Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-28
CHAPTER XIII-Continued.


The afternoon was we'll advanced, and
the pitiless. binding white light of mid
day was already submitting to refraction
by the icy crystals which filled the lower
strata of the atmosphere into the amaz-
ing debauch Of colors which marks an
arctic evening. The sun had dipped be-
low the crest of coast hills and cliff
Their precipitous sides in the shadow
giowed with the blue of pure sapphire:
the icy sands of the beach. sloping grad
uaiiy off to the sea, with the lighter.
slightly striated. biuish-green of the tur-
quoise. Out behind the cliffhead, west
ward, the horizon was lost in golden
vapor. The ice was golden. and the little
lanes or troubled water between its
heaving masses molten gold
If Philip could have caught sight of
Jeanne anywhere i'm the picture he would
have enjoyed the glory of it as a frame
and background to herself; but since she
was not there either to enjoy it with
him or to make a part of his enjoy
ment of it. it struck him only as a good
effect of natures stupidity wasted
The pile of driftwood here beside the
door and the feathered spoil which she
had brought in from the talus meant
more to him. as the mute evidence of her
share in the partnership. and gave him a
thrill of keener emotion than all the
sunsets in the world.
She must be dreadfully tired. he
thought, and with that thought decided to
set out to find her. First, however, he
transferred the remnants of the fire from
the fiat stones before the hut to his newly
constructed hearth. heaped on more wood
and noted, with satisfaction, ,that his
makeshift chimney drew well and did not
smoke intolerably. He had discovered an
empty cask under a heap of rubbish In
the storeroom, and this he filled with
chunks of ice, and set by the fire to
melt.
ing, gllnt1ng, Sun-bathed speck in the am
Der air. the thrilling, pringling, winelike
air. He had taken to his wings, upon
leaving the hut, simply because they Of
Tered him the quickest, easiest way of
finding Jeanne. But the substitution of
the delightful easy exercise of his power
OF flight Tor the grubby toll at which he
had spent the day, the change from the
damp. the dark, the confinement of the
hut to the full glow of the sunshine and
the freedom of the sky'S wide spaces, half
intoxicated him.
1t was an impulse. not controlled in
tention, that took him aloft. higher and
higher, and then higher still in that sharp
spiral. until he lay, painting with the ex-
ertlon, rocking gently upon his golden
wings, quarter of mile up the sky
Yes, 1t was a potent drug, that strange
anesthetic Of the upper air. His surface
faculties were not dulled by it. Sight and
hearing attuned themselves to higher
pitch than normal The whole periphery
of his body was more acutely alive to
every passing sensation; but the depth
of him. the inner self, the soul SO re-
Gently awakened and thrilled to life by a
girls faith. her courage. her tragedy.
sank back. under the influence of the Odd
drug, to sleep again.
The old round earth, in its shroud of
golden vapor down below, became once
more, for him, remote thing in which
he lad no part. There 1t spun, in its end
less, futile way, no more to him, with all
its load of souls Of griefs and joys and
hopes. than top just freed by the snap
of boys string.
So he lay there, breathing deep, keep
Ing his place in the unstable sky, with
hardly more motion than skilled SWIM
mer needs to keep af1oat.
Suddenly he was flying downward. as
fast as gravity and his great wings would
take him. Drenched with the sweat of
sudden terror, cleaving the air so fast
that the sound of it's Whining rose to
scream through his taut rigging. Down
he slanted, seward little, past the end
of the great headland. 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 landward, pounced, checked and
alighted not far from the girl
She had been seated upon broken
ledge OF rock when he had first caught
sight of her. She was in the act Of get
ting to her feet when he alighted, not
half dozen PAGES away.
She had been pale, but her color had
come back now in a sudden surge. She
was breathing unsteadily and her hands
were clasped against her breast. YOU
you mustn't fly like that" she said. ''If
you had been an eagle, the way you
wheeled and came rushing down out of
the sky would have terrified me. l shut
my eyes in order not to see you killed"
He did not answer her at once, and she,
looking intently into his face. went on:
You know it was dangerous. You
thought yourself that you were going to
be killed. l can see the horror Of it in
your eyes,
Then he got his breath. You're safe?"
he questioned, unsteadily. You were in
danger, sudden danger, and in terror at
it. That was what frightened me, that
sudden knowledge. | came down, fearing
1 should be too late"
Il had fight she admitted: but l
don't see how you could know. I'm very
sure I didn't cry out"
mo, I heard nothing, no sound at all.
just knew, and so 1 came to you as fast
as l could. What was 1t that frightened
you?"
Nothing at all, l imagine. was sit
ting here on the ledge, looking at that
wonderful sky, and all at once l found
l. was growing QlQn I KNOW WHAT
it was about. at all. / suppose it was
just because l was little tired and had
begun to realize that l was long way
from-from home. I had come around
the headland, not really to look for more
frewood, but in the hope that 1 might
happen to find a clue to where the stores
are hidden; and. as l said, suddenly it
seemed a long way back and 1 began to
find myself afraid. And then, being
afraid, I-well thought 1 saw something
moving 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 out
nothing in the deep, vibrant blue shadows.
That's likely enough he told her. 1T
was probably bear. If it was, we're in
luck. I'll come back by and by and go
cunning for him. But first. I'm going to
take you-home.
She had used the word before, but in
what sense he was not entirely sure; and
she had undoubtedly used it not more
than half consciously. At any rate. when
he said it now she flushed little, and so
did he, and their eyes, meeting. brighten
ed suddenly.
Silently he turned away from her and
began furling up his wings, and she
helped him, as she had helped him that
other time when he had tried to convince
her that he was not q dream.
When it was done. they set out slowly,
in the deepening twilight. for the hut
It's very good Of you to walk down
here with me- she said, you who could
fly"