Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1912-06-13

ate, the fresh meat seeming excellent
to me. Once more now we moved our
camp. the girl returning for the horse
and our scanty belongings
Always now we ate. haggling out the
hump ribs. the tongue, the rich back
fat; so almost Immediately we began
to gain In strength. All the next day
we worked as we could at drying the
meat and taking the things we needed
from the carcass We got loose one
horn. drying one. side of the head in
the fire. saved carefully all the sin
ews of the back. knowing we might
need them. Then between US we scrap
ed at the two halves Of the hide. dry
ing it in the sun. feshing it with our
little Indian hoe and presently rubbing
into it brains from the head Of the car
cass as the hide grew drier in the sun.
We were not yet skilled in tanning as
the Indian women are. but we saw
that now we would have house and
a bed apiece and food. food We broil
ed the ribs at our fire. boiled the bro
ken leg bones in our little kettle. We
v
she thus binding back the long braids
Of her hair. We rested and were COM
forted Each hour. it seemed TO me,
she rounded and became more beau
tiful, supple. young, strong-there in
the beginning of the world. We were
rich in these. our belongings. which we
shared
Hitherto. while was weak. ex-
hausted and unable to reason beyond
the vague factors of anxiety and
dread, she had cared for me simply,
as though she were young boy and
an older man. The small details of
our daily life she had assumed because
she still was the stronger. Without
plot or plan and simply through the
stern command of necessity, our inter-
ests had been identical, our plans COW
cred us both as one. At night for the
sake of warmth we had slept closely
side by side, both too weary and worn
out to reason regarding that or any
other thing. Once in the night / know
/ felt her arm across my face, upon
my head her hand, she still sleeping
and millions of miles away among the
stars would not have walked her.
But now behold the strange story of
mans advance in what he calls civ
ilization! Behold what property means
in regard to what we call lawsi We
had two pieces of robe instead of one.
We might be two creatures now, a
man and woman, wall between,
instead of two suffering, perishing ami
mails with but one common need-that
of self preservation. There We're two
houses now, two beds, because this
might be and still allow us to survive.
Our table was common, and that was
1ll.
During that first night when we slept
apart the wolves came very close to
our meat heaps and set up their usual
roaring chorus. The terror Of this she
could not endure, and so she came
creeping with her half robe to my side
where lay. That was necessary
Later that night when she aWoke UNI
der the shelter of her half hide she
found me sitting awake near the open
ing. But she would not have me put
over her my portion Of the robe. She
made of our party two individuals.
and that must understand. l must
understand now that society was be-
ginning again and law and custom.
At night, in front of her poor shell
ter, sat and thought and looked out
at the stars. The stars said to me that
life and desire were one, that the
world must go on, that all the future
of the world rested with us two. But
at this / rebeIled. "Ah, prurient stars"
] cried, "and evil of mind. What mat
tiers it that you suffer or that / suffer ?
Let the world end, yes, let the world
end before this strange new compan-
ion, gained in want and poverty and
suffering and now lost by reason OF
comforts and health shall shed one
tear of sufferingT'
From now, day by day, night by
| night. against all my will and wish,
against all my mind and resolution, l
knew that was loving this new being
with all my heart and all my soul, for
saling all others, and that this would
be until death should US part. knew
that neither here nor elsewhere in the
world was anything which could make
me whole of this-no principles of
duty or honor. no wish nor inclination
nor resolve!
had eaten. loved. saw what
life is.
saw the great deceit of nature. !
saw her plan, her wish, her merciless,
pitiIess desire, and. seeing this, l smil-
ed slowly in the dark at the mockery
of what we call civilization, its fuss
and furry. its pretense, its misery. In
deed. we are small, but life is not
small. We are small. but love is very
large and strong born as it is of the
great necessity that man shall not for
get the world, that woman shall not
rob the race. For myself | accepted
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