Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-02

squaSted with his back TO the stem OF the
tree, watching them with mingled curl
osity and amusement
II was the professor who nrst broke
the silence
'I am deeply pained, Mr.. Phliander, that
you should have evinced such paucity
Of manly courage IN the presence Of one
Of the lower orders and by your Grass
/ timidity have caused me TO exert myself
to such an unaccustomed degree In order
| that / might resume my discourse.
''As I was saying, MIR. Philander, when
you interrupted me- the Moors--'
Professor Archimedes .. Porter
broke In Mr.. Philander, In Icy tones, the
time has arrived when patience becomes
a crime and mayhem appears garbed
/ In the mantle Of virtue You have ac-
cused me OF cowardice You have insin-
uated that you ran only to overtake me.
not to escape the clutches Of the lion
Have care, Professor Archimedes Q.
Porter! / am a desperate man. Goaded
| by lonF-sufernR patience the worm will
| turn"
Tut tut, Mr.. Phnauder. tut, tut"
cautioned Professor Porter; you forget
Yourself"
II forget nothing as yet, Professor
Archimedes Q. Porter; but, believe me,
sir, am tottering on the verge Of forget
world Of science, and your gray hairs"
The professor sat in silence for few
minutes, and the darkness hid the grim
smile that wreathed his wrinkled coun-
tenance Presently he spoke
Look here. skinny Philander." he said,
In belligerent tones III you are lookin'
for a scrap, peel off your coat and come
on down on the ground. and I'll punch
| your head Just as / did 60 years ago in
"A. . ~.
"Ark!" grasped the astonished Mr.
Phllander. "Lordy, how good that soundsl
When you're human, Ark, love you; but
somehow 1t seems as though you had
| forgotten how TO be human for the last
| 20 years"
The professor reached out thin
| trembling old hand through the darkness
until 1t found his old friends shoulder
Forgive me, Skinny" he said. softly
| ut hasn't been quite 90 years and God
| alone knows how hard / have tried to he
| human for James sake, and yours, too
since He took my other Jane away"
Another old hand stole up from Mr.
| Phllander's side to clasp the one that lay
| upon his shoulder and no other message
| could better have translated the one heart
to the other.
They did not speak for some minutes
The lion below them paced nervously back
and forth. The third figure in the tree
was hidden by tho dense shadows near
the stem. He, too, was silent-motionless
as a craven image.
you certainly pulled me up into this
tree just in time" said the professor at
last. "I want to thank you You saved
my life"
but didn't pull you up here, Profess
sor." said Mr.. Philander. BLESS mel The
excitement of the moment quite caused
me to forget that I myself was drawn up
here by some outside agency-there must
| be some one or something in this tree
with us"
"Eh7" calculated Professor Porter
Are you quite positive, Mr. Philander?"
Most positive, Professor" replied Mr.
Phllander, and" he added, "I think we
should thank the party. He may be sit
ting right next to you now, Professor"
"Eh? What's that? Tut, tut, Mr..
Philander, tut, TUT" said Professor
Porter, edging cautiously nearer to Mr..
| Philander.
Just then It occurred to Tarzan of tho
| Apes that Numa had loitered beneath
| the tree for sufficient length of time
so he raised his young head toward the
heavens, and there rang out upon the
| terrified ears of the two old men the
awful warning challenge of the an
tkropod.
The two friends, huddled trembling In
| their precarious position on the limb, saw
the great lion halt In his restless pacing
as the blood-curdling cry smote his ears,
and then stink quickly into the Jungle. to
be instantly lost to view.
Even the lion trembles in fear" whls-
| pered Mr. Philander.
Most remarkable, most remarkable.