Katharine Fay Dewey

“ It seems hardly possible that people could talk so much about so little! No one had thought before that Merope was not quite as she should be. If her star was faint and vanished when one looked hard at it, that was the way of Merope’s star, and that was all there was about it. ”

“ Next, Miss Phyllisy? Not very much. When the laughter and talk about the story had died away, every one sat quiet, a little tired and ready to be serious—and they fell to talking about the Ship.
“‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ said Celeno. ‘Wouldn’t you love to see her sailing?’
“‘We shall, some time,’ said Orion.
“‘Do you really believe it?’ asked Maia.
“‘Surely,’ said Castor. ‘She’s lighter now than she used to be.’
“‘A good deal,’ agreed Hercules. ‘I measure every once in a while, and she keeps going up—every year a little.’
“‘Sing the song about it, Castor,’ said Andromeda. ”

“ The clouds in piled-up masses lay low on Xyntli’s mountain; and it was an easy matter for the Star People to follow Lady Moon down from level to level. When they reached the limit of the cloud-stairway, they could see once more; how right it was that they should wait—their blazing glory hidden—while Lady Moon, her lantern darkened, should slip unseen down the bare shoulder of the mountain, to the strip of forest, left like a dark finger pointing up the slope. ”

“ There’s a whole Royal Family right before your eyes now: Queen Cassiopeia on her throne and King Cepheus beside her and their pretty daughter, Andromeda.—That is one of Cepheus’ stars—and there’s another.” The Princess drew lines with her finger from the stars of the big “W” to the ones they wanted to find. And the Others picked them out, passing from star to star like crossing a brook, jumping from stone to stone. ”

“ It doesn’t seem much to ask for—just one star.’
“‘No,’ answered Orion, ’it doesn’t. And we’re all willing. But who is going to hold that star?—and how are we going to know it’s always in the same spot?’
“‘I should think you might agree about that easily enough,’ said Taffy.
“‘Well, we can’t,’ said Orion. ‘I can’t do it; I have other things to attend to.’
“‘And you won’t let any one else!’ broke in Cassiopeia. ‘You know how I just sit in my chair, and I’d love to hold it.’
“‘She can’t,’ said Orion. ‘Pretty thing for a woman to do!’
“‘I’m not a woman,’ observed Perseus. ”

“ So the Star People understood just what Andromeda meant when she exclaimed, from her chink in the cloud:—
“‘The Bee Baby is left all alone by himself in that strip of forest on the ridge!’
“‘Are you thure? I didn’t thee him,’ said Draco, at another chink.
“‘You’re always imagining things,’ said Orion.
“‘I didn’t imagine this,’ insisted Andromeda. ‘The light from Lady Moon’s lantern shone through for a moment, and I saw him plainly—standing in front of a dark hole in the rock. Then he ran back, as if he were frightened.’
“‘Well, I’d like to know what his people are made of!’ said Cassiopeia. ”

“ As for the Kitten, it was no trouble for her; real or make-believe, it was all alike.
“No, indeed,” said Phyllisy, explaining to Pat, and perfectly familiar with it. “Just the stars of him, and play the rest. When it’s night, we’ll look, and see if we can find them ourselves.”
“You can’t when it’s cloudy,” said Pat. “And it’s cloudy to-night—will be.”
“And the Star People will have a holiday,” said the Princess.
“Will they?” asked the Others, though she had just said it.
“Sure as sure. When it’s a cloudy night and the sailors couldn’t see them wherever they were, they may go where they like.” ”

“ An old man lives in it. He’s like Orion in one thing, he’s very fond of gardening. But he hasn’t any garden, only a watering-pot. And that’s the part of him we’ll draw, because that’s where he wears his stars.”
“You’re making two spouts,” said the Kitten.
“Because it has. If you want to garden, and have no garden but a watering-pot, you can’t have too many spouts. The Ancients said the two streams that flowed from it watered all the gardens of the world.”
“It must have felt funny to be an Ancient,” said Pat.
“Why?” asked Phyllisy. ”

“ And it wasn’t until Cepheus said suddenly: ‘Why, where’s Major?’ that they saw that he was gone, and that was what they missed.
“‘Now, what do you thuppoth pothethed him?’ said Draco.
“‘I’ve no idea,’ said Cassiopeia. ‘But we must find him and bring him back. We can’t let the silly old thing go wandering about, nobody knows where. Perseus!’ she called. ‘You and Andromeda come and help.’
“They were so interested in some scheme of their own they weren’t noticing what was going on. But as soon as they did, they were just as much concerned as anybody, ‘Major gone!’ they said. ”

“ When anything is the Rule of the Sky, that ends it.—Unless you’re a comet.”
“Oh, comets!” exclaimed Phyllisy.” What do they do?”
“What don’t they do?” corrected the Princess. “They’re silly. Just a head, with the wildest, fuzziliest hair,”—she drew on the sand as she talked,—“that never saw a hairbrush—and tails!—switching and flying and spreading over everything and curling around!—and, as if one such tail weren’t bad enough, some of them must have two!” ”

“ To the open sea! “They pointed their star-tipped spears and Taffy gave his orders: and fast and faster sped the Jane Ellen through the black waters, the Reindeer following, led by the gleaming flames on her topsail yards—though the Skipper couldn’t hear a sound of the music nor see anything more than the little lights, because he wasn’t a Welshman, and if he had a young heart, he was too impatient to listen to what it said.
“Torquillon, too, saw the little flames of fire, and saw how fast they flew, and he knew the ships were escaping. ”

“ Orion followed with Maia; then Castor and Taygeta, and Pollux and Alcyone. Hercules took Merope, because she was so gentle and never laughed at him. That left three of the Pleiades girls,—Electra, Celeno, and Sterope,—but Draco said: ‘That’th all right. I gueth I can walk with three girlth. I’m long enough!’ How they squealed and giggled! But that was the way they arranged it; and Cepheus and Cassiopeia came at the end of the procession. ”

“ And any one can fancy how they were frisking about in the garden and out,—and the nearer it grew to bedtime, the farther they kept from the house; and how they trailed up the crooked path on the side of the hill,—the Kitten following along, making a song for herself,—and finally came to the farthest, high, wild lookout place, with a railing at the edge overlooking the dark treetops. ”

“ There never was a captain like him, nor such a happy Little Bear. And when they were tired of thrilling adventures, the Pleiades girls danced, and Castor and Pollux sang songs for them—while the Ship took care of herself.
“On shipboard, when the sea is smooth is a proper time to spin yarns; so, at the end of one of the dances, Maia said: ‘Now somebody must tell a story.’
“‘Hercules,’ said Andromeda. ‘This is his party.’
“‘His surprise party,’ corrected Orion. And they never were more surprised than to hear him say:—
“‘I will. What about?’
“‘Bears,’ said Andromeda. ”

“ They call him ‘Major’; and that pleases him when he thinks he’s a bear, and when they see he has a ‘dipper-fit’ they don’t talk to him at all, because he doesn’t like it.”
“I should think they’d be glad,” said Pat. “What could they talk about?”
“Nothing intelligent,” agreed the Princess, “so they let him alone, to be happy in his own way.”
“Is Little Bear his child?” asked the Kitten.
“No, Kitten. They aren’t related; they only both happen to be bears and neighbors. Major never goes away from his place—almost never,” she corrected herself. Then she stopped, and began again, talking to herself. ”

“ But the Captain lent him some extra spars and his ship’s carpenter and some men, and they set to work; and before they knew it, almost, the Reindeer was ship-shape again, and looked as good as new.
“Except the Jane Ellen—that was a full-rigged ship anyway—there wasn’t a prettier little brig on the high seas. Captain Gryller had had her painted brown, dappled with lighter spots on her sides and two large light spots on her stern, because he meant to call her the Reindeer. And he didn’t care whether that was like a reindeer or a moose or a stag or a wapiti, or none of them; he liked it that way. ”

“ Useful lives they led, those Star People, ever after.”
“How were they useful?” asked Phyllisy.
“To the sailors, Beloveds, most of all, or any one who wants to find his way where there’s nothing on Earth to guide him. In the middle of the most vastest ocean or the most widest plain, all they have to do is to look up and see where the Star People are; then they’ll know where they are themselves, and where to go to be somewhere else. Of course the Star People can’t help any one who doesn’t know them,” she added.
“We don’t. We could be lost any time,” said Pat. ”

“ The Princess nodded. “‘I don’t think it looks very well for me to be running errands,’ said Cepheus.
“‘Looks or no looks, you go along,’ said Cassiopeia. ‘I’m going on one myself.’
“When Orion waked up that night he was pleased to see the clouds, because there was something he wanted to do. Every one knows he was a famous hunter; and there was no animal so fierce or so wild that he could not face it and conquer it. ”

“ She made all the trouble,’ said Andromeda.
“‘Don’t you be so silly,’ said Cassiopeia. ‘This is a serious matter.’
“‘I thouldn’t like her to bring up my child,’ said Draco. ‘The ’th too exthitable.’
122“‘We can decide about yours when you have one!’ said Cassiopeia. ‘Now, who is going after that baby? Because I think they’d better be starting.’
“‘What over the sun are you talking about?’ asked Orion. ‘Going where?’
“‘We are going to adopt that Bee Baby. If some one doesn’t start at once, I shall go myself!’
“‘Adopt the Bee Baby!’ cried every one in chorus. ”

“ And this isn’t the first time something has been lost while he was asleep!’
“‘Shame on you!’ cried Cepheus. (And it was mean in her to call up the time when he lost the Golden Fleece.)
“‘Don’t mind her,’ said Perseus to Draco. ‘She doesn’t mean anything.’
“‘I don’t think Cathiopeia liketh me very well,’ said Draco, almost crying. ‘I can’t thtay awake all day. I alwayth did need a great deal of thleep.’
“‘Well, let’s not talk about it any more,’ said Cassiopeia, impatiently. ‘We’d better be doing something! It’s a good thing it’s so cloudy. ”

“ Bless you, I could pick him up like a baby. He doesn’t weigh so much.’
“‘Then why don’t you do it?’ asked Cepheus.
“‘’Tisn’t lucky,’ said Hercules. ‘He isn’t willing; and he’s an Innocent. No good ever comes of crossing an idjit. I wouldn’t lay so much as a finger on that loony bear—unless he was willing—for all you could offer! No, sir-ee!’
“Then they were just about ready to give up, or take anything that offered, so they weren’t very reluctant to see old Aquarius, who had been beckoning to them and waving his watering-pot for some time, and evidently had something to say. ”

“ And then he caught sight of the two ships, and the chase began!
“Down the channel he came flying; and the Reindeer and the Jane Ellen waited, side by side, their sails hanging idly in the dead calm, and the sailors all standing by the braces to be ready when the winds struck them. And now Taffy had his wish; for no one ever had a better chance to see a monstrous Waterspout. ”

“ Those foolish people went on talking, and fixed their eyes and their thoughts on the star until they quite lost their senses, and it seemed the most calamitous thing that could happen—that the splendid Stranger should come from the Far-Away Isles and see Merope with the puzzling star above her forehead. ”

“ So I slipped off quietly, when you were all busy.’
“‘If I’d seen you start, you wouldn’t have gone,—unless I went too,’ said Hercules. ‘It wasn’t safe—a girl all alone.’
“‘But what happened? Did anything frighten you?’
“‘No. Only the dark, and cold.’
“‘Dark! Was it really dark, Merope?’
“‘Well—I never heard anything like that!’ said Cassiopeia.
(“The reason they were so astonished is because it never is dark in Starland. There is always the starlight.” The Princess answered the question the Others didn’t ask, except by looks. “Oh—h!” they murmured.) ”

“ There were pale waves churning, flat, in and out among the rocks and below the 81bridge when they crossed over and came out on the old gray deck with the old black capstan standing in the middle of it; and everywhere around there was water. The Ocean was much larger from here than it was when they were walking on the sand; so large that any ship in the whole wide world might have come sailing across it—and a fair wind blowing. ”

“ The Star People were in their first sleep, and not dreaming of any harm; and what a chance for the worst, small comet in the Sky!
“What should he do? Hammer a dent in Cepheus’ crown? Tie a knot in the Dragon’s tail? He darted here and there,—rapid, uncertain little darts; nothing seemed quite worth while when he had such an opportunity.
“Cassiopeia stirred slightly in her chair, and the wicked imp dropped where he was, and wound himself all up, like a porcupine, holding himself together by the crook in his tail. ”

“ Not at first. After I crossed the river I went straight on for a good while; it was about like this,’ she waved her hand. ‘It was all right until it was dark—’ Then she stopped talking just at the most interesting place.
“‘Oh, go on, Merope!’ said Alcyone. ‘Where was it dark?’
“‘I don’t believe I can explain it. It came all at once—everywhere—as if I had walked off the edge—into the sea; only there wasn’t any sea. ”

“ Vainly they fight, who ’gainst Right and the Stars fight,—
Cold shall he be ere his rage will depart.
“Onward, then, onward—press forward to meet him;
Torquillon comes raging!—and coldly we’ll greet him! “The straining ropes of the rigging hummed and sang with them as if the ships were mighty harps; and they held their way steadily down the channel in spite of the frantic winds, to meet Torquillon; and what they were to do with him, they hadn’t an idea, but they were sure Castor and Pollux would show them when the time came. ”

“ And it had gone only a little way when the wind changed, and the Skipper shouted in the roughest voice, ‘Ease ’er off!’ And when the sailors tried, they couldn’t untie the knots, and the ship keeled over, farther and farther, until, all at once, she turned bottom up, and every one had to swim back to the other ships! The crew were glad of it, because they were better off; and the rude captain, who couldn’t swim very well, had to be thankful to be pulled aboard and allowed to ship before the mast on the Jane Ellen. And he learned in time to be a very good sailor. ”

“ And on the southern side, almost at the top, his sailor eyes might have made out the hole (with the peak of the mountain, like a pointed hood, behind it) that leads down into the depths where Xyntli sleeps—long naps that keep her young and beautiful in spite of her age.
“No one can tell how beautiful she is, because she wraps herself in a veil when she looks out; but her splendid, fiery-gold hair streams out of it, and floats and sparkles in the wind when she stands on tiptoe inside, to look out and see that the mountain is just as she wants it to be,—an even slope from top to bottom ”

“ Wonderful singers they are, too, Castor and Pollux, and especial friends of all sailors. They were great sailors themselves, and once drove all the wicked pirates out of the Ægean Sea.”
“The Star ones?” asked Pat.
“No; the real ones. We want two beautiful pebbles for the stars that they wear in their helmets. And up here”—the Princess whirled across—“in this last House that brings it around the circle are two more twins—the Fishes that Cassiopeia sang about to Little Bear. They can have only small stars, because they were discontented.” ”

“ And he will never get away!
“Now ships pass freely through the wide channel that was Torquillon’s Lair; and since he has gone the clouds have left too, and the Rock Man has forgotten to frown, and if the Lion roars, it is a roar of welcome. The little winds caper and frisk around the ships until the channel seems the pleasantest spot in the ocean, and they are sorry to leave it.” ”

“ Then Jason took, not only the fleece, but his teeth; because he always liked to have a few dragon’s teeth in his pocket. He had used them before, for a Bewitchment, and he never knew when he might need them.—Very few people know about this, but it’s just as true as the part they do know.” The Princess spoke severely, but the Others giggled.
They thought Draco ought to have stars on his tail, but she said his wings folded back over most of it when they weren’t set up. Hercules gave him the small star on his nose, because he had a great many, and Draco needed that one to make him symmetrical. ”

“ But this is the way they stand to be looked at,—a tableau, with Perseus coming to the rescue, and Cassiopeia looking on, thinking what a lucky escape they had, and that her child is truly much lovelier than any Nymph whatever. But she isn’t talking about it any more.”
“Perhaps she would have thought so, just the same, if Andromeda had looked piggy,” observed Phyllisy.
“Very true, Madam Owl,” agreed the Princess. “But whether or no, she certainly has four undeniably beautiful stars to wear—if anybody will find them for her.” ”

“ Finally Cepheus said: ‘You might as well go home, Orion. These girls don’t want a party to-night.’
“‘Oh, yes, we do!’ they cried. ‘Only Taygeta—’ Then they were off again.
140“‘Come, come!’ said Cassiopeia. ‘Just pretend you have a little sense!’
“‘Draco has!’ cried Andromeda. ”

“ At first they believed it only because the Princess said so; then they began to see it themselves, but it was still too light to see very well. And they found a few stars of Andromeda.
“There is a beautiful young hero who belongs with them,” said the Princess. “He’s down below the treetops now; he will come up later. He is Perseus,—the Rescuer. He helped the Cassiopeia family out of terrible trouble when they were all Earth People.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Phyllisy. “Perseus-and-the-Gorgon?”
“No less. A friend of yours, Miss Phyllisy?”
Miss Phyllisy nodded, and Pat twisted her eyebrow. ”