The Golden Bird

ht Polly with him to congratulate us on the rescue of our infant industry. Polly had told him of our brilliant coup against old Jack Frost, and he

hem at all, and also Bess refused to have any mixing of breeds in her conservatory. Polly didn't know enough to resent losing the hundred and twenty dollars, because she had never had more than fifty cents in her life, and Matthew didn't realize what it would have meant to her to have that much money, because he had more than he needed all his life, so they were all happy and laughed through one of Rufus' worst hog effusions in th

ive-hundred-dollar gold egg yet,

oon's work. Matthew lingered behind the others and helped

the Beesleys' and raise sheep on it. He says Harpeth is losing millions a year by not raising sheep. I'm going to live at Riverfield a lot of the time and motor back and forth to business. Truly, Ann, the land

s than I do to-day, Matthew," I answered with a laugh. Matthew's proposals of marria

is place, and I don't see how everything gets

" I said, with a sudden inspiration about getting rid of him, for the red-headed Peckerwood had promised to come and put some kind of hoodoo earth around the peonies and irises and pinks in my garden, also to bud some kind of a new rose on one of the old blush ones,

s when he comes over to see or help me or to bring me something from Aunt Mary, his mother. "Bess is one of the best of friends I've got in the world, but I just-just co

ks, for the pink and lavender chiffon gown Bess had worn was one of the Vou

-" Poor Matthew was stuttering while I rubbed the tip of my nose against his sleeve in

ce for protection. I must have a quiet after

him, and I made my escape through the barn and out into the woods. I had thought that I saw a glint of Peckerwood red pass through the

what seemed to be suddenly newly opened eyes. I had been in and out of Elmnest to such an extent for the last six weeks that I hadn't had a chance to get off and look at it from an outsider's standpoint, and now suddenly I was taking that view of it. The old rose and green brick house, covered in by its wide, gray shingle roof, the gables and windows of which were beginning to be wreathed in feathery and pink young vines, which were given darker notes here and there in their masses by the sturdy green of the honey-suckles, hovered down on a small plateau rear-guarded by the barn and sheds, flanked by the garden and the gnarled old orchard, and from its front d

ure, which I knew to be Luella Spain, running up the long avenue, and in its hand I detected something that, I was sure, was a covered plate or dish. "And I'm making Elmnest fulfil its desti

Pan's flutiest voice, and I turned to find him standing

p at four corners, gypsy-fashion, which he offered me and which, I could se

box, you know,-the night that Mr. G. Bird sang 'Delilah,' and also I've slept on

f course, he wouldn't understand that it is an insult to offer to buy one's colonial home with holes in the door to shoot Indians through," I an

amily, but from some of the motions he is making, I think he intends to have," answered Pan, with one of

u that insulted me by wanting to buy Elmnest just because it

ing-house and cook these wild-mustard shoots for our dinner, or shall I

mollified laugh, though I knew I was bringing down upon m

six weeks ago I found a farm woman who would come out at my wooing to cook and eat the herbs and roots with me and I could have her to myself all alone. Now, will you come on down to the spring?" And without waiting for my reply, Adam started down the hill, crosswise from the path by wh

to be as delicious as was possible for them. From the library came a rattle and bang of literary musketry from the blessed parental twins, who were for the time being with Julius C?sar in "all Gaul," and oblivious to anything in the twentieth century, even a spring-intoxicated niece and daughter down in her grandmother's g

rried over his shoulder on the end of a long hickory stick and which I had by investigation at different times found to contain everything from clean linen to Sanskrit poetry fo

ast rambler in this garden and then we can lay out the rows for Bud to plant with the snap beans to-morrow." Adam, from the first day he had met me, had addressed me simply with my generic class name, and I had found it a good one to which to make answer. Also Adam had shown me the profit and bea

aughter rang out with such volume that old Rufus came to the kitchen window to look out and shake his head, and I knew he was mutte

nd you didn't joggle 'em too much. Do either you or

nity, as I snipped away a dead b

t Miss Rutherf

Bess; she's so

" finished Pan, mockingly. "She does prett

Wisp'!" I exclaimed, with the greatest pride, for

ost see hoofs through the raw hide of his shoes. I would have ruffled the red crests off of the tips of his ears to see if they

iends, and I don't believe you ever want to please me," I said as I

et a rise out of the setting sun, and let's go away from these haunts of men to our own woods home. Come along!" As he spoke Pan pocketed his long knife, picked up his stick and b

e cove at the spring that was away from all the world. All during the days that never seemed to end, as I went upon my roun

n, very shortly after high noon, I had put the greens, with the two wild onion sprigs and the handful of inevitable black-walnut kernels, into the iron pot set on the two rocks with their smoldering

make Matthew believe it. I forgot to tell you that Matt is really going in for farming, thanks to the evil influence of your friend Evan Baldw

unconcern, as he took the black loaf from his gypsy pack and began

ith an indignation that I

ronted me as I lifted the pot with the skirt of my blouse and poured the greens into two br

warm earth side by side and began to dip the hunks of black bread into our bowls and lift the delicious wilted leaves to our mouths with it, a mode of consumption it had taken Pan several attempts to t

sked as he set his bowl down after polishing it out with his l

have had less than a good half-night's sleep every morning?" I asked as

t my be

n fi

, wo

eyes is

must give

labor, an

k for lov

thy c

thy

me

s, and ended his chant with several weird, eery, crooning notes blown

lambkins," I whispered, with a queer answering laugh

thy

thy

co

in his eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen; it smouldered and flamed like the embers under the pot beside the rock.

admission was being drawn out of me. Still the arms hovered, the crests ruffled, and the eyes searched down

added almost begrudgingly, a

irst recognized Eve, Pan folded me into his arms, laid his red head on my breast, and held up his lip

uted softly as he in turn took me on his breast and pressed his russet cheek against the tan of mine. "I'm going

e world, and I must do that before-" but my words ended in a laugh a

his Romney bundle with his left hand and me with his right and began to pad up the path from the spring-house towards the

arm where I was fitted and held steadily so that my steps see

e barn to put away the tools," answered Adam, with v

ed as I came out of the first half of a ki

our heart," answered Pan in a way that made me know that

after to-morrow," I said as I took my lips aw

," was Adam's prosaic and instructive answer that c