Cleveland County herald., 1920-12-30
Seventh Installnnent of
 The BLUE MOON
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-..+. < | :. :. 4 < < z z < 4 < t: He slipped lightly in over the sill.
 "Please draw the blind before you light the candle,' he directed He saw her arm reach up along the easement. The. blind came down. within touching distance of each other they stood i'll pitch darkness: man and a -alone-wrapped in the silent secrecy of the deep woods. He heard her quick breath. His heart beat mp into his throat. Her gar ments brushed against him. He heard her sippered feet feeling their way across the floor.
 There came the guarded scrape of match. A sputtering, tardy flame was laid to the wick of a candle on a small stand in the corner under mir TOT. The wick caught; smoldered 1; fiared to full strength. The wonder of her hair and throat and arms sprang out of the night. She laid the burnt match upon the candleStiek and turned. X gasp broke from her at the sight of him-tattered, hatless; i; bruised and bloody
 Forgive me that I come before you Ifke-this.' he stammered.
 An impulsive step brought her to his side.
 Forgive mel9 she repeated, her voice still a-quiYer; her face pity-ten- dered. ssYou must let me dress your hurts"
 He shaded the candle with his body while she raised the curtain over the door and slipped out to the kitchen. She was back before he could have believed it, carrying a basin Of cold water and some strips of muslin, all of which she had managed to get to- gether in the deep dark. Drawing i chair near the candle, she made him sit down--a quite obvi- ous necessity, if she was to reach his head. But she didn't stop with wash ing the clots out of his hair and bind ing up the scalp wound The cuts and bruises on his face and chest came in for their share. When her ministra- tionS were over he was another man. All unsuspecting, the girl did other things for him that night besides washing his wounds. Nothing can so refine man as the ministry of a good womanis hands It never leaves him quite as it found him. He can never again be quite the same. His life out he will be a grain the finer for it. So ] great is the grace of nature that no man Is denied that touch. Once to l every man 1t c0mes-to recreate; to make him new; to call him up to his higher self. It came that night to the l Pearlhunter.
 The girl seemed to lose all fear of him; to forget that he was in her bed- room in the secret night. She even smiled contented smile of satisfac- tion as he rose and stretched himself. He fumbled in his tattered blouse and drew forth the draft.
 Have you pen and ink?s he asked, his voice, his manner, again the voice and manner of the alert, keen woods man.
 i Wondering, she opened the drawer of the small stand under the mirror and placed pen and ink before him. He picked up the pen, awkwardly-a l fish spear, an oar. or q siS-gun fitted his hand better-dipped It in the ink 1; laid the draft upon the stand squared himself; and after no small pains sue ceeded In writing the word "Pearlhunt- CT" across the back. It was quite evil dently a relief when the unaccustomed task was over. He laid the pen down as If glad to be quit of 1t and handed the draft to the girl.
 'It means that 1 have five thousand dollars in the bank" he said, and any body that takes this draft there ith my'-he hesitated-"name across the back can get the money. The banker said SO"
 Her face showed how little she euessed what his words were leading up to. It was some time before he went on. sTm askin' you to keep it." he said. And If anything should happen to me. I'm askin' you to keep the mon ey. too.'
 The girl caught his tattered sleeve,
 "No! NoF' she Sald- Don saS-- that !"
 He looked down at the hand on his sleeve: picked it up; held II an in stant: suffered her to take it away
 q know who killed Louie Solomon he said slowly. ''I know who has the Blue Moon-absolute knowledge, but no proof. He'll be on my trail tomor. row and his eyes are the most danger ous eyes in the Flatwoods. He'd ask nothing better than a chance to knl