VALLEY

84 RAINBOW VALLEY"No. You'll sit here and wait," said Walter, hisgreat, splendid eyes full of strange glamour. "You'llwait for us to come back.not comeAnd we mayfor we cannot come as long as the Piper plays.may pipe us round the world. Andand wait and wait/'Hestill you'll sit here"Oh, dry up," said Mary, shivering. "Don't looklike that, Walter Blythe. You give me the creeps.Do you want to set me bawling?I could just see thathorrid old Piper going away on, and you boys followinghim, and us girls sitting here waiting all alone. Idunno why it is I never was one of the blubberingkind but as soon as you start your spieling I alwayswant to cry."Walter smiled in triumph.He liked to exercise thispower of his over his companions to playon theirfeelings, waken their fears, thrill their souls. It satisfiedsome dramatic instinct in him. But under histriumph was a queer little chill of some mysteriousdread. The Pied Piper had seemed very real to himas if the fluttering veil that hid the future had for amoment been blown aside in the starlit dusk of RainbowValley and some dim glimpse of coming yearsgranted to him.Carl, coming up to their group with a report of thedoings in ant-land, brought them all back to the realmof facts."Ants are darned in'resting," exclaimed Mary, gladto escape the shadowy Piper's thrall. "Carl and me