The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-12-24
THE WOOING OF
LITTLE TOES
a story of tie Pafeoiithic Age
= =
BY STANLEY WATERLOO
by STANLEY WATERLOO

women OF the present and the same
instinct for adornment was possessed
by the charming Little Tors, belle
undisputed OF the clan OF Cave Men
who lived among The rocks by the
White Farm.
Tarns are not usually white, II Is
true; in fact we commonly think Of
a tarn as some dismal body of water.
lonesome aud fearful, but this one,
though really tarn, isolated and
alone was light because it hai a
sandy bottom, and its waters were
clear because 1t was doubtless con.
nected by some underground channel
with the not very distant sea.
a happy lot OF cave people, as cave
people weat, We're those making up
the clan watch lived beside the tarn,
fishing in Its depths and hulting in
the Green Forest, and the society was
really yery fire. SO delec7able
creature as Little Toes must, neces,
sarily, have rival admirers. ana among
them, and altogether leading the 9th
ers. were Big Bow and Cross Eyes.
Big Bow was easily the most success
ful fisherman and hunter IN ,he tribe
and a somewhat s9odly man to look
upon. Cross Eyes was but moderate.
~ successful in tie pursuit Of food,
either on Land o. water and he
aquinted proc giously
Somewhat unfortunately for Cross
Eyes had th.s far progressed this ar
dent woolng Big Bow mighty fish
ermau and hnnter. brought taily spoil
to the feet O! Lite Toes; spoil some
thing more Than appreciated, not only
BY the youns lady. who had a healthy
appetite, 0ut by her father ana moth
er, who CHANGED to be people not
oyerstren1ous to grapple with the
problem Of existence. Cross Eyes did
the best lie could. but he brought less
gustenance 70 his inamorata, and, rs
has been minated, Big Bow was the |
more preseptable man Of the two |
Eat the case OF Cross Eyes was not |
altogether hopeless. He could talk far |
better than Big Bow in the odd, chuck I
ling way of the cave men, and was |
never sulleu. Little Toes had become /
used to hi,l and did not object to hay I
Ing him abound Yet, the star Of Big
ID " vas decidedly in the ascendant |
The rues Of dress Of the cave men I
al gon*en OF the time were becom. I
iag rather severe. For instance, It
vas cor sidercd desirable that both
gentlemen and ladies' always
wea~ something in putiic. This as a
rule, consisted of single skin gar
NEXT worn over one shoulder and un
der The other, and. in case of the more
rigidly conventional belted at the
waist. This admirable garb, Of course.
left the neck bare. 1t afforded a mag
niflcent opportunity for the display Of
jewelry, but the only jewelry ever
worn by a cave belle up to this par
ticular me had consisted of a neck
lace of red berries strung upon some
grassy fiber Such a necklace could
last for but the passing hour 1t was
transient thing Such as it was,
though, it was much affected by the
nlrtatious Little Toes, as she did love
10 adorn herself
II fell upon day that Cross Eyes
was wandering, il-mooded, far from !
the madding crowd along the banks
OF a turbulent creek which came tum-
bling down from the hills TO enter the
eutciug depths OF the White Taru.
This was his meditatlye afternoon n
with a vengeance. He recognized the
fact that Big Bow was far ahead OF
him in the race for permanent posses {
sion of Little Toes. He realized that
the other man was decidedly the bet
ter hunter and better fisherman, and
the additional fact that the qualities !
Of purveyor and prov.der We're then /
considered In q wooer. Of the first inn :
portance. lie strobe up and down the
little beach where the creek hurled ]
itself laughingly over a wonderful bed !
Of shells and pebbles into the broad !
waters it was seeking, and, finally. j
sat himself down upon a rock and
thought most dsmally. He thought OF
Little Toes as he had seen her that
graceful as the slim wood
leopard. gliding merrily about, the
necklace of red berries
showing a lire of contrasting color !
about her smooth, brown neck. He
would like, he thought, to sec a neck
lace always there, though what did
It matter! It seemed that Little Toes y
could never be for him.
His eyes rested. at first unseeing.
upon the creeks margin, where was a ,
blaze Of coloring. a glittering rides
cence. as the suns rays struck upon .
The tossed-up shells Of a brightly pink !,
hued mollusk, and the many pebbles /.
Of clear white. brought down from the \
chalky heights above. lie thought
vaguely of the resemblance, save in
glitter Of the bright objects in the
water and the red berries about the n,
throat Of Little Toes. Then. dimly n
At first and then more definitely T
here came to him a suggestion which a
grew into an inspiration. His face r.
he leaned from his rock &
and into the water Up and down the A
more be ran. gathering pink shells 4
md snowy pebbles lie filed MS /.
solfskin ponch with them. Then. ss II
strenuously as II upon the hunt. he :
IA toward the village al the rocks /.
,nd into his own particular cave. He