Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-06


So absorbed we're We In our new game
that we almost neglected to eat we
even roasted In a nearby tree at nlGht.
And we forgot that Red Eye existed.
We were always trying new logs ana
we learned that the smaller the log the
faster we could make It 90. Also. we
learned that the sr.allc- tho loT the
more liable 1t WAS To roll over anu give
us duching. Still another thing about
small logs we learned. one Gay we
padded our individual logs alongside
each other. And then, quite by atd-
dent, in the course of fias, we dis
covered that when each. with one hand
and foot. held on to the other log. the
logs were steaiied and did not turn
over. Lying side by side in this posi-
ton, our outside hands and feet were
left free for padding. Our hnal dis
covery was that this arrangement en-
abled us to use still smaller logs anu
thereby gain greater speed. And there
our discoveries ended. We had in
vented the most primitive catamaran.
and we did not have sense enough 10
know it. 1t never entered our heads to
lash the logs together with tough vines
or stringy roots. We were content to
hold the logs together with our hands
and feet
1t was not until we got over our first
enthusiasm for navigation and had be-
gun to return to our tree shelter to
sleep at night, that We found the Swift
One. | saw her first, gathering young
acorns from the branches Of q large
oak near our tree She was very timid.
At first, she kept very still; bat when
she saw that she was discovered she
dropped to the ground and dashed
wildly away. We caught occasional
slimpses of her from day to day, and
came to look for her when we Travelled
! back and forth between our tree and
the mouth of the slough.
And then, one day, she did not run
away. She waited our coming. and
made soft peace sounds. We could not
get very near, however. When we
seemed to approach too close. she dart
ed suddenly away and from safe dis
lance uttered the soft sounds again
This continued for some days. 1t took
long while to get acquainted with
her. but finally it was accomplished
| and she joined US sometimes in our
! play.
liked her from the first She was
OF most pleasing appearance. She was
| very mild. Her eyes were the mildest
| had ever seen. In this she was quite
unlike the rest OF the girls and women
Of the folk. who were born viragos
I She never made harsh. angry cries. and
| it seemed to be her nature to fee away
( from trouble rather than to remain and
| fight.
| The mildness | have mentioned seem
| ed to emanate from her whole being
Her bodily as well as facial appear
ance was the cause of this Her eyes
were larger than most of her kind.
and they We're not so deep set while
! the lashes were longer and more regu-
lar. Nor was her nose so thick and
squat. 1t had quite bridge and the
nOstrils opened downward. Her in
cisors were not large nor was her up
per lip long and down hanging nor her
lower lip pr0truding. She was not very
! hairy. except on the OutSideS of arms
and legs and across the shoulders. and
while she was thin hipped her calves
were not twisted and gnarly.
| have often wondered. looking back
upon her from the twentieth century
through the medium of my dreams.
and it has always occurred to me that
possibly she may have been related
to the Fire People Her father or
mother. might we'll have come from
that higher stock. While such things
were not common. still they did occur
and have seen proof Of them with
my own eyes. even to the extent of
members Of the horde turning rene
cade and going to live with the Tree
I People
/ All of which is neither here nor there
]
from any Of the females of the horde
and had liking for her from the
/ first Her mildneSS and gentleneSS at
! tracted me. She was never rough. and
she never fought. She always ran
away. and right here may he noted the
/ significance of the name of her. She
was better climber than Lop Ear or
|. When we played tag We could never
catch her except by accident. while
she could catch us ut will She was re-
markedly swift in all her movements.
and she had a genius for judging dis
tances that was equaled only by her
daring. Excessively timid in all other
matters, size was without fear when it
came to climbing or running through
the trees, and Lop Ear and l were
awkward and numbering and cowardIy
in comparison.
She was an orphan. We never saw
her with any one, and there was no
telling how long she had lived alone in
the world. She must have learned
early in her helpless childhood that
safety lay only in flight. She was very
wise and very discreet. 1t became A
sort of game with Lop Ear and me to
try to find where she lived. 1t was GER
tain that she had tree shelter some.
where, and not very far away. but trail
her as We would we could never find
It. She was willing enough to Join
with US at play in the daytime. but
the secret Of her abiding place she
guarded jealousy.
1t must he rsrnembareI Tho, tho IL