Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-18

small branches laid closely together ano
over these long jungle grass and palm
fronds with a final coating of clay
| The door he built of pieces of the pack
| Iing-boxes which had held their belong
| ings mailing one piece upon another. the
| grain of contiguous layers running trans
versely until he had a solid body some
| three inches thick and of such great
| strength that they were both moved TO
| laughter as they gazed upon it,
Here the greatest difficulty confronted
| CLAYTON, for he had no means whereby
TO hang his massive door, now that he
had built It. After two days work, how
ever, he succeeded in fashoning two mas
sive hardwood hinges, and with these he
hung the door so that it opened and closed
| easily.
The stuccoing and other final touches
were added after they moved into the
house, which they had done as soon as
the roof was on. piling their boxes be-
fore the door at night and thus having
a comparatively safe and comfortable
habitation.
The building of bed, chairs. table and
shelves was a relatively easy matter, so
that by the end of the second month they
were well settled, and, but for the con-
stant dread of attack by wild beasts and
the ever-growing loneliness they were not
uncomfortable or unhappy
At night great beasts snarled and
roared about their tiny cabin, but so
accustomed may one become to oft-re-
peated noises that soon they paid little
attention TO them, sleeping soundly the
whole night through.
Thrice had they caught heeting
glimpses of great manlike figures like
that of the first night, but never at suffi-
GENTLY close range to know positively
whether the half-seen forms were those
of man or brute.
The brilliant birds and the little mon
KEYS had become accustomed TO their new
acauaintances, and as they had evidently
never seen human beings before, they
presently, after their first fright had
worn OFF, approached closer and closer,
Impelled by that strange curiosity which
dominates the wild creatures of the for
est and the Jungle and the plain. so that
within the first month several of the
birds had gone so far as even 10 accept
morsels of food from the friendly hands
of the Ciaytons.
One afternoon, while Clayton was work.
ing upon an addition to their cabin, for
he contemplated building several more
rooms, a number Of their grotesque little
friends came shrieking and scolding
through the trees from the direction OF
the ridge. Ever as they fed they cast
fearful glances back of them and finally
they stopped near Clayton, jabbeTing ex-
citedly to him as though TO warn him
OF approaching danger.
At last ne saw it, the thing the little
monkeys so feared-the man-brute OF
which the Claytons had caught occasional
heeting glimpses.
II was approaching through the Jungle
in a semicirele position, now ana then
placing the backs OF its closed fists upon
the ground-a great Rnthropoid ape, and.
as Il advanced, II emitted deep cultural
growls and an occasional low barking
sound.
Clayton was at some distance from the
cabin, having come to fell a particularly
perfect tree for his building operations.
Grown careless from months OF continued
safety, during which time they had seen
no dangerous animals during the day
light hours, he had left his rifles and re-
volvers all within the little cabin. and
now that he saw the great ape crashing
through the nnderbrush directly toward
him. and from direction which prac-
tieally cut him on from escape, he felt
vague little shiyer play up and down
his spine
He knew that armed only with an axe,
his chances with this ferocious monster
were small indeed-and Alice; . God,
no thought, what viii become OF Alice?
There Was yet slight chance Of reach
ing the cabin. he turned and ran toward
n. shouting an alarm q his wife 70 run
Ia ana close tie sreat door IN case the
ape eaE on his retreat
Aaax Greysteks had hesn sitting s li-