The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-05-28

up her spine. She showed the letter.
or rather the last sheet with the sigma
ture. to Clayton.
"To think" she said, that uncanny
thing was probably watching me all
the time that | was ~writing-oo, 1t
makes me shudder just TO think of It,"
"But he must be friendly" reas-
sured Clayton. "for he has returned
your letter. nor did he offer 10 harm
you, and unless | am mistaken he left
a very substantial memento of his
friendship outside the cabin door last
night, for l just found the carcass of a
wild boar there as | came out"
From then on scarcely a day passed
that did not bring its offering of game
or other food. Sometimes it was a
young deer, again a quantity Of strange
cooked food, cassava cakes pilfered
from the village Of Mhonga, or a boar.
or leopard. and once a lion.
Tarzan derived the greatest pleasure
OF his life in hunting meat for these
strangers. 1t seemed to him that TO
pleasure on earth could compare with
laboring for the welfare and protection
Of the beautiful white girl.
Some day he would venture into the
camp in daylight and talk with these
people through the medium of the little
bugs which were familiar to them and
to Tarzan.
But he found it difficult TO overcome
the timidity of the wild thing OF the
forest, and so day followed day with
out seeing a fulfllment of his good in
tentions.
The party in the camp, emboldened
by familiarity, wandered farther and
farther into the jungle in search Of
nuts and fruit.
Scarcely a day passed that did not
find Professor Porter straying in his
preoccupied Indifference toward the
jaws OF death. Mr.. Samuel II. Philan-
der, never what one might call robust,
was worn to the shadow of a shadow
through the ceaseless worry and men
tai distraction resultant from his her
culean efforts to safeguard the profes-
sOr.
A month passed. TarZan had finally
determined to visit the camp by day
light.
1t was early afternoon. Clayton had
wandered to the point at the harbor's
mouth to look for passing vessels.
Here he kept a great mass OF wood
high piled ready to be ignited as a sig
nal should a steamer or a sail top the
far horizon.
Professor Porter was wandering
along the beach south of the camp,
with Mr.. Philander at his elbow urging
him to turn his steps back before the
two became again the sport of some
savage beast.
The others gone, Jane Porter and
Esmeralda had wandered into the jun
gle to gather fruit and in their search
were led farther and farther from the
cabin.
Tarzan waited in silence before the
door Of the little house until they
should return.
His thoughts were of the beautiful
now. He wondered if she would fear
him, and the thought all but caused
him to %relinquish his plan.
While he waited he passed the time
printing a message to her. Whether
he intended giving it to her he himself
could not have told, but he took inf
mite pleasure in seeing his thoughts ex-
pressed in print. in which he was not
so uncivilized after all. He wrote:
an Tarzan of the apes. l am yours.
You are mine. We will live here together
always In my house. l will bring you the
best fruits, the tenderest deer, the finest
meats that roam the jungle.
/ will hun for you. / am the greatest
Of the jungle hunters.
I will fight for you. l am the mightiest
OF the jungle lighters.
You are Jane Porter. l saw it in your
letter. When you see this you will know
that 1t is for you and that Tarzan Of the
apes loves you.
AS he stood, straight as a young In
dian, by the door waiting, after he had
finished the message, there came to his
keen ears a familiar sound. 1t was the
passing Of a great ape through the
lower branches of the forest.
For an instant he listened intent!y,
and then from the jungle came the ag-
onized scream of a woman. and TarZan
Of the apes, dropping his first love let
ter upon the ground, shot like a pan
Their into the forest.
Clayton also heard the scream, and
Professor Porter and Mr.. Philander,
and in a few minutes they came pant
ing to the cabin. calling out to each
other as they approached a volley of
excited questions. A glance within con
frmed their worst fears.
Jane Porter and Esmeralda were not
there.
Instantly Clayton, followed by the
two old men, plunged into the jungle,
calling the girls name aloud. For half
an hour they stumbled on until Clay
ton, by merest chance. came upon the
PROSTATE form Of Esmeralda.
He stopped beside her. feeling for
her pulse and then listening for her
heart beats. She lived. He shook her.
"Esmeralda," he shrieked in her ear.
"Esmeralda! Where is Miss Porter?
What has happened? Esmeralda!"
Slowly the black opened her eyes.
| She saw Clayton. She saw the jungle
about her.
ooh. Gabriel" she screamed and
tainted again.