Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 122: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

120 above the grass at that moment, saw the gleam of the dragon-fly poised, and, without altering speed or course, tilted at him as with a lance. He darted astern and upward almost magically, letting her by beneath him with a rush that carried her far. As if, however, the birds had conspired, a painted finch instantly fell upon him out of the spiky labyrinth of a bush, and al- though the dragon-fly was not there when the finch was, so to speak, and was up when the bird was down, and down when the bird was up—and all with a soullessness, and an apparent absolute lack of haste in the in- stantaneousness on the insect’s part that made one marvel—the finch was more of a fluttering ‘‘sticker’’ than he looked. He was not lightly shaken off. He darted down again and again. He watched for the dragon-fly to settle—per- haps because he was like us, and could not always see him when he was whizzing about in the air—and then pounced. And in the end the emperor lost patience—I can scarcely imagine him really afraid—and scintillated away, like a finely drawn rain- bow thread far out over the field, and the pond knew him not. That is, for a space. One knew that he was sure to come back. The languid hot minutes drowsed on and on, uncounted and unnoticed; the swifts tore like shrieking arrowheads across the arc of heaven; the doves crooned languish- ingly among the hanging drapery of the willows. Still the emperor did not return. Why? One of those sudden heavy clouds of summer that threaten so much, and do nothing but pass away, leaving the scene brighter than ever, had obscured the sun. Far across the fields the emperor, in his angry, ruffled retreat, had settled. A cool wind came fanning over the grass, and the emperor became no more than an inert life- less twig. The emperor hated the dullness spelled by cloud; hated, too, the slightest cool; and, although he could fly on sunless, chill days, he cared not to do so unless forced. Wherefore, remained he utterly quiescent, a sun-worshipper self-confessed, and one to whom the rays of the sun were fire, and life, and—all. Some time did he have to wait, cleaning himself now and then with that fury charac- teristic’ of his toilet-making, before sud- denly the sun and a wildly galloping horse appeared together. The horse was a thor- oughbred, famous, and of priceless worth. Adventure Just now, though, he was a terrified, stampeding quadruped, tearing blindly toward some barbed-wire, in the toils of which, if not stopped, he would ruin himself past all hope and for ever. And the cause of his fearP—was the gadfly. The gadfly whose young live upon the living horse— the gadfly, hated and feared beyond whips! The gadfly, with the high-pitched, twanging hum, and the somewhat waspish outline. GadfliesP I do not know whether—as you and I and the horse could—the emperor heard the dread fly above the thundering hoofs. I know that he saw—his super- wonderful eyes saw—and, seeing, he went. Scarcely a second later the emperor re- appeared, or, at least, there were sparkling dots, and dashes, and zigzags in the air that indicated his presence above the horse’s head. He was hunting the hunter, pursuing the terrible gadfly. Ten seconds later the emperor was seated momentarily upon the horse’s back—surely that thoroughbred never had so strange a demon jockey, and the piercing twang of the gadfly ceased. ‘Then he was gliding smoothly down to a spray of honeysuckle, and the gadfly went, unwillingly, with him, and the horse was pulling up—in time. Finally the horse walked across the field toward the pond, which was the safest place he could choose, and the emperor, having finished his meal, was just polishing his jaws preparatory to a return to his “beat”? when the empress arrived from— out of the sun! @ than his great eyes saw anything, but—well, seeing a damsel dragon- fly is one thing, capturing her heart is another. The emperor knew this, apparently, and they made some very pretty play in the air together, showing off most beautifully their exquisite wing-power, but never getting any nearer a match. The emperor, of course, was instantly and madly in love. She was the only female dragon-fly he had ever seen, and his kingdom, possessing all else desirable, sadly lacked an empress. The lady, however, would permit ap- proach no nearer than three inches. At every dart the emperor found himself met by steely, spined forelegs, and implacable jaws. The beautiful one—not so beautiful as the_emperor, though, be it whispered— THE emperor saw her more quickly COMMiICLOOokKks (C@