The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-12-10

He turned, and, without a backward
glance staiked down the road to-
ward the village.
The Pearlhunter stood gazing after
him. The Red Mask--and he hadn't
struck Three times affronted, and he
hadn't struck. Each time there had
been death in his eyes. What was
holding his hand7 Was he hiding his
time? 1t was not pleasant thing to
contemplate, for any man can XIII
another ii he waits his opportunity,
and takes him at 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.
1t 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 ;
|1
Strip away from life every nonessen-
tial; bare 1t Of every husk Of sham
and convention; pare 1t right down
to the red, quick core, beyond which
1t Is not possible to reduce it further,
and you come at last to a man and a
woman. Six million years the AL
mighty Artist practiced 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 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 q 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 1t
| 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 1t when the Pearlhunter
made n quick step toward her with
hand appraised.
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 its
| place and come slowly tumbling down
little by little, till it fell 'ver her
shoulder and lay upon the softly ris-
| ing and falling bosom. From the curl
he raised his eyes to her face. He
saw smile steal across it. 1t 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 q tiny ripple Of merri
ment that ran out over her face and
teasingly uptilted the corners of hei
mouth-a good, wlnsome mouth
fringed with full red lips and sci
with wholesome teeth. The smile
grew until it quite passed beyond hel
control She threw up her head; the
smile became a laugh.
1t was the only thing that could
have broken the restraint. The laugh
the slow smile that answered it.
their Introduction. She tied the bon
net strings, while he watched her fin
gers as they formed the knot.
THAT song" he said, at was the
most wonderful thing ! ever heard"
The girl laughed again-a laugh lik'
water tinkling over pebbles.
1.-THE birds are my playmates," sh'
answered simply. "They fly down al
over me. l had to learn their Ian
kuage."
"You live in these woods?'
The Pearlhunter was long tim
asking that question.
mot far from the pool"
"And You're not afraid?"
He glanced up the road toward tn
village.
ooh, l live with Daddy" A shad
crossed her face. "Never before" sh
added. as If the first statement ma,
not quite satisfied his question
Daddy is not very well and | hav
to go to the store. Every time Tv
gone In the last few days that maj
has tried TO talk to me. | was fright
ened to death today when he foilowe
me. He never did that before. II
so glad you happened along; aud
thank you over and overl'