WATER LILIES 



435 



fishing or hunting again, until permission 

 has been conveyed to you by one of the 

 officers of this court ? " 



"Yes; yes, Mr. Judge, I do, I do!" 



"Do you further promise not to ever 



breathe to any living person of your arrest 



by us animals, and your trial by this court ? " 



1 ( Yes ; I promise everything, everything. " 



"Very well; you shall go this time," said 



the bear, "but remember, every animal in 



the wood, every bird in the air will be 



watching you and will report any breaking 



of your promise, and we can take you again 



as easily as we did to-day, and the next time 



— well, don't let us have to take you, that's 



all. You are discharged on these conditions. 



Officer, permit the prisoner to go free." 



Scarce believing his senses, Stephen began 

 to totter toward the door. The animals did 

 riot seem to relish the judge's decision, and 

 for the moment it seemed doubtful if the 

 officers would be able to restrain the mad- 

 dened beasts from dashing upon him, but at 

 last he crawled past the bear at the door, and 

 stood again in the fresh air, which never 

 seemed so sweet. He was too weak and 

 doubtful at first to move very fast, but when 

 no one of them appeared from the hovel, he 

 gained courage and began to run. He did 

 not look for his rod, but ran faster and 

 faster, until he was fairly flying over the 

 road, and never stopped until he was well 

 clear of the neighborhood of the wood. 

 A few minutes after Stephen's dismissal, 



the interior of the hovel was ringing with 

 shouts of laughter, as three young men, 

 Stephen's near neighbors, stepped out of 

 their bear suits. Their little private enter- 

 tainment of ventriloquism, and exhibition 

 of taxidermy, secured for the experiment, 

 had thus far served a good purpose. 



The townspeople, some of them, were 

 very much surprised at the sudden and 

 very remarkable change that developed in 

 Stephen. He began to clear up, plant and 

 rebuild. Night and day he continued to toil 

 like a beaver; his thankful wife began to 

 appear in better raiment, the two children 

 well dressed and the happy look of a good 

 home and plenty to eat. Right faithfully he 

 kept his promise to the bears, who now, all 

 unbeknown to him, rendered every assist- 

 ance possible. Their means in his reforma- 

 tion may have been a little severe, but they 

 justified the end. The trout waxed fat in 

 the streams and the real animals in the 

 wood, that he gave all the credit, won- 

 dered what had become of him. 



It was astonishing how soon Stephen's 

 place resumed its old-time thrifty condition, 

 and looked as well as any in the town. In 

 the end he really thanked the bears, but 

 how they became possessed of such a power 

 he never knew. It was as far beyond his 

 simple scope of understanding as are many 

 things that happen every day, just as easy 

 of solution, to even the wisest savants of the 

 land. 



WATER LILIES 



BV MARGUERITE OGDEN BIGELOW 



Ye thoughts of God, in fairest white incarnate, 

 The brooding of His spirit o'er the deep 



Called forth your milky petals from the waters, 

 And broke the bondage of unconscious sleep. 



