At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern

ming o

Harlan was moody and despairing, chiefly because he could not understand what it all meant.

sembodied spirits, haunted him by night and by day. Before his inner vision came unfamiliar scenes, detached fragments of conversa

h his bauble and his cracked, meaningless laughter, danced in and out of the picture with impish glee. Behind it all was the sunset, such a sunset as was never seen on land or sea. Ribbons of splendid colour streamed from the horizon to the zenith and set the shields of the k

e was utterly wiped out. Har

nevitably belongs-truly, it seems simple enough. But from the vast range of our written speech to select those which fitting

index, a marginal note of that within. Reading afterward the written words, the fine invisible links, the colour and the music, are treacherously supplied by the imagination, w

fragmentary, marginal notes were traced. Only the words, the dead, meaningless words, stripped of all the fancy which once made them fair, to make for the thousands the wild, delirious bliss that the writer knew! To write with the tears falling upon the page, and afterward to read, in some particularly poignant and searching review, that "the book fails to co

gh of apple bloom, its starry petals anchored only by invisible cobwebs, softly shook white fragrance into the grass. Then, like a vision str

the sheaf of copy-paper which had waited for this, week in and week out.

upon a snowy palfrey, whose trappings of scarlet and silver gleamed brightly in the sun. Her gown was of white satin, wo

Set like a rose upon pearl was the dewy, fragrant sweetness of her mouth, and her breath was like

ing through the empty rooms. No answer. Presently it rang again, insiste

ines! Harlan stifled a groan

there no one in the house but himself? Apparently not, fo

as he ran downstairs, the one-two, one-two-thr

rlan could not be discourteous to a lady. She was tall, and slender, and pale, with blue eyes and ye

id, wearily. "I thought

you come in?" She was evidently a friend of Dorot

ke, she brushed past him, and went into the parlour. "I'

lan, standing first on one foot and then o

tion to go on the stage," she concluded, wi

ifting to the other foot. "Uncle Ebeneezer,"

l, sinking into one of the haircloth

, as he remembered the utter ruin of his work, he added, viciously

e had fainted, when she relieved his mind by bursting into tears. He was mo

o be consoling, took the visitor's cold hands in his. "Do

illness, that if anything happened to her, I would come to Uncle Ebeneezer. She said she had never imposed upon him and that he

d deeply touched by the girl's distress. "We are your friend

, and saw Dorothy standing in the door-quite a new

e, high-pitched laugh with no mirth in it. "Let me presen

Clair," she explained, offering a white, tremulous hand which Dorothy did n

vely things for people. And now, Harlan, if you will show Miss St. Clair to her room, I

w. "What in the devil do I know about 'her room'? Hav

answered Miss St. Cl

yourself. There are plenty of rooms, and cribs to burn in every blamed

; "it is very kind of you to let me choose. C

it," replied her

and Harlan, not altogether happy at the prospect, went in search

" Mrs. Smithers was saying. "Is th

r Dorothy, but the answer was given, as quick as a flash. "A

down and wiped his forehead. "'A very dear old friend.'" Disconnectedly, and with pronou

rth'-what idiot said it was worth anything?" groaned Harlan, inwardly. "Anyway, I've had the crowded hour. 'Better fifty years of Europe tha

ot where people could write books if they wanted to. "Just why," he asked himself more than once, "was I inspired to grab the shaky paw of that hum

t sounded like a sexton tolling a bell for a funeral. Miss St. Clair, with the traces of tears practically removed, floated gracefully downsta

ly fashion, and at the precise moment, D

es, "will you give our guest your arm and esc

k his accustomed seat at the head of the table. As a sign of devotion, he tried to step on Dorothy's foot under the table, after a pleasing habit of their courtship in the New York board

ss St. Clair?" asked D

uest, taking a plate of fried c

w York, too." Then she took a bold, daring plung

ely not! It must have

g her shoulders. "No doubt I am mis

?" A sudden and earnest crow under the window behind her startled her so that she dropped her

fully. "We call him 'Abdul Hamid.' You know th

table manner, occasionally urged the guest to have more of something. Throughout luncheon, she never once spoke to Harlan, nor took so much as a single glance at his red

ose from the table, "I am sure you will wish to lie down a

ndness from strangers, "and finally chose the suite in the south wing. It's a nice larg

e description was of Doroth

at room for you-dear Harlan is always so thoughtful! I will go up with you

e few pages of his manuscript, then, hearing Dorothy coming, grabbed it and fled like a thief to the library on the first floor. In

austion, Harlan worked fruitlessly at The Quest of Lady Elaine, and Dorothy busied herself about h

ore, never in all his life heard of her, never knew there was such a person, or had never met anybody who knew anything about her? "

away by speech, unless Dorothy should ask him about it-which he was very certain she would not do. "She ought to trust me," he said to himself, resentfully, forgetti

the same as luncheon, as far as conversation was conce

ediently enough, and

erful and was merely ridiculous, "I've begun the book-I ac

anuscript, he read it in an unnatural

lly critical; "I particularly noticed her hands and they're not nice

anded Harlan, in g

're going to do a book about her, you m

firmly. Then, for the first time, the whole wretched