, 1922-08-23

sleep upon him, he was the subject
or q discussion In a far-dIstant noun
tain home; and sleep would not have
fallen so easily and sweetly IL he
had heard 1t.
1t might have been a different world.
Only a glimpse of It, illumIned by the
moon, could be seen through the soiIed
and besmirched window pane; but
that was enough to tell the story.
There were no tall buildings. lighted
by a thousand electric lights, such
as Bruce could see through the win
dows Of his bedroom at night. The
lights that could be discerned In this
strange, dark sky were largely un-
familiar to Bruce, because OF the
smoke-clouds that had always hung
above the city where he lived. There
were just stars, but there were so
many of them that the mind was IN
able to comprehend their number.
There was also a moon that cast n
little square of light. like. n fairy
tapestry. on the floor. 1t was not such
a moon as leers down red and strunga
through the smoke of cities. It WIS
vivid and quite w~hite-the wilderness
moon that times the hunting hours
of the forest creatures. But the patch
that 1t cast on the fioor was obscured
in a moment because the man who
had been musing in the big chair be-
side the empty fireplace had risen and
lighted a kerosene lamp.
The light prevented any further
scrutiny of the moon and stars. And
what remained TO look at was not
nearly so pleasing to the spirit. It
was a great, w%hite-walled room that
would have been beautiful had II not
beer for certain unfortunate attempts
to beautify 1t. There was a stone
fireplace. and certain massive, dust
covered chairs grouped about It. But
the eyes never would have so, to
these. The. would have been held md
fascinated by the face and the form
of the man who had just lighted the
lamp.
No n could look twice at that mas
sive physique and question it's might.
He seemed almost gigantic In the yell
low lampllght. In reality he stood
six feet and almost three inches, and
his frame was perfectly in proportion.
He moved slowly, lazily, and the
thought flashed to some great monster
of the forest that could uproot a tree
with a blow.
The face was huge. big and gaunt
of bone; and particularly one would
notice the mouth. II would be noticed
even before the dark. deep-sunken
eyes. 1t was a bloodhound mouth,
the mouth of a man of great and ter
rible passions. and there was an un-
mistakable measure of cruelty and
savagery about 1t. But there was
strength, too. No eye could doubt
that. But 1t was not an ugly face,
for all the brutality OF the features.
1t was even handsome In the hard,
mountain way. One would notice
straight, black hair2the mans age
was about thirty-nine-long over rather
dark ears, and a great. gnarled throat.
The words when he spoke seemed to
come from deep within It.
Come in. Dave" he said.
In this little remark lay something
of the mans power. The visitor had
come u-nannounced. His visit had been
unexpected. His host had not yet
seen his face. Yet the man knew,
before the door was opened. who 1t
was that had come.
The reason went back to a certain
%quickening of the senses that is the
peculiar right and property OF most
men who are really residents of the
wilderness. This man was the son
of the wild as much as the wolves that
ran In thn nnalEd Soft fhntnh . II
was, he had heard the sound Of APP
preaching feet in the pine needles.
As surely as he would have recognized
the dark face of the man in the door
way, he recognized the sound MS
Dawes step.
The man came in, and at once an
observer would have detected an air
of Difference In his attitude. Very
plainly he had come to see his chief.
He was n year or two older than his
host, less powerful of physique. and
his eye did not hold quite so straight.
There was less savagery bus more
cunning in his sharp features.
He blurted out his news at once.
"Old Elmira has got word down to
the settlements at last" he said.
There was no muscular response In
the larger man. Dave was plainly
disappointed. He wanted his news
to cause a stir. 1t was true, however,
that his host slowly raised his eyes
Dave glanced away.
"What do you mean?" the man de
handed.
"Mean-I mean just what / said. We
should have watched closer. Bill
Young BIZ, / menn-saw a city chap
just In the act of going in to see
her. He had come onto the plateaus
with his guide-Wegan was the mans
name-and Bill said he stayed n lot
longer than he would have If he hadn't