reply. He closed his eyes for a time and smoked in -silence. His thoughts went back to those unexplained episodes when -Cyrus was a boy; then further back to the villa by the Adriatic. He was -recalling a conversation in the loggia of that hidden villa when Luther -rose to his feet and exclaimed: - -"Is there anything, Cyrus, too impossible for you to believe?" - -"Nothing--if it is interesting. I never reject a good fairy tale. Why -be a skeptic? To look at a skeptic's face is enough. His digestion is -never good. He thinks with his stomach and his stomach reacts on his -brain. That means farewell to enthusiasm and to all the best things of -life. Ambition and gastric juice are partners. Had Buddha, Christ or -Mohammed been skeptics you never would have heard of them. No skeptic -could possibly succeed as an inventor, poet, explorer, patriot, or as -any other kind of hero. He fails before he begins." - -Cyrus paused for a moment, then added: "Perhaps you are both saying to -yourselves, better be a skeptic than a credulous ass. But that's open -to argument. The credulous ass is not only happier but he has Hope for -a backer, and he is a heap sight more likely to get somewhere than the -pessimist. The pessimist never starts." - -His father nodded approval. - -Luther put on his hat. "Right you are, Drowsy. Me for a credulous ass. -I swallow all you say, electric miracles and all. Of course, this -sending ideas about the world free of expense and without even the -trouble of saying them, is quite a morsel for the ordinary throat, but -I've got it part way down and am holding on to it. If what you say is -true, miracles are with us. Jimminy! It's a large idea!" - -"No miracle at all," said Cyrus. "Not half so miraculous as the growth -of that apple tree from a seed. And the human brain! Two handfuls of -gray matter--and what it achieves! Did you ever happen to realize what -a self-starting, Johnny-on-the-Spot, up-to-date miracle your memory is?" - -Luther laughed. "Well, no. Not enough to forget my meals." - -"Then do it some time. It's the champion mystery of the world. No man -knows how it works. We know it furnishes us with names and places, -facts and figures and events without limit, and they come to us -instantaneously without waiting to be called. A thousand telegraph -clerks with an acre of pigeon holes could not accomplish in an -hour what your memory does in a second. It is quicker than greased -lightning. It's the miracle of miracles. Why, Luther, these thought -waves of mine, compared with it, are so simple and so easy that any -normal baby could operate them." - -"I guess you are right." - -After a few more words, this conversation ended, and Luther departed. -But Dr. Alton and Cyrus sat a long time on the little porch talking -seriously of the Great Discovery. - -But the inventor, later that afternoon, was not too much absorbed in -electric wonders to visit a corner at the end of the garden. There he -straightened up a slab that marked a grave. The slab was of wood. He -brushed the surface with careful hands and read the letters he himself -had carved nine years before. - - HeRe Lies - Zac ALton He - Was VeRY SmARt - and ALSO - GooD - -These lines Cyrus always read with a smile--not of mirth, but of -satisfaction with their truth and justice to his old friend's -character. Pleasant indeed were those memories!--lively and bounding -memories: of adoration for himself and of unswerving loyalty to the -final breath of a short but joyous life. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -X - -THE FARTHEST TRAVELER - - -One sultry morning about six weeks later, Luther Dean got off a train -at Springfield. Along the shady side of the main street he walked. -He walked faster than usual. His eyes, his hot, perspiring face and -general manner showed suppressed excitement. And why not? Wealth, and -without labor, would soon be his. - -A few blocks from the station he turned into another street, then, not -far from the corner he entered a small shop. On the front window of the -shop were these words: - - I. KATZ - - ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR - -The brevity of his name, as here shown, gave as much pleasure to the -proprietor as he had suffered annoyance from his fuller and more -various name, Isidore Pollacksek Zwillenberg Stchcrbatcheff Katz. And -even his last little name had proved almost a curse, as his intimates -called him "Malty" and "Puss Katz"; also "Tom Katz" and "How Many." -But I. Katz, of black eyes and muddy complexion, was an ambitious -young man, industrious, surprisingly clever, watchful and polite. He -and Luther Dean had one desire in common--an unquenchable thirst for -wealth. There was, however, this important difference, that Katz was -willing to work for it, while Luther regarded thirst as a substitute -for effort. - -When Katz's mother, Rosa Hlawatsch, married Emanuel Katz she had a -prosperous brother-in-law, Schweers Hjort, who lent the bridal pair -enough money to start for America. Two years after Isidore's birth his -parents died. Then Mr. and Mrs. Zoob Pschenitza adopted the orphan and -cared for him until his nineteenth year, when he found employment with -Mr. Hitzrot Fuss, an electrician. Mr. Hitzrot Fuss was a cousin of the -Zoob Pschenitzas. - -This July morning when Luther entered his shop I. Katz had been in -business for himself about a year. The opening of the door rang a bell -that gave warning to the proprietor, at work in a little shop at the -rear. Luther walked directly to this little shop. I. Katz laid down his -work. - -"Ah! Good morning, Dean." - -"Same to you, Kittens." - -"Haven't seen you for a long time. How are you? What's the news from -Longdeado?" - -"News enough--this time." - -As the two men stood by the work bench, and Katz took a second look at -his visitor's face, he said: - -"What's the matter? Something on your mind?" - -Luther removed his hat and coat and lit a cigarette before answering. - -"Well, I should say there was. Have you any objections to being a -millionaire?" - -"Not especially. Got the cash with you?" - -"Not this morning. But I've got the next thing to it." - -If Katz felt any excitement at this announcement he concealed it. -Perhaps he knew Luther too well. With a smile, and a slight movement of -the shoulders, he said: - -"Of course it's a dead sure thing." - -"It is." - -"Well, that's something." - -"You know, Katzy, the only sure things in this world are death and -taxes." - -"Yes. So I've heard." - -"Well, compared with this thing of mine, taxes are dreams and death -never happens. Listen. I can place in your hands a contrivance -hardly bigger than a dinner plate that generates electricity without -machinery; that has infinite power; that can drag railway trains of any -size at any speed and can drive an ocean steamer. It weighs about five -pounds and costs nothing to run." - -Katz slowly moved his head, and frowned. - -"It's a bad habit, Luther." - -"What's a bad habit?" - -"Cocktails in the morning. You are seeing miracles." - -Luther protested. Then he explained The Thing in detail. Katz -pronounced it impossible. - -"Of course it's impossible!" said Luther. "That's why it's so devilish -good. It does the impossible all day long and all night, too. Why, -Katz, it can do anything you ask it--and with no expense. God Almighty -supplies the electricity--all you want and for nothing. Can you beat -it?" - -The electrician began to show interest. - -"But are you pop sure it can do these things? Have you seen it work -yourself?" - -Then to I. Katz, with the bright eyes and muddy complexion, Luther told -of the wonders he had seen with his own eyes--touched with his own -hands. He described the two soup plates of metal fastened together, -with the mysterious space between--the small chamber which held the -Miracle of Science. And its priceless secret to be theirs! To give some -idea of the power of these two plates he told Katz what happened to -Delos King and his load of hay. Delos King's big load of hay got stuck -in the meadow. The wheels had sunk in the mud up to the hubs. Two yokes -of oxen tried in vain to stir it. Then Cyrus Alton, carrying The Thing -in his hand went down to the meadow, fastened what Delos King thought -were two kitchen plates to the end of the pole, turned the button a -fraction of an inch and drew the big load of hay out of the bog and up -the hill as if it had been a baby carriage! - -Moreover, Luther described to Katz his own experience with this device. -When fastened to his chest with straps, that went over his shoulder and -under his arms, he had turned the little button and had been lifted -gently from the floor and he floated at will near the roof of the old -barn. - -"But what flabbergasted the old hard heads more than any other one -thing," continued Luther, "was the way Cyrus fixed the weather vane on -the Baptist Church. It had been struck by lightning--bent and twisted. -It's a tall spire and the deacons were trying to figure the cheapest -way of getting up there without a scaffolding, when Cyrus happened -along. 'What's it going to cost you?' he asked. 'Twenty-five dollars -at least,' they said. 'Give me twenty-five,' said Cyrus, 'and I'll do -it before night.' 'It'll take you half a day to get up there either by -rope or scaffolding,' they said. 'I can get up there in one minute,' -said Cyrus, 'after I once start.' At first they laughed, but they -agreed to pay twenty-five dollars. Then Cyrus went home--this was in -the forenoon--came back with his two soup plates; also a hammer, a -monkey wrench and a few other tools. And right there in front of the -crowd, he slung the bag of tools across his shoulders, strapped on the -soup plates, turned a button and rose up in the air like a wingless -angel. Gee! I tell you the deacons stared! Their eyes were wider open -than their mouths!" - -"No wonder!" said Katz. "They had reason to be! And did he fix the -vane?" - -"Well, rather! It didn't take him an hour." - -Luther told of other doings that had startled Longfields; of the -metal contrivance over ten feet long that resembled a fat cigar; -how Cyrus Alton sat inside and, without apparent machinery, rose up -through an opening in the barn and sailed at will, in any direction -and to any altitude. In one evening he had sailed over the whole of -Massachusetts--and more, too. - -Then I. Katz, whose bright black eyes had grown brighter and brighter, -asked many questions. All his questions were answered promptly, and so -clearly as to leave no doubt that the tale was true. - -"But how can you get hold of the miracle?" he asked. "What's your -scheme?" - -Then the artful Yankee unfolded to the still more artful Asiatic his -plan--a plan so simple that even the artful Asiatic began to feel -prosperous. Some pleasant morning and very soon, while talking with -Cyrus, Luther would buckle on the little machine, as if to sail about -the barn. Cyrus would probably consent, as on two previous occasions. -Then he, Luther, would turn the button too far, as if by accident, -pretend to lose control of the machine, and sail up through the big -skylight of the barn, which was always open in pleasant weather. He -would wriggle his elbows as if trying to regain control of The Thing. -Once up in the air, above the roof of the barn, he would steer in the -direction of a certain pond, two miles away, all the time working his -hands and elbows as if trying to get back to earth. - -"Are you sure you can do it?" said Katz. "You might really lose control -if you didn't keep your head." - -Luther smiled. "Oh, I can do it all right! I have no idea of steering -for heaven before my time. You see I've already done it, and I guess I -did it about as well as Alton himself. It's really as easy as driving a -Ford--and lots more fun. Why, Pussy, it's like being a bird!" - -Katz nodded. "Yes, it sounds good. But where will you go when you once -get up?" - -"To the big pond, three miles off. It's always a deserted -place--especially forenoons. I shall land in a little cove I know, -unstrap the machine and hide it in the woods there. Then I shall wade -comfortably into the shallow water and lie down for a minute,--with my -clothes on." - -I. Katz's eyebrows went up. "I see; I see! Bright idea! The machine -carried you into water and you had to swim ashore." - -"Even so." - -"And you lost the machine, which is somewhere in the mud at the bottom -of the pond." - -"Yep." - -"And you'll hurry back to your friend while still wet, so he'll know -that what you say is true!" - -"You've got it. And that afternoon I'll bring the invention to your -shop." - -I. Katz, of the muddy complexion, stroked his Oriental nose and nodded -approval. His comprehending eyes lingered for an instant on Luther's -face with a look that indicated admiration and a friendly feeling. -But the unflattering thoughts it covered were not divined by the New -Englander. - - * * * * * - -It was decreed by incorruptible Fate that Luther's opportunity should -come the very next morning. - -Cyrus was at work in the barn. Dr. Alton, sitting just outside the door -in the shade of the building, was reading a war article in a French -journal that some one had sent him from Europe. Luther moved idly -about, as if to pass the time. At a moment when he saw Cyrus especially -absorbed in his work--inside the big iron cigar--he took up The Thing -and adjusted the straps about his shoulders. - -"I am going to float around the barn," he said, "and see how the roof -looks." - -"All right," said Cyrus, keeping on with his work and not turning his -head. - -To avoid all risk of hitting the sides of the skylight--for he must -rise with apparently unexpected suddenness--he stepped outside the -building. With a smile and a nod he said to Dr. Alton: - -"If you never saw a real angel, Doctor, here's your chance." - -As he put his fingers to the button Cyrus came running out. "Stop! Hold -on Luther! Let go! That's not adjusted!" - -But Luther was not to be thwarted at the high tide of victory--with -riches within reach. He put his fingers to the button and said, with a -smile: - -"Oh, I know how it----" - -The sentence was never finished. He had given the slightest turn, -having a sensible fear of the unknown force within. In his haste he -must have turned it a fraction more than he intended. For then happened -the unprecedented thing--the thing without parallel in human life; so -awful, so solemn, so unearthly, that the two men who saw it stood dumb -in horror. - -As he was speaking, with the smile on his lips, he was lifted from the -earth by the straps beneath his arms with a violence that stopped his -speech--and his breathing. Up he shot, more like a cannon ball than -a rocket. So fast he went, gaining speed with every second, growing -smaller and fainter to the two spectators, until--and it all happened -in the shortest minute--he disappeared, a tiny speck in the blue sky -above. - -He had no chance to change his speed. - -His straw hat, with its crimson band,--like a frivolous friend too -light of heart for sudden tragedy--came tumbling earthward, then -floated off to the west in playful, easy spirals. A gay farewell to a -lifeless body. For death had been instantaneous. - -[Illustration: "--AND GLIDE FOREVER, A HOMELESS VAGRANT THROUGH THE -DUSKY VOID"--_Page 171_] - -Dr. Alton and Cyrus stood looking upward--at the spot in the heavens -where Luther had disappeared from earthly vision. It was hard to -believe what their eyes had seen. And when, in silent horror, they -looked into each other's faces, both knew that this sudden traveler had -started on a darker and a longer voyage than any previous explorer; -that he was moving at a speed unknown to other mortals, and that his -journey would never end. Both knew that within the hour he would be -beyond the orbit of the earth; that the power propelling him felt no -exhaustion. Unless colliding with other celestial derelicts, or drawn -into the path of some distant planet--Neptune or Uranus--he would push -further out into the Infinite. Then, would he join some starry host, -off toward the Milky Way, the Southern Cross or Orion's Belt, and glide -forever, a homeless vagrant through the dusky void? - -His youthful features, untouched by decaying moisture in the icy gloom, -might remain, through the countless ages as his friends last saw him, -long after his native earth--like its own moon--had become a lifeless -ball. Or, beyond the visible stars, far out into bottomless Space,--too -far ever to return--is he to wander through the uncharted regions of -yet remoter worlds? - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XI - -UNSIGHT UNSEEN - - -"After midnight, Uncle George, and miles from anywhere, so do please -hurry." - -These were parting words to an uncle as he started back to the nearest -house--perhaps a quarter of a mile away--to get gasoline for his motor. - -Alone in the car, the waiting woman began to realize the extraordinary -darkness that enveloped her. Along the road, in front, the two head -lights sent their beams of light. But elsewhere, on either side, behind -her and above, the black air seemed almost threatening in its silence. -So solemn was this silence that she began to imagine herself the only -living creature in England. Her own home was in another country, and -the invisible scenery on either side was all a mystery. It might be -open fields or densest forest--or both. But the damp air that came -slowly against her face seemed laden with odors of yet darker places, -of deep ravines or sunless caves. - -Was this hideous gloom a regular habit with English nights? Being -in a foreign land this darkness was, perhaps, more terrifying than -darkness in a more familiar country. In the heavens above were no signs -of light, either of light that had been or of light to come. And it -seemed, in this tomb-like silence, as if the very universe were dead: -as if she had drifted into space--the infinite space of her astronomy. -From this sable silence she sought relief in watching a portion of the -road that lay before her, now illumined by the two lanterns of the car. -These beams of light seemed a cheerful, human bond between life and -death. - -From the gloom, on her right, came the hopeless hoot of an owl. It -seemed a voice from the sepulcher--a summons to despair. - -A hundred feet, or more, in front of her, where the farthest rays of -this light began to lose themselves and mingle with the darkness, she -saw a rabbit jump into the road, and speed across it. She wondered what -had frightened him. Also, she was inclined to blame him for not being -safe at home with his family instead of roaming about the world on such -an evil night. To a woman yearning for a sign of life 'twas a welcome -sight; but this rabbit, although a thing of life, was as noiseless and -unreal as the ghostly world about him. With his half dozen silent leaps -through the bar of light he seemed a phantom creature, "of such stuff -as dreams are made of." - -From his nervous haste she judged that he was frightened. It was -possible, of course, that he was a fearless rabbit and merely taking -exercise for his health. But this theory was not accepted, and she -watched with interest to see what sort of a pursuer, if any, might -appear. Being in that state of mind when almost any imaginings might -come true, she would not have been surprised had the pursuer been a -real phantom. - -But these speculations became less trifling, of a sudden, and were -transferred to quite a more serious object. From the same place, in the -same ghostly manner, but more slowly than his predecessor, stepped the -figure of a man. Shading his eyes with a hand, he stood for a moment in -the stream of light as if taking his bearings, or dazed by the glare -of the lanterns. Then he scraped, with his foot, a line in the road at -right angles to it, piling up a little mound of earth. The witness, in -the car, supposed he was marking for future guidance the spot at which -he entered from the blacker world. At last, and always with a hand -before his eyes, he came toward the blinding headlights. The invisible -spectator had straightened up and her dreaming eyes had opened wider. -For the figure was a strange one. On its head was a curious cap, which -seemed to be of leather. There were pieces at the ears standing up like -wings, as on some ancient helmets she had seen in pictures. The rest of -his attire also resembled leather, with high leggings reaching above -his knees. Around his waist a wide metallic band, something wider and -more important than a simple belt, glistened as he moved. The girl, -in alarm, stood up, looked back and listened for the absent uncle. She -heard nothing, and could see nothing. She sat down again, and waited. - -The man, of medium height and slender figure, appeared to move -unsteadily, as if weak, or dizzy. He walked slowly, and stopped, once -or twice, as if to balance himself on unreliable legs. The unseen -spectator thought he might be ill, or injured in some way. When, at -last, he passed from the glare of the headlights and came into the -darkness, beside the car, she could discern him, dimly--or rather felt -his presence--as he stood there. And she knew that he was trying, and -probably in vain, to form some idea of the seated figure before him. At -last he spoke. - -"Can you tell me, sir, where this is; what place?" - -With these words the girl's fears departed. For, not only were they -uttered in a gentle, well modulated tone, but the voice itself had a -pleasing quality. - -"I don't know, sir. But my uncle will be here in a moment. He can tell -you." - -She could see that he took a step backward, and stood further away. - -"I beg your pardon, madam. One can't see much in this light. Could you -tell me what--er--what state this is?" - -"What state?" - -"Yes--if you please." - -This was a yet harder question. Did he mean some administrative -division of the country which she had never learned. Being unfamiliar -with English political geography, she answered simply. - -"I don't know." - -This time it was the questioner who was surprised. But, even more -gently than before, he inquired: - -"You don't know what state we are in?" - -"No, sir." - -There was a short silence. - -"Could you tell me," he inquired, always deferentially, "the name of -the nearest town?" - -"Droitwich. I think we are in it now." - -"Droitwich?" - -"Yes, Droitwich." - -He repeated the name as if hearing it for the first time. - -"It must be a small place," he said. - -"I think it is." - -"What is the nearest town of importance;--the nearest city?" - -"Worcester." - -"Oh, Worcester! Thank you. I know Worcester. But I never heard of that -other place,--this place,--Droitwich. How far are we from Worcester?" - -"About six miles, I think--six or seven." - -"Oh, really!" He seemed relieved. There was happy surprise in his tone. -"Thank you. I am very much obliged. Good night." - -He walked away, out into the stream of light. Slowly he walked, -carefully and with uncertain steps. A few yards away, however, he -stopped, hesitated, then turned, came back and again stood beside her. - -"I beg your pardon for being so persistent, but may I ask you one more -question, even more foolish than the others? This city of Worcester is -in the State of Massachusetts, is it not?" - -"In the state of Massachusetts?" - -"Yes--that Worcester is the one you mean, is it not?" - -Now if this conversation had occurred in the United States the girl -might have answered wisely, for she was more familiar with that country -and knew something of its geography. But when such wide-of-the-mark -questions were propounded in the heart of England they brought -bewilderment. Moreover, they indicated an unbelievable ignorance or a -wandering mind--or impertinence. - -Her frown, although invisible in the darkness, seemed to reach the -traveler. - -"I beg your pardon, but I really have no idea where I am. Would you -mind just telling me what part of the country we are in? Are we in -Massachusetts?" - -His manner was earnest. The sincerity of his tone again inspired -confidence--and awakened her sympathy. "I don't quite know how to tell -you, but we are very far from Massachusetts." - -"Then what state _is_ this?" - -"I don't know just what you mean by state. The only state of -Massachusetts I ever heard of is in America." - -"Isn't this America?" - -This question so far transcended, in foolishness, all its predecessors -that her fears returned. She made no reply. What traveler, in his -senses, could be so far astray? Was he a wandering lunatic escaped from -his keepers, preferring darkness to light? Or was he merely amusing -himself at her expense? As she recalled the lateness of the hour, and -his strange appearance on the scene, her fears once more returned. Her -impulse was to stand up, turn about and see if her uncle was in sight. -But she dared not stir. Such action might offend him. For lunatics are -often sensitive, and easily enraged. The figure in the gloom, however, -came no nearer, but remained at a proper distance. When next he spoke -it was slowly, and yet more earnestly. And the girl knew from his -manner as well as from his words that he suspected the impression he -was making. - -"I don't blame you, madam, for whatever thoughts you may have. I have -traveled so fast and so far that I am really dazed. But if you will -kindly tell me where we are, in what country, state, province or -territory,--anything--it will be doing me a great service." - -In a constrained voice, and in a tone which made it reasonably clear -that this conversation was affording her little pleasure, she replied: - -"We are near the city of Worcester, in England." - -For a moment he stood in silence. Then, with a certain weariness in -his voice, "Thank you. I hope you will pardon my disturbing you." - -"Certainly." - -Again he moved away. - -This man's voice stirred memories. But these memories--of some far-away -past--were dim and elusive. Vainly she tried to recall either when or -where she had known the voice. Just as he was turning from the bar of -light to disappear into the outer gloom, there came to her a gleam of -memory from the distant past. Quickly she stood up in the car, her -lips parted to call aloud. But she hesitated. A mistake, under present -conditions, might prove more than awkward. So she uttered no sound. -The stranger, however, as if responding to the unuttered words--to -the thought itself--turned about and came toward the car. He walked -quickly, but with the same unsteadiness as when he first appeared; and -always with a hand before his eyes to shut out the blinding glare of -the headlight. When alongside the car, again invisible in the darkness, -he said: - -"Yes, I am Drowsy. Who calls me?" - -She was startled as she realized, in a kind of terror, that the -unspoken message must have reached him. However, she answered, simply: - -"Ruth Heywood." - -With an exclamation of surprise and joy he opened the door, climbed in -and seated himself beside her. - -"Oh, this is too good!" - -In the darkness he groped about and they managed to shake hands. - -"Why, Ruth, this is hard to believe!" - -It was, indeed! Many questions were asked, and answered. And they -talked of earlier days at Longfields, of Longfields people, of what -sort of men and women their playmates had become. More than all else, -they talked of their old friendship and their various adventures -together. And both laughed in recalling how Ruth in that distant period -was mother, sister, aunt, governess and best girl to Cyrus. This -revival of the old intimacy had reached a stage where the enshrouding -darkness was almost forgotten. - -"But tell me, Drowsy," she demanded, "how came you here and why did you -ask all those crazy questions? I should be sorry to think you had been -dining too well." - -"Dining too well! No, my wabbly course just now was owing, partly, to -not having dined at all:--and with neither lunch nor breakfast either." - -"You poor thing! Then why pretend you didn't know you were in England?" - -"There was no pretending. I really didn't know until you told me." - -"Indeed! And where did you think yourself? In Australia?" - -"I had no idea. If you had told me I was in Australia I should have -believed you. I have been traveling so high above the earth that the -upper ether went to my head--and legs." - -[Illustration: "----FAR AND FAST, EVEN FOR A BIRD MAN"--_Page 181_] - -"You must have been fast and far, even for a bird man, if you didn't -know on which side of the ocean you had landed." - -There was a silence:--a silence of doubt and of budding suspicion in -the woman's mind. - -"Listen, Ruth. I _have_ been far and fast, even for a bird man. I will -tell you all about it later, if you don't mind. If I told you now, you -would think me crazier, if possible, than when I asked those questions. -And I shouldn't blame you. My story would seem as fantastic as if I -had been around the world in a night, or to another planet. What I -have done--where I have been is--is--so impossible that you would -be a very credulous person to believe it. But later I will tell you -all--everything--please consider me in my right mind." - -"In your right mind! Why, Drowsy, you were never in your right mind! -So I should believe anything you told me--unless it was something easy -or natural, like other people. You were always doing impossible things -and thinking impossible thoughts--a most disturbing boy. I remember I -always felt responsible for you. You wanted the moon--even then." - -"And now, a full-fledged lunatic, I have just come from the moon!" - -"I have no doubt you think so. And you were always reaching up to pick -a star. Yes, you _were_ a trial." - -Cyrus laughed. "Will you do me a favor?" - -"Depends on what it is." - -"Just a little one?" - -"Probably not. But what is it?" - -"You remember our wedding at the Unitarian Church, away back in that -enchanted past?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, just consider that ceremony binding." - -"Now you are getting crazy again." - -"No, I was never saner." - -"Very likely, but you are crazy now. Why, Drowsy, being only a man, you -don't realize how lucky we are that it was not binding!" - -"Lucky for you, perhaps," said Cyrus, "but not for me. I am sure you -are even more desirable, more beautiful, more generally perfect and -irresistible--if possible--than you were then." - -"On the contrary. If you could see me by daylight you would shout for -joy at your escape." - -"No, Ruth, you can't fool me that way. Are you little or big?" - -He groped about and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I should say you were -little." - -She pushed away the hand. "Keep your hands to yourself, Cyrus. You -forget we are no longer children." - -Cyrus obeyed. "True enough. But we were really married, you know. -Surely a husband may touch his wife's shoulder. Tell me, have you the -same wonder-working eyes and mouth and haughty bearing? You are not a -great big woman, I have discovered that." - -"No, I am neither big nor lovely. I am little and dried up--and -wrinkled, like a baked apple--and surprisingly ugly." - -"Dried up at your age? May I touch your face just a little?" - -"You may not!" - -"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. There's charm in baked apples. There's -character in a dried-up face." - -"But that was only the beginning. As I dried and shriveled, my hair -fell out." - -"Good! I love a bald head--especially in a woman. There's no -distinction in hair. All animals have it. In that delectable period -of sudden marriages, I remember some things clearly, as if yesterday. -I recall distinctly the eyes of my bride. No man could forget them. -In their fathomless depths even a boy could lose himself. And, oh, so -beautiful! One such eye would transform a dried apple face into a thing -of joy. And in that bride's face were two of them. Don't tell me they, -also, are gone." - -"Only one." - -"Too bad! Have you lost any limbs?" - -"Not yet." - -"And your teeth are gone?" - -"Oh, long, long ago." - -There was a silence. So black was the enveloping darkness that the -silence itself seemed heavy, as if forbidding conversation. - -At last Cyrus spoke. "So far as I can learn, your face is like a baked -apple, your teeth and one eye are gone, and you have no hair. But I'll -take you as you are." - -Ruth laughed. "Why, Cyrus! That's practically an offer of marriage! -You appear even wilder and more reckless than when you were trying to -discover whether you were in England or Massachusetts." - -"On the contrary, I am wiser than you think. I was in love with you in -Longfields--and I am finding now that neither time nor absence have -changed that feeling. What's a tooth, an eye, or a few hairs more or -less to an honest lover?" - -"Honest humbug! You forget how well I knew you. You had no respect for -truth." - -"Yes, but only as a child. I am telling the truth now, on my honor. -Let's not separate again. Why, it's beginning a new life! Come. Let's -go back to the Unitarian Church and be married just once more. Only -once more; that's all I ask." - -"Indeed I shall not! I am not buying a pig in a poke. When daylight -came and I really saw you I might be sick with horror." - -"No, no! I'm not so bad as that! In fact I look about as I did when a -boy, only--more beautiful." - -"Then you are a funny looking man, Drowsy, with your sleepy eyes and -your little buttoned-up mouth." - -Cyrus laughed. "No, I swear I'm not funny looking. I have the same -eyes, but my mouth is three times as long. It's one of the largest and -most admired mouths in Massachusetts. But why these questions? You saw -me a few minutes ago when I came along. The glare of those headlights -ought to illuminate any kind of a face." - -"You held your hand before your face to shade your eyes." - -"So I did. But, seriously, Ruthy, I realize now that all my old feeling -for you has never died. Your voice alone revives the memories of those -pleasant years. Why part again? It might be forever." - -"A thousand reasons." - -"But no good ones. What better test of my affection could you want? -I don't ask to see your face. Your voice, your words, yourself, and -old-time memories are more than enough. Come. Say yes." - -"No. Never in the world! Suppose, when you could really see me, there -came regrets. What a position for a woman! Oh, no! Never that!" - -"Don't say 'never.'" - -"Is this a habit of yours--making love in the dark to women you don't -know? You should have a guardian." - -"Be that guardian!" - -"Thank you, I have other occupations." - -Here came a silence. The thoughts of Cyrus, whatever they might be, -were interrupted by Ruth: - -"You must think me a most adaptable woman, Cyrus, to fall in love, at a -minute's notice, with a voice and a memory." - -"If you are a toothless, hairless, wrinkled, one-eyed hag you ought to -be grateful." - -"A toothless hag, even with no pride--may have a little caution." - -"Anyway," said Cyrus, and he spoke more seriously--and with more -decision--"I am in earnest. I may be talking like a fool--I don't know -how to express myself. Meeting you again is like a new life. As a -little girl, Ruthy, you were everything to me. You don't know what a -difference, what a void it made when you vanished and left me adrift. -Now that we are again together, and I am older, I realize what I lost. -After you left Longfields--and your leaving was awfully sudden, if -you remember--not even a chance to say good-by--I used to sit on your -doorstep and try to think you would come out." - -"Is that true?" - -"On my honor. And one moonlight night when father and Joanna thought I -was in bed I stood at my window and tried to get a message to you, in -the old way--hoping a thought would reach you. Then I stole out of the -house, ran to yours and threw little stones against the closed shutters -of your empty chamber. Of course no answer came. But I waited and -waited. The moonlight seemed to encourage me. And when I had waited in -vain--a very long time,--it seemed a year--I pretended you came to the -window and we had a long talk." - -She laughed. "And what did I say?" - -"You said just what I wanted you to say: the nicest things; the things -I was yearning for. Quite different from what you are saying to-night." - -"If you thought of me so much, why didn't you write to me?" - -"I did. I wrote twice." - -"I never got them." - -"I will tell you why you never got them if you will promise not to -laugh." - -"I promise." - -"They were directed simply to Miss Ruth Heywood, China. And China, I -have learned since, is a larger place than Longfields." - -"Oh, you poor boy!" - -"And when I was a freshman at Cambridge, I tried hard to fall in love -with a girl because she reminded me of you." - -Ruth was silent. Cyrus went on. "When you first spoke here, a few -minutes ago, your voice affected me in a way--in a way I can't -describe. It seemed to open vistas of memory, as in a fairy tale. And -the instant I realized that we were again together--why--it all came -back with a rush--as of sunshine--like a wave, or a flood of unexpected -happiness--and hope." - -"Oh, Drowsy, what charming nonsense!" - -"Yes--it is nonsense, if that kind of love is nonsense--the kind that -begins in boyhood and never dies--that holds to one woman and will have -no other." - -He felt a hand on his arm. In her voice came a gentler note. "Listen, -Drowsy. My uncle and I are on our way to a train. I am starting for -Italy. When I know my permanent address I will--perhaps--see that you -get it--indirectly, but not from me. Then, without committing either -of us, if you are still as blind, as reckless and perverse as you are -to-night, you can----" - -"Still alive, Ruth?" - -The voice came from the darkness and was close behind them. - -Cyrus was presented as an old friend. He assisted the uncle in pouring -the gasoline into the tank. The uncle was in haste to get away, still -hoping to catch a train. There were a few words of parting before the -motor with its two occupants slid away into the darkness. - -This parting, to Cyrus, seemed even more sudden than the old one, long -years ago. - -For many minutes he stood looking in their direction. The night was -black, and he saw nothing. But in his heart was a rosy dawn. - -Incidentally, but of far less importance, he knew on what portion of -the earth he had landed. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XII - -"INCREDIBLE!" - - -A prosperous, self-reliant man, well built, well dressed and well -pleased with himself, sat at a desk in his private office. It was the -senior partner of the firm--a well known firm of Fifth Avenue jewelers. -Being a wise man, he was wise enough to enjoy a reasonable pride in -his own wisdom; also in his own pleasing personality, and in his own -good face and figure. Now, sixty years of age, he had, moreover, -enjoyed a quarter century of success--the reward, perhaps, of his own -foresight in being the son of a prosperous father. He had inherited a -well established business. As a leading member of a fashionable church -he was grateful to himself, and to his Creator, for these, his many -blessings. - -Another well-dressed man--but younger than himself--entered abruptly -and stood beside his desk. The Senior Partner looked up from his work, -nodded, and smiled. - -"Good morning, William." - -"Good morning, Uncle Fred." - -William was dapper, even more up-to-date in appearance than his uncle. -Although more carefully attired, he was not so well dressed. For -William's hair was so very smooth, and all that pertained to him so -aggressively fresh and clean, his clothes so faultlessly in fit, his -cravat, his scarf pin, his hair and his eyes such a pleasing harmony -in shade and color as to divert the beholder's attention from his -sensible face. In appearance William was unjust to himself, giving the -impression, to strangers, of a vain or frivolous person. He was, on the -contrary, a very intelligent man. Also, he was good. At the present -moment there were signs of suppressed excitement in this cleanest of -clean faces. - -"Well," said the Senior Partner, "out with it." - -"You remember Cyrus Alton, don't you, Uncle Fred?" - -"No." - -"Well, you met him some years ago. It was he who saved me from breaking -my neck in the amateur circus at school." - -"Oh! And he has regretted it ever since?" - -William smiled. "No, sir. I hope not. But it was a mighty plucky thing -to do. I fell from the trapeze and he was on the ground beneath. When -he saw me coming, instead of jumping from under, like a sensible boy, -he held out his arm to break the fall. It threw his shoulder out of -joint, but saved me a broken neck--so we all thought." - -"Yes, I remember now. It _was_ a plucky thing. It showed courage and -presence of mind. How old was he?" - -"About my age: twelve, I guess, or thirteen." - -"He certainly played the hero on that day. Has he lived up to it?" - -"I don't know. I have hardly seen him since we left school. I always -liked him. We were great cronies--always together." - -"Mighty lucky you were together on that occasion. What's his -occupation, now?" - -"Oh, chemistry and electricity. Science generally, I guess. But I don't -think the world has been treating him well. His clothes are kind of -ancient, and he looks hard up. He lives up in Massachusetts, in some -little town or village. It's a dozen years since I have seen him, until -he came in, a few minutes ago, with a curious kind of stone. He doesn't -know what it is, and wants to find out. Wants us to tell him. It's -beyond me, though. Would you mind seeing him just a minute, and looking -at it?" - -"A stone, did you say?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"What kind of a stone?" - -"That's just what he doesn't know, nor I either." - -"All right, show him in." - -To the hero of the amateur circus came a cordial greeting from the -Senior Partner, who alluded in a most friendly manner to that historic -occasion. But were he not familiar with the story he would have found -difficulty in recognizing the present visitor as the hero of such a -day. For that was a deed requiring--to say nothing of courage--quick -decision, quick action and that perfect confidence in physical strength -which we attribute to the trained athlete. These wide-awake qualities -were not suggested in any degree by the slow moving, sleepy eyed -young man of slender figure to whom Hurry seemed a stranger. This -man was a dreamer. But the Senior Partner had perhaps forgotten that -the brightest pages of human history have been furnished by dreamers -stirred to action. Moreover, it was clearly evident that this young man -and Prosperity were not on friendly terms. And the dark color beneath -his eyes seemed to indicate loss of sleep or nervous strain. Now the -Senior Partner had never been in love with Poverty. He had the same -sort of sympathy for it that Virtue has for Vice; or that Cleanliness -has for Dirt. But he was determined, on William's account, to treat his -old friend with proper consideration. - -After a short conversation, retrospective and educational, the visitor -laid in the hand of the Senior Partner what appeared to be a large -glass door-knob. It was octagonal in shape with a convex top, and was -broken at the stem. The color was a pale, apple green. The Senior -Partner adjusted his glasses and politely examined it. He examined it -with the same tactful consideration he would show to any well meaning -person who believes his imitation pearl a priceless gem. This case, -however, was certainly unusual. The man who could hand you a very large -glass door knob and ask your opinion on it, as an expert in gems, -required special treatment. And when the Senior Partner studied the -visitor's face for some outward indications of the amazing credulity -within, he searched in vain. Instead of the eager eyes and parted lips -of a touch-and-go enthusiast hoping for sudden wealth, he encountered a -firm, though boyish mouth, and two calm, dark, almost drowsy eyes that -met his own with a tranquil sanity, having no relation, apparently, to -their owner's misguided errand. However, the Senior Partner knew from -experience that exteriors were deceptive. - -While hesitating for words that might reveal, in the gentlest manner, -the fact that the object was worthless, his nephew spoke, and in a tone -of eager curiosity. - -"What is it, Uncle Fred? What can it be?" - -"That's hard to say. It is rather large for a door knob, or the stopper -of any human decanter. It might be the pendant of a chandelier." - -"I mean what is it made of? What is the material?" - -"You mean what kind of glass?" - -"Yes, sir; if it--if it _is_ glass." - -"Then you think it is not glass?" - -"That's what we want to find out." - -This uncle was not misled by his nephew's earnestness. He knew William, -and he knew him to be a ready believer in interesting things; one -who could pin his faith on whatever he really wished to believe. And -the uncle had learned that this capacity, combined with a lively -imagination, became a perilous guide in matters of business. However, -he held the object higher, between his eyes and the window. - -"You think it might be rock crystal?" Then, turning to the visitor, -"What is your own opinion, Mr. Alton?" - -"Oh, I have no opinion; only hopes." - -"And what are your hopes?" - -Now Cyrus Alton had easily divined the Senior Partner's thoughts. "Hope -is so inexpensive," he answered, "that I have been indulging in the -brightest kind. But if I am flying too high I can easily come to earth -again. Is it nothing but glass, after all?" - -"Oh, I don't say that." - -But the Senior Partner still marveled that any educated person should -prove so gullible as to be deceived by this object in his hand. He -looked again, and more carefully, at the visitor's face. This time -the boyish mouth seemed to indicate nothing but inexperience. The -heavy lidded eyes, however, calmly returned the searching gaze, as if -they themselves were searching;--yet in a sleepy way, it seemed to -the Senior Partner. And the Senior Partner was strengthened in his -conviction that a man with those eyes and with such a mouth could -believe almost anything. Yet he liked the young man's face. His voice -was pleasant, and his manner of speech, while punctiliously polite and -considerate of others, indicated decision and self-reliance. - -"But, Uncle Fred," said William, "it is so heavy for its size. And it's -cold, like a diamond. And it has that oily feeling on the polished -face. It surely is not an artificial stone." - -"No, possibly not. But the color, this pale, apple green, while an -exquisite tint, is not usual in diamonds." - -"But the famous 'Dresden' is that color, isn't it?" - -"Yes, I believe so; but the famous 'Dresden' is smaller than a paving -stone. This object, as you see, if a natural stone, must have been -nearly twice its present dimensions before cutting. And even now it is -fully twice the size of any diamond of which we have ever heard. You -young gentlemen will admit that it must be the house of an exceedingly -prosperous person where bulky door knobs were composed of single -diamonds." - -Nephew William frowned and drummed with his fingers on the top of the -desk. - -"And I doubt," continued the Senior Partner with his pleasant smile, -"if there are many mines that yield jewels the size of ostrich eggs." - -Cyrus Alton's eyes, in a dreamy way, were fixed upon the stone. -"Couldn't this have come from some other planet?" - -"Possibly, as a meteorite. But precious stones have not the habit of -coming from that direction. However, nothing concerning astronomy can -surprise us. Might I ask where you found it, Mr. Alton?" - -Mr. Alton hesitated. As he drew a hand across his forehead the -Senior Partner and his nephew noticed a hole in the faded and shiny -coat sleeve; also that the linen cuff with its frayed edges had no -fastenings. William's silent guess was correct. "The poor chap has had -to sell his cuff buttons." - -"If you don't mind, sir, I would rather not answer that question just -at present." - -"Certainly. Of course not! Excuse my asking." - -"I am the one to apologize, sir. It is a most natural question, and I -will answer it later." - -"Of course, Mr. Alton, you understand my asking that question. The -answer might give us light that would solve the riddle. If, for -instance, you found it among broken fragments in a glass factory, we -might be prejudiced regarding its ancestry." - -"No. It was many miles from any factory." - -"On the other hand, if unearthed in a diamond mine, or discovered on -the forehead of a Hindoo god it's claim to distinction would be more -clearly defined." - -"Yes, I suppose so. But I thought an expert might judge the value of a -stone without knowing its history." - -"Certainly, certainly. But sometimes a ray of light on a doubtful -subject facilitates a decision. If this majestic door knob, fragment -of a balustrade, pendant to a chandelier, or whatever its original -purpose--if this object is a diamond, Mr. Alton, it means a fortune to -its owner. And I sincerely wish it were a diamond." - -"But you know it isn't?" - -"I don't say that; but no lapidary would ever cut a diamond as this is -cut." Then, with a friendly smile as he handed it back to its owner, -"If William here, or anybody else should offer you real money for -it----" - -"You advise me to take it." - -The Senior Partner smiled and nodded. Cyrus Alton rose. "I thank you -sincerely, sir, for this interview and for your opinion on my bogus -gem." The Senior Partner also rose, and in shaking hands laid his other -hand on the visitor's shoulder. "It may console you, Mr. Alton, to -know that you are not the first person--nor the hundredth, for that -matter--to be undeceived here in this office. The brightest hopes, -especially with would-be pearls and diamonds, often vanish even more -swiftly than they come." - -While the smiling, leisurely mouth of Cyrus was getting ready to reply, -a door opened, and a man entered. It was a short, stout man with fierce -black eyebrows, black eyes and a heavy black beard, all in striking -contrast to the whitest and baldest of heads. - -"Ah, Mr. Bressani!" exclaimed the Senior Partner. "You are just the -man!" After presenting Mr. Bressani to the visitor he said: "Give us -the truth about this stone. What is it?" And he took the stone from -Cyrus and handed it to the new arrival. - -Now Mr. Bressani was more than an expert. His instinct in the matter -of gems was abnormal. It was something more than instinct. It was a -singular, innate sense; one of those unexplained faculties that enables -its possessor to judge offhand, with certainty and precision, where -others must weigh and reason. In important matters he was sought by -jewelers. And there was no recorded case in which he had been deceived. - -Now, as he held the doubtful object in his fat, white fingers, he -suspected from the smile on the face of the Senior Partner that a joke -was in the air. When he saw what was in his hand--apparently a piece -of greenish glass--he raised his heavy black eyebrows, and, with a -sidelong glance, studied the faces of the three men, one after another, -to make sure they were not laughing at him. Nephew William smiled but -shook his head. "No, we are serious. Tell us what you think." - -Still doubtful, Mr. Bressani held it nearer his eye, turned it over -in his large, baby fingers, moved it slowly up and down, evidently -guessing its weight, and slowly passed a thumb over its surface. -Then, as if surprised, he stepped hastily to the window and held it -between his eyes and the light. Wheeling about, his eyebrows darted -up in surprise. These eyebrows, thick and heavy, flew heavenward so -swiftly and they traveled so far that they seemed to pull upon his big -black eyes to twice their usual size and roundness. These astonished -orbs he rolled toward the three men as if startled by a miracle. They -proclaimed a bewildering, overwhelming astonishment that his half-open -lips could not express. - -[Illustration: "BUT WHO EVER SAW SUCH A DIAMOND?"--_Page 199_] - -"Why, it's a diamond!" - -The Senior Partner rose and moved toward him. "Are you sure?" - -But Mr. Bressani did not reply. Lost in wonder, apparently -unconscious of his surroundings, he turned the object over and over, -in every light, and at every angle. "Extraordinary!" he murmured. -"Extraordinary! It doesn't seem possible." - -"But are you sure?" repeated the Senior Partner. - -"Absolutely." - -"But who ever saw such a diamond?" - -"Nobody! Nobody! It's incredible--miraculous--inconceivable. There -never _was_ such a thing!" - -"Just what I have been saying," from the Senior Partner. "Nobody would -ever cut a diamond in that shape. And look at the size of it! And the -color!" - -"Yes, yes! It's hard to believe!" - -"But you _do_ believe it?" - -The bushy eyebrows went up, then down, with a shrug of shoulders. -"Believe it? I know it! What do _you_ think it is, glass?" - -"Well--er--yes, to be honest. I didn't know what else it could be. No -human being ever saw a diamond of those dimensions." - -"We are seeing it now. But whose is it?" - -"It belongs to Mr. Alton." - -"I congratulate you, Mr. Alton. You possess the most amazing diamond in -history or fiction." - -Cyrus bowed. "Then it is the largest you have ever seen?" - -"Twice over. The famous Cullinan stone, the largest yet discovered, was -about half this size." - -"Let's weigh it," said William. - -The expert placed it on the little scales that stood on the top of -the Senior Partner's desk. The three men waited in silence for the -verdict. After a close scrutiny of the scales Mr. Bressani straightened -up, turned toward the three pairs of eyes--all fixed intently on his -own--and exclaimed: - -"Really--it is hard to believe!" - -"How much?" came, in the same breath, from the Senior Partner and his -nephew. - -"Seventy-one hundred carats!" - -The nephew laughed nervously. "Why--there never was such a diamond!" - -The Senior Partner frowned. "Impossible!" - -Mr. Bressani's hand trembled slightly, as he lifted the stone from -the scales and again held it to the light. "Yes--yes--it does seem -impossible!" - -"But nobody ever saw such a diamond!" was again announced by William. - -"Never!" from Mr. Bressani. - -"How much did the Cullinan weigh?" William asked. - -"About three thousand and thirty carats in the rough--about a pound and -three-quarters. It was cut into three large stones and several smaller -ones. Two of these stones are the largest brilliants in existence." - -"But, are you sure, Bressani," said the Senior Partner, "absolutely -sure that it _is_ a diamond?" - -Mr. Bressani smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and with a gesture of both -hands, palms out, replied, slowly: - -"I am not a rich man, but whatever property I possess, and whatever I -can borrow up to a million dollars I would gladly give to Mr. Alton if -I might own this stone." - -Cyrus Alton's eyes opened wider. "A million dollars?" - -"Easily. You see, it will cut to four or five stones of extraordinary -size, and--unless I am much mistaken--of perfect purity. Also, the -color--this lovely, delicate, apple-green tint is almost unknown. The -only diamond of this color in the world, of any importance, is the -famous Dresden Green, one of the crown jewels of Saxony." - -"Is this much larger," inquired Cyrus, "than that Dresden diamond?" - -"Many times larger." - -"And much larger than any of the famous diamonds?" - -"Yes, indeed! Much, much, very much larger. No comparison, in fact. -Why, Mr. Alton, if this were cut to one stone, half its present -size--as a rough guess--it would be over three thousand carats." - -Nephew William gasped. "Three thousand carats! Why, there's nothing -like it! It would be the most famous stone in the world!" - -"No doubt about that," said Mr. Bressani. - -"How much is the Great Mogul?" asked William. - -"Less than two hundred carats." - -"And the Koh-i-noor?" - -"One hundred and eight." - -"And the Star of the South?" - -"About a hundred and twenty-seven carats." - -"Did you ever see the Hope diamond?" - -"Yes; forty-five carats. Almost circular in shape; sold for eighteen -thousand pounds. But it is believed--at least there is a story--that it -brings bad luck to its owners." - -"It is blue, isn't it?" - -"Yes, blue, and a good color, but not so beautiful nor so rare, as -this shade of green. This is a wonder." And as he spoke he turned -the stone in every light. "It's a marvelous thing. Marvelous! Almost -unbelievable!" - -"Can you tell me," said Cyrus, "about how much it is worth?" - -Mr. Bressani shrugged his shoulders: "Anything." - -"You mean," said the Senior Partner, "it would be impossible to guess, -even approximately, at its value?" - -"Yes. For you know the value of diamonds is speculative--depending on -many conditions; size, shape, purity, color--and how they cut. The -Victoria--one hundred and eighty carats--was sold for four hundred -thousand pounds. But diamonds were rarer then. This, when properly cut -into the right number of stones, would bring more than three million -dollars." - -William, in his enthusiasm, slapped his friend on the back. "Well, old -man, you have struck it rich this time." - -The calm-eyed Cyrus smiled and nodded. - -"Then this diamond of mine," he said, "would be ten times bigger than -the Koh-i-noor or any of those other stones?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Isn't there a famous Sancy diamond?" - -"Oh, yes. But that weighed only fifty-three carats. The Sancy diamond -was famous more from its unusual history than from its size." - -"What was its history, Bressani?" said the Senior Partner. "I never -heard it." - -"Well, it belonged to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who was -wearing it in his hat at the battle of Nancy, the day he was killed. A -Swiss soldier found it and sold it to a clergyman for a gulden; about -forty cents. Then it came into possession of Anton, King of Portugal, -who sold it for 100,000 Francs. Soon afterwards it became the property -of a French gentleman named Sancy. A descendant of this Sancy was sent -by Henry III as ambassador to Soluere and the King required the diamond -as a pledge. The servant who was carrying it to the King was attacked -by robbers and murdered, but before dying he swallowed the diamond. -His master, knowing his devotion, had the body opened and found the -diamond in his stomach." - -"And where is it now?" asked Cyrus. - -"It was bought by a Russian nobleman in 1835, for half a million -rubles; about four hundred thousand dollars." - -"Jove!" exclaimed William. "Some difference in price between forty -cents and four hundred thousand dollars!" - -"And how much bigger," asked William, "is this than the Sancy?" - -"That weighed fifty-three carats. This, when cut, would weigh about -three thousand." - -"Jove! Sixty times as much! Would it be worth sixty times four hundred -thousand dollars? That would be about twenty-four million dollars." - -Mr. Bressani smiled and shook his head. "Times were different then--and -to-day there are more diamonds." - -"I suppose many of the famous jewels," said William, "if they could -speak, might tell us stories as surprising as the Sancy's." - -Then Cyrus Alton, in a low voice, addressing nobody in particular, -said: "It would be worth the price of this diamond to know its history." - -The Bressani eyebrows went up--high up--and then far down. And beneath -the frown the fierce eyes looked eagerly toward the speaker. "Has it a -remarkable history, Mr. Alton?" - -Cyrus smiled, slowly and somewhat sadly, and gently shook his head. -"I wish I knew. I would almost give the diamond's price to know its -story--much as I need the money." - -"Do you know nothing of its history?" - -"Nothing. I only know that if we could see what that stone has seen -we should enter a new field of knowledge. It would throw light upon a -world of unknown things, earlier than human history." - -In silence the jewelers regarded the speaker, as if waiting for some -explanation of his words. - -Mr. Bressani's eyebrows had shot up to the highest attitude yet -attained. In a low voice, but in a tone that showed the liveliest -curiosity, he asked, "Just what do you mean, Mr. Alton?" - -"I mean the story of this diamond's country would be a story so -overwhelming, so far beyond us, so complete and final in its stupendous -tragedy that our own human drama would seem a trifling comedy." - -These words were spoken in a calm but earnest manner, and they -impressed the listeners. A silence followed. Then Mr. Bressani asked: -"What _is_ this diamond's country?" - -Cyrus hesitated. He knew that if he told the truth it would appear -incredible to his hearers--like a fairy tale for children: that he -would be regarded either as a fool, to be pitied, or as a willful liar. -While he hesitated the Senior Partner came to his rescue. - -"Mr. Alton has already informed us that he has reasons for not telling -where he found it." - -Mr. Bressani's enthusiasm, however,--and his curiosity--were far too -strong for accepting so easy a defeat. "But what part of the world? He -can tell us that." - -"As a matter of fact," said Cyrus, "I don't know, myself, the name of -that particular country." - -Again the bushy Bressani eyebrows sailed aloft, then dropped and -beetled over the fierce black eyes. "You don't know in what country you -were when you found it--or bought it?" - -"I am not sure that it has a name." - -"A most unusual country!" - -"Yes, it certainly is;--most unusual." - -Nephew William laughed. "And it must be a long way off, Cyrus." - -"It is." - -"And pretty small, if it has no name." - -"No, not so small. But its name was long ago forgotten. There are no -survivors to remember it." - -"But you can tell us," said Mr. Bressani, "whether it is North of here, -or East, or West, or South." - -"Why--er--really, I couldn't tell you even that. Nobody could." - -"Perhaps it's beneath us, or above"; and in the Senior Partner's tone -was a suggestion of irony. - -Cyrus ignored the tone and answered pleasantly: "I am not trying to -deceive, or to mislead you in any way, but it really is a journey in -which points of the compass are no guides whatever." - -On the faces of the three jewelers came three involuntary frowns. - -[Illustration: "A MOST UNUSUAL COUNTRY!"--_Page 206_] - -"You are certainly having fun with us, Cyrus," said William. - -"No, not at all. But, you see, a compass would be useless where there -is no such thing as North and South." - -"No such thing as North and South!" - -"No. Nor East and West. The needle would lose its bearings. It wouldn't -know where to point." - -"Oh, come now! Is that a joke? Are we to laugh at it?" - -Cyrus smiled. "I should not blame you for laughing--but it is not a -joke. I am telling the truth." - -"You mean to say, I suppose, that you had such bad weather--electrical -storms, perhaps,--that the needle couldn't work." - -"No, there was no weather at all." - -"You mean no bad weather?" - -"Nor good weather, either." - -With some impatience William demanded: "Now just what do you mean, -Cyrus?" - -"I mean, that in going and coming, there was no such thing as wind -nor rain, nor sunshine. It was all twilight--a dusk that was almost -darkness. It was a trackless, uncharted voyage. And not a shore to -touch at." - -"Then you crossed an ocean? It was all by sea?" - -"No. There was no sea--no water anywhere." - -This time William made no effort to hide his annoyance. He merely -whistled, and walked away, toward the window. - -"I don't blame you, Billy, for being enraged," and Cyrus also stood up. -"But on my honor, I am telling you the truth. And I am willing to tell -you anything except the exact location. Later on you will understand my -reasons for being so secretive." - -"Perhaps you can tell us," said Mr. Bressani, "in what surroundings you -found it: whether under ground or above." - -"Above. Just lying on the ground." - -"My own guess," said William, "from its being already cut, is that some -oriental chap either gave it to you or sold it." - -"No, I found it, entirely by accident--among some ruins." - -Mr. Bressani's eyebrows again went up. "Ruins of what?" - -"Of an ancient building--a very, very ancient building." - -"But covered with earth, I suppose, and overgrown with vines." - -"No. Not a trace of vegetation anywhere in sight." - -"It must be a melancholy place." - -"It is." - -"But once a city?" - -"I think so." - -"The ruins of Palmyra!" exclaimed Mr. Bressani. "They are now a sandy -waste." - -"No; many thousands of miles from Palmyra." - -"Many thousands of miles! That means a long distance." - -[Illustration: "BUT ONCE A CITY?"--_Page 208_] - -"It _is_ a long distance." - -"Then it can't be any part of Asia, or even India?" - -"No, sir." - -"Africa, perhaps?" - -"No." - -"A South American diamond?" - -"No." - -As Mr. Bressani's ferocious, black eyebrows settled down over his eyes -the Senior Partner laughed. "This reminds me of the game of twenty -questions. And you are surely the victor, Mr. Alton." - -But Mr. Bressani was too much in earnest to think of jokes or games. -"You say these ruins are very old?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"How old? Greek or Roman, perhaps?" - -"Older than human history." - -[Illustration: "OLDER THAN HUMAN HISTORY"--_Page 209_] - -Again the three listeners frowned. With a shade of sarcasm the Senior -Partner addressed his nephew: "Mr. Alton has a poet's fancy." - -Cyrus understood, but his face showed no annoyance. Smilingly he said, -"You will get more digestible answers, perhaps, if you don't ask me -where I found it. The whole adventure is incredible. If I told you the -truth you would not believe me." - -"Try us," said William. - -The Senior Partner waved his hand in apology. "Please don't think we -doubt your word, Mr. Alton. But when you say older than human history -you are speaking figuratively, as it were." - -"No, sir. I am speaking literally. It is the belief of scientists -that millions of years have passed since any changes have occurred in -that--in that--territory." - -"Millions of years!" - -"Yes, sir. It is somewhat a matter of geology. And a geological period, -you know, is still young at a million years." - -The Senior Partner nodded politely. "Yes--very true. But, as diamonds -are found in so few places perhaps you will tell us, just to gratify -a natural curiosity, what kind of a region you have discovered--the -general nature of the country." - -"The nature of the country?" Cyrus Alton repeated. Then, lowering his -eyes, as if better to recall the scene, he hesitated for a moment. -"The nature of the country," he again repeated, and his manner became -serious. "No tree, nor bush, nor blade of grass is there; no living -thing of any kind: no birds--nor air to fly in;--not a drop of water. -The surface of the earth--no, not earth for there is no earth--is -stone--and ashes. 'Tis a cinder--the mummy of a world: an unending -necropolis. Once it was thickly populated. Now it is the Land of Death, -and deader than Death itself. Not even a memory is there, for those who -might remember have been dead uncounted ages. They themselves are long -since forgotten." - -On the faces of his little audience Cyrus saw a mild bewilderment--and -curiosity. - -"You say we have all heard of this country?" asked the Senior Partner. - -"Yes, and you have seen it--from a distance." - -"Are you sure," said William, "that we have all seen it?" - -"Yes, absolutely sure." - -"And we have probably been there?" - -"No--I think not." - -"Then, how could we see it?--from a railway train--or from a steamship?" - -Cyrus smiled. "Yes, you could see it that way--if you wished." - -"But how do you know we have never been there?" - -"I don't." - -"You only think it." - -"Yes, I only think it. You may have been there. I am quite sure, -however, that you have not." - -"But why so sure, Cyrus? You have been there yourself." - -"Yes." - -"And what man has done man can do." - -"Yes, sometimes, but not always, Billy. Only one man has eaten, for -instance, a certain huckleberry. And, as a rule, only one man marries -his own particular girl. You, for instance, have seen the top of -Trinity spire, but you have never been there." - -"You may as well say I have seen the moon, but never been there." - -Cyrus laughed, quite a hearty little laugh, as if thoroughly amused. -"Well I do say it. And it's true, isn't it?" - -"Yes, but it has no relation to the argument." - -"Why not? I am merely proving my statement, that you have seen -interesting places which you have never visited. Either Trinity spire -or the moon might hold this diamond." - -"But Trinity spire does not fit your description of the country." - -Again Cyrus seemed amused. "But the moon fits it." - -William laughed. "Well, Cyrus, you are just the same boy in an argument -that you were at school. And how mad I used to get! But this mysterious -land that you are concealing so successfully, the land we have all -seen but never touched--or even heard about, apparently--must be a -God-forsaken district. Is it a desert--like Sahara, for instance?" - -"No, quite different. This is rock, with plains of lava from volcanic -mountains and everywhere, in all directions, dust and ashes: the dried -bones of its own past--whatever it was. The whole surface of the -country seems upheaved and torn, all on a gigantic scale, as if it was -baked too much, then split and sundered in the cooling. A fantastic, -solemn region." - -"Well, by Jove!" said William, at last, "I still maintain that I have -never seen the place--nor anything like it." - -"I said from a distance." - -"Must have been a mighty long distance." - -[Illustration: "----THE DRIED BONES OF ITS OWN PAST, WHATEVER IT -WAS"--_Page 212_] - -"It was." - -"And a mighty unusual country!" - -"It is. Scattered about are high mountains, once volcanoes. And in the -craters of these old volcanoes some of them many miles across, I saw -the ruins of cities. There must be hundreds of these mountains, and -hundreds of ruined cities." - -"Then you traveled over the whole country." - -"No, indeed! But I looked down on it as I approached, and could take in -a vast area." - -William straightened up, and his eyes opened wider. "Oho! Then you went -there in an air-ship!" - -Cyrus nodded. - -"That accounts for no water on the voyage, and all that other stuff you -gave us." - -Again Cyrus nodded. And, with a broad smile of amusement: "It might -also account for Trinity spire and the moon." - -But his audience was too much in earnest to be thwarted by jokes. "Yes, -yes!" said Mr. Bressani. "That explains much that you have said. Please -continue." - -William, however, with a frown, leaned back against the desk. "Cyrus, I -still believe you are lying to us." - -"No, truly I am not. I don't pretend to give you the whole truth, but -what I do tell you is the truth and nothing else." - -"Go on, Mr. Alton," said the Senior Partner. "We interrupted you. It -certainly is an amazing country." - -Cyrus continued. "The whole country is cracked and broken with chasms. -From one volcano cańons radiate in all directions. They are miles -in width, and they seem bottomless. And even in these cańons, on -projecting ledges, are the ruins of cities." - -"But why should they build their cities in those sunless chasms?" - -[Illustration: "BUT WHY BUILD THEIR CITIES IN THOSE SUNLESS -CHASMS?"--_Page 214_] - -"My belief is that the moisture evaporated, then the surface of all -that country became so unbearably hot--with no atmosphere as protection -from the sun's rays--that the inhabitants were driven to the cańons." - -"What a life! No wonder they all died!" - -"That portion of the universe," said Cyrus, "is the desolation of -desolation, the tragedy of tragedies. It is a world of ashes. And -over everything an awful silence, a silence that frightens you. The -stillness of death, compared to it, is a merry waltz." - -[Illustration: "AND OVER EVERYTHING AN AWFUL SILENCE"--_Page 214_] - -[Illustration: "----A WORLD OF DUST AND ASHES"--_Page 214_] - -"How did you happen to find this country?" - -"I had heard of it. You all know about it in a general way, as I have -already said. But I tried to get there and happened to succeed." - -William shook his head. "Sorry to contradict you, Cyrus, but I never -heard of such a place." - -Cyrus laughed. "Oh, yes, you have! Excuse me, but you have all read -about it, and seen many pictures of it." - -Mr. Bressani took up the diamond. As he caressed the glistening marvel -he asked: "Do other people know of these ruins?" - -"I think not." - -"You have never heard of any one else who has been there?" - -"Never." - -"Is the district difficult to reach?" - -"Very--almost impossible. In fact the trip is so long and risky that -you need have no fear of other explorers. I tell you this merely that -you may know the chances are small of the market being flooded with -diamonds--at least from that quarter. Nobody else will try it. You may -be sure of that. The diamonds are there, however, and plenty of them." - -[Illustration: "THE DIAMONDS ARE THERE, AND PLENTY OF THEM"--_Page -215_] - -"Plenty of them!" - -"Plenty--by the cart-load." - -William whistled. And the two older men whistled--in spirit--and raised -their eyebrows. With the Bressani eyebrows still in the air their owner -inquired: "You say this was lying on the top of the ground?" - -"Yes; among other fragments." - -"Fragments of what?" - -For a moment the visitor closed his eyes. "That is hard to answer. -I was there at dusk. The light was peculiar, and uncertain--and -changing. I should say there were fragments of cups and vases, of -carved capitals, scraps of metal that might be architectural ornaments, -all mingled with blocks of some white material, perhaps marble, or -alabaster. And all finely carved." - -"These things were scattered about the ground?" - -"Scattered about, but not literally on the ground. Many were lying on a -pavement of different colored stones--the floor of a building I should -say. The outer walls and several columns were still standing." - -"It might have been a palace, a temple, a forum,--almost anything of -size and importance." - -"You know nothing of the history of those people, of their manners and -customs?" - -"Nothing, whatever." - -"Where could I find out? That is, of course, if we had your permission." - -"Nowhere. Nobody knows. It is all forgotten--long ago forgotten--with -no records, no memories--not even a tradition." - -There was a silence. Cyrus knew that his hearers were having more -or less difficulty in digesting his statements. However, he smiled -pleasantly, as he said: "My sympathies are with you, gentlemen, and my -thanks for your courteous reception of my absurd story. But there is -one thing I do know about these people. Although their buildings were -often as high as ours, I know their legs were shorter. All their stone -steps, in every case, had risers about half the size of ours." - -"Ah! Then they were a race of pigmies." - -"I should think so, and with long arms and very short legs. They were -evidently strong on sculpture, as there are fragments of statues, -heads, bas reliefs, monuments, etc., all scattered about. And the -people represented are very much like ourselves, in some ways." - -[Illustration: "WITH LONG ARMS AND VERY SHORT LEGS"--_Page 216_] - -"You say you were there at dusk. Why didn't you see it by day light?" - -"Well, the--er--climate is peculiar. The air, if you can call it air, -is so very rarefied as to be no protection whatever against the heat of -the sun. And the surface of the ground, by daylight, would burn your -feet. And by night, there being no atmosphere twixt you and space, the -temperature is about 300 degrees below zero." - -"Three hundred degrees!" - -Cyrus smiled and nodded. "That's what the scientists say. I had no -thermometer with me." - -"But no human being could live in such a temperature!" - -"That is why I stuck to the twilight. And I suspect that is why the -cities were built in the cańons." - -"Why, of course! That explains it. I was wondering what on earth could -induce anybody to want to live in those God-forsaken chasms." - -Mr. Bressani, however, had a deeper interest in abnormal gems than -in climatic conditions. "Did you find this piece all alone, by -itself,--apart from others?" - -"No; other pieces were near it." - -"But not so large as this." - -"Oh, yes! Some were much larger." - -Mr. Bressani frowned. "Larger than this?" - -"Yes, much larger." - -"But not diamonds--not this same material?" - -"I suppose they were. They looked just like it." - -"Then why didn't you bring a larger piece? It would be a fabulous -fortune, in itself." - -Cyrus seemed uncertain as to his answer. "Well--there were--many -reasons. One was that I did not know they were diamonds. Another was -that I needed both hands for other purposes and could not carry--just -at that moment--anything too large to go in my pocket. In fact I tried -to pick up a beautifully carved fragment nearly the size of a football, -but I had to drop it for this smaller one." - -The three jewelers regarded him with eager faces, as children listen to -a fairy tale. Mr. Bressani in a low, somewhat awe stricken tone, said: - -"And there is really much of it?" - -"Lots of it." - -"But, of course, you are not absolutely sure it is the same material?" - -"Well--I saw the other part of the one in your hand lying beside it, -and it was four or five times the size of this one." - -The three men turned to each other, as if to discover the effect, on -other human beings, of such a statement. - -The Senior Partner leaned forward, each hand grasping an arm of his -chair. The Bressani eyebrows shot aloft, and he came a step nearer. -Nephew William adjusted his lips for a whistle, but changed his mind. -No sound came forth. - -It was the Senior Partner who was the first to find himself, and -return to business. Leaning back in his chair he cleared his throat. -"Mr. Alton, if you were not an old friend of William's, and if I -knew nothing about you, I should say that Munchausen, by comparison, -was a clumsy beginner. But your own reputation and that stone in Mr. -Bressani's hand, are proofs to the contrary--the best of proofs. Now -let us get to business. Is it your wish to sell this diamond to us?" - -"Yes, sir. That's why I came here. And I would prefer dealing with your -house, if you care to bother with it." - -The Senior Partner smiled. "It would be an unenterprising jeweler who -declined to bother with what will soon become the most famous diamond -of history--ancient or modern. If agreeable to you, Mr. Alton, you can -leave the stone with us, and we will give you, now, a receipt for an -uncut diamond of seventy-one hundred carats, value unknown. A few days -hence, at your convenience, we will submit for your consideration a -plan by which you shall receive a certain amount at once in cash, the -balance to be governed by the final value of the stones as they are cut -or sold. Would that be satisfactory to you?" - -"Perfectly." - -"And perhaps you will agree to give us the preference if you decide -later to flood the market with diamonds the size of paving stones." - -Cyrus smiled. "Yes, sir, I shall be glad to do so." - -A few moments later, the receipt in his pocket, Cyrus left the private -office, escorted by William. At the street door, as the young jeweler, -at parting, shook hands with his friend, he said: "And, by the way, old -man, when you can divulge the awful secret of where you found it don't -waste a second in telling us." - -"If there is a humorous side to this morning's interview, Billy, it is -in the name of that very place." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean I mentioned the name, and more than once." - -"Stuff!" - -"On my honor." - -"What was it?" - -"Oh, that's too easy! Good-by." - -And he left William standing in the doorway,--still guessing. - -Alone together, the unparalleled, incredible wonder on the desk before -them, the Senior Partner and Mr. Bressani remained silent for a time, -as if recovering from a dream. For the twentieth time that morning, Mr. -Bressani murmured: "It seems impossible!" Then, after another silence: -"But where did he get it? Has he been to the very center of the earth?" - -"Or," said the Senior Partner, with a shrug, "to the mountains of the -moon." - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XIII - -A MESSAGE - - -To be lifted, suddenly, from poverty to wealth, is delightful. -Especially delightful when preceded by a preliminary course of -self-denial. For Cyrus and his father there was now an end, at last, to -the orthodox but discordant partnership between Pride and Want. - -Vaulting ambition has its uses. So have rags and hunger. And there are -times, as in the case of Cyrus, when they pull together. But now had -come the harvest. And the prosperity was real: the checks from the -Senior Partner were not a dream. - -"No more cheap food and shiny clothes for us," said Cyrus to his -father. "Me for gluttony; canvas backs three times a day; Burgundy and -dollar cigars. And brand new raiment every morning!" - -Dr. Alton nodded. "Yes, that's a good program. A change, even from bad -to worse, is often beneficial. Had you been brought up on canvas backs -and Burgundy, you might have yearned for water and dried apples." - -One of the first things Cyrus did was to visit Mrs. Eagan. The great -desire of her life had been to revisit Ireland, but she never could -save enough money. She had tried in vain to sell her little cottage -with its two acres of land. Now came a purchaser. For the acre farthest -from the house, for which there never had been a bid, Cyrus paid her -three thousand dollars. And the happy Mrs. Eagan went to Ireland. He -did other things, equally unbusinesslike. Some for his old friends; -some for the town itself. - -As for the Great Discovery both Cyrus and his father were of one -opinion--that it never must be made public: that the secret must die. -One of many reasons was, that with such a power in irresponsible hands -no man's property, and no man himself, would be secure. What safety -for a law abiding citizen when any criminal could purchase for a few -dollars and carry in his hand, or pocket, a weapon of unlimited energy -and force? The burglar or the highwayman could either escape at will or -send his victim into farthest space. - -He had various kinds of fun with his money. But he was no fool with it. -He had been too intimate with debt, half-rations and shabby raiment to -renew, voluntarily, the old acquaintance. But the greatest satisfaction -of all was the prospect of bringing a long deferred pleasure to his -father. Dr. Alton had spoken in years gone by of a trip to Europe. And -now he could have it. Moreover, this trip abroad, according to Cyrus, -was to be such a new departure in activity and leisure, in wisdom and -extravagance, as to startle Europe. - -"We'll make Croesus look like thirty cents--and Lucullus a skinflint." - -But Fate, brainless Fate, whose rewards and punishments seem random -shots, stepped in between. And the blow that came to Cyrus was the -hardest in his life. - -To the people of Longfields there was mystery in certain periods of Dr. -Alton's past. Those seven years abroad were secret history. The little -son and his unknown mother had invited explanation. But explanations -were not offered. Moreover, it was soon realized by his neighbors that -Dr. Alton's private affairs were his own, and were not for publication. -But people had surely a right to wonder why a physician with his -exceptional education and opportunities should give so little thought -to distinction in larger fields and prefer obscurity in a forgotten -little village. - -Miss Anita Clement and some other women believed that this handsome -young doctor had been the victim of a blighting passion; that his -heart, if not broken, had received a wound that never healed. But all -that was speculative. - -Of some things, however, they were sure. One was that his gentle -manner, his never failing help and kindness to poor and prosperous -alike, had resulted in a sincere affection for him, not only in -Longfields itself but in the neighboring villages. To every member of -the little community in which he lived and worked for nearly thirty -years his death was a personal loss. - -To Cyrus, this sudden, unexpected ending was a blow that stunned. -Many days were to pass before he fully realized how irreparable was -his loss. That his father's death should come when it did made sorrow -doubly keen. Of what good this sudden wealth when his best friend, -after these years of economy and self sacrifice, was not here to enjoy -it? And that trip abroad together--only a month away! - -Cyrus had this consolation, however, that the end was free from -suffering. - -An hour before his death--in a sunny November afternoon--his father was -reclining comfortably in his easy chair when he told Cyrus where to -find a package of letters in the further corner of a certain drawer in -his desk. Cyrus brought them. Then he sat by his father's side and, as -the letters, after being read, were handed him, one by one, he dropped -them into the fire. Some were limp and worn from many readings. With -them was a photograph of a woman's face. After a moment's hesitation -Dr. Alton handed it to his son. - -"That's your mother, Cyrus." - -With unspeakable emotion the son gazed upon this face. Her eyes looked -straight into his own. They were deep, dark, tragic--yet smiling. It -seemed to Cyrus that he had always known this face--and loved it. He -gazed in silence, overcome by feelings quite different from anything he -had heretofore experienced. His father's voice recalled him to himself. -The voice was becoming weaker. - -"Destroy this picture, Cyrus. If you ever meet her keep your knowledge -to yourself. Let her be the first--to greet you." - -So low was his voice that Cyrus bent forward to get his words. - -"Remember, always remember, she is a good woman." - -Dr. Alton leaned back and closed his eyes. - -A faint smile came to his lips. He whispered a name-- - -"Francesca." - -His thoughts wandered. In spirit he was far from Longfields. Below him -gleamed the Adriatic, azure blue. The breath of spring came gently to -his cheeks. Before him, and very near, is a woman's face, radiant with -beauty and with love, and with unfailing devotion. Her eyes looking -deep into his own, searching his innermost thoughts. There are none to -hide, for all are hers. - -The smile still upon his lips he murmured in French--his voice fainter -with each succeeding word--a message. - -And the last word, "Francesca," was scarcely a breath. - -Cyrus knew that another spirit had joined the countless host: that -into these final words a faithful lover had breathed his soul. - - * * * * * - -At that sunny hour of the afternoon, in Longfields, night had fallen -in the city of Milan. The great opera house was crowded. To lovers of -music the farewell appearance of the Diva was a memorable occasion. -It was also cause for surprise, but physicians had given warning of a -certain weakness about the heart. Besides, it may have been that after -thirty years of triumph--though apparently as young as ever--there had -come a surfeit of glory; a yearning for the tranquil life; for days and -nights of less effort and less excitement. - -So, still beautiful, erect as ever, and looking to perfection the -heroine, with the fresh, full voice of girlhood that charmed the world, -she was singing to-night before an audience, or rather, a host of -friends, that filled the great building from the floor to the topmost -seats. Both the glorious voice and the Diva herself seemed unchanged. -To-night she was still the envy of other singers. And to-night, as -usual, she thrilled an enchanted audience. - -Near the end of the second act came a surprise. Then it was that the -great singer seemed conquered by some strange emotion--some mysterious -agency that hushed her voice and enslaved her spirit. And to that -audience it always remained a mystery. - -Softly, from the orchestra, rose the accompaniment to the aria--the -divine aria--flooding the house with its melody. The Diva, with lips -parting for the opening notes, was moving slowly toward the front of -the stage. Then, instead of the voice for which the hundreds of eager -listeners were waiting, they saw her stop, and stand in silence. With -eyes closed, and face upturned, transfigured--as angels' faces are -transfigured--she stood, unconscious of the world about her. Vainly -the audience waited. Vainly the conductor waved his baton, as his -orchestra, with every bar, was leaving the Diva still further behind. - -But the Diva was far away. She heard him not. She heard nothing save -the thing unheard by others. The orchestra and its leader, the opera -house and the people in it, all had vanished--all had vanished as -completely from her thoughts as from her sight. The very music itself -helped the spirit's flight--to bear it aloft, to transport her far--oh -far indeed!--from where she stood. - -[Illustration: "But the Diva was far away. She heard nothing save the -thing unheard by others."] - -As a dying zephyr mingles with the fragrance of the flowers, so with -the harmony of the music came, from over seas, a lover's message. Her -name--Francesca--interwoven with the melody, came gently to her senses. -She knew from whom. And she alone knew what memories it revived, -crowding upon her through the music; precious memories of the only -passion of her life; of the one being to whom she had given her heart, -her self, her very soul--and for all time. Now, once again, they were -meeting. It came, the message, not in words--merely the breath of a -dying lover. It brought this truth, that all joy of living had ended at -their parting--nearly thirty years ago. Not a moment in those years had -his devotion wavered, a devotion greater and more real than all else in -life, beyond and far above the reach of death. Now, on the borders of -that other world where loyal hearts shall know no parting--there she -would find him waiting. Again her name--Francesca--fading away into the -melody of the aria. - -The Diva lowered her face, pressed a hand against her temples and -swayed as if to fall. But her recovery was sudden. She smiled toward -the sea of anxious faces and nodded to the conductor, who started his -orchestra afresh. Then she sang the aria as never before. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XIV - -OVER SEAS - - -There was music in Cyrus. As a boy, however, he could never get it out. -With no voice for singing his main relief was in whistling and humming -and in drumming with his fingers. Which, of course, made him more -or less of a nuisance at times. When he grew up his voice improved. -Not enough to outshine the nightingales, but it served for domestic -purposes. At church, for instance, he joined the congregation in the -hymns. His voice, in speaking, was low, with a pleasant quality, and -was more than satisfactory for ordinary human intercourse. But as a -musical instrument it aroused no enthusiasm. His father had said, on -one occasion: "The louder you sing, Cyrus, the less noise you make." - -But music had always moved him, and in a singular way; much as many -others are affected, perhaps, but more profoundly. It touched strange -chords, deep within him. It inspired him, and seemed to bring a keener -edge to his capacity for pain or pleasure; lifting him, at times, far -away from himself, to a world where other people are not too real; -where beauty and virtue, power, glory and justice are at one's own -command. Music brought these things to Cyrus--also other things for -which a young man's soul is thirsting. - -One evening in May there was a service in the church in which the -congregation--Cyrus included--had joined in the singing. After the -service he walked home alone. As he entered his own grounds the -music of the last hymn echoed in his brain. Still humming it, he -stopped and looked up at the stars. The solemn stillness of the night -brought memories of his father. And as he stood there, gazing at -the stars, he felt in the night air itself an unfamiliar element; -something that awakened within him emotions unrelated to his outward -senses. There was no moon, but from countless stars came flickering -beams--faint greetings from other worlds. He seemed alone in the Great -Silence--alone in the universe itself; in closer communion with hidden -things. From out the darkness, mingling with the silence, yet almost -silence itself, there came to him a breath--a murmur. It was not the -evening breeze among the branches of the maples. It was the gentlest -music, but not the echoes in his brain of the evening hymn. No--it -came from far away. It seemed personal--directed to himself. For a -time he stood without moving, every faculty alert. Not with his ears -did he listen, but with a deeper sense, as of one spirit striving for -communion with another. At last the music, the voice, the indefinable -melody died away, gently, into the silence of the night. - -Patiently he waited. Then, after a time, when nothing came, he opened -his eyes and lowered his face. In the continued silence about him he -began to suspect that his own brain might have been deceiving him; that -the message was from his own imagination. And was it a message? It had -told him nothing. So far as he could divine it was a call--a prayer, -but clearly to himself. Still wondering, he entered the house, did his -customary little chores, then went upstairs to bed. - -For a time he lay awake, thinking, but once asleep his sleep was sound. -From this sleep, however, he was awakened by what seemed a whispered -voice within the room. He sat up in his bed, and spoke. - -"Who is it?" - -Then came--as before, when he was standing beneath the stars--the -almost inaudible, far-away echo of a song. He listened, with every -sense alert. And, as before, it seemed addressed distinctly to -himself--an appeal to come. But where? So real was the entreaty that -he obeyed an impulse, arose from his bed and prepared to dress. As he -stood at his eastern window a few moments later, he heard again--or -thought he heard--the alluring voice. - -A faint, cool light at the horizon was creeping slowly upward, along -the edges of the earth. - -Yes, it came from off there. And he would follow it. Why not? His -father was gone. What held him in Longfields--or anywhere else? -Moreover, he had power to travel as was not given to other men. -Besides, it pleased him to believe in this need for himself, this call -to danger, death or sacrifice--or whatever it might be. To him it had -become a prayer from one soul to another. And he felt that he and the -other soul were not strangers. - -So, an hour later, Cyrus in his machine rose high above the earth and -steered his course toward the spreading light in the East. Now it was a -warmer tint, and growing rosier as it spread. - -Guided only by the rising sun and by some subtle sense which he did -not pretend to define, he sailed--or darted--over the waste of water -between Cape Cod and Portugal. Far below him, on this deep blue ocean, -specks were moving. Some were white; others darker, shedding smoke. But -all moved so slowly, compared with himself, that they seemed at anchor. -For, with him, any speed was possible and unfailing. - -This was his first trip by daylight across the Atlantic. When out of -sight of land, with the level, dark blue line of the horizon on every -side, he began to have the same sensation as when flying through space; -a sensation of aimless wandering. Also, there being no land marks, -nothing by which to measure progress, he found his only way of gauging -speed was by the amount of electric power he applied to his machine. -He had, of course, the sun to go by: and he knew the difference in -time between Boston and Lisbon was about four hours. Six hours he had -allowed for reaching Europe but he was startled by the rapidity with -which the morning sun was sliding westward across the heavens. It -helped him to guess at his velocity when he found the morning sun had -become, somewhat suddenly, an afternoon sun, and was well behind him. -Across the ocean he shot his machine, more like a cannon ball than a -passenger craft. Over the first piece of land--which must be Spain--he -hovered a few minutes for a hasty lunch; also for a supply of fresh -air. His oxygen cylinder was so large and with such enormous pressure -to the square foot that with the attendant apparatus for supplying -breathable air it could keep him alive for several days. But now he -took good long breaths of the outer air as a matter of both economy and -luxury. - -Then along the Northern end of the Mediterranean, still guided by Faith -alone for the spot whence came the summons. - -Now Cyrus, in his knowledge of geography, was about like the rest of -us. He had learned it, but details were not fresh in his mind. The two -great islands off to his right he guessed were Corsica and Sardinia. -Over Northern Italy he sped, where local showers were hiding, for -a time, the land beneath. One city on the western coast, with its -countless canals, was unmistakably Venice. On he sped across the -upper end of the Adriatic--the narrow part. Here, as he approached -the eastern shore, guidance forsook him. He slowed his machine, then -stopped. Thus far his intuition, whether right or wrong, had led him -without wavering. Now, and suddenly, all guidance ceased--his intuition -vanished. A sudden need, he felt, for knowledge he did not possess. -A sense of helplessness came upon him, intensified, perhaps, by the -reaction from his previous confidence. In fear of straying from his -course he decided to alight. If fortune favored him the voice might -come again, and he could start afresh. So he descended, slowly, toward -the summit of a towering hill whose western sides were steep and -thickly wooded. - -He landed in a cypress grove, beside a garden. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XV - -A GARDEN OF WONDERS - - -When Cyrus stepped out of his machine he stood for a moment unsteady on -his legs; a usual condition in a sudden change of air after hours of -bewildering speed. - -So far as he could judge he was in the grounds of an institution of -some kind--a monastery, a college, a convent, or possibly a summer -palace. Along the side of the garden overlooking the sea, which lay -far below, ran a wall. On this wall at regular spaces stood statues -of ecclesiastical persons, presumably Saints. They stood back to the -sea, facing the garden. In the garden a fountain played. Off beyond -the garden he saw long, white buildings, and a chapel. But what most -impressed him was the beauty of a line of cloisters, their many arches -of white marble, softened by age, now all aglow in the light of the -western sun. But his wandering, enchanted eyes fell upon another sight, -different in character, yet fully as interesting. But in a different -way. So interesting that he forgot, for a moment, the garden, the -fountain, the cloisters and the Saints. The sight that gently stirred -him was the figure of a girl; a graceful figure that seemed a fitting -climax to this garden in fairy land. She was leaning against the -parapet, her face toward the sun, now sinking in the West. She seemed -in deepest meditation. Her dress, a light gray, with white bands at -the neck and shoulders, suggested a religious order. So he decided -that his guess at having landed in a convent might be correct. He was -not familiar with convents. The inmates, so far as he knew, might -be a mingling of religious fanatics and female criminals partially -reformed. He felt sure, however, up to the present moment, that they -were wide and square in build, plain of face and haters of men. Hence -his surprise at the alluring, girlish figure now before him. Perhaps -this one was in here by mistake. Or, she might be some lovely victim -of disappointed love. May be a human angel brutally treated by cruel -relatives. Perhaps a marriageable princess escaping a distasteful -alliance. But these were merely guesses. She was standing not far away, -and was partly hidden from the convent buildings by the trunks of the -ancient cypresses. - -Cyrus approached this damsel. He saw that she was short, and slight of -figure, distinctly _petite_, and so absorbed in her own thoughts that -she failed to hear his footsteps on the gravel walk. - -He coughed. It seemed a safe if not original manner of announcing -his presence. The girl turned and faced him. She was startled; and -a hand went swiftly to her lips as if to suppress an exclamation. A -short moment they stood regarding each other, a dozen feet apart, the -light full in the face of the intruder, while the girl's was partly -in shadow. For the descending sun was almost directly behind her. So -earnestly she studied him that he became embarrassed. Her own surprise -was so great that her lips parted, then closed again, as if her voice -were lost in astonishment. She took a backward step and laid a hand -on the parapet as if for support. As for Cyrus, this little person -was easily the most entrancing vision of his experience. Slight, -erect, with a dainty head and glorious eyes, she seemed a perfect and -harmonious element with the radiant splendors in the West. Such eyes -he had not beheld since he lived beneath the spell of the celestial -windows of Ruth Heywood's soul. These present eyes, now opened wide in -wonder, were trying to grapple with his presence, as with some visitors -from another planet. - -Cyrus bowed; his very best, most elaborate and ceremonious inclination. -And Cyrus's bows were works of art. - -Had he been attired in court costume, and swept the earth with a -chapeau of ostrich plumes instead of a checkered golf cap, he would -have eclipsed the Grand Monarque in his own field. It was, of course, -the same old salutation that had startled Longfields years ago. - -Then he advanced a step. "Do you happen to speak English, madam?" - -The girl hesitated a moment, then nodded. - -Cyrus, delighted at the unexpected answer, took another step -nearer--perhaps two or three. Joy was written in his face. His manner -became, unconsciously, almost familiar. - -"How fortunate! I am a stranger here. Can you tell me what place this -is?" - -As he moved nearer the parapet the girl had turned toward him until her -face was more in the sunlight. In his own face admiration was clearly -written. The girl lowered her eyes. But she made no answer. - -He spoke again. "This certainly is not a hospital, is it?" - -She moved her head, gently, in the negative. - -"Is it the palace, or villa, of some King, or Prince or Duke--or -something?" - -Again the silent answer in the negative. - -A chilling thought came to the traveler. Could this be a deaf and dumb -asylum? - -Now Cyrus had been "going on his nerves" for some hours and they might -be more sensitive than usual. The last distressful thought showed -plainly in his face. His heart began to bleed for this afflicted -angel. And so pretty! So superlatively charming and desirable! As she -raised the wondrous eyes and again regarded him his one ambition, at -the moment, was to avoid appearing too imbecile and clownish. And lo, -he was both! Never had he felt so helpless. If he knew at least the -sign language there might be hope for progress. Even in that field of -expression all he could recall were the doings in the pantomimes: to -shut the eyes and incline your head upon your hand for sleep; to wabble -your jaw for terror, and to lick your lips and rub your stomach with a -rotary motion when you wanted food. But this was no moment for comic -things, when his own heart and the very air he breathed were all a -quiver with high adventure, with Beauty and Romance. So he stood before -her in a painful, and--it seemed to him--a foolish silence. He looked -down, then away, then at her, and as his drowsy eyes rested on her face -he thought he detected an effort to suppress a smile. This doubled -his embarrassment. He tried vainly to discover in what manner his -question was mirth provoking. However, he made a brave effort to assert -himself--to appear as if nobody cared. So he smiled, and straightened -up a little. - -"If you speak English won't you please say something? Just tell me what -kind of a place this is? Where I am?" - -"Non entra no signori in questo giardino." - -Cyrus knew those words were Italian, and that was all. He frowned in -his endeavor to guess their meaning. - -"I am sorry, but I don't understand. Won't you please say that in -English?" - -"I said you were in a place where men are not allowed." - -In pronouncing English words it seemed another voice. And he had heard -it before! His drowsy eyes opened wider, his lips parted, and for a -moment he stared, in wonder, as if belief came hard. Was it the voice -he had heard in the darkness--in the motor, that night? As he stood in -dumb surprise, hoping for the best, the girl stepped forward with a -smile and extended a hand. - -"Ruth!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Ruth! Really, is it you?" - -It was. And great joy was in the meeting. They told each other many -things. He learned that after the death of her parents she had found a -refuge here, in this convent, through the influence of a friend. And -he, in turn, told of his father's sudden death, of his own doings, of -the Great Discovery. But he made no mention of his present affluence. -He could foresee her sorrow and her sympathy for a man, otherwise -normal, who told of gathering diamonds on the moon. - -Leaning against the parapet, and facing the golden sky across the -water, they talked, forgetful of surroundings. So engrossing was this -talk of other days that they lived again in Longfields. - -From this Fairy Land of childhood Ruth was the first to return to -earth. "You must go, Drowsy." And she turned an anxious look toward -the buildings beyond the garden. - -"Oh, don't say that! Why, Ruth, this is the happiest moment of my -life--a thousand times the happiest. Life has really begun again!" - -"That is very polite of you, but----" - -"Polite! Well, I should say! Why, Ruth, your very presence--just to -look at you and hear your voice--is a--is a--breath of heaven. You are -the loveliest thing I have ever seen. I can't express it!" - -She laughed. "You are doing fairly well." - -"Of course, you know it already, but truly, with no exaggeration, as -you stand there now with that western sun for a side light you are the -daintiest thing in Creation. And the same spell-binding eyes! Well, I -knew that night in the dark that you were not a giantess--and that was -about all." - -She raised a hand for silence. "That will do, Drowsy. You have covered -the ground." - -But Cyrus went on. "And so angelic and pleasantly superior! Why, you -are a temptation to any able-bodied lover to pick you up and run--or -fly--away with you." - -She blushed, frowned and laughed, all at the same time. "That will do! -Now I know exactly what I am--and just how childish a man can be. I -believe you are lighter headed than when you were a boy." - -"I am telling the truth." - -"Telling the truth! Then you have changed, indeed, for that was not -your habit." In sudden alarm she straightened up. "Oh, but you mustn't -be seen here, Drowsy! You must go--at once!" - -"Not now? Not this very minute?" - -"Yes, this very minute. Men are not allowed here, under any -circumstances. If I were found talking with you it would mean--oh, -anything!" - -"What does it matter? You are not going to stay here." - -"Stay here? Of course I am!" - -"But not long?" - -"So long as I live." - -"You don't mean that!" - -"Why not? I expect to live and die here. We are all very happy and very -thankful." - -"You don't mean that you are not coming back to--to Longfields--to me? -You don't really mean what you say? That you are going to stay here -forever?" - -"Certainly. Of course. Why not?" - -"Then you have changed your mind since this morning--since yesterday." - -She looked up into Cyrus's face, puzzled, and disturbed. "Changed my -mind? What do you mean? I really don't understand." - -"Are you pretending that you don't know why I am here?" - -"Pretending!" - -"Any other word that you prefer. Only tell me." - -"Tell you what?" - -"Do you mean to say that you don't know why I am here?" - -"You came to see me, I suppose." - -"And you had no idea I was coming?" - -"Not the slightest. How could I? I never was more surprised. But it's a -most welcome surprise." - -Cyrus closed his eyes and drew a long breath as one who makes an effort -at self control. "I ask just one thing, Ruth. Be honest with me." - -"Be honest! Why, Cyrus, what _do_ you mean? Indeed I can only guess at -what's in your mind. You look as if you were angry. You have no right -to be. Aren't you assuming----" - -"Oh, don't! Don't do that! At least be frank. Why did you call me -across the water? Just for the pleasure of doing this?" - -"Call you? Across the water?" - -There was touch of contempt in Cyrus's manner as he replied: "You don't -even know what I mean?" - -"On my honor I do not!" - -"And you accuse me of not being truthful!" - -"Drowsy, listen. This may be our last meeting. Let us not part in this -spirit--through any misunderstanding. Our friendship is too precious -for that, isn't it? I beg you, tell me what you mean by my calling you. -When? How? Do you mean a letter?" - -"I mean the message I received last night, and again early this -morning. Through the air--by wireless as it were--in the old way, years -ago, that I often got your messages." - -"But I have sent you no message." - -"Didn't you even think of me yesterday or this morning?" - -"No, I did not. I have thought of you often, and of our old childhood -attachment, but not yesterday nor this morning, nor for several days." - -"Perhaps you remember," said Cyrus, speaking slowly, the slumbrous eyes -looking earnestly down into Ruth's, "I used to get messages from you -when we were far apart, even from your house to mine." - -"Indeed I do! And it was most mysterious--almost uncanny." - -"And they never deceived us?" - -"No, never;--as I remember them." - -"Well, it was the same sort of message I received last night. It came -to me twice, and the meaning of the message was as clear as any spoken -word. And to this spot it guided me." - -He turned and looked about the grounds, beyond the trees and garden, -toward the cloisters and the chapel. "Who but you could call me here?" - -Ruth, also, looked toward the convent buildings. "Is it not possible -your own brain may have played you a trick? Such things happen, you -know." - -"My brain has not played such tricks. So far it has never deceived me. -To be honest I was not thinking of you at the time. Father's death had -been almost my only thought for weeks." - -"What more can I say, Drowsy? I am telling you the truth. And after all -why should I call you? If you are the faithful soul you pretend to be, -why didn't you write me months ago?" - -"How could I? I never had your address. And you promised--or almost -promised--to let me have it. I waited, and waited, hoping for -it--wondering in what way it was to come." - -She frowned: then, with a solemn movement of the head: - -"You did have it." - -"I did have it! How on earth could I get it?" - -"From Gertrude Page. I told her to mention a letter from me. Then, if -you asked for my address, she would give it to you. But you didn't ask." - -Vehemently he protested. "On my honor, Ruth, this is the first I have -heard of it. She never spoke of any letter. And why should she, poor -thing? For nearly a year she has been in the asylum at Worcester." - -"You mean her--her mind is affected?" - -"Yes;--sort of a nervous breakdown. And her memory gone." - -"Oh, how dreadful!" - -In the silence that followed, Ruth found the drowsy eyes looking deep -into her own, as if reading her innermost thoughts. She recalled the -singular power he had exercised as a boy--of seeing into other people's -minds, apparently without effort, and answering questions before they -were asked. At this present moment she had reasons for keeping her own -thoughts to herself. She avoided his gaze, and looked away, over the -water, toward the west. Too late, it seemed, for he said, quietly: - -"It would have been fairer to me if you had sent it." - -"Sent what?" - -"The second letter, the one you wrote to somebody else." - -Ruth's little figure stiffened. Color flew to her cheeks, and there -were signs of anger as she faced him. - -"How do you know I wrote a second letter?" - -Taken aback by this sudden change of manner, he hesitated, then he -smiled, but with an obvious effort. And the smile was not of mirth. -It was a smile of the joyless type, often employed to carry favor. -"Why--I--er--I don't know exactly." - -"Yes you do know. You pried into my thoughts. It's your old trick. And -a hateful habit." - -"I am sorry, Ruth. I know it's a hateful habit." - -"Then why do you do it?" - -"I don't do it. I didn't mean to do it then. It's not a habit any more. -Years ago I gave it up. But now, I was so anxious, so very anxious to -know your real thoughts--to know if you really had no love for me at -all--that I couldn't resist. I swear I will not do it again. Truly I -almost never do it. But now, at the critical moment of my life, when -it's a matter of life or death, the temptation was too great." - -"It's an exasperating, dishonorable trick, and I don't like it." - -"I am sorry, Ruth. Please forgive me." - -"And you are very much mistaken if you think any woman with a -particle of pride is going to marry a man who can spy into her secret -thoughts--and merely by staring at her." - -Her eyes still avoided him. She looked over the garden, toward the -cloisters, anywhere except at his face. When she spoke again, however, -there was more sympathy in her voice. "But that doesn't matter. It has -always been my intention to remain here." - -"You don't really mean it?" - -"Indeed I do! It is no sudden decision. I am very happy here." - -He turned partly away, and said nothing. She glanced at his face, and -its expression would have softened the Rock of Ages. There was no doubt -of his sincerity; nor of his silent agony beneath the blow he had just -received. No words were uttered. He simply stood and gazed--at nothing. - -Across the garden, from the open windows of the central building, came -the sound of a harp. It came faintly, a gentle, plaintive melody, all -in harmony with the murmur of the fountain, the fading glories in the -west--and an aching heart. The voice of the harp may have had its -effect on Ruth. As she looked up at the face of Cyrus, with its misery, -she began to feel the old-time sympathy of their childhood; the long -forgotten sense of responsibility for his welfare when she was mother -and sister to him, with the woman's love he had missed as a boy; also -his chosen pal;--his adored and trusted playmate. She felt again the -yearning to keep him out of trouble. His distress brought an almost -equal suffering to herself. But when he turned his eyes again to her -face she was--apparently--still studying the cloisters. - -"Is this really the end?" He spoke in a lower, unsteady voice. "Do you -really mean that our boy and girl days, our old affection, all those -memories--and you don't know how much they have meant to me--always, -always--through everything--you don't really mean--all that is--is -just--nothing? That I am no more to you than anybody else?" - -The heart in Ruth's little body beat so loud--it seemed to her--that -a man could hear it. She tried hard to blink away the moisture in her -eyes as they rested on various objects, but not on the face of Cyrus. -"You will get over it, Drowsy. I feel it, in another way, as much as -you do. Please don't talk about it. And you really must go. A man's -presence here--and alone with me--would be very hard to explain. Please -go--for my sake!" - -Cyrus closed his eyes and drew a hand, slowly, across his forehead. -Then, instead of the protest she expected, he straightened up in a -sudden agitation, laid his hand on her arm and pointed toward the -convent buildings. - -The voice of a woman, singing, came floating across the silent garden. - -"What is that?" he whispered. - -Also in a lower tone Ruth answered: "That is Sister Francesca, -singing. She has a heavenly voice." - -"What is she singing?" - -"An old Hungarian song. A mother's prayer for her child. She often -sings it. And nothing could be more beautiful." - -"Sister Francesca!" he exclaimed, but in a solemn whisper. He -remembered his father's dying words. - -"A famous singer," Ruth explained. "All the world has heard of her. She -was never a mother but she sings this song with all the feeling and -the----" - -He did not hear the end of the sentence. He had started in the -direction of the song, across the garden. - -"Stop! Stop! Cyrus, stop. You don't know what you are doing!" - -But he paid no attention. Again she called. She entreated, then -commanded. Still he paid no attention. And he walked so fast that she -stopped and stood still in helpless terror. She could only guess at -what this humiliating misadventure might signify to the other sisters. -On second thought she followed, but with the courage of despair. The -catastrophe was at hand, and she would face it. As for Cyrus, he heard -her not. He heard only the song. He heard only the woman singing--the -voice and the song that had come to him beneath the stars, at -Longfields! - -At last he stopped. And when he stopped he was standing upon a stone -terrace, where high arched windows reached the floor, their heavy -casements now wide open. - -There he stood, and listened. - -Although a lover of music, and keenly sensitive to its charm, this -prayer affected him beyond any other song. Its pathos, with the divine -voice that had thrilled the world, reached deeper than his emotions. -Into his very soul it sank. It seemed to open the doors of memory--the -memory of things long forgotten; things almost of another life. - -Under a spell he listened, and the spell was intensified by the scene -about him,--an enchanted garden high above the world. Against the gold -and crimson in the West stood the statues at the garden's edge, their -purple shadows reaching almost to the terrace. With the warm, soft -light that enveloped all things came a peace and a beauty that were -more of paradise than of earth. And, as if to complete the illusion -of the upper realms, the voice of the singer seemed to lift him yet -further from the world of common things. Between this voice and his -spiritual self came a new born harmony. It came to him as a message -between two hearts, wafted across a gulf of years. The message it -brought was intimate, for him alone. To the voice itself, a tendril of -love, all the chords of his own heart were vibrating. Some mysterious -power reawakened elusive but imperishable bonds between itself and him. - -He closed his eyes, shut out the world about him, and his soul and the -soul of the singer were one. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XVI - -THE SOUL OF A SONG - - -Within, at one side of the room, a group of forty sisters, more or -less, sat listening to the song. The room was spacious. Against its -white walls hung various paintings by old masters. The further wall, -facing the western windows, was partly covered by an enormous tapestry -representing Esther and her handmaidens before King Ahasuerus. The king -was on a throne, amid the splendors of his court. Now, at this hour, -its colors were all aglow at the touch of the sinking sun. Between the -three long windows stood growing plants in massive pots of Siena marble. - -Across the room, facing the sisters, stood Madame Francesca; and, not -far away, the accompanist with her harp. - -The various members of the little audience were affected by the song -in different ways and in different degree, according to temperament. -Some, enraptured by her voice and art, leaned forward in ćsthetic joy. -Others, with moister eyes and quicker breath, gave out their hearts to -the deeper meaning of the song. Madame Drusilla, an older woman whose -two young sons had fallen in the war, sat always, on these occasions, -with head bent low, her face in her hands. But all the others kept -their eyes upon the singer. For the personality of Madame Francesca--as -she wished to be called since her retirement from the world--possessed -in itself an irresistible charm. Now, standing in her light gray -uniform, in the flood of golden light from the great windows, she -seemed transfigured--a celestial being from another sphere. - -The song itself was the outpouring of a mother's love. And it was -rendered with a pathos, a beauty and a depth of feeling that stirred -the heart of every listener. It seemed to the sisters a marvel of -dramatic art that a woman, however great an artist, could so touch the -hearts of others when not herself a mother. And they marveled that a -woman whose physicians forbade excitement could so move an audience and -not be overwhelmed herself by emotion. - -The song ended. As the fingers of the harpist moved gently across the -strings, in the last notes of the accompaniment, Madame Francesca stood -for a moment with closed eyes. Her breathing and the color in her -cheeks showed a degree of feeling which Sister Lucrezia, the physician, -did not approve. - -Then came a climax to the song--a climax far transcending any singer's -art. In this short, somewhat solemn silence that followed the song, -there appeared in one of the long windows that opened to the floor, -a figure rarely seen within the convent walls. It was a man. And the -man was neither workman, priest, grand duke or king. Neither was he -old. Men visitors were rare, and the few that entered were usually -middle aged or churchly. This visitor was young, hatless, his hair in -disorder. He wore a checkered suit and leather leggings, and he was in -no way ecclesiastical. His manner was eager,--somewhat excited, with -eyes fixed earnestly on Sister Francesca. He paid no attention to the -other sisters. If such a thing was possible he was ignorant of their -presence. As for the sisters they were too surprised to speak, or move. -They merely sat and stared. - -Cyrus stepped within, slowly, as in a trance. Slowly he advanced toward -Madame Francesca. She, as surprised as any of the others, regarded -him in silence until he stopped before her. As they stood facing each -other, the western light on both their faces, the spectators--including -Ruth, now at the open window--began to marvel. Fear began to mingle -with surprise, for many in the audience knew that famous beauties could -be tormented by crazy lovers. But fear, in turn, gave way to wonder, -for it proved a strange interview, never forgotten by those who saw it. -No words were spoken. No words were needed. In the eyes that looked -into his own Cyrus read their greeting as clearly as in an open book. -And she, as clearly, looked deep into his heart--as she had looked -into the heart of his father. Now in his responsive, eager face she -saw the confirmation of his father's letters, that she had bequeathed -to her child her own extraordinary faculty. It brought a sudden joy, -this assurance of a perfect understanding. Each received, in full, -the other's message. In the face of Cyrus--with his grandfather's -drowsy eyes--she saw his happiness in this meeting. He was telling -her in unspoken words of his childhood yearnings; how he had thought -and dreamed of her from early boyhood; that he had prayed and hoped -for this meeting. And now--here, had come the fulfillment of all his -dreams, his hopes, his prayers! And he, as he fathomed to their secret -depths the tragic but tender eyes, found love and a heart-expanding -welcome. - -The little audience, however, saw nothing but the outward, silent -greetings. To them was not revealed the greater happiness, the -imperishable bond. - -But this silent meeting, with its overwhelming joy, was the prelude to -the drama--its silent overture. The curtain had risen on the Diva's -final triumph, the Immortal Opera with its happy ending. - -To the amazement of the audience she drew the young man's face to -hers and kissed him on either cheek. Then, overcome by emotion, as -it seemed, her head fell slowly forward on his breast. Without his -supporting arms she would have sunk to the floor. The sisters saw, and -hastened to her side. Cyrus, with their help, carried the fainting -figure to a nearby bench, where they laid her, with a cushion beneath -her head. Sister Lucrezia, the physician, bent anxiously over the -unconscious form. And so sudden was it all that her hearers could -hardly believe her when at last she arose, and solemnly announced that -the spirit of Madame Francesca had risen to another life. - -She spoke in Italian but Cyrus knew its meaning. His head drooped and -he stood motionless, crushed, as if his own spirit and that of the -sleeping figure on the bench were still together. - -It was the Diva's long sleep. The last notes of her enchanting voice -had died away; the curtain was down, the orchestra gone, the lights -out. The audience had vanished. No more in the empty house would be -heard the clapping of hands, the cries of enthusiasm, the _bravos_ and -_encores_. - -But there are memories that never die. And now, to those who looked -upon the tranquil face, it seemed as if memories of conquest and of -triumph--or of something higher--still lingered in her heart. For the -face was more than peaceful. There was a smile upon the lips that bore -witness to a perfect contentment beyond the touch of death. - - * * * * * - -Cyrus was recalled to himself by the voice of the Mother Superior, -a tall, gray-haired, kind-faced woman. She approached him, and in a -voice of sympathy addressed him, in Italian. He understood the meaning -of the message; that she shared his grief, but the presence of men -was forbidden; the rules were strict, and she begged him to go. He -expressed his gratitude by a respectful inclination and a few words -in English. Then he walked over to the silent figure. Upon her folded -hands he laid one of his own and stood, for a moment, looking down upon -the face. The rosy light from the western sky seemed to bring the flush -of life to the Diva's cheeks. He knelt beside the bench. Reverently he -touched his lips to the sleeper's forehead. - -He arose and moved toward the terrace. Near the window he stopped, and -to the watching sisters he bowed. In this obeisance he told his sorrow -and his profound respect. Then he turned and went out as he came. - -The Mother Superior, still apprehensive, asked Ruth to accompany him -to the gates and make sure of his departure. But Cyrus did not walk -toward the gates. He walked toward the spot where he and Ruth had met, -then beyond among the trees. During this walk neither spoke. As Cyrus -was obviously in deepest sorrow Ruth refrained from words. Absorbed in -her own thoughts, she suddenly realized that she was approaching an -unfamiliar object. This unfamiliar object, a thing about twenty feet -in length and a little taller than a man, might pass for some unknown -monster of the deep, or a minor whale. It seemed to be of iron with a -trap-door in the side just large enough for a man to climb within. Its -color was a dull gray. - -"Look!" she exclaimed. "What on earth is that?" - -"My flying machine. That is what I came in." - -"You came in that?" - -As she looked up at him he nodded, slowly, and made no other reply. -The light was fading, but she could see that a change had come into -his face since they stood together at the garden wall. This new -expression showed a side of his character that she had forgotten. She -now remembered that it was the same look that had come into his face -when he vanquished the Tormentor in the Unitarian Church, years ago; -when the good natured, easy going boy became, of a sudden, a reckless -gladiator, the fearless defender who fights--and dies, if needed--for a -sacred cause; his God, his Country, or--on that occasion--for his girl. -It told deep emotions, of strength of purpose and the courage that has -no respect for obstacles. Yet the slumbrous eyes were friendly as he -said: - -"Come, Ruth. Come home with me. I will make you happier than you will -ever be in this place." - -"No, Cyrus. No. I cannot." - -"Do you mean that you will stay here all your life, from a sense of -duty?" - -"No--not wholly. Oh, why begin all over again? Please be reasonable, -Drowsy. Please go away quietly." - -His voice was gentle, but there was something in his face that -recalled the boy of long ago, the boy who vanquished giants. Now it -was the man--who might defy the gods. She was afraid:--of what, she -knew not. But she took a backward step, a hand to her breast as if to -calm a nervous heart. There was reason to be afraid. For then happened -the unforgivable thing--doubly unforgivable when applied to a woman -of sensibility and pride. He bent forward, to pick up something at -her feet, she thought. Then, without warning, and all too sudden for -escape, she felt an arm behind her knees, another across her back, -and she was lifted from the ground. Before she could protest, or even -struggle, he pushed open the door of the iron monster with his foot and -passed her within as if she were a child. Gently he placed her on the -floor and climbed in himself. She found herself sitting in front of -him, her shoulders held firmly between his knees. He shut the little -door at his side and all was dark. A button was pressed, one or two -small levers manipulated, then a buzzing sound, a slight quivering -of the car and through the port hole in front she saw that they were -rising above the tops of the trees. - -Then, high into the air. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XVII - -"I MEAN IT" - - -Six hundred miles an hour, to old-time travelers, might seem fast. High -up in the air, however, some miles above the earth with nothing beneath -but the Atlantic Ocean, it seems a moderate pace. There are none of the -usual landmarks to gauge one's speed; no telegraph poles, houses, or -towns. The few ships one passes, seen far below, are movable objects -with no definite relation to your own progress. Also, in a practically -air tight conveyance no wind can beat against your face. - -While three hours may seem brief for a transatlantic passage it must -be remembered that the time Cyrus lost in going Eastward he gained in -going West. The surface of our little earth moves eastward about a -thousand miles an hour; so, with North America rushing forward to meet -him he could easily make the journey of five thousand miles and more -in the four hours, and almost without hurrying. There is a startling -difference in celerity between an automobile and a yoke of oxen; -more still between a steamship and a cannon-ball: and Cyrus' device -was capable of any speed that he dared to travel. The only delays -were in starting off, and in approaching his own Coast. Once above -Massachusetts, however, he could easily find Longfields. The landmarks -were familiar. - -During this journey very little conversation took place between his -passenger and himself. Sitting on the floor in front of him, her -shoulders between his knees, he could not see her face. She made no -acknowledgment of his speeches and gave no answer to any questions. He -was correct in his belief that she was both alarmed and angry. But he -did not know at the time that her anger far exceeded her alarm. This he -realized, however, when he helped her from the car at the door of her -aunt's house in Longfields. - -For a moment she leaned against the door, weak, trembling, dazed, her -hair disarranged, her cheeks hot. No words had been spoken during the -last two hours. This long silence he was the first to break. - -"You will forgive me, Ruth, won't you?" - -It was too dark to see each other's faces, but this time had her eyes -met his there would be nothing to conceal. Her anger and her dislike -were deep and sincere. She answered in a low tone, but the tone and -manner revealed a repugnance of whose existence there could be no doubt. - -"Do not speak to me again; ever. Do you hear?" - -"Yes, I hear." - -"I mean it." - -With a quivering hand she turned the knob, entered the house and shut -the door behind her. - -That Ruth meant all she said was soon made clear to Cyrus--very clear -indeed. Two days later--after giving her time to recover--he came to -her aunt's house with a little bouquet of flowers, hopefully gathered -by his own hands in his own garden. With it was a note, an eloquent -little plea for forgiveness, so humble and so sincere as to soften a -heart of granite. He knocked at the front door, and waited. At last--it -might have been a year that he waited--the door was opened. - -"Good morning, Stella." - -"Good morning, Cyrus." - -Stella was the daughter of Abner Phillips, the harness maker, and she -and Ruth and Cyrus had been playmates together in the old days at the -red school house. The little harness business had suffered--even more -than other things--with the decline of Longfields, and had finally -expired. Stella had been out at service for the last few years. She was -an angular maiden with thin lips and sharp eyes. - -"Will you please take this note and the flowers to Ruth, Stella, and -ask if I can see her?" - -"Yes, of course, won't you come in?" - -"No, thank you. I'll just wait here." - -On the doorstep he waited, but not long; Stella quickly returned with -the note and the flowers. - -She seemed embarrassed. "Ruth says she--she----" - -"Out with it, Stella." - -"She says she won't see you." - -"Won't see me! Is that just what she said?" - -The maiden hesitated. As a friend of both and strictly neutral, her -position was awkward. - -"Why--yes." - -"Just what did she say, Stella?" - -"She said, give him back his flowers and his note and tell him not to -come again." - -This was clear to the dullest lover. And the words cut deeper still -as he saw in the face of the sharp eyed ambassadress an impressible -gleam of pity--or exultation--he could not tell which. Cyrus blushed -like a girl. For a moment his drowsy eyes gazed blindly at Stella, -then at the flowers and the note as if trying to realize what had -happened. The effort was painful. The flowers seemed to be jubilant in -their gayety, and jeering at him. He had believed, until this moment, -that he was prepared for the worst. He had also believed, from his -knowledge of women in history and fiction that they changed their minds -with ease--in short, that honest lovers never need despair. This blow -seemed to paralyze his senses. But Pride came to his rescue. It made -him realize the degradation of appearing a fool before Stella. So, -collecting his scattered wits he raised his head and smiled upon the -waiting maiden. There was a quivering of the lip, however, as he said -in a manner laboriously offhand--and, of course, unsuccessful: - -"Oh, well, I must try again. Thank you, Stella. Good-by." - -As he reached the gate she saw him toss the flowers to the ground. - -His state of mind as he walked blindly along the village street, -beneath the arching elms, could not be described in articulate -language. Sorrow, anger, humiliation, all struggled for control. -Resignation was not among them. So Ruth was really in earnest. If she -hated and despised him, why live? This tumult within, while it numbed -his senses--and might lead to tragedy--provided mirth for others. -Just in front of the store a group of children ran across his path. -They were followed, slowly, by a large Newfoundland dog, a well-known -character in the village. He officiated, as is customary among dogs, -as guardian and boon companion to children, all of whom he loved. His -name was Major. He belonged to little Jason Howard, but he was on terms -of intimacy with every child in Longfields. Major happened to stroll -across the sidewalk just in front of Cyrus. The discarded lover, blind -to outward things, collided with him. Always a gentleman and never -forgetting his manners, Cyrus stopped, and--Ruth being the only thing -in his mind--he raised his cap and bowed politely. - -"I beg your pardon. It was my fault. Excuse me." - -And all with a sober face. The children laughed, supposing Cyrus was -being funny for their amusement. But never in his life had Cyrus felt -less like being funny. Soberly he walked away not even hearing their -laughter. - -After this interview with Major he at once relapsed into the Cańon -of Despair. For his was the agony of a man of honor who feels he has -committed a disgraceful act, and has lost, for all time, the respect -and good opinion of the being whose affection he valued above all other -things. - -It seemed but a moment after leaving Major that he found himself -standing before two women and saying "how do you do"--or something -equally significant. With a mighty effort to ignore the past--and the -future--he recognized the two elderly maidens as Miss Fidelia Allen and -Miss Anita Clement. They had stopped and were passing the time of day -with him. He realized, blindly, that Miss Clement had opened a book and -was telling him about it. Miss Clement had the faculty of expressing -a barren idea in a wealth of language. So, while the listener's -drowsy--and now dreaming--eyes rested on the speaker's lips he was -seeing, not Miss Clement's face, but a face more threatening, yet of -greater interest. As to the effect of Miss Clement's well chosen words -on the listener's far away mind, the sound from her lips might have -been the murmuring of pines. And as for The Only Woman in the world, -if other women had changed their minds why not this one? He recalled -the look in her eyes when---- - -"Do tell us what you think of it--just how you feel about it, Cyrus?" - -As the wild horse of the prairies is suddenly jerked to earth by a -lasso, so came back Cyrus. - -"Oh--oh--very well, indeed, thank you. Never better." - -"I meant about this new thought from the Orient. Just how deeply it -impresses you. Just where, among the great thinkers, you would place -Rub-a Shah Lagore." - -"That's it exactly! Rubbish galore! Couldn't express it better. -Somebody described all that stuff as transcendental flim-flam." -And he smiled his most winning smile--a smile of sympathy, of fine -intelligence and a lively interest in the conversation. - -But Miss Clement stiffened a little, and frowned. "Do you feel that -way?" - -"Possibly you don't know Rub-a Shah Lagore," said Miss Fidelia, more -gently. - -"Know him? Oh, yes," said Cyrus. "I know him. That is, I think I met -him. Was it in Cambridge?" - -"I doubt it," said Miss Clement, "as he died about fifteen hundred." - -"Fifteen hundred!" Cyrus smiled, nodded and tried to appear at ease. -"Still I may have met him in a previous incarnation." - -Then, apropos of incarnations, Miss Clement discoursed on the Oriental -mind, on matters psychic, philosophic, mystic and occult. And as she -talked, and drifted hither and thither on a sea of words, Cyrus floated -off in his own direction, and was recalling once again the look in -Ruth's eyes--that mingling of anger and contempt when Miss Clement -again suddenly brought him back to the village street. - -"Don't you think so yourself?" - -Cyrus pulled himself together. "Er--well--perhaps I don't quite -understand you." - -"Do you know of any richer period in human thought? Any greater age?" - -"Any greater age? No, certainly not. You mean fifteen hundred years? -It certainly beats all records. That is, of course, all human records. -Elephants, parrots and turtles, I believe, live to a green old age, but -nothing like----" - -Just what happened after that Cyrus did not remember. He found himself -walking home with clear memories of Ruth, intermingled with blurred -but painful impressions of two maiden ladies, frowning in surprise and -annoyance as they said good-by and turned away. - -Of one thing only was he certain: that in the utterance of senseless -words he had surpassed all previous records, ancient or modern. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XVIII - -THE CAŃON OF DESPAIR - - -As to human wisdom, the best that can be said is that some of us are -less crazy than others. Also, that the habitually foolish person, -he who is foolish by preference--or by unalterable Fate--is less -disturbing than your usually sensible friend who suddenly becomes -fatuous. - -This was realized by Joanna during the next few days. Cyrus caused her -serious alarm. On his new and larger air craft he worked with such -feverish haste that he forgot to eat or go to bed until reminded of -those habits. In the matter of eating he seemed to have lost all memory -as to when or how to do it. He poured tea instead of maple syrup on -his rice cakes; he recognized no difference in flavor between salt and -powdered sugar, marmalade or mustard. Joanna's strawberry shortcake, -the very best in the world--and his favorite dish--he regarded with -unseeing eyes and forgot to eat it. His reply to nearly all her demands -for information on whatever subject, was a smiling "Certainly, of -course." - -But these were trifles. In his cup of bitterness there still were -dregs: and sleepless Fate had not forgotten them. The cup was to be -emptied. Late one afternoon, three days after the rebuff to his note, -his flowers and himself, he was returning from Springfield alone in his -motor. About a mile from Longfields, where the road ran through some -woods, he saw a figure on ahead, walking toward the village. It was a -female figure, short, slight, erect, and moving with a light and rather -jaunty step. It wore a continental hat, a white shirt waist and a white -skirt. He recognized this person at first glance, ran his car ahead of -her a short distance, then stopped at the side of the road, got out and -walked back to meet her. This time there was no elaborate salutation _ŕ -la Grande Monarch_. It was a simple raising of his cap and a tentative, -humble minded greeting. - -"Good day, Ruth." - -"Good day, Cyrus." - -She smiled, but the smile brought no sunshine to his heart; a -perfunctory smile of duty and good manners, such as might have -greeted any other human animal. And as she stood there, against the -dark background of the woods, calm, cold, beautiful, and oh! so far -away!--he saw aversion in her face and in every line of the rigid -little figure. - -In a low, uncertain voice he spoke. "So you will never forgive me?" - -For a moment she looked away, beyond him, along the road toward the -village. "I forgive you a great deal. I forgive your taking me by force -and against my will from a welcome refuge where I was looking forward -to a peaceful, happy life. But the greater wrong you have done me, the -irreparable injury--that is harder to forgive." - -"Irreparable injury? What do you mean, Ruth?" - -Her eyebrows went up. "Indeed! You really do not know what I mean?" - -"On my honor I do not." - -"I mean my reputation--the loss of my good name." - -"Oh, Ruth! Why you--oh--don't say that!" - -Calmly, but with an obvious effort at self control she answered: - -"Do you think there is no gossip in Longfields, no comment on my -unexpected arrival? Do you think an unmarried woman can travel about -the world alone with a young man as I did, and keep her good name?" - -"I never thought of it--in that way. On my honor--I did not." - -"Do you know of any other respectable young woman of your acquaintance -who has done anything like it?" - -"But it was all my doing. You couldn't help it. Don't they all know -that?" - -"No. Why should they know it? Will they believe that you, whom they -have known from boyhood, whom they respect and like, would carry me -off by force, entirely against my will?" Then with a bitter little -laugh: "Oh, no! They are not so simple! And some woman has started a -story that we----" Her face became crimson and she covered it for a -moment with her hands--"Oh, I can't bear to think of it." - -Cyrus closed his eyes. His head drooped. "I never thought of all that. -I was stupid. I can see it now. I don't blame you for hating me." - -Ruth went on, speaking with nervous haste. "A pleasanter bit of scandal -never happened in this village. I could not bear to live here. It would -kill me to live here." - -"You are not going away!" - -"Indeed I am!" - -"Where?" - -"To Worcester, to earn my living as a nurse." - -"Listen, Ruth. Let me do something, no matter what. Let me take you, or -send you back to the Convent." - -"The Convent! The Convent!" she repeated, and her cheeks reddened. "Do -you think the Convent a refuge for women who leave it as I did?--for -women who elope with--oh! It's for better women than that! They would -never allow me within its gates." - -"Then let me atone in some way." - -"Indeed! And how?" - -"In any way you say--there's all my money--take some of it--all of it. -Not as a gift, but in some business way. Let me buy something at a----" - -"Clever thought! Regild my reputation with Cyrus Alton's money!" - -"Then marry me. Be my wife, only in name. I swear to you--I--will never -see you if you wish it. Or--or trouble you in any way. Only let me do -something. I had no idea of--of what--of what all this meant to you." - -"Your wife!" she laughed a scornful, tragic, broken-hearted little -laugh. "Never in this world. Never! Never that!" - -She turned and walked away. - -He walked beside her. "Please listen. I will do anything you say. I -know I deserve it all, but that afternoon at the convent I was not -myself. After what happened I was all wrought up. My brain----" - -She stopped, turned about and faced him. - -"Yes, there is one thing you can do. Leave me now. And let us not be -seen together again--ever." - -For a brief moment they stood confronting each other. And Cyrus -looked deep into the eyes that once had been his guiding stars; the -friendly eyes in whose depths his boy heart had sought--and never in -vain--encouragement, or consolation. Now, he was finding in their -contemptuous beauty only the cold ashes of their childhood devotion. - -Then, once more, she turned her back upon him. Erect and with decisive -steps, the little figure departed. He stood watching her as she -walked--walking out of his life. In his brain and in his heart was a -numbing pain--the knowledge that his highest hopes were dead--killed, -and by himself! - -There and there he made a decision, a decision of vital import to -himself. And why not? Who in the world, except Joanna would mourn, or -even miss him? If there be such a thing as consolation when hope is -dead, he found it in a great resolve. - -As he passed her in his car he raised his cap and murmured - - "_Morituri te salutamus_." - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XIX - -A YOUNG MAN TALKS - - -Ruth was in earnest when she told Cyrus of her intention to become a -nurse. Some experience in that line, while in Europe, had fitted her -for the work and she found little difficulty in securing a position -in a Worcester Hospital. Possibly her prepossessing appearance was a -help. The Superintendent, being human, was not immune, perhaps, to the -influence of an interesting personality, especially in combination with -an attractive face and voice and figure. - -After this interview at the hospital, about the middle of the day, she -took a return train for Springfield. - -When she entered the car at the Worcester Station, and found a vacant -seat, she gave no special attention to the two men in the seat just -behind her own. She merely noticed that the carefully dressed young -man nearest the aisle had an intelligent wide awake face, and that his -companion--next the window--was suffering from a cold in the head of -aggravated dimensions. His aqueous eyes and swollen nose, his sneezes -and his busy handkerchief told the familiar and unromantic drama of a -mucous membrane at war with its owner. - -The weather this day--a week or so after the interview with Cyrus--was -cloudy, damp and otherwise depressing. She felt, of course, -gratification in the success of her mission at the hospital. Her -thoughts, however, were not entirely rosy as she looked from the -car window on this homeward journey, gazing absently on the sunless -landscape. She had much to think about, and often, during this little -journey from Worcester she tried vainly to escape from unwelcome -memories. At the mention of a familiar name, however, these wandering -thoughts were centered suddenly on the conversation of the two men in -the seat behind her. - -"Alton, Cyrus Alton. Guess you've met him." - -"Yez, I thig zo. Kide of sleeby eyes, hasn'd he?" - -"Yep. His eyes are sleepy, but, gee whiz! He does things." - -"Whad thigs?" - -"Oh, anything--if it's impossible." - -"Didn'd he bake a lod of bunny all of a zudden?" - -"Bet your life he did! Made it while you wait." - -"How budge?" - -"God knows." - -"How did he do id?" - -"God knows that too:--He and Alton. You can hear anything. Some say a -rich widow, others, a pirate's cave. Perhaps it's just a friendly tip -from his Partner." - -"Who is his bardner?" - -"The Almighty." - -"You bead he is bious?" - -"Nixy not! He's a scientist, and science and piety don't seem to -cuddle much. He has discovered--or his Big Partner has told him--some -secret of electricity that is just the humpingest thing out of jail. -It's going to revolutionize the whole human outfit; business, travel, -transportation. As to little things like manufactures in peace and -wholesale destruction in war, why, we've got to begin all over again. -You just can't digest it. And it's so simple that you laugh when you -think of it." - -"Doe! Really?" - -"Yep; that's no exaggeration." - -"Thad's inderesdig. I have heard vague rubers aboud id bud nothing like -thad. Just whad is id?" - -"Just what is it. Well, that's an easy question to ask. When he blabs -his secret then we'll all know. But he says it's so simple that it's -sure to be discovered some day." - -"I spoze you doe him breddy well." - -"Yep, in a way. He orders his electric stuff through us. A year ago -when he was so poor he used to foot it to save trolley fare the boss -trusted him for twelve hundreds dollars' worth of radium." - -"Good for the boss! He was a zpord. Did he ever get his bunny bag?" - -"Twice over. Oh, Alton didn't forget it. He's as straight as a string." - -"Well, he bay be all ride in sub ways bud he busd be jusd aboud grazy -to sdard on thad jourdy." - -"Oh, I dunno. He has done some big stunts already. And he's pretty -level headed." - -"Yez, bud id seebs like suizide to be. How var away is Bars, eddyway?" - -"Oh, just a step. I believe the astronomers call it about forty-eight -millions of miles." - -"Vorty-eight billions of biles? Whew!" - -"No, forty-eight millions--not billions." - -The Rose Cold tried to laugh. "Yez I doe id iz--but with thiz invernal -drouble I gan'd prodounce by ebs." - -"Of course; beg your pardon." - -"Thad's all ride. But dell be, is he really goig to dry vor id?" - -"Sure thing. He may have started already." - -Here both men noticed in a careless way, a movement of the shoulders of -the girl in front of them when a hand went nervously to her face. And -it so happened that the Rose Cold's next words were the expression of -her own thoughts when he said: - -"The bad's a vool!" - -"No," said the younger man; "he's not a fool. He has done a lot of -figuring over it,--and experimenting. You see his machine is too good -to be true. It can shoot through space at the same rate as electric -waves, or waves of light." - -"And how vasd is thad?" - -"About a hundred and eighty thousand miles a second." - -"Doe!" - -"Yep." - -"And you really believe id?" - -"Sure." - -"Id's sibly imbossible." - -"I don't blame you for thinking so. But that's just why Alton likes it. -If it was possible it wouldn't interest him. Miracles are his daily -food. Gad, he's a wonder!" - -"A hundred and eighty thouzand biles a zegond! Doe--thad's doo buch vor -bee." - -"No wonder you don't believe it. It surely is going some. Beats oxen." - -"Aboud how log would id taig him to ged there ad thad rade?" - -Here came a silence while the younger man did some figuring. "About -five seconds. But of course no human being, even in an air-tight -cylinder, could keep his head--or anything else, at that rate. He -allows about twelve hours to get there." - -"Dwelve hours! Vorty-eight billion biles in twelve hours! Why zo zlow?" - -"Well, he's got to go slow through the six or seven miles of our -atmosphere. Then, he doesn't know what sort of atmosphere surrounds -Mars. So that'll take time like entering an unknown harbor. To be -really safe he'll have to jog along slowly--on an average of four or -five million miles an hour." - -The Rose Cold laughed. "Beads vairy dales, doesn'd id?" - -"To a frazzle." - -"But the bravesd bad in the world gan'd go all day withoud breathig." - -"True enough. But Alton has the same system of oxygen cylinders as the -U-boats--only better. More condensed and lasts longer. Uses same air -more times without deteriorating." - -"Well, whadever habbens, he busd be glever." - -"Clever! He beats the devil." - -"Will he ever gum bag, Jibby?" - -"Dunno." - -"I subbose the gradest danger is in being hid by a medeoride. I -understand those rogs are always shoodig about in spaze." - -"Yep; and all the way in size from a liver pill to a state house. But -that isn't what'll knock him out." - -"Berhabs dod, bud I shouldn'd gare do be there iv one habbened to hid -him." - -"Right you are. He'd have about as much show as a bottle of ginger -ale colliding with a locomotive. But astronomers say they are not -so very numerous. What he's most afraid of himself is some sudden -electric disturbance in his own machine that will put his own nervous -system out of commission. You see nobody really knows what is going -on in space. And if his nerves or lungs or brain go back on him, in -anyway--Ping!--he's a goner." - -After a pause the Rose Cold spoke in a more serious tone. - -"Well, I taig off my had to him. It's a big thig, thad zord of gourage." - -"I should say! And he knows himself there isn't one chance in a hundred -of his ever touching this little earth again." - -Here the attention of both men was drawn to the girl in front of them, -who suddenly started from her seat--with both hands pressed hard -against her face. She stood for a moment as if in pain, or under some -mental disturbance. Then, sinking back into her seat, she appeared to -be looking quietly out of the window during the short remainder of -the journey. Although her action caused them no further interest, nor -curiosity, it served to divert their talk from Cyrus Alton--a subject -apparently exhausted--to other matters of no interest to Ruth Heywood. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XX - -ANOTHER MESSAGE - - -When Ruth left the train and took the stage for Longfields her spirit -was in revolt--in revolt against herself, against Cyrus and against the -progress of the vehicle. But any vehicle, however fast, would have been -too slow on that afternoon. She left the conveyance at Cyrus Alton's -driveway. This was her first visit to the Alton's home since her sudden -departure, so many years ago. And now, as she walked toward the house, -almost every foot of ground, every object in the spacious yard, the -old maples and the house itself, seemed accusing her of treason and -of heartless murder. From every side, however, came pleasant memories -of bygone days,--like flowers in a forsaken garden. And all of Cyrus! -Never was a yard so full of history. And now that Cyrus was gone--gone -forever, driven from the world by her own cruelty,--her over sensitive -spirit writhed beneath the stings of conscience. Every recollection -seemed to increase her guilt. Hardest to bear, in all this vista of the -past, was the clear, undying fact that the cherubic, sleepy eyed little -boy always stood between herself and trouble. - -These memories overwhelmed her. There was the old maple in whose shade -she and Drowsy played keeping house. They pretended Zac was President -of the United States who had dropped in for dinner. Only gingerbread -and sour grapes were served and Drowsy gave her the biggest half of the -gingerbread because she, also, was a guest. Zac, always loyal, ate one -or two of the green grapes just because Cyrus did. And the stone wall -that saved their lives;--at least, she thought so when Mr. Randall's -horse came snorting toward them across the field, on the other side. -He seemed close at their heels when Cyrus boosted her up and pushed -her over before he climbed up himself. He pushed so hard--against that -part of the body on which we sit--that she landed on her face, and the -short, stiff blades of grass that had just been mowed, cut the inside -of her nose. She tried to smile as she remembered, with a gulp, that -although he was badly scared himself he was the last to climb over the -wall. Yes, he always gave her first chance at everything--in peace or -war! - -And there the well, where she and Susie Jordan had a quarrel one Sunday -after Church, and Susie threw a dipperful of water on Ruth's head. -It spoiled her new hat and she burst into tears. Then Cyrus walked up -to Susie--Ruth could see him now as if it were yesterday--made one of -his lowest bows, as if to apologize in advance, then slapped her hard -on both cheeks. After slapping her he backed away a few steps and made -yet another profound obeisance, as a judge, after performing a painful -duty, might salute a prisoner of high degree. - -But now she was in too great haste to linger long over memories, or -anything else. She hurried on to the house. Tearful, smiling, but on -the very edge of sobs, she rang the door bell. Too impatient to wait -she entered and walked into the sitting room. The same old sitting -room, and changed but little since she saw it last. On the walls the -same green paper, just a little more faded, perhaps, at certain places -where the morning sun had loitered. Almost covering the center table -were books, papers and magazines. - -Joanna entered. The greetings were cordial. Then, for a few moments -they sat facing each other, Ruth in an arm chair, Joanna on the old -sofa. - -In a casual way, Ruth remarked: - -"I suppose Cyrus is out in the old barn, hard at work on his new -machine." - -"Not now. It is all finished." - -"Is it there now,--the machine?" - -"No, he went away in it." - -"When did he go?" - -"Last night." - -"Where has he gone?" - -"I don't know." - -Ruth leaned back in her chair and the color left her face. - -"Oh, Miss Ruth, are you ill?" - -"No, no! I am not ill. But didn't he say when he was coming back?" - -"He said he might not be back for some days. But he has often done -that." - -Ruth suddenly jumped from her chair, began walking about the room, and -exclaimed: - -"He's a contemptible thing!" - -"Not Cyrus?" - -"Yes, Cyrus. And what a fool! Oh, what a fool!" - -Into Joanna's placid, serious face came a look of amazement. - -"You don't mean to say, Miss Ruth, that, Cyrus--is -a--contemptible--thing and--and a fool!" - -"That's just exactly what I mean. He's a fool--a contemptible, weak, -half-hearted, easily discouraged, stupid fool!" - -Ruth was clearly excited. She spoke rapidly and with vehemence, -marching to and fro as if lashed to fury by some strange obsession. As -Joanna watched the little figure she could hardly believe that this was -the ever gentle Ruth Heywood of her acquaintance. - -Ruth went on: "Not a speck of perseverance! And what a coward! I never -suspected he was such a hopeless coward!" - -"Cyrus a coward! Oh, but--Miss Ruth, you really----" - -"Of course he's a coward! Why has he run away? Do brave men run away? -No. Cowards run away. A mean, contemptible thing. That covers it. A -contemptible cowardly act by a contemptible, cowardly man. And so -ungrateful! Even as a boy he was ungrateful." - -Now, to Joanna, who had known Cyrus intimately since the age of seven, -he was the one perfect thing in creation. Morally he was an example -for the angels; mentally the wonder of the age. So, being a somewhat -literal person, these words came like stabs from a dagger and struck -deep into her own heart. But she answered--more in sadness than in -anger: - -"I really can't imagine anybody thinking Cyrus ungrateful." - -"Well, I do! He has no real love for anybody but himself. He thinks -only of himself; only of himself!" - -"Why, Miss Ruth, when Mrs. Eagan was laid up for nearly a whole summer, -years ago, Cyrus took her a bowl of ice cream himself, every Sunday, -after our own dinner. We had ice cream once a week. He was nothing but -a boy then, but he----" - -"Of course he did! Why not? Any boy would carry ice cream--just for the -sake of holding it." - -Joanna shook her head. "No. All boys are not like that." - -Here Ruth turned fiercely upon her. "And how do you know he did? He -probably ate it himself before he got to Mrs. Eagan's. He would tell -you he didn't, of course. He's an awful liar and always was. You know -that, Joanna, as well as I do." - -"Liar! No, no, Miss Ruth! You don't know him. He got entirely over -that, years ago. He's as truthful as anybody. Long ago, before he went -away to school, his father made him ashamed of his lies and----" - -"Oh, for a time perhaps! Bad boys don't become good over night." - -"But, Miss Ruth, please listen. You only knew him when you were both -very young. He really cured himself. He has not lied since. He was too -young to know better. But even with his lying he was always a good boy." - -"A good boy! Ha! He was not a good boy. I knew him better than you did. -He was like all other boys and no boys are good. They are nothing but -little pirates, prize fighters, screaming, noisy Indians, because they -are savages themselves. They have no honor. They worship criminals -and always want the criminal to escape, because they are criminals -themselves. And Cyrus was just like the others. Good indeed! He was -always evil minded." - -"Evil minded! Cyrus evil minded!" - -Ruth stopped, and stood before Joanna. "I tell you he's bad--just bad. -As a boy he was bad, as a man he is bad--treacherous, cowardly, mean -spirited and absolutely dishonorable. And that's why I hate him!" - -For a moment, with angry eyes and quivering lips she stood looking -down into the other woman's puzzled face. Then, dropping to her knees, -she buried her face in Joanna's lap. - -"Oh, I am so unhappy! So unhappy! Let me die!" - -Joanna understood. Although unemotional herself she knew how to -sympathize with the passion torn woman at her knees. Her own calm -spirit and soothing words had their effect, and Ruth was soon herself -again. - -"And now, dearie," said Joanna, "I am going to bring you a cup of tea." - -Alone in the green sitting room Ruth seated herself beside the center -table. This table held, with other things, several books and papers, -one or two mechanical drawings, some magazines and books. One of these -books was lying open, just before her. A paragraph at the top of one of -the open pages was marked in pencil. Being a scientific book Cyrus must -have marked it. At that moment any thought of interest to him appealed -to Ruth as something sanctified by his absence, a special message to -herself. Besides, that the book should be lying open at this particular -page seemed to her over wrought spirit as if placed there by Cyrus -himself for her to read. - -Had she stopped to think she would have known the open book was -accidental, as she was the last person whom Cyrus could expect to visit -him. But Fate and Providence do stranger things than fiction dares -invent. - -Carefully she read the marked passage, in a reverent spirit, as she -would read a farewell message from a departed friend. It said: - -"All sounds from earth are drifting forever into space. A strain of -music will reach, in time, the most distant star. The music of the -spheres is not an empty phrase. We know that wherever light will travel -those waves that carry light through space will carry sound. Messages -from other planets, for all we know, are reaching us to-day, but we are -not attuned to hear them. Our own little song, or prayer, may reach the -farthest star, but for its reception the sender and recipient must be -in true accord." - -With quivering hands she clutched the book, held it up before her eyes, -and read the words again. Then she dropped the book upon the table and -started up. In her eyes was a new light. - -"But for its reception," she repeated, "the sender and recipient must -be in true accord!" - -In true accord! Yes, she and Drowsy were in true accord, even as -children. If there was one person in this world specially endowed -by Providence to receive such a message, surely it was Drowsy; he -who received even the unspoken thoughts of others! She recalled her -wonderment as a child when her whispered message was understood by him, -at his own home, nearly a mile away. It seemed to her then,--and now--a -supernatural gift. And if this author were correct no distance, however -vast, would be an obstacle. - -When Joanna returned with the tea she found her patient again in a -state of excitement, but excitement of another kind. This time it was -the thrill of a new hope; the exhilaration of a great joy. - - * * * * * - -Late that night, when this world--and other worlds, it seemed--were -silent, Ruth went out into the darkness. Down at the further end of -the long garden, she stood, for a time, looking up into the heavens. -The storm had passed. Slowly, from the west, great clouds were -drifting across a black but starry sky. She shuddered at the thought -of a human being far out in that frigid, infinite waste, a helpless -wanderer,--dead perhaps,--and driven by her own act! - -Her eyes sought vainly to delve into the solemn spaces between the -stars. Who could believe a human voice or a thought could penetrate -those black, appalling depths? But she remembered the sentence, - -"All sounds from earth are drifting forever into space." - -Then, looking up toward the ruddy planet, and putting her one absorbing -thought into fewest words, she said in a low voice, but clearly spoken: - -"Cyrus, come back. I have always loved you." - -Three times she repeated it; and each time with an overflowing heart. - - * * * * * - -If, among the undiscovered forces between other worlds and ours, there -moves, like waves of light, a psychic power intensified by human love, -repentance and devotion, then this woman's message should reach the -uttermost limits of celestial space. Her very soul was in it. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -XXI - -ABOVE THE CLOUDS - - -Ruth's first night on duty at the hospital, ten days later, was -eventful. - -She had the care of two patients, each in a room by himself, with an -open door between. One of these patients was a man with a broken arm, a -displaced rib, a bandaged head and wandering brain. He made no trouble -and was perfectly quiet, except an occasional mumbling to himself. - -The other patient, the one who appealed more strongly to her -sympathies, was a boy about fifteen. Both legs had been broken in an -automobile collision and he was suffering from internal injuries. In -spite of constant pain his courage never weakened. He was always in -good spirits and trying his best to smile. His gratitude for any -attention went straight to the heart of his nurse:--"That pretty little -nurse with the sad face" as one surgeon described her. - -Ruth was much impressed by Dr. Gladwin, a tall, heavy man, with a -bushy head of the whitest hair. His eyes were threatening, his glance -warlike, all in amusing contrast, however, to his friendly, cheerful -voice, his gentle manners and his unfailing sympathy. He said to her -that evening, after giving his instructions: - -"We have not been able to define precisely this boy's injuries. The -constant pain about his chest is a bad sign, but we are hoping for the -best. His legs will be as good as ever." - -While these words were spoken Ruth looked across the room toward the -patient. His eyes were closed. The round boyish face was drawn with -pain. At that moment his eyes opened and he returned Ruth's look with -a smile. It was a smile of friendliness and courage, the resolute, -pathetic courage of youth clinging to life. The look itself and the -tale it told brought a sudden moistness to the eyes of the new nurse. -Then she followed Dr. Gladwin into the adjoining room. - -Standing by the bedside of the other patient she looked down upon a man -whose eyes were partly covered by the bandage about his head. The pale -face had the somewhat disreputable appearance that goes with a scrubby, -unshaven chin. - -"This man," said the doctor, "has, as you know, a broken arm and rib, -with an injury to his head. He remains unconscious. The first few days -he made no effort to speak. But now he murmurs something at intervals; -always the same words, I am told. The effort to speak is a favorable -sign in this case, as it indicates a returning memory. He will probably -recover." - -A few further instructions as to her own duties, and he departed. - -Ruth found the boy more greedy for companionship than the unconscious -patient--which was not surprising. No human being could be braver -than this boy. Yearning for sympathy he liked to have his hand held -by this new nurse. As the night wore on he told her in a fragmentary -way, between periods of pain, of his parents in San Francisco, of his -ambitions, if he ever recovered. He also gave details of his accident -last Saturday, just how he was thrown from the motor when they collided -with the other car. - -But the new nurse did not neglect the less interesting patient in the -next room. He seemed like one in a deep, unending sleep, except for the -occasional smile that came to his lips and the muttered words--whatever -they were. - -About two o'clock in the morning the boy closed his eyes and he, -also, slept. Ruth arranged the covering about his neck and shoulders -then stepped gently into the adjoining room. For a moment she stood -at the bedside of the unconscious man with the scrubby chin. He lay -motionless, and in a slumber so deep, so silent, that it seemed to Ruth -he could easily pass away and none be wiser. Then, for a time, she -stood at the open window, looking out into the peaceful summer night -and up at the stars. Her thoughts, when alone these days, were always -in the past, and they were heart breaking. To-night, even the rising -moon, although in its fullest beauty, seemed a perfect symbol of her -own future--a world of dust and ashes. - -At last, with a sigh of resignation--a sigh of despair and buried -hopes--she left the window. Again she stood beside the unconscious and -less interesting patient; he of the bandaged head and scrubby chin. As -she was turning away she noticed a movement of his lips--the beginning -of the periodic smile. She felt a sudden curiosity to hear the coming -words. If, as the doctor said, they were always the same, they might -be a message he had wished to send, important to wife or parents, that -could lead to his identification. Besides she had a strong desire to -learn what words or what thought behind the words--could bring so much -happiness, even momentarily, to a half conscious spirit. - -The light in the room, while softened by shades, was clear enough to -reveal the uncovered portion of his face. And, as she looked more -carefully, the face was less "common" than she had judged from the -unshaven chin. She leaned over the bed, her face not far from his, -and listened. Through the open window came no sound from the sleeping -city; only the pale light from the rising moon; that cold, dead world -of dust and ashes. It may have been the solitude and the silence of the -hour that brought to Ruth a feeling of awe--almost of guilt at this -intrusion upon the privacy of another's thoughts; secrets, perhaps, -of a defenseless brain. As she was wondering what sort of accident had -brought him there the blissful smile became more pronounced. Although -his eyes were partly covered by the overhanging bandage it was clear -that the dormant spirit within was stirred by memories of a supreme -happiness, of a transcendent joy that no physical pain could extinguish. - -Further still she bent over, until her face was near his own. - -Then, through every nerve of brain and body, she felt a sensation of -mingled awe, of terror, of bewilderment, as if she were suddenly in -touch with another world, when she heard, hardly above a whisper: - -"Cyrus, come back. I have--always--loved you." - - * * * * * - -Breathless, as in a trance, Ruth gazed at the lips, where lingered--but -slowly fading, as if reluctant to pass away--the expression of a great -content. The brief liberty of a rapturous thought. Then back into the -darkness. - - * * * * * - -Needless to say that Cyrus Alton was not neglected during his -convalescence. And Dr. Gladwin's prophecy was correct. Cyrus not only -recovered but his recovery, after once regaining consciousness, was -surprisingly rapid. So rapid that the "little nurse with the sad face" -threw aside her sadness, as if waking from a dream, and became the -happiest and most inspiriting person in her vicinity. - -On a certain afternoon, when the convalescent was first allowed to talk -as much as he wished, he told his story. And no better audience could -be desired than the one then seated on the bed beside him, and quite -near the speaker--perhaps to save him the effort of raising his voice. -The day was warm, the windows open. Faintly through the closed blinds -came the murmur of the city, from beyond the spacious grounds of the -hospital. - -The story was simply told. He started at night for the red planet. He -got there and he landed. The air seemed much like ours. But he found -himself in a world quite different from his own. All was architecture; -temples, towers and enormous viaducts fading away into the horizon, -as far as the eye could see. And everything was tall and slender. The -trees were very high with branches pointing upward like poplars, and -always formally laid out in avenues, or in geometric patterns. And the -color! It was like looking at an endless city through orange glasses. -The few people he saw had larger heads than ours, more like children, -but like children with very short legs. They were surprisingly light on -their feet. He was surprised at their high jumps until he remembered -that a man who weighs two hundred pounds on the earth weighs but -seventy-five pounds on Mars. He really saw but little, however, for -although he had tested the atmosphere he found, after looking about -him a moment, that the air, while pleasant enough to breath, was -affecting his nerves and brain, almost like laughing gas. Then, as -he stood there, and began to realize his danger, the wonderful thing -happened! - -Like a soft whisper it came to his ears; gently but clearly, the words -that made him forget the things about him,--and all else, for that -matter. He thought, at first, the lighter air was affecting his nerves -and exciting his imagination; that his own brain was fooling him. For -he knew, or thought he knew, that such a thing was impossible. But as -he stood there, wondering, hoping, trying hard to believe it might be -possible, the message came again, in the same words. Then he knew it -was no delusion. He knew it was no invention of his own, nor the cry -from his own heart of its one desire. - -"And, oh, Ruthy, it was the best news that ever came to that planet!" - -After various remarks of a not impersonal nature from his audience, he -continued: - -"And to think of its getting there! I knew it was possible, -theoretically, but I didn't really believe it. Three times it came. -Then I wasted no more time in wondering. I clambered back into the -machine. Foreign countries had no further interest for me! - -"Foreign countries indeed!" and Ruth closed her eyes, and shuddered. - -"Well," the traveler continued, "I reached home at night, as you know." - -"Reached home!" - -He laughed. "That shows how relative all things are, doesn't it? By -home I meant the Earth. I traveled as fast as I dared for I wanted -to meet somebody at Longfields. Instead of coming down over North -America I found I was sailing up over the Eastern coast of Africa. -When at last I struck Massachusetts, I met a thunderstorm. Any fool -would know better than to stay out in it, but I was in a hurry to get -to Longfields--where I had important business--and I took a chance. I -was nearing Worcester when the storm struck me I had run into it, not -realizing how fast I was going." - -"Yes, yes--go on!" - -"Well, I shall never know just what happened. I don't even know what -became of the machine. The next thing I did know I was in this bed, and -you beside it. Until you spoke to me and I heard your voice I believed -I was dreaming." - -"What do you think did happen, Drowsy?" - -"I think a touch of lightning, an electric shock of some kind, knocked -me silly, burst the door open and sent me heels over head out of the -falling machine." - -Then Ruth told him how he was found in a field, the ground, not far -away, all dug up, a big tree splintered and a stone wall torn to pieces. - -"Yes, yes--it probably took a run for a high jump, went off into space -and is now about a thousand billion miles the other side of Neptune." - -"Thank heaven, it's gone!" exclaimed Ruth. And obeying a sudden -impulse she leaned over and kissed the happy man. - -At that moment Dr. Gladwin entered from the adjoining room. Quickly -Ruth straightened up and backed away, her cheeks redder than roses. - -The old doctor laughed, his face aglow with a boyish delight. "Don't -let me interrupt, for that's what makes the world go round. Doesn't it, -Mr. Alton?" - -"Yes, Doctor. It always has and it will, forever and forever." - -"True, indeed! And how far above science, electrical, medical and any -other kind, or any human invention--even yours." - -"There's no comparison," said the smiling patient. - -"And what a heaven-sent cure for a damaged head and arm and ribs!" - -"And a damaged heart," said Cyrus, waving a hand toward the rosy Ruth. -"It's more than a cure. It's a continuous miracle!" - -Here the much embarrassed Ruth interrupted: "Please don't think, Dr. -Gladwin, that----" - -"That you treat other patients as kindly? Oh, never!" - -"God forbid!" exclaimed Cyrus. - -"I want you to know," Ruth persisted, "that in September there is to be -a----" - -Dr. Gladwin nodded. "Wedding. Yes, I knew it." - -"You knew it!" - -"Several days ago." - -"Why, who told you?" - -"You both told me." - -"We both told you!" exclaimed nurse and patient as they stared first at -each other, then at the doctor. - -"Some days ago," said Dr. Gladwin, with a serious face and impressive -manner, "a certain nurse was waiting for me at my office--early in -the morning. She told me she had discovered the identity of a certain -patient. Her voice was tremulous. One hand she pressed tight against -her heart to silence its beating. She knew, as I did, that loud -reverberations might awaken sleeping neighbors. She had eyes. Possibly -you have noticed those eyes, Mr. Alton." - -"I live in them," said Cyrus. - -"Well, deep, down deep within those eyes I could see the Thing that -makes the world go round; the tender, unchanging glow that is life to a -broken lover." - -Here Cyrus smiled, nodded, gulped, started to say something and gave it -up. - -Dr. Gladwin continued. "She did not tell me she hoped that particular -patient would recover. She told me he _must_ recover. She made it clear -that nothing in this world, or in any other world, was to be considered -until that young man was out of danger." - -"Oh, how can you make fun of me!" protested Ruth. - -"Make fun of you! Make fun of the most sacred thing in human life!" - -"No, Ruth," said Cyrus, "he is not making fun of you. He is simply -reciting the most beautiful of all earthly poems." - -"Yes, he speaks truly," said the doctor: "the oldest in the world yet -always young. An entrancing poem, containing also the secret of the -young man with the broken head. But he hides his secret in a louder -way. He sings it to any listener--and all day long." - -"Oh, come now," from Cyrus. "I say, Doctor, you----" - -Ruth laughed. "Don't interrupt. Please go right on, Doctor. It's just -lovely!" - -Dr. Gladwin obeyed. "Metaphorically he engages an auditorium and a -military band to announce the coming tidings. Then, to the assembled -multitude, he shouts the joyful secret. But when alone with me, those -public methods are not necessary. If I mention, in a casual way, the -nurse with the eloquent eyes, the color rushes into his pale face, his -lips quiver, his eyes become moist and his pulse jumps and dances like -a thing possessed." - -Cyrus laughed and leaned back against his pillow. "Yes and ten times -more so when I'm in her presence and can see her." - -"Of course," said Dr. Gladwin, "a healthy, normal habit. Long life to -it! There's no better way to impart the ever welcome tidings 'I am in -love, and she's mine!' But what a tonic, this carefully guarded secret! -Never, since the world began was cure so swift." - -Then, in a more serious tone, but with his friendly smile: - -"And all deserved! To both of you has come the high reward of Courage -and Devotion." - -Ruth returned his smile, the color still in her cheeks. - -Cyrus closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of fathomless content. - -"It all seems too good to be true," he murmured. - - -[Illustration: THE END] - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Punctuation and possible typographical errors have been corrected. - -Archaic and variable spelling, including hyphenation, has been -preserved. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DROWSY*** - - -******* This file should be named 53802-8.txt or 53802-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/3/8/0/53802 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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