Among the Prophets 



of merriment he gave was at my young presump- 

 tion. I had refused his lore on trust. 



"Shall I show you?" 



I snuggled close to watch beside his arm. 



In a second he had begun to pour forth strange 

 melody upon a canvas and the pipes he used 

 were brushes flecked with paint. Against the 

 sunny brilliance of the sky, clouds sped, free- 

 moving. Wind stirred the deep troughs of the 

 water and lifted from it foam that was as fugi- 

 tive as dreams. And where the waves ciu-ved 

 and broke in rout of white along the shore, there 

 was exultancy that had behind it, the whole wild 

 pushing tumult of the sea. It was the sea grown 

 conscious, with rhythm and with pulse. 



Then swiftly with its satisfaction, the Piper's 

 mood had gone. His eyes that had been staring 

 out with stern intelligence turned downward, 

 lightly mocking at the silence of my wonder; and 

 with a shaking free of sand, he had risen to his 

 feet. 



"Now rim home, yoxmgster," with a smile both 

 prankish and companionable, he sped me on my 



[45] 



