The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-03-11

He told himself there was every rea-
son to hasten, for he could feel her
soft warm body, shaken with sobs,
wrapping itself round his heart and
crushing II beyond repair. He laid her
on the couch In his room, made a nest
for her In the many pelts with which
1t was covered, plllowed her head In a
bundle Of furs and drew over her a
gQyly figured sarong.
"You were cold" he said, ms he
tucked her In; then he knelt beside
her, took her hand In both of his and
suddenly laid his face I'm her open
palm. stu moist with her tears.
Andrea drew a long whImpering
sigh and nestled down against the
warm furs. Her eyes gazed imperson-
ally and a little wonderingly at M'sun-
COS bowed head; then they wandered
about the room. So this was where he
had lived and worked during many
months II was q bachelors room,
arranged at once for comfort. utility
and sloth. On one side was his cot,
permanently inclosed In mosquito net
ting and having at its head a lantern
for reading In bed. Next to 1t. came a
high draughtsman's desk roughly
made OF packing cases. On each end
of 1t. guttering candles. still lighted,
rose from mysterious pedestals, empty
bottles. disguised under cascades of
molten wax.
In the shadow Of the high desk stood
the one utterly incongruous bit of fur.
niture. q g~listening mahogany phono-
graph. Andrea's Y e passed 1t and
then went back to linger for an In
slant In vague wonder. Why had
M'sungo never brought 1t out? Never
played It? She was not interested
enough to ask aloud.
Andrea's Eyes finished their slow
circuit of the room and came back to
the white mans bowed head. He had
not moved and she herself had lain
very still, more through languor than
by volltion. She had been In that state
of subdued consciousness which
sweeps troubled humanity back to the
borderland OF childhood, but now her
mind awoke. A deep flush stained her
neck and crept up through her cheeks,
carrying with II to her eyes a look of
sudden age. Her hand, imprisoned
under the mans cheek, doubled and
contracted into a hard little fist. He
looked up quickly and saw the transit
ton that hao come to her face. "Don't
give in to It," he said, throwing one
arm across her knees. "Don't give In
to age. DO you think I ..a go blind
that I don't know where I found you?
Why do you think / am on my knees.
It's In reverence before the glimpse
that I caught Of the glrlhood Of An
drea Pellor. My arms are trembling
because they have dared to carry her
clean youth, soft and warm as II was
before the touch OF the world and
years, and my heart is aching with a
memory that will never die.
"White Man." said Andrea, her face
unsoftened. would You pay three
pounds for meY
He stared at her, leaped TO his feet
and started pacing up and down be-
side the couch, a look of thuncer on
his brow. NO." he said. II wouldn't"
Without looking at her he went ~ the
bookcase and. after q moment. ,!rew
out a worn volume; then he paced a
chair close to the couch SO that the
light of the lantern would fall over his
shoulder. sat down and began to read
aloud.
Very gradually the hardened and
cheapened look In Andrea's eyes died
out. They grew wide again and dwelt
dreamily on the mans slim figure. She
saw many things about him she had
never noted before. His hair was
crisp AID touched with premature
gray at the temples: his shoulders
were broad and his hips very narrow.
He had a good boot leg" but his feet
were small enough to preserve bal
nee even there. In spite Of his height.
he vas well-knit by grace Of the life
he had led.
@He Is very strong" thought Andrea
as she remembered how lightly he had
swung her into his arms. Then she
began to think OF cther things about
him. He never was IN tired to shave
before the evening meal. He had
shown M almost uncanny tact In fore
seeing and preventing the embarrass-
Ing situations that q would have
thought inevitable under the circum-
stances Of their life together. He never
forgot. He had called her my dear
girl once and she had ahown that che