The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-09-03

head and knelt stroking the still face
and crying softly. The Pearlhunter
opened the old mans coat and felt
over his heart.
He's alive!"
The girl grasped his arm.
He isl" he answered to her eyes.
She laid her face down close and
spoke his name;-the only name she
knew. There was no response.
Help me lift him to the couch"
the man said.
For the second time that night his
arm had to come out of the sling. 1t
came without a murmur. They had
the old man on the couch, and the girl
had run for water, when the sheriff,
who had been outstripped by the
younger man, dashed into the cabin.
Al lthre worked over him. The Pearl
hunter chafed one wrist, the sheriff
the other, while the girl bathed his
face, washed the blood out of his
hair, and strove to staunch it's flow by
binding up his head in cold cloths.
Suddenly, without any warning signs
of returning consciousness, the old
man plucaed his hand away from the
Pearl Hunter and rubbed it over his
face. His eyes came open, but they
were not tie same eyes. And his face
was free from twitching. The girl
stared down upon him in wonder. The
Pearlhunter stopped low and marveled
at the startling transformation.
Neither knew, nor even suspected, un-
til the doctor explained it days later.
that the blows of the revolver butt had
loosened the tiny bit Of skull that
had so long shackled his BRAIN
loosened it at the expense of a far
worse hurt, but undoubtedly loOsened
it. They only knew that the eyes
were free from that vacant stare;
that his face was calm with the light
of reason.
He felt again over his face. seemed
astonished at the beard. His eyes
calmly gazed up at the girl, at the
Pearlhunter, at the Sheriff with his
star. They came back to the girl
and studied her a long time.
You couldn't be Dotty?"
His voice was queer, hollow, quaver-
ing, like some sound from another
world. so long had it gone unused.
"Oh, Daddy"
She threw her arms around him and
dropped her head on his breast He
sat stroking her hair, finally raised
her, looked hard at her, rubbed his
eyes and looked again.
You must be Dotty. But you've
changed so since morning"
The girl seemed unable to tell him.
She strove for words, but none came.
The Pearl hunter drew nearer.
You've been-sick a long time.
SIR" he said. Seven years. And
you're just getting we'll again"
The puzzled eyes, suddenly wakeuod
to the world new and strange, turned
toward him.
Il haven't the pleasure of your ac-
Quaintance," he said with the stately
politeness of a day long gone. May
I ask"
"I'm-Pm-"
He hesitated. flushed. The girl,
calm again. came to the rescue.
Hes the Pearlhunter. Daddy. He's
been-good to me-since you've been
sick"
The old man reached out his hand.
It seemed heavy for him. The Pearl
hunter grasped il. He was startled
to find II cold. He glanced hastily
into the old mans face. a pallor was
spreading over it that was unmis-
TAXA ble:-the momentary return to
consciousness was but the CLEAN that,
at the end OF a gray day, sometimes
flares out Between shutdown and dark.
He said nothing of it to the girl. who
was happily busy again with the water
and bandages.
The sheriff had left the couch and
was squatted over the body OF the
fallen bandit. The Pearlhunter hap
pened to glance that way. The sher-
if beckoned to him.
This felIer amt dead yet he said,
when the Pearlhunter had joined him.
The young man stopped over the
sprawled robber. He was still breath
ing
He don't deserve it," the sheriff