The Spartan Twins | Page 8

leaves and wove them into a
wreath. 'If you will not be my bride,' he cried, 'you shall at least be my
tree and your leaves shall be my crown,' and that is why at the games
over which Apollo presides, the victor is still crowned with laurel. It
was Apollo himself who gave us the custom and made it sacred. So, my
little maid," he finished, "you give us our crowns even though you may
not win them for yourselves, don't you see? Isn't that almost as good?"
"Maybe it is," sighed Daphne, thoughtfully, "but anyway I'd like to try
it the other way." Then she slid from the Stranger's side to her Mother's
footstool, and sat down with her head against her Mother's knee.
"You are sleepy," said Lydia, stroking her hair. "It is time you children
were in bed."

"Oh, Mother," pleaded Dion, "please let him tell just one more story. It
isn't late, truly." Then he turned to their guest. "Those were very good
stories," he said, "but they were both about girls. Won't you please tell
me one about a boy?"
"Very well," said the Stranger, "if your Mother will let me, I will tell
you the story of Perseus and how the great Goddess Athena helped him
to cut off the Gorgon's head with its writhing snaky locks! There's a
story for you! And if you don't believe it is true, some day, when you
go to Athens with your Father, you can see the Gorgon's head, snakes
and all, on the breastplate of the Goddess Athena, where she has worn
it ever since."
"Is it the real Gorgon's head?" asked Dion breathlessly, "all snakes and
blood and everything?"
"No," said the Stranger, laughing, "the blood of the Gorgon dried up
long ago. It is a sculptured head that adorns the breastplate of Athena."
Then the Twins and Chloe listened with open mouth and round eyes to
another of the most wonderful stories in the world, while Lydia forgot
to spin and the wine-cup of Melas stood untouched within reach of his
hand. Even Lydia forgot all about time, and when the story was
finished, the moon had already risen and was looking down upon them
over the wall. Lydia pointed to it with her distaff.
"See, children," she said, "the Goddess Artemis herself has come to
light you to bed. Thank your kind friend and say good-night."

III
THE SHEPHERDS
The next morning Dion was wakened by feeling a cold wet nose
wiggling about in the back of his neck. It was Argos' nose. Dion knew
it at once. He had felt it before.

"Go away, Argos," he said crossly. He pulled the sheepskin coverings
of his bed closer about his ears and turned over for another nap.
But Argos was a good shepherd dog and he knew that his first work
that morning was to round up the Twins. So he gamboled about on his
four clumsy paws and barked. Then, seeing that Dion had no intention
of getting up, he seized the sheepskin covers and dragged them to the
floor.
"Bow-wow," he said.
Dion sat up shivering. "Good dog," said Dion, "go away from here; go
wake Daphne!"
"Bow-wow, bow-wow," said Argos, and bounded off to Daphne's room
to wake her too.
Dressing took only a minute, for the children each wore but one
garment, and there were no buttons; so, though they were sleepy and
their fingers were cold and clumsy, they appeared in the court while the
roosters in the farm-yard were still crowing and the thrushes in the
olive trees were in the midst of their sunrise song. Chloe had already
gone out to feed the chickens. Lydia was bending over the hearth-fire,
and their Father was just saying good-bye to the Stranger at the door of
the court, and pointing out to him the road to the little seaport town.
"You will probably find a boat going over to the Piraeus some time
to-day," he said, "and as they usually go early in the morning, it is well
for you to make an early start from here. May Hermes speed you on
your way."
"Farewell," said the Stranger, "and if ever a philosopher can serve a
farmer, you have but to ask in the Piraeus for the home of Anaxagoras.
I thank you for your hospitality," and with these words he was gone.
Melas had eaten his breakfast of bread and wine with his guest before
dawn, and was now ready for the day's work in the fields. The slaves of
Pericles were already in the farm-yard, yoking the oxen, milking the

goats, and getting out the tools. There were pleasant early sounds all
about, but the Twins hovered over the hearth-fire, for the morning was
chill; and Dion