The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-31
The Sky Man

OF the sky that was already becoming
glorious with the tints of sunset.
You've never had any doubt at all,
have you, that I really deserved the job
OF being your big brother; that l Mas
that quite as genuinely as II 1 had been
born that way?
NO" she said; "of course not, Tom
dear. What put such an Idea Into your
head?"
He paled a little, and 1t was a minute
words he wanted, to his lips. Because
Of my hopes, I suppose" ne said un-
steadily, because l had hoped, absurdly
enough, for the other answer. You asked
as joke while back II | meant to dis
own you, Well, do, from that relation
ship-because, I'm not Mt for the job;
because-because-rve come to love you
in the other way"
She looked at him in perfectly blank
establishment He would not meet her
eyes, his own, their pupils almost par
nllel; gazed out, unseeing; beyond her.
mean that!-Oh yes. know you mean
1t, but It's only a temporary alteration,
1t cant be more than that! We've known
each other from the time when we were
quite small kids-yes, I was kid as
describe us. We've always loved each
each other, and played together. and
made up again, and relied on each other
to see us through each others scraps,
and pointed out each others faults and
gloated over each others whlppings.
We've got more civilized. of course. now
is really the same. There can't. be any
for you. You can't possibly love me like
that"
"Can't -" he said. "Can't I? VIII you
give me the chance and see II can't?
touch of a stray lock of your hair drives
me half mad! so that the sound OF your
step 9lases my heart stop beating; SO
that the sight of little commonplace OBJ
jects that happen to have an association
with you-things that ] don't realize are
associated with you at all until they
bring up with them a picture that has
you in it-makes lump come in my my
throat! And when you caress me with
your hands, He flung out his own
with an impulsive gesture that finished
tightly together, for they were tremb-
ling.
Slowly her color mounted until she
let me go on thinking -.
II didn't know, myself. until today.
he interrupted her stormily; I didn't
you put your hands on that villain Cay
ley. wanted to kill him, and In the
same flash 1 knew why wanted to-"
saw that she had buried her face in her
face in. her hands and was crying for
lornly. "Oh, / am a brute" he con-
elqded." TO have told you about 1t In
"what does the way matter? That's
not what makes 1t hard. It's loving you
so much. the way I do. and having to
the only brother I ever had"
There was long, miserable silence
after that. Finally he said: Jeanne, II
you do love me as much as that-rhe way
you do, not the way I love you. but
love me any way-could you-could you
! marry me just the same? I'd never
have any thought In the world but of
know"
,Don't!, she interrupted curtly.
cred. and drew away from him with a
| little movement somewhere near akin to
disgust.
in a voice. that sounded curiously thick
to her curiously unlike his own, he asked
question; ''If I had told you all this
"a month n, nth ago,tod 1s you how l felt TO-
would you? oh. suppose you would
have refused. But would you have shud-
dered and shrunk away from me-like
| that2"
did shudder and shrink away?" she
asked. II didn't know II. wasn't
was a horrible thing you asked OF me" ;"
Would 1t have struck You as horri-
ble." he persisted, IF I had asked it a
month ago?"
perhaps not" she answered thought
| fully. I've changed good deal in the
last month-since we sailed away from
San Francisco and left the world be-
hind us-our word-and came out into
this great empty one, 1 don't know why
that Is"
81 know" He was speaking with a sort
! of brutal intensity that startled her 81
know. It's not in the last month you've
changed; It's within the last tweny- -four
| hours; It's since you saw and fell In
love with that murderous. lying brute OF
II don't know she said very quietly
whether you're trying to kill the love
have for you--the old love-or not, Tom
but unless you're very careful. you'll
TO talk to you any more now, not even
slt here beside you. I'm going to take q
| little walk"
lie held himself rigidly still till she had
disappeared round the end OF the deck
| house. Then he bent over and buried
his face in his hands
What the thing was that reused him &c
| his present surroundings. he never knew
| He was conscious OF no sound, but sud
denly he sat erect and stared about him
in amazement. 1t had grown quite dark
Jeanne had left the chair beside him and
! announced that she was going to take
a little walk
He spoke her name. not loudly at first
Ioi IlS lIpuSIll SIG HluSL De close by
But the infinite silent spaces seemed to
| absorb the sound OF his voice. There was
no sign that any sentient thing, except
his very self, had heard the words he
uttered, Then he called louder
| II was not until he raised himself
stiffly and clumslly, from his chair that
he realtzed that It was more than dark
that the atmosphere about him was
opaque with fog.
He groped for a heavy walking stick
which leaned against the arm OF his
| chair and, with It's aid. hobbed slowly
along the deck His damaged ankle was
held rigid in a plaster bandage. Though
the pain in 1t was less. he found locomo-
tion difficult.
AS he opened the door at the head oil
| the companionway. he called the girls
name again. and this time the absence OF
any answer frightened him n little
| though he tried to reason himself out OF
his fears. She had gone below no doubt
To her own stateroom, and with the
door shut, would hardly hear him But
| he had no thought OF accepting that cX-
PLANTATION without investigating further,
| Even If she were there and quite sa9e,
| he did not want to let another quarter
hour go by without finding her and ask