Cleveland County herald., 1920-11-25


 up from behind the fence, long arm shot over, the fingers of calloused hand twisted themselves into the col lar of the assailant and slammed him back against the rail with a force that took the breath out of him in grunt Nor was that all. The same long arm dragged him backward over the fence and chucked him head first down into the path on the other side, where for moment he lay half stunned, gasp ing for the breath that had as good as gone, and gazing half foolishly up at the man who stood over him.
 But it was only for a moment With face like the flames of hell he sprang up. The body of the Pearl hunter crouched; frightened.
 There is just one thing to expect in such a situation; but the expected failed to happen. For the second time that day the -Fancy-Vest treated the Pesrlhunter to very genuine surprise. The flame of anger in his eyes slowly changed to naughty contempt, infinitely ranking. l1C hcut dlQt WILIOuL d DdSh dl glance, stalked down the road to- ward the village.
 The Pearlhunter stood gazing after him. The Red Mask-and he hadn't struckl Three times affronted, and he hadn't struck. Each time there had been death In his eyes. What was holding his hand? Was he biding his time? It was not a pleasant thing to contemplate, for any man can kill another if he waits his opportunity, and takes him at a disadvantage. Why hadn't he struck? Always the question came back to that. And what was holding him to the Flat woods? The Pearlhunter whirled with the thought, and looked back over the fence.
 The girl was gone.
 The basket and bundles were still scattered about the path. He climbed the fence and began gathering them up. He had them all back in the basket, and was leaning against the fence, wondering how to get them to their proper owner, when slight rustic among the bushes reached his ear. He glanced up; the girl stood before him.
 It was the girl of the pool-the Wild Rose
 The woods had hid them; the woods had nursed them; the woods had set them face to face-the Pearlhunter; the Wild Rose-a man; a woman. Strip away from life every nonessen- tial; bare 1t of every husk of sham and convention; pare it right down to the red. quick core. beyond which 1t is not possible to reduce it further, and you come at last to man and woman. Six million years the AL mighty Artist practiced on such sec ondary studies as stars and suns, and peopling them with inconceivably di- verse and curious forms of life, before trusting his hand on his final master piece-a man; woman.
 They stood staring, as at that other meeting at the pool. And that was the thought uppermost in the mind of the Pearlhunter-tha other meeting And he had looked Somehow he wished he hadn't; and yet he wasn't sorry that he had. The thought drew his eyes to her feet. Shifting the basket. his hand slowly stole up and dragged off his battered hat.
 The blue eyes under the sunbon- net livened. The girl drew a step nearer. The bushes she had been bending aside sprang back into place. She drew another step nearer. AS she moved, an overhanging limb caught the sunbonnet and dragged it off, displaying a very soft and glossy mass of yellow curls. She turned. disengaged the bonnet from the limb and was shaking the curls into shape to replace it when the Pearlhunter made a quick step toward her with hand upraised.
 "Don't" he cried Don't"
 A man of slow speech, with eyes hard to wake, he wouldn't have be lieved such words were in him.
 The girl stood fumbling the bonnet. He watched one stray curl lose it's place and come slowly tumbling down. little by little, till it fell over her shoulder and lay upon the softly ris- ing and falling bosom. From the curl. he raised his eyes to her face. He saw a smile steal across it. It was only little smile, but 1t grew under his gaze till 1t reached up to her eyes. and pinched the lids together, and squeezed out tiny ripple of merri ment that ran out over her face and settled in two round dmples that teasingly uptilted the corners of her mouth-a good, winsome mouth fringed with full red lips and set with wholesome teeth. The smile grew until it quite passed beyond her control. She threw up her head; the smile became laugh.
 It was the only thing that could have broken the restraint. The laugh ]. the slow smile that answered it. their introduction. She tied the hon. net strings, while he watched her fin gers as they formed the knot.
 That song" he said. "it was the most wonderful tb3Dc I o,.or