Cheyenne Wells record., 1922-09-28


remembrance brought no pleasure 10
Bruce. They were just wild glare
IL fixed. strange brightness as OF great
fear or insanity.
| The Woman had kissed him ana
gone quickly; and he had been 700
younr TO remember if she had carried
any sort of bundle close to her breast.
Yet, the man considered, there must
have been such bundle-otherwise
he couldn't possibly account for Linda.
And there were no doubts about her,
ut all.
OF course he had no memories OF
her that first day. nor for the first
years. But all later memories of the
Su,Iare house always included her.
She must have been nearly four years
| Younger than himself thus when he
was taken to the house she was only
nm infant. But thereafter, the nurses
nut them together often: and when
Linda was able to talk. she called him
something that sounded like Bw0va-
boo She called him that so often that
for n long time he couldn't be sure
that wasn't his real name. Now. In
manhood. he interpreted.
Brother Bruce. of course. Linda
was of course a sister,"
Linda had been homely; even a
small boy could notice that. Besides,
Linda was nearly six when Bruce had
left for good; and he was then at an
age in which impressions begin to
be lasting. Her hair was quite blond
then, and her features rather irregular.
But there had been light in her eyes
By his word. there had been!
She had been angry at him times in
plcnty-over some childish game-and
he remembered how that light had
grown and frightened. She had flung
| at him too. He laughed at the
memory of her sudden, explosive feroc-
ity-the way her hands had smacked
against his cheeks. and her sharp little
nails had scratched him Little Spit
fire." he sometimes called her; hut
no one else could call her anything
| hut Linda. For Bruce had been an
able little fighter. even in those days.
>.
This was nothing in itself; many lit
tie boys are fond of drawing pictures
Nor were his unusually good. Their
strangcncss lay in his subjects. He
liked to draw animals in particular
the animals he read about In school
and in such books rs were brought
to him. And sometimes he drew In.
dians and cowboys. And one day
when he wasn't half watching what
he was doing-he drew something
quite different.
Perhaps he wouldn't have looked at
1t twice. If the teacher hadn't stepped
up behind him and taken 1t out of his
hands. 1t WIS geography" then. not
drawing" and he should have been
"pnying attention." And he had every
rensOn to think that the teacher would
crumple up his picture and send him
to the cloak-room for punishment.
But she did no such thing When
her eyes glanced down, her fingers
slowly Strengthened Then she looked
again-carefully.
"What Is this, Bruce?" she asked
"What have You been drawing?"
II don't know" the child an
.wcred. He looked and for IN instant
let his thoughts 90 wandering here
and there. "Thnse are trees" he
said. A word caught at his throat and
he blurtcd 1t out. pines! Pine trees,
growing on n mountain"
mot bnd for a siX-year-Old boy"
the teacher commented. "But where,
Bruce. have you ever seen or heard
of such pincs?' But Bruce did not
know.
Another puzzling adventure that
stuck in Bruce's memory had happened
only n Few months after his arrival
at the Square house. when man had
taken him home on trial with the idea
of adoption.
All the Incidents and details of the
excursion with this prospective parent
were extremely dim and vague, He
did not know to what city he went,
nor had he any recollection whatever
OF the people he met there. But he did
remember. with remarkable clearness,
the perpleNinr talk that the man and
the superintendent Of the Square
house had together on his return,
"lle won't do" the stranger had
said. Il tried him out and he won't
fill In in my family. And I've fetched
him back.
81 believe in being frank, and I fell
You there's something vicious in thot
boys nature. 1t came out the very
ilrst moment he was in the house
when the Missus was introducing him
to my eight-year-Old son. This is lit.
tie Turner, she said-and this bov
sprang right ut him. I'd never let
little Turner learn to fight, and this
boy was IN top of him and was pound.
ing him with his fists before we cou,d
pull him Off. l didn't understand If
at ALL
Nor did the superintendent under-
stand; NORM these later yenrs-
Bruce either.
He was quite big boy, nearly ten
when he finally left the Square house
And there was nothing flicker,np mr.
dim nbOut the mamorv nf tLt, ..,