The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-03-04

WIN 70 wild II you do. used 70 keGD
| It stuck behind the picture, but Il
worked out into sight one day, and be
drove the knife through It be6ofe
could ret II away from him. Il b.
| ever flnds the man It belongs to he'll
serve him the same way. I'm afrniA
| Sometimes think that's why he
haunts the woods-to 80 Il be can dnd
him. There, You can see whers tha
knife went through"
She had been unwrapping fold -
paper as she talked. The sight Of il
| contents surprised Z low exclamation
| from the Pearlhunter. It was . red
mask.
The Pearihunter fingered the BIZ
Of stir cloth lying across the girl'1
palm with such quick eagerness that
her eyes sought his face curiously. Tbs
red mask The slit Of the knife near
an eye hole-no man in the T1atwooda
better able to read the story 1t told;
none better able to piece together the
fragments OF that seven-year-0ld trag-
edy.
Up through the eye holes there
seemed to glow a pair Of eyes-blue,
like blue ice; eyes that glow black
when roused He knew what they
looked like when the blue turned to
black.
Suddenly, without warning, 4 deep
groan set the silence ashiver. The
girl crammed the packet back behind
the books: the Pearlhunter whirled.
The Wild Man had risen from his
chair and stood peering toward him
with wide, weird eyes. With . step
that was gh0stly noiseless he crossed
the floor. Quite close he came, his
dulled senses seeming to need the
stimulus OF close contact. His b0ny
hands and long arms were quivering; !;
his hollow face twitching pitifully.
"He's never like this" the girl
whispered.
The young man glanced at her and
stood still. The thin hands fiuttered
over his face and head. Even their
lightest touch was heavy with
strength that must have been prodig-
ious-as If the fires Of his malady kim
died force in him more than human.
Some impulse Of compassion must
have reached the heart of the Pearl
hunter, for he stretched his long arm
forth and laid 1t about the old mans
shoulders. Instantly he felt the weight
Of the gray giant upon him. It might
have been the one thing the stricken
man craved in his dumb way-the
touch of his kind; the prop Of mans
arm.
4. r;k k,o ov.ro thu Don RI.
hunter. It was like winning the con-
fidence of a little child, and then not
knowing what to do with 1t.
The girl was quick to see his embar-
rassment, and, much as mother
might coax a child away from some
one she Imagined 1t was annoying, she
led the old man back to his chair /;
then. leaving him. she hurried across
the room to the book case.
'T never saw him so restless before, "
she said, as she passed by. He seems
to like you, though" she continued
while finding the book she wante6
~Strange. too, for he's cross usually,
even to the doctor. Won't you excuse
me till quiet him|
Before he could reply she had found
the book and hurried back to the chair.
Opening 1t, she laid it upon the old
mans knees. He bent his head and
felt over the oren page with his hand,
| but the weird eyes could no longer re-
| solve the frozen magic of the words.
He fidgeted in his chair and the book
slid to the igor. \
The picture was too distressing, and
the Pearlhunter turned his face
] away. From where he stood he had
| an almost unobstructed view into the
east room, the girls room. and before
| he realized it his eyes had strayed
past the curtains. Amazement held
| them there a moment in spite of him.
| The room, in striking contrast to what
| he had seen of the rest of the house,
was almost bare of fnrniture--a car.
| petless floor; the rudest of beds; q
broken chair, and little else.
He heard her walking across the
floor and turned away half guiltily
| She had her hand upon the curtained
entrance of the west room. and he no
| ticed that 1t was carpeted, and was
| otherwise furnished quite in keeping
| with the room In which he stood. Ger
| tainly in very decided contrast to the
room upon the east.
| But he had no time to reflect on all
| these things. for the girl reappeared
| In a moment carrying cello. which
she placed between the old mans
| knees. She put the bow in his right
hand and lifted his left to the strings
He laid his cheek down upon the In
4 strument; grew quiet. The falterins
| bow tried to wake the strings. but IL
vain. The old mans body seemed te
shrink together. His chin dropped
down upon his breast. But the mex,
instant he sat upright and rigid; his
wide eyes, cropping around, found ths
| Pearlhunter, and he started to rise
grappled up, strained up. as If by &
power outside himself.