Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-11

Yrom doubt concerning his own
strength; but Mother OF these reasons
was one he cared to avow. go he un-
furied the bundle that had lain Dis.
used 50 long. spread and frightened
and tested 1t. and At last. with nod
OF farewell to the girl, dived OF the
eliR-head.
Any doubt he may have had con-
corning his strength disappeared at
once. The mere touch of those great
wings Of his seemed to bring It all
back. and hope and Joy and confidence
along with II.
He made his dive az shallow % DOS.
sible, and In the sheer exubsrance Of
delight at being once more awning. he
beat his way aloft again BY main
strength. towering like falcon. All
his old power was hero unlmpatred.
yet every sensation it brought him
was heightened and make thrilling BY
long disuse. BY means Of those great,
obedient wings of his he played upon
the capricious, vagrant air with the
superb insolence of mastery. Every
trick of flight was at his command,
the flashing dive of the piratical frig-
gate bird. the corkscrew spiral Of the
tern. the plummet-like pounce of the
hawk. and. at last. the majestic, soar
ing drift Of the king of them all, tho
albatross.
So he hung there in midsky. and the
world, white. frozen, immaculate
looked far away. The old. god-like
serenity. untroubled. untrammeled, I'm.
afraid. came back to him. The soul
opened its gates. up there, lost it,
boundaries. and all the spirit of the
sky came in, immense. cold, clear 40
the all-pervading ether. This vas
Nirvana, though the old Buddhist
adopts who had philosophical about it
had never conquered the sky. had
never bathed in 1t as Cayiey ON his
wings was bathing now.
The declining moon sank lower, till
the refracting ice crystals that filed
the air caught its light slantwise and
danced with it SO that 1t flickered like
will-o-the-wisp. The sky deepened
from its bright steel-blue to purple.
The silver light upon the snow faded,
through lavender and lilac to q pur-
pie of its own, only less deep than that
Of the sky itself But the stars burned
brighter and brighter, until 1t almost
seemed they sang:
''Harping in loud and solemn choir
With inexpensive notes.
The words projected themselves
quite unsought into his mind. He
spent moment or two. wondering
where they came from, and then 1t
came to him. 1t was q part Of two
lines from the Hymn on the Ma
uyity.''
gave his soul wrench that brought
1t back into the world again. They
had lost their reckoning Of time. and,
for anything he knew. this might be
Christmas day. Perhaps those stars
were caroling their Christmas chimes
Perhaps, down In the world OF men.
the windows were hung with holly and
doorways with misuetoe.
Before his thoughts had advanced
as far a. that he was flying down to-
ward the cliff-head. He could only
guess at tho length OF time that had
elapsed since he left Jeanne, on her
heap OF skins, there in the mouth Of
the snow tunnel It must have been
an hour or moro. for the moon had
been shining when he started. and
nov almost the last Of its twilight had
died on the horizon.
a sharp sense Of his own deliu-
auency in having left her TO her own
resources for 20 long. when she had
so few resources to draw upon. in
creased to q sudden alarm for her
safety, vhsn no made out the black
mouth OF the tunnel and saw that
there was NO light q the farther sad
OF Il. She couldn, hi - been waiting
al this time. out IN the cold: and yet
his eyes. - no lowered. seskirg the
exact spot to alight. certainly made
out . dark object lying therl upon
the snow. His heart felt liz lead -
he dropped close beside II. and scran-
bled clear Of his wings.
1t was Jeanne: and for . moment
he thought she was dead. She
seemed as white and cold - the snow
itself. And yet she was not dead; not
even frozen. The hands he chafed %
frantcally were inert, but not rigid:
and. n he drew her up in his arms
and pressed his head down against
her breast he could hear. very family
and slowly. the beating Of her heart
He picked her up in his arms ana
carried her into the pilot house. The
air here was still warmer than that
out of doors, but 1t vas no longer sx-
hAusted and poisonous.
Ito Be Continued