The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-01-24
awakened.

" yet dIllNcu. luc DldCh 10y 0OWA
to rest. Baynes lolled in his saddle.
Korak stretched himself comfortably
upon a lofty limb, where he could
watch those beneath him without being
seen.
An hour passed. Baynes gave evi.
dence Of nervousness. korak had al
ready guessed that the young English
man had come here to meet another.
Presently the sound Of an approach
ing horse came to korak's ears. Me-
riem was coming. She had almost
reached the clearing before Baynes
became aware Of her presence. and
then as he looked up the foliage part
ed to the head and shoulders Of her
mount. and Meriem rode into view.
Baynes spurred to meet her.
Korak looked searchingly down upon
her, mentally anathematizing the
broad-brimmed hat that hid her fea-
lures from his eyes. She was abreast
the Englishman now.
KOrak saw the man take both her
hands and draw her close to his breast.
He saw the mans face concealed for
a moment beneath the same broad brim
that hid the girls.
When he looked again they had
drawn apart and were cOnversing earn
estly. Korak could see the man urg-
ing something. 1t was equally evident
that the girl vas holding back. There
were many Of her gestures, and the
way in which she tossed her head up
and to the right, Uplifting her chin.
that reminded Korak strongly Of Me-
riem. And then the conversation was
over, and the man took the girl In his
arms again to kiss her goodby.
She turned and rode toward the
point from which she had come. The
man sat his horse watching her. At
the edge Of the jungle she turned to
wave him a final farewell.
Tonight :" she cried, throwing back
her head as she called the words to
him across the little distance which
separated them-thrOwing back her
head and revealing her face for the
the tree above.
Korak started as though pierced
through the heart with an arrow. He
trembled and shook ike a leaf. He
closed his eyes, pressing his palms
across them, and then he opened them
again and looked.
But the girl was gone. Only the
waving foliage of the ~jungle's rim
marked where she had disappeared.
1t was impossible! 1t could not be
true! And yet with his w eyes he
had seer his Meriem-older a little,
with figure more rounded by nearer
maturity, and subtly changed in other
ways; more beautiful than ever, yet
still his little Meriem. Yes. he had
seen the dead alive again he had seen
his Meriem in the flesh. She lived |
She had not died!
He had seen her-he had seen his
Meriem-in the arms Of another man !
And that man sat below him now with
in easy reach.
Korak the Killer fOndled his heavy
spear. He played with the grass rope
dangling from his gee string. He
strOked the hunting knife at his hip.
And the man beneath him called to his
drowsy guide. bent the rein to his
pony's neck and moved off toward the
north.
Still sat Korak the Killer alone
among the trees. Now his hands hung
idly ct his sides. His weapons and
what he had intended were forgotten
co. %ho ~nay,nr< EnroE uyoS thinEinu
He had noted that subtle change in
Meriem. When last he had seen her
she had been his little, balf-nakeQ
Mangani-wild, savage and uncouth.
She had not seemed uncouth to him
then. But now. in the change that had
come V her, he knew that such she
had been, yet no more uncOuth than
he, and he was still uncOuth.
In her had taken place the change.
In her he had just seen Il sweet and
lovely flower of refinement and civiliza-
ton, and he shuddered as he recalled
the fate that he himself had planned
for her-tO be the mate of an ape man,
his mate, in the savage jungle.
His Meriem loved another! For a
long time he let that awful truth sink
deep, and from it he tried to reason
out his future plan of action. In his
heart was a great desire to follow the
man and STAY him. but there rose in his
consciousness the thought "she loves
him."
Could he Stay the creature Meriem
loved? Sadly he shook his head. No,
he could not.
chen came a partial decision to fol-
low Meriem and speak with her. He
half started and then was ashamed
He, the son of a British peer, had thus
thrown away his life, had thus degrad'
ed himself to the level of a beast sc
that he was ashamed to go to h wO'
man he loved and lay his love at hel
feet. He was ashamed to go to the
little Arab maid who had been his jun
gle playmate. For what had he to Of
fer her?
For years circumstances had pre-
vented a return to his father and moth
er, and at last pride had stepped II