Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-19
The SONOF TARZAN

ms muscles adapting themselves to the new
inoue OF life that had been thrust upon
them The thews of the sire had been
,,itted Iansihitted TO the son--it needed only the
hardening of use to develop them.
Ihe lad found that ii came quite natur.
| ally to him to swing through the trees
fVen at great heights he never felt the
shghtest dizziness, and when he had
caught the knack Of the swing and the re.
lease he could hurl himself from branch to
pranch with seven greater agility than the
heavier Akut
And with exposure came a ,ougbeniro
and hardening ofthis smooth white skin,
browning new beneath the sun and wind
| lie mad removed his pajama Jacket one day
| 10 bathe in little stream that was too
small to harbor crocodiles and while he
and Akut had been disporting themselves
| in the cool waters a monkey had dropped
down from the overhangng trees snatched
up the boys single remaining article of
civilized garmenture and scampered off
with It,
For time Jack was angry but when
he had been without the jacket for n shors
while he began to realize that being half
clothed Is infinitely more uncomfortable
than being entirely naked. Soon he did not
miss his clothing in the least, and from
that he came to revel in the freedom of
now. They would envy him. Yes, how they
would envy him
Occasionally a smile would cross his
face as he tried to ina gine the surprise of
his schoolmates could they but see him
his unhampered state
He felt sorry for them at such times (:
and again, as he thought of them amid the
luxurles and comforts of their English
homes, happy with their fathers and
mothers, a most uncomfortable lump would
rise into the boys throat, and he would see
vision of his mothers face through a
blur of mist that came unbidden to his eyes.
Then 1t was that he urged Akut onward,
for now they were headed westward toward
the coast The old ape thought that they
were searching for a tribe of hfs own kind.
nor did the boy disabuse his mind of this
conviction II would do to tell Akut of his
real plans when they had come within sight
of civilization.
One day, as they were moving slowly
along beside a river they came unexpectedly
upon native village. Some children were
playing beside the water.
The boys heart leaped within his breast
at sight of them-for more than month
he had seen no human being. What If
these were naked savages? What If their
skins were black? Were they not crea-
lures fashioned in the mold of their Maker
as was he? They were his brothers and
sisters! He started toward them.
With low warning Akut laid a hand
upon his arm to hold him back. The boy
shook himself free, and with a shout of
greeting ran forward toward the ebon
players.
The sound of his voice brought every
head erect Wide eyes viewed him for an
instant, and them with screams of terror,
the children turned and fed toward the
village. At their heels ran their mothers,
and from the village gate in response to the
alarm, came score of warriors hastily
snatched spears and shields ready in their
hands.
At sight of the CONSERVATION he had
wrought the boy halted. The glad smile
faded from his face as with wild shouts
and menacing gestures the warriors ran
toward him. Al<ut was calling to him from
behind to turn and hee that the blacks
would kill him.
For a moment he stood watching them
coming, then he raised his hand with the
palm toward them in signal for them to
halt calling out at the same time that
he came a friend-that he had only
wanted to play with their children.
OF course, they did not understand a
word that he addressed to them, and their
answer was what any naked creature who
had run suddenly out of the jungle upon