Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
From the sound of their voices I knew they had separated. I could not
locate Paul, and so approached the shadow that represented Lloyd. But
from the other side came a stunning blow on the point of my jaw, and I
heard Paul scream angrily, “Now will you keep away?”
Then they came together again, the impact of their blows, their groans
and gasps, and the swift flashings and shadow-movings telling plainly of
the deadliness of the struggle.
I shouted for help, and Gaffer Bedshaw came running into the court. I
could see, as he approached, that he was looking at me strangely, but he
collided with the combatants and was hurled headlong to the ground. With
despairing shriek and a cry of “O Lord, I’ve got ‘em!” he sprang to his
feet and tore madly out of the court.
I could do nothing, so I sat up, fascinated and powerless, and watched
the struggle. The noonday sun beat down with dazzling brightness on the
naked tennis court. And it was naked. All I could see was the blotch of
shadow and the rainbow flashes, the dust rising from the invisible feet,
the earth tearing up from beneath the straining foot-grips, and the wire
screen bulge once or twice as their bodies hurled against it. That was
all, and after a time even that ceased. There were no more flashes, and
the shadow had become long and stationary; and I remembered their set
boyish faces when they clung to the roots in the deep coolness of the
pool.
They found me an hour afterward. Some inkling of what had happened got
to the servants and they quitted the Tichlorne service in a body.
Gaffer Bedshaw never recovered from the second shock he received, and
is confined in a madhouse, hopelessly incurable. The secrets of their
marvellous discoveries died with Paul and Lloyd, both laboratories being
destroyed by grief-stricken relatives. As for myself, I no longer care
for chemical research, and science is a tabooed topic in my household. I
have returned to my roses. Nature’s colors are good enough for me.
ALL GOLD CANYON
It was the green heart of the canyon, where the walls swerved back from
the rigid plan and relieved their harshness of line by making a little
sheltered nook and filling it to the brim with sweetness and roundness
and softness. Here all things rested. Even the narrow stream ceased its
turbulent down-rush long enough to form a quiet pool. Knee-deep in the
water, with drooping head and half-shut eyes, drowsed a red-coated,
many-antlered buck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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