Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-16
AT THE EARTHS CORE
BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS A,uuoR osnApzANu

that she might be warming UP toward me
| a bit, though upon what slender thread /
hung my hopes 1 soon discovered.
"As you dare not return to Amoz," ]
ventured, what Is to become Of you, since
you cannot be happy here with me, hating
me as you dol"
~ shall have to put up with you," she
| replied coldly, until you see 1T to go
elsewhere and leave me in peace, then ]
shall get along very we'll alone"
looked at her in utter amazement. II
seemed Incredible that even prehistoric
woman could be so cold and heartess and
ungrateful Then rose.
IL shall leave you now" said haught.
lily, 81 have had quite enough Of your
lngratltude and your Insults"
Then 1 turned and strobe majestIcally
down toward the valley. l had taken a
hundred steps q, in absolute silence, and
then Dian spoke.
II hate you," she shouted, and her voics
broke-in rage, 1 thought
was absolutely miserable, but hadn't
gone far when 1 began to realize that I
couldn't leave her alone there without
protection, to hunt her own food amid the
dangers of the savage world.
She might hate me, and revile me, and
heap indignity after indignlty upon me,
as she already had, until / should have
hated her; but the pitiful fact remained
that loved her, and could not leave her
there alone
The more thought about Il the madder
I got, so that by the time 1 reached the
valley l was furious, and the result of II
was that turned right round and went
up that cliff again twice as fast as had
come down.
saw that Dian had left the ledge and
gone within the cave, but l bolted right
in after her. She was lying upon her
face on the pile of grasses 1 had gath
cred for her bed. When she heard me
enter she sprang to her feet like u tIgress.
II hate you" she cried
Coming from the brilliant light of the
MONDAY sun into the semidarkness of the
cave 1 could not see her features, and
was rather glad for dlsiked to think of
the hate that 1 should have read there.
1 did not say n word to her at first.
I just strobe across the cave and grasped
her by the wrist, and when she struggled
l put my arm around her so as to pinion
her hands to her sides.
She fought like tigress, but I took
my left hand and pushed her head back.
I imagine that I had suddenly turned
brute; that 1 had gone back a thousand
million years, and was again veritable
caveman, taking my mate by force.
And then kissed that beautiful mouth
again and again.
"Dian," l cried, shaking her roughly.
IT love you. Can't you understand that
1 love you? That 1 love you better than
all else in this world or my own? That
/ am going to have you? That love like
mine cannot be denied?"
/ noticed that she lay very still in my
arms now. and as my eyes became accus-
toned to the light, saw that she was
smiling--a very contented, happy smile.
l was thunderstruck. Then l realized
that very gently, she was trying to dis
engage her arms, and 1 loosened my grip
upon them so that She could do so. Slow
ly they came up and stole about my neck,
and then she drew my lips down to hers
once more and held them there for n long
time. At last she spoke.
why didn't you do this at first. David?
1 have been waiting so long"
"What?" l cried. you said that you
hated me"
Did you expect me to run into your
arms and say that l loved you before l
knew that you loved me?" she asked
But have told you right along that
love you," | said.