Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-01

seeming alacrlty every article Of her APP
parel In their possession was handed over
to her. The balloons still crowded eagerly
about her as she donned them. They chat
tered to her and she chattered back
The Hon. Morrison Baynes sat down at
the foot OF tree and mopped his perspifing
brow, Then he rose and made his cautious
way back to his mount
When MerIem emerged from the forest
few minutes later she found him there
and he eyed her with wide eyes in which
were both wonder and sort of terror.
II saw your horse here" he explained,
"end thought that l would wait and ride
home with you--you do not mind7"
"Of course not" she replied "It will be
lovely"
AS they made their way strrup to stir
rup across the plain the Hon. Morrison
caught himself many times watching the
girls regular profile and wondering II his
eyes had deceived him, or H. in truth, he
sorting with grotesdue balloons and con-
versing with them as fluently as she con-
versed with him
The thing was uncanny-impossible yet
he had seen 1t with his own eyesl
And as he watched her another thought
persisted in obtruding itself into his mind.
She was most beautiful and very desirable
but what did he know of herr Was she not
altogether lmposslble7 Was the scene that
he had Just witnessed not sufficient proof
or her lmposSlDilltyT A woman who climbed
trees and conversed with the balloons of
the jungle 1t was horrible
Again the Hon. Morrison mopped his brow.
Meriem glanced toward him.
You are warm" she said Now that
the sun is setting find II quite cool. Why
do you perspire now2"
He had not intended TO let her know
that he had seen her with the baboons but
suddenly. before he realized what he was
saying, he had blurted It out
II perspire from emotion" he said. II
went into the Jungle when discovered your
! who was surprised. / saw you In the
trees with the balloons"
"Yes?" she said, quite Internationally, as
though 1t was a matter OF little moment
that a young girl should be upon intimate
terms with savage Jungle beasts.
TT was horriblel |" calculated the Hon.
Morrison.
"Horrible?" repeated Meriem, puckerlng
her brows In bewilderment. What was
horrible about It? They are my friends.
Is 1t horrible to talk with ones friends?"
You were really talking with them,
then?" cried the Hon. Morrison. You un-
derstood them, and they understood your
Certainly"
But they are htdeous creatures-de-
graded beasts of a lower order! How
could you speak the language of beasts?"
They are not hideous or degraded" re-
that. / lived among them for years before
Bwana found me and brought me here. 1
scarce knew any other tongue than that
of the Mangani, Should 1 refuse to know
them now simply because happen, for the
present to live among humans?"
For the PRESENT. calculated the Hon.
Morrison. You cannot mean that you ex-
pect to return to live among them? Come,
come, what foolishness are we talking?
The very idea You are spoofns me. Miss
Meriem. You have been kind to these ba-
boons here and they know you and do not
molest you but that you once lived among
them-no that Is preposterous |"
"But did, though" insisted the girl see
ing the real horror that the man felt in the
presence of such an idea reflected In his
tone and manner, and rather enjoying bait
ting him still further.
Yes, 1 lived, almost naked, among the
great apes and the lesser apes. 1 dwelt
among the branches of the trees. pounced
upon the smaller prey and devoured it
raw. With Korak and A'ht 1 hunted the
antelope and the boar. and / sat upon a
tree limb and made faces at Numa the