Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-10-29

her own. Sne auilllrcu tuef Spotttu
leopard skin that circled his 1.-THE body
from one shoulder to his knees.
And KOrak looked ut the girl. He
had always held girls in a species of
contempt. Boys who associated with
them were, In his estimation, molly
coddles. He wondered what he should
do.
He stood for several minutes buried
in thought. The girl watched his face,
wondering what was passing in his
mind. She, too, was thinking OF the
future.
She feared to remain and suffer the
vengeance Of the sheik. There was no
one In oil the world to whom she
might turn other than this half naked
stranger who had dropped miraculous
ly from the clouds to save her from
one of the sheik's accustomed beat
ings. Would her new friend leave her
now? Wistfully she gazed mt his in
tent face. She moved little closer to
him, laying slim, brown hand upon
his arm.
The contact awakened the fhd from
his absorption. He looked down at
her. and then his arm went about her
shoulders once more, for he saw tears
upon her lashes.
Come" he said. "the jungle is kind
err than man. You shall live in the
Jungle. and Korak and Akut will pro.
tect you"
She did not understand his words
but the pressure of his arm drawing
her away from the PROSTATE Arab and
the tents was quite Ineligible One
little arm crept about his waist, and
together they walked toward the pail
SADIE.
Beneath the great tree that had har-
bored korak while he watched the girl
at play he lifted her in his arms and
throwing her lightly across his shout
ders, leaped nimbly into the lower
branches.
And SO Meriem entered the Jungle
with korak, trusting. in her childish
innocence, the stranger who had be-
friended her and perhaps influenced In
her belief in him by that strange in
tuitive power possessed by woman.
The two had gone but short dis
lance from the village when the girl
spied the huge proportions of the great
Akut. With half stifled scream she
chung more closely to Korak and point
ed fearfully toward the ape.
Akut thinking that the Killer was
returning with prisoner, came gr0wl-
ing toward them. A little girl aroused
no more sympathy in the beasts heart
than would full grown bull ape She
was Il stranger and therefore to be
killed He barred his yellow fangs as
he approached, and to his surprise the
Killer barred his likewise, but he barred
them at Akut and snarled menacingly.
All" thought Akut, the Killer has
taken mate And so, obedent to
the tribal laws of his kind, he left
them alone, become suddenly absorbed
In a fuzzy caterpillar Of peculiarly
succ;ient appearance.
The larva disposed vt. he glanced
from the corner Of an eye at Korak.
The youth had deposited his burden
upon u large limb, where she chung
desperately to keep from falling.
"She will accompany u.s." said Ko-
rnk to Akut, jerking a thumb in the
direction Of the girl. "Do not harm
her We will protect her"
Akut shrugged To Ire burdened by
the young Of man was IN no way TO
his liking. He could see from her ev.
dent fright at her position on the
branch and from the terrified glances
she cast in his directionsthat she was
hopelessly unfit.
BY all the ethics of Akut's training
and inheritance the UNIT should be
eliminated but II the Killer wished
this she there was nothing to be done
about II but to tolerate her.
Meriem spent an evening and Il night
of unmitigated terror