American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1920-12-25
nd takes him at a disadvantage.

wOodsI Inc Pearlhunter whirled with
the thought and looked oack over the
fence.
The girl was gone.
The basket and bundles were still
| scattered about the path. lie 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 u slight
rustic among the bushes reached his
ear. He glanced up; the girl stood
| before him.
1t was the girl OF the pool-thc
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; woman.
Strip away from life every nonessen.
tial; bare II Of every husk of sham
and convention; pare II right down
to the red. quick core. beyond which
II is not possible to reduce II further,
and you come at last to a man and
woman. Six million years the Al
mighty Artist practlced on such Sec
ondary studies as stars and suns. and
peopling them with inconceivably d.
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 uppernost In the mind Of
the Pearlhunter-that other meeting.
And he had lookedi 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 OF his battered hat.
The blue eyes under tho sunbon.
net uvcned. The girl drew 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 II
OF. displaying 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 II when the Pearlhunter
made quick step toward her with
hand appraised.
II "Don't!" he cried. Don't"
III 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 IL
place and come slowly tumbling down
|l little by little, TIL 1t fell over he
shoulder and lay upon the softly rls
ing and falling bosom. From the curl
' he raised his eyes to her face. HI
saw smile steal across 1t. 1t wa
only a little smile. but 1t grew unde
his gaze TIL 1t reached up to her eyes
and pinched the lids together. an,
squeezed out tiny ripple OF merrl
ment that ran out over her face an
settled In two round dlmples tina
teasingly uptiltcd the corners Of he
mouth--a good. wlns0ne moutl
fringed WIN, full red lips and 50
with wholesome teeth. The smil
| grew until Il quite passed beyond he
control. She threw up her head; III
smile became Q laugh.
II II was the only thing that coul
have broken the restraint. The laugh
! the slow smile that answered IT.
their Introduction. She tied the boz
net strings, while he watched her III
gers as they formed the knot.
"That song" he said, at was III
n most wonderful thing ever heard
" The girl laughed agaln--a laugh III
wnter tinkling over pebbles.
1.-THE birds arc my playmates." 81
n answered simply. 'They fly down a
e over me. I had to learn their lal
d guage."
"You live In these woods?"
|. The Pearlhunter was n long tin
n asking that question.
e "Not far from the pool"
"And you're not afraid?"
It He glanced up the road toward Il
y village.
d "Oh. I live with Daddy" A shat
e crossed her face. "Never before" 81
ID added. as IL the first statement hs
D. not quite satisfied his questio
s, Daddy is not very well and ha,
I. to go to the store. Every time i,
D. gone In the last few days that ms
has tried to talk to me. was frigt
}. ened TO death today when he follow
!, me. He never did that before. i
a SO glad you happened along; and
:, thank you over and over"
"A ut was nothing" he said simp|
!. twisting his hat I'm his hand. He did,
m tell her It wasn't a matter Of ha
~ pening.
!, She shook the curl on her bose
=, and back over her shoulder. He W
40 sorry for that.
10 "He Is a gambler; at least 80 I
~ grocery man told me today--and
n a-man killer"
:. The Pearlhunter could have add
40 quite startiingiy to the informati
impaired by the grocery man. but
=, only said:
ha "IIe's all that--and more"
=. She glanced across the fence a