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<v Speaker 1>The Siren by Tarlton Collier. With an abrupt jerk, Joe Wilson,

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<v Speaker 1>from lying on a cot in a little tent, lifted

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<v Speaker 1>himself on his elbow in an attitude of intent. Listening.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no sound except the hum of a sleepy

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<v Speaker 1>breeze through the pines, the sleepier contralto of a mocking bird,

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<v Speaker 1>and the purring undertone of rippling water. That's her, he

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<v Speaker 1>whispered with an effort. He sat erect and again told

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<v Speaker 1>himself that's her. All. At once there came a crackle

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<v Speaker 1>of words without and sound of thudding footsteps. Joe flung

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<v Speaker 1>himself back on the cot and closed his eyes with

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<v Speaker 1>furious energy, as the flap of the tent was lifted

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<v Speaker 1>and the engineer and the doctor peered within. He's asleep,

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<v Speaker 1>said the engineer, in a low voice. Hum said the doctor.

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<v Speaker 1>He was a wizened little man with spectacles. Then he

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<v Speaker 1>let the flap drop, and his voice came to Joe

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<v Speaker 1>brusquely through the canvas. Well, we'll come back. I want

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<v Speaker 1>to talk to him. He's probably not very sick. But

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<v Speaker 1>by God, man, we've got to keep your men from

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<v Speaker 1>the water around here, or you'll never finish your railroad.

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<v Speaker 1>They were walking away as he spoke, and to Joe

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<v Speaker 1>the voice seemed to fade. I tell you polluted fever.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they were gone, and the sound of them swallowed

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<v Speaker 1>up by the ripples of the little creek over the rocks.

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<v Speaker 1>With a start, Joe again was erect, his eyes furtive,

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<v Speaker 1>glancing about the little canvas chamber. He tiptoed to the

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<v Speaker 1>flap and lifted it a bare inch, peering out upon

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<v Speaker 1>the receding figures of the two men as they beneath

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<v Speaker 1>the water oak. With no less caution, he crept to

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<v Speaker 1>the other end of the tent and stepped through the

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<v Speaker 1>flap into the open. For a moment he stood irresolute,

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<v Speaker 1>his eyes closed, as if he were dizzy. Keep away

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<v Speaker 1>from the water, you fool, he whispered. There was no

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<v Speaker 1>other sound of life in the woods now, the breeze

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<v Speaker 1>had died, and the mocking bird was silent, only the

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<v Speaker 1>prattle of a nearby stream over its rocky bed. With

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<v Speaker 1>a stumbling, nervous stride that was almost a run, Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Wilson went toward the sound of the water, and at

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<v Speaker 1>last he plunged through a thick clump of willows, and

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<v Speaker 1>stood stiff, half crouching at the top of a bank

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<v Speaker 1>of damp green moss that sloped steeply to the little stream,

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<v Speaker 1>with pools like black wells, still and silent, only the

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<v Speaker 1>silver shallows between pool wouls rippled with life. At the

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<v Speaker 1>foot of the bank was a shell of rock, splotched

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<v Speaker 1>with green moss, reaching into the stream, barely an inch

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<v Speaker 1>above the water. Upon it, Joe's glance rested, as if

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<v Speaker 1>held by a power outside himself. He drew back into

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<v Speaker 1>the willows, his sunken eyes closed in his pale face.

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<v Speaker 1>Then with a sudden spring, he was over the bank

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<v Speaker 1>and perched upon the rock. Something like a smile lightened

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<v Speaker 1>his face, as if with the leap he had settled

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<v Speaker 1>a troublesome matter. He sat down as easily and comfortably

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<v Speaker 1>as he might, his legs doubled, his hands clasped about

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<v Speaker 1>his knees, and stared intently at the bleak pool at

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<v Speaker 1>his feet. And then, between a closing and an opening

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<v Speaker 1>of his eyes, a woman was there where he was

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<v Speaker 1>looking for her. There was no sense of suddenness about

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<v Speaker 1>the apparition. Only when he closed his eyes against dizziness,

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<v Speaker 1>there was the water and nothing else. When he opened them.

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<v Speaker 1>An instant later, she was standing in the midst of

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<v Speaker 1>the pool, almost where he could touch her, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was as if she had been there all the while.

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<v Speaker 1>The water reached a little above her ankles. Her legs

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<v Speaker 1>were bare to the knees clothed above that, and her

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<v Speaker 1>body as well, in a soft, clinging garment of white

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<v Speaker 1>that seemed a part of her white. Throat and arms

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<v Speaker 1>were bare. Her face was alive with a pleasant smile.

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<v Speaker 1>Her eyes, of green and gray together were alive and

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<v Speaker 1>pleasant too. You are late, she said, There was something

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<v Speaker 1>of the stream's bright ripple in her voice. Joe Wilson

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<v Speaker 1>could only smile and answer. Then his smile faded, and

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<v Speaker 1>his face was scornful and somewhat stubborn. Yes, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>and I came near, not coming at all. I swore

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<v Speaker 1>I wouldn't, but you came, she said, still smiling, only

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<v Speaker 1>to tell you that this is the last time. Her

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<v Speaker 1>smile merrier now, was accompanied by a sound that might

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<v Speaker 1>have been the gurgle of the little whirlpool in the rapids,

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<v Speaker 1>or it might have been a low note of laughter.

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<v Speaker 1>You didn't mean it, then, that you love me, she chided,

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<v Speaker 1>coming nearer. It was not by a step that she moved,

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<v Speaker 1>or by any perceptible effort. The space between them all

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<v Speaker 1>at once was lessened nothing else. Joe had lost his

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<v Speaker 1>careless air and posture. He was on his knees, a

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<v Speaker 1>fury in his words. I didn't mean it. You can

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<v Speaker 1>say that I have become less than a man. I

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<v Speaker 1>love you so you bring me here every day to

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<v Speaker 1>do as you will, and I would die if I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't come. I love you so for you. I have

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<v Speaker 1>broken my word to my friends back there in camp.

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<v Speaker 1>And I don't know who you are or what you are.

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<v Speaker 1>Again that gentle sound that might have been a sudden

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<v Speaker 1>swirl of water or her laughter. Then she was nearer,

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<v Speaker 1>and her pleasant eyes looked into his mockery in them.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't know who I am, she asked softly, And

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<v Speaker 1>yet I am yours. The stubborn lines in Joe's face vanished,

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<v Speaker 1>A quick throb of blood choked into a gulp. The

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<v Speaker 1>word he would have spoken, and he stretched out his arms.

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<v Speaker 1>She was suddenly beyond his reach. Yours, she said again,

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<v Speaker 1>and that she laughed. There was no doubt. This time.

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<v Speaker 1>Joe's eyes were hungry. Joe leaned forward upon his stiffened

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<v Speaker 1>arms and stared at her like a wistful dog. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know who you are, he whispered. I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>who you are. I am whoever you want me to be.

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<v Speaker 1>She said, I'll call you Sadie. He said, Sadie. Her

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<v Speaker 1>lids drooped, veiling her eyes, but their narrow glimmer was

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<v Speaker 1>keenly alive. Yes, there is a girl between two words.

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<v Speaker 1>She was close before him, at the edge of the rock.

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<v Speaker 1>I am yours, she said, in a fierce, low voice.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you care for any girl? I am all woman,

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<v Speaker 1>and you have me. What do you care for the world?

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<v Speaker 1>You have me? He felt her breath on his face.

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<v Speaker 1>There was warmth and fragrance in it. Her white beauty

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<v Speaker 1>was greater than that of the dogwood blossoms showering there

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<v Speaker 1>through the gloom. Under A sudden breeze, and a dizziness

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<v Speaker 1>struck him so that the trees swam before his eyes.

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<v Speaker 1>I have you, he repeated, thickly. Raised to his feet,

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<v Speaker 1>and the girl, Sadie, she asked, You are Sadie. Only

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<v Speaker 1>you I have forgotten. He put out his arms, but

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<v Speaker 1>she was beyond his reach. Again, her eyes mysterious. With

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<v Speaker 1>outstretched arms, he begged her to return. I love you,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, for a full breath. She looked at him gravely.

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<v Speaker 1>Then we shall see, she said, plunging her hands into

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<v Speaker 1>the stream. As she arose, her hands were cupped and

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<v Speaker 1>brimming with water. She moved toward him, smiling. Terror gathered

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<v Speaker 1>in Joe's white face. Drink, she tempted him. He whispered no, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>and the refusal seemed to strengthen him, for when she

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<v Speaker 1>said again, drink, he shouted no. She dropped her hands

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<v Speaker 1>and the water went splashing back into the stream. And

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<v Speaker 1>smiling still, she came nearer until she was beside him

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<v Speaker 1>upon the rock, her wet feet glistening silver upon the

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<v Speaker 1>greenish brown surface. Her eyes held fast his wide, frightened stare.

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<v Speaker 1>Why she asked him, when she was so close that

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<v Speaker 1>he was aware of the warmth and fragrance of her person.

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<v Speaker 1>He answered her steadily, I will not. That's why I

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<v Speaker 1>must not. I have told you I must not every

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<v Speaker 1>day that I have come here, and yet I have

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<v Speaker 1>always drunk this water. It has made me less than

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<v Speaker 1>a man. It has made me break my word and

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<v Speaker 1>my own rules. Once more, her eyes were grave. You

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<v Speaker 1>must not, she asked. Her voice might have been that

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<v Speaker 1>of the purring shallows. There was no escaping her gaze,

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<v Speaker 1>and before it his eyes wavered and shifted. His shoulders drooped.

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<v Speaker 1>You will not, the purring voice went on, not for me,

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<v Speaker 1>and you say you love me. It is so little

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<v Speaker 1>that I ask. There was a pain in his voice

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<v Speaker 1>as he cried, don't, Sadie, I have promised the rule.

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<v Speaker 1>It was she whose figure drooped now, and her face

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<v Speaker 1>that was mournful. But you have broken the rules before

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<v Speaker 1>this for me, She murmured. I came to day to

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<v Speaker 1>say that I would no more. But it is so little,

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<v Speaker 1>I asked, and I am yours. He pleaded, don't. With

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<v Speaker 1>sudden abandon she flung herself against him, and for the

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<v Speaker 1>first time, his arms closed about her. She yielded to

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<v Speaker 1>his fierce embrace, her head against his breast. You do

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<v Speaker 1>not love me, she whispered, Sadie. His arms tightened with

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<v Speaker 1>his cry, and the red mist blighted him as he

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<v Speaker 1>felt her warm, vital body closer against him. She lifted

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<v Speaker 1>her face and looked at him. You will, she asked,

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<v Speaker 1>smiling No, he said, almost with a moan. She kissed

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<v Speaker 1>him to drink, Only to drink, she said, softly. It

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<v Speaker 1>is so little I have given you myself, isn't that something?

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<v Speaker 1>With one arm she clung to him as tightly as

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<v Speaker 1>he held her. The other arm was free, and with

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<v Speaker 1>her hand she stroked his face. Her kisses were hot

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<v Speaker 1>upon his lips. His eyes were closed, and he swayed

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<v Speaker 1>with a dizziness that was mightier than any other he

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<v Speaker 1>had known. Only to drink, she said, do you not

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<v Speaker 1>care for me? And I have given you myself? What

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<v Speaker 1>are those men in the camp to you? They and

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<v Speaker 1>their rules? You will not drink? Yet I give you this.

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<v Speaker 1>Her lips met his in an eternity of giving and taking. No,

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<v Speaker 1>he said again, but his voice quivered and broke with

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<v Speaker 1>the plain message of surrender. With a little cry. She

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<v Speaker 1>knelt at the edge of the pool, her arms still

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<v Speaker 1>about him, so that he was forced to kneel with her.

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<v Speaker 1>She plunged her hands into the water and lifted them

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<v Speaker 1>to him with their silver freight. With an eager, moaning sound.

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<v Speaker 1>He drank the cool water, and as he did so,

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<v Speaker 1>the red mist before his eyes thickened, and his ears

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<v Speaker 1>roared with a thunder of blood within to drink became

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<v Speaker 1>then his passion, and he cupped his own hands, filled

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<v Speaker 1>them with water, and drank. For a moment. The mist

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<v Speaker 1>cleared and the roaring eased. He saw that he was

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<v Speaker 1>alone on the rock. Sadie, he called. The answering sound

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<v Speaker 1>might have been only the prattle of the stream, or

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<v Speaker 1>it might have been low laughter. The thought came to

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<v Speaker 1>him that perhaps she had fled to the bank, and

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<v Speaker 1>with prodigious labor, he clambered up the tiny slope. She

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<v Speaker 1>was not there. He parted the soft blown curtain of

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<v Speaker 1>the willows and through the fronds that were so light

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<v Speaker 1>a bird might have flown through them. He gasped with

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<v Speaker 1>the effort it cost him. Staggering into the sunlight beyond

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<v Speaker 1>the fringe of trees, he found that she was not

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<v Speaker 1>there either. He tried to run, but only stumbled, lifting

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<v Speaker 1>himself painfully to stagger onward. Then the midst of his

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<v Speaker 1>delirium closed upon him, and the blood at his ear.

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<v Speaker 1>Drums pounded, and the tumult came out of the earth

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<v Speaker 1>and sky to overwhelm him. The doctor and the engineer

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<v Speaker 1>going fishing stumbled upon his crumpled form. An hour later,

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<v Speaker 1>the former a wizened, spectacled little man bent over him

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<v Speaker 1>and studied him with eyes that seemed to see everything.

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<v Speaker 1>He studied the young fellow's pulse, loosened his shirt, stared

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<v Speaker 1>into the pupils of his eyes. At last, he turned

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<v Speaker 1>to the other, frowning, and said, fever, and maybe that

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<v Speaker 1>damn typhoid. He's the sickest man I ever saw. Then

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<v Speaker 1>his voice rose with a flare of anger. Say can't

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<v Speaker 1>you keep these fools away from this water? He asked,

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<v Speaker 1>there's death in it. The End of the Siren by

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<v Speaker 1>Tarlton Collier