The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-06-07
s'SON OF THE WIND

4 drying uncomfortably upon hi.
meek; but he was obliged to k eeI
| his handkerchief bound arount
the cut that still bled q little, and
he was a spectacle of mud to the
waist.
| He looked forward to meeting
those people and their questions
| with an unconscious bracing Of
lcapacity. There was nothing ex-
traordinary in q hunter having
had hair-breath escapes; but in q
dry season, and in a country oil
rock, there are few places where
a man might drop into a mud
hole.
Carron felt he was going forth
against antagonists; for, gentle
as they were, they seemed all to
be against him. Nevertheless, he
turned into the loop of the drive
with that mixed sense of familiar
ity and strangeness that one feels
after an absence, upon returning
! home.
This impression of homelike-
ness was added to by the sight OF
an expectant figure. 1t was re-
vealed as that of the scholar. He
was moving rather restlessly
along the porch of the old wing,
now and then stretching his head
on his long neck to look out be-
tween the vines.
Seeing Carron, he raised his
hand above his head, in joyful
salute, and hurried to the steps,
as the young man rode up. My
dear boy, we have been wonder
ing-why, I'm very glad to see
you! The women have been
quite frightened"
Frightened" ~Carron echoed,
feeling mystified.
A door opened suddenly, one
opening direct out of the living
room. Blanche RAIDER stood there.
He had not known that the sight
of her would awaken such feel
ing in him. After two days! He
thought he had forgotten her.
But to see her there, the symbol
of his difficulties, fragile, vel
triumphant where he had failed,
was to arouse the full tide of his
anger against her as 1t had
against the Sphinx.
She disappeared through the
door again, without a word, leav-
ing him only the memory of hei
gaze that had seemed to entreat
him to tell her that he was safe,
He put up the pony in the
stable, took off the bandage from
his head. and walked back to the
house with some vague idea OF
going upstairs, cleaning up, get
ting a bath. The house was still.
He walked slowly along to the
living room door, opened it, went
lin, with a quickening pulse.
The walls were dusky, the fur
niture dim; only at the window
q. light came; and here, close to
1t, Blanche RAIDER was sitting
Sewing.
She. did not move when he
came in. her hands did not cease
their regular motion. Softly, sc
as not to startle her into con
seriousness of his presence, he en-
tered and sat down in chail
farthest from her, deepest IN
shadow.
From here he watched her, and
1.-THE wonder grew. He was weary
with exertion, aching with the cu'
lon his head. He was an exper1
lplainsman, had lost two days and
was no nearer the object of his
search, nor the way of reaching
lit. than he had been at first. This
fragile girl, curled over her sew
ling. had it all in her head.
| He got to his feet. He started
toward her with still the blind
impulse to demand the horse
Where that intention went he die
not know. He reached her ant
lher hands were in his. At tht
touch other thoughts slipped
laway from him. He knew him
self trembling, and was amazed
! With the first breath of her hail
that faint, sweet, personal per
fume-he understood the adven
ture was perilous. He felt thu
moose of the charm descending
upon him. He felt, before HI
touched her lips, the approach
of an unknown emotion. Ht
saw himself in her eyes, before
they kissed.