The evening world., 1914-02-27
The Romance of a Girl and an Aviator
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


other barren, bleak horizon.
At that, for a while. his fortitude
broke down. and he raved and wept
and cursed like ono deinented. Hut
at last, spent, sobered, conscious once
more Of sharp h,liiIcr, he climbed
a little further up the mountain to
IA ledge. where, as his minute knowl-
edge OF the country led him to cx-
pect. no found n number vt looms sit
Ting. lie killed ono of these birds
with q dart, and then. like the brute
hs was. ate II raw and warm,
BY that time IL was fate IN the at
ternoon. Bravado, combined with n
moro real belief than he had yet sue
ceeded In retaining. to tho effect that
all his terror Of tho night before had
resulted from nothing more serious
than q nightmare. led him to decide
10 go home by way OF the beach.
rather than along the difficult interior
trail up which he had Gomez
The descent from the clifhead TO
the beach was nothing to man OF
his inhuman strength and activity.
though an ordinarily skilled noun
taineer might have hesitated before
attempting It. Nevertheless two
thirds of the way down he nearly
fsll-but for luck he would have fall
on, for ne caught glimpse OF n
lonely figure a quarter OF . mile
away perhaps, seated upon q ledge.
bending forward, chin In hand, in an
attitude which recalled and horribly
echoed that Of tho man he long ago
had murdered.
With infinite caution he approx ched
that lonely, unsuspocting figure, slip
ping from the shelter of one rock 20
that of ono q little nearer.
Three times his left hand drew back
the throwing balanced and
aimed along q lipe that would send
Its thin ivory dart ~ swiftly and as
surely TO that beautiful throat rs this
ono that had found and tranRflxed
Perry Hunters; and three times his
muscles braced themselves for the
effort to propel It. But each time
with breathlsss oath he lowerad the
weapon again and with the back Of
his hairy hand wiped the sweat from
his forehead.
The act had none Of the quality OF
mercy in II: II was simply the result
OF q logical dilemma. II the thing
he saw before him were . ghost. the
ghost OF the man he had already
murdered, his dart would do nc
harm. II II wero not q ghost: n II
were what II looked more and more
like as he drew nearer. Q living,
breathing woman--he licked Bis llps
and wrung them with his hand-if
!. ware . woman, he did not WAu4i
to kill her. II he could be sure, could
only b sure. no would drop his
weapon and mako one rush and hold
his.
And with every I'VE PAGES that los
sened the distance between them,
that certainly grew upon him. No,
she was no immaterial spirit OF q
man long dead. She was alive;
warm. He was near enough now III
make out the soft curve OF her
throat. the retreating and returnino
color which bathsd cheeks and Tore
head. He could see the faint rise and
fall Of her breast when she breathed
He laid the throwing stick upon the
Ice. drsw nerves and muscles taut for
his rush.
Then. Just then, he saw the thinE
that made Jeanne close her eyes, the
flashing sword-cut of that great vol
den wing. a. the thing II bore turned
upon the other.
Roscoe dropped down. AZ II he had
been blasted by the eight OF q svordsd
archangsl. In the shelter of his rock
He lay there promo. hugging his head
In bis arms. He did not rouse him.
SELF did not succeed In forcing his
treecherous nerves and muscles TO
obey his will until II was quito dark.
Then, Without . glance behind him.
he arose and began scrambfinE madiy
up the broken face Of the talus, and,
reaching the top Of II. went on and
scaled the cliff itself. It was q float
which evan he could hardly have &C.
complishe6 except under the extrem-
ity Of terror.