The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-11-08


Her.
half in fancy, half in earnest, that was
virgin to the world. How wise, how
deeply learned she might be she was
face to face with this primeval norm.
Could she teach this man anything?
He seemed tractable, reverential, def
erential now. knowledge was power.
Would it be power with him? Could
she open those sealed doors of his
mind. what foods would outpour
therefrom, of power. of passion?
Would she be swept away? 1t mat
tered not She must try. The i'm
pulse seized her to begin now Fixing
her dark eyes upon him, she pointed
directly at him with her finger.
Man." she said clearly and en-
phatically.
He was always looking at her. He
had scarcely taken his eyes from her
since she had seen him in the tall
grass by the shore, but at her gesture
and word his eyes frightened There
was that little wrinkling of the brow
again which she had noticed, outward
and visible sign of an inward attempt
at comprehension.
Mani" she said passionately.
Man." she repeated over and over
again.
And then the unexpected happened.
After innumerable cultural attempts,
her unwilling pupil managed to ar
ticulate something that bore a dis
tinct resemblance to the clearly cut
monosyllaBle.
Mani" he said at last.
1t was a tremendous step in evolu-
tiOn. almost too great for any untu-
tored human brain, for at once the
man before her received a name and
the idea of name as we'll In that
instant, on the heaven kissed hill,
he was differentiated from all the rest
of creation forever. His consciousness
hitherto vague. floating, fneoherent, in
definite, was localized, given a habita-
ton and a name. He knew himself
in some way to be.
Man" he cried. growing more and
more confident with every repetition
and more and more accurate in catch
ing the very information with which
she spoke.
Mani" he cried. laying his hand
upon his breast. Mani"
He leaped to his feet and stretched
out his arms. The doors were open
a little way, Ideas were beginning to
edge their way through the crack.
Man! Mani Mani" he cried again
and again. looking eagerly at her.
She rose in turn and patted him on
the shoulder encouragingly as she
might a dog. And again the touch,
the second touch that she had given
him, affected him strangely, so
strangely that for a moment she felt
the soul within her shrink, but realiz-
ing instantly that her domination over
him was spiritual and immaterial and
that the slightest evidence Of timidity
would be translated into universal Ian
guage which even the lowest creation
understands and that her dominion
would go on the instant, she mastered
herself and mastered him. Although
she was but a woman whom he might
have broken in his hands. she dom
mated him as the conscious soul ever
dominates the unconscious soul
She essayed no more lessons but
turned and retraced her way to the
shore where she had landed. which
because she had landed there, she
called home On the way she attempt
ed an experiment. She plucked from
a low bush a bright cOlored fruit of
whose quality and characteristics she
was ignorant and slowly made as If to
convey 1t 10 her lips.
Mani" cried the voice behind her,
ettering it's only word.
She turned to find her companion
docking fxedly at her and proffering
other fruit which he had quickly gath
cred. She handed him that she had
plucked in exchange. He shook his
head. not in negation but rather in
bewilderment and threw it from him,
and then she understood in some way
that the fruit was not good for food
How he had OWNED it, she could not
tell. Some compromising instinct
sharpened BY use into a protecting
quality. had taught him. she had nc
such instinct She had learned to de
pend upon reason and observation
and these failed her in the presence
Of this unknown. She was humbled
little IN this thought
She craved meat and salt. having
been trained to these things. the artf
fetal diet and stimulant to which shr
had become accustomed. and her crav
ing was the more insistent because slE
had been without them all that time
In the boat. And yet when she had
eaten the fruit that nature had pro
vided IN that lropic island. her crar
ing was abated and she was satisfied
She felt that she could soon grow &C
customed to such a diet if IT were nee
essary. So musing she passed on I'm
der the trees and sat down on III.
sand again.
The next thing she remembered. shl