Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-08-17
CONTINUED from Yesterday

II was an impulse, not a controlled
intention, hat took him aloft, higher
and higher, and then higher still In
that sharp spiral, until he lay, painting
with the exertion, rocking gently with
his golden wings, a quarter of a mile
up the sky.
Yes, it was a potent drug, that strange
anaesthetic of the upper air. His sur
face faculties were not dulled by L.
Sight and hearing attuned themselves
to a higher pitch han normal. The
whole periphery of his body was more
acutely alive to every passing sensa-
ton: but the depth Of him, the inner
self, the soul SO recently awakened
and thrilled TO life by a girls faith,
her courage, her tragedy, sank back,
-Irnder the influence OF the old drug, TO
sleep again.
The old round earth, in its shroud Of
golden vapor down below, became once
more. for him, a remote thing in which
he had no part. There it spun, in its
| endless, futile way, no more to him,
with all IT'S load of souls. OF griefs n
Joys and hopes, than a top just freed
by the snap of a boys string.
So he lay there, breathing deep, keep
ing his place in the unstable sky. with
hardly more motion thai a skilled
swimmer needs to keep afioat.
Suddenly he was flying downward
as fast as gravity and his great wings
would take him. Drenched with the
sweat of a sudden terror. cleaving the
air so fast that the sound of its whin-
ing rose TO a scream through his tant
rigging. Down he slanted, seaward a
little, past the end of the great head
land. Then, with the sudden exertion
of all his strength, upon one lowered
wing, the other flashing high like the
| stroke of a scimitar. in the curve Of
the shortest possible arc, he shot land
ward. bounced, checked, and alighted
not far from the girl.
She had been seated upon a broken
ledge of rock when he had first caught
sight of her. She was in the act OF
getting to her feet when he alighted
not a half dozen PAGES away.
She had been pale. but her color
had conn back now in a sudden
surge. She was breathing unsteadily,
and her hands were ciasped against
her breast. "You-you mustn't fly
like that" she said. IF you
had been an eagle, the W a you
wheeled and came rushing down out OF
the sky would have terrified me. / shut
my eyes in order not to see you
killed"
He did not answer her at once. and
she, looking iDtently into his face.
went on. You know it was danger
Gus. You thought yourself that you
were going to be killed. I can see the
horror of it in your eyes.
Then he got his breath. You're safer
he questioned unsteadily. You were
in danger, sudden danger. and In terror
at it. That was what frightened me,
that sudden knowledge. I came down,
fearing l should be too late"
sI had a fright she admitted. 'bat
| don't see how you could know. I'm
very sure 1 didn't cry out"
mo, I heard nothing. no sound al
all. l Just knew, and so l came to you
as fast as could. What was it that
frightened you?"
Nothing at all, l imagine. l was sit
ting here on the ledge, looking at that
wonderful sky, and all at once l found
| was growing afraid. l didn't know
what it was about, at all. | suppose II
was Just because l was a little tired
and had begun to realize that l was a
long way from-from home. l had
come around the headland, not really
to look for more firewood, but in the
hope that I might happen to find q
clue to where the stores are hidden,
and. as | said, suddenly 1t seemed a
dong way back and 1 began to find NY
self afraid. and then, being afraid, T.
well. l thought / saw something NOV
ing up there behind the rocks-some-
thing big, bigger than a man, and
whitish-yellow.
His eyes followed the direction in
which she had pointed. but could make
put nothing in the deep, vibrant blue
shadows.
That's likely enough he told her.
at was probably q bear. II Il was