The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-12-23

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silence fell between them while they
stood gazing into each others eyes.
Sandry saw the heavy look in hers. the
dull fire that bespoke a very drunken
ness Of emotion, and in another mo
ment he had lost his head. Without
thought, as simply as the first I'm
of those forests took what he wanted,
he leaned forward and kissed her,
softly, lightly, on her smooth cheek.
Her eyes darkened perceptibly and
she covered her face with her hands.
In a sudden great embarrassment
Saudry stood silent beside her, his
heart pounding and his manhood al
ready u%pbraiding him. He searched
his clearing brain for some word Of
apology, some contrite expression, but
found none, and the next moment
could not in any case have spoken 1t;
for Siietz lifted her face and it was
glorifed. The intoxication had drifted
away from her features, leaving them
bare in the utter simplicity of the pri-
meval woman, and there was in them
a white fire Of self-surrender.
Without a woodland Sandry knew
instinctively that she could not speak
she turned to Black Bolt, threw the
reins over his head, crouched beside
him on a little lift Of moss and leaped
upward. He watched her land on the
horses blanketed back with that in
imitable grace OF the wild, turn and
ride swiftly down one OF the mysteri-
Gus paths whose nodding ferns closed
after her. Coosnah, following with a
1.-THE rolling of all his huge muscles,
cast a lowering glance backward at
the man.
The incident had taken all the help
fulness out of the day and the wilder
ness, and Sandry wendell his way slow
ly back to camp, arriving just In time
for supper. Siletz tended the table In
her usual silence, but when h
reached him she was constrainedly
aloof, as If fearing to break a spell by
a word or touch. Once he looked up
at her, striving for recognition, but
she avoided his eyes and to save his
life he could not repress the wild
thrill that had betrayed him In the
hills, though he was conscious of an
ger flushing hot upon it. He suffered
a very real humiliation in that he had
SO far forgotten his training, his sense
of the fitness of things, as to kiss this
wild mountain creature. His ances-
trail blood rose up in condemnation.
The next few days were crowded
full to overlooking with work and he
laid aside all personal perplexities.
The first raft Of logs, a great cigar
shaped monster, laced together in all
its length and breadth with giant
chains, lay in the backwater at Toledo
ready for It's voyage into the world be-
yond.
A crew of river drivers was picked
from among the men and all was In
readiness save for a draft OF direc-
tons which was to be given, along
with the raft, into the custody OF Cap
tain Craft Of the long dun-colored
steamer that would stand in ACROSS
the bar at Newport ON the twenty
sixth.
Sandry thrilled with contemplation
Of the great, reddish-brown floor,
slightly raised in the center. sloping
gently to the sides. It's building had
been q thing OF wonder to him. 1t
would in all probability scatter to the
ends Of the earth, and its worth ran
we'll into five figures. He watched its
departure, an impressive matter Of
sluggish rising with the tide, Of al
most iihperceptible motion and then OF
majestic speed that carried 1t west
ward toward the ocean. Then he
turned back to his logging camp with
a heightened joy in the new life.
That night he wrote to the white
haired gentleman who was then going
to bed under silken covers with the aid
of the faithful Higgins; and his letter
was long and brilliant, touched with
that cheer and hope, that light OF
awakening strength and ability which
was beginning to stir his heart to its
foundation.
"Ah!" said Mr.. Wilton Sandry when
he got that letter, looking down on the
pageant of Riverside drive In its win
/ ter livery, what a boy he is! What a
son. The metal is beginning to ring"
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