The evening world., 1921-01-10


swaying bushes parted-as useless
ly as the unfolding Of a nower-and
in the narrow opening, framed by its
border Of quaking leaves, there grew
a face-sad and vacant, with pititnl
eyes; unmistakably, though he had
never seen 1t before. the gaunt. gray
face of the wild Man.
The Pearlhunter glanced quickly At
the girl, to find her eyes still fixed
on her basket, and when he looked
again at the bushes. the face was
gone.
As his gaze searched the under
brush, a glimpse of a gray shadow
fitted along under the cliff and dis
appeared behind the cabin. He
couldn't leave her now-and yet, by
what excuse could he stay?
you have pretty place here" he
said, probably because he couldn't
think of anything else to say. "A
pretty place-all so natural; the
woods are hardly disturbed a bit
but aren't you-afraid?"
Il haven't been tiH--to day" She
raised her eyes TO his face. The
storekeeper's story came to her mind;
the grave at Fallen Rock; the lone
I ly cabin to which he would have to
return. And he had just rendered
her a service-the age-old service of
man to woman. Wont you come
up to the house7"
The Pearlhunter little knew how
that simple invitation honored him.
No other man had ever received 1t.
I'D like TO-"
He said it so seriously that the girl
laughed
Carrying the light basket between
them they walked up what might be
called, for want of better word To
name it, the front yard. There was
not the least necessity that two hands
should be laid to that one light bas-
ket. 1t just happened, as do 50 many
other pleasant things in this delight
fully unorderly world.
At the door she stopped and faced
him. A deep seriousness had tliled
up the dihples.
The slow eyes Of the man found
her face, and she paused.
you told me to leave off the Miss.
I'm askin' you to leave off the Mr."
The dimples came back, but only
for a moment.
"Pearlhunter." The name came
strange to her You will be the first
man, except my father and the doc
tor. that has crossed this doorstep in
seven years" Her voice fell very
low. you must not be surprised at
what you see.'
From behind the closed door II the
cabin came a grOan-not of physical
pain, but one that seemed to mutteI
Up out OF a wracked soul. 1t was as
IL the woods had grOaned: and the
wind had gathered up the sad mel
ancholy of II an poured 1t own into
this lonely cabin. The girl dropped
her side of the basket handle.
Daddy" she cried; and dashed the
door open.
The Pearlhunter was a hard mar
to jar out of his habitual calm, but
the sight that met him as he followed
her across the doorstep struck him
rigid and staring.
a huge iron gray shell Of man
rose slowly in the shadow the late
afternoon cast over the room. The
light that fell in at the open door
brought out the pathetic, nervous
culver of his face; the solemn va
cancy OF his pitiful eyes. 1t was tho
Wild Man.
The girl ran to him and put hel
arms about his shoulders. liz
seemed not to feel her touch. Slowly
and noiselessly he approached the
PearEhunter. A leaf couldn't have
drifted across the door more silently
or more involuntarily. Some extra
neous force seemed to drive him.
The girl chung to him and tried Il
coax him, even drag him, back lntC
7 his chair. He seemed to. be utterly
unaware of her weight. There was
a knife in his hand, His hollow
|. ewes never left the Pearlhunter's face
With all the girls hurried assur'
ance that he was harmless, that ther'
= was no danger, ii took all the Pearl
{ hunters resolution to abide the com
ing of that gaunt gray apparition
His breath came fast, He set tn
! basket down on the floor, dropped MI
nat beside 1t and kept his eye OF
the knife Oddly enough as ne re
| called afterWard, the only detail m
\ could distinctly remember of tina
o. tense scene was that the knife had
I buck horn handle and slight!
{ curved blade. 49, 3.
o. male fire burned away back II
the wild Mans vacant eyes, and hi
q heard writhed with the culver or hi
= features. He even raised has hand
i and ran them over the Pearlhunter'
2 face, as a blind man might in search
ine, for some recognizable feature.
Anparently he did not find it Thu
= male fires died out Of his eyes; hi
;. face ouivered; his breast seemed t
J coIlapse: the tense silence shiveret
. with a groan. The thrush of strength
y mat had seemed to dover his vas
|; frame with Irresistible force fel
i from him as a mantle. He tottere'
q as the girl led him, like tire
: child, back to his chair.
! Her father! The daughter OF tn
/
He stepped aside out Of the opei
:, door and let the sun in. IL streake
u across the floor and caught he
. where she stopped over the Old man
c chair. Its light brought out he
$ whoiesomc, healthy beauty; the irest
fragrait innocence Of her-a iiowe
= by n ruined wall.
3 One feature of the room impresse'
!, him deeply: the books-a long cas-
y 0f them along the north wall. How
. could anybody ever read 80 many
u Books! lie had wished for them
= had resolved 10 know what was II
" some of them, when he had found hi
pearl And now he had found nj
d The half minute or more he hA
8 spent looking over the room ha
70 given him time to recover his calm
o and now his glance came back TO tn