The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-30
Continued From Yesterday


Mi
IL was wilderness moon that rose
over the spruce tonight-white as
new silver. incredibly large, inserut-
ably mysterious The winds had
whisked away the last pale cloud that
might have dimmed It's glory, and It's
light poured down WITH equal bounty
on peak and hill. forest and yellow
marsh. The heavy woods partook
most deeply OF It's enchantment; tall.
stately trees pale and nebulous as u
with silver frost. each little stream
dancing and shimmering In It's light,
every glade laid with fairy tapes
try. every shadow dreadful and black
IN contrast The wilderness hrcathed
and shivered as u swept with pas
sion.
The wilderness moon Is the moon
OF DESIRE and all this great space Of
silence seemed 10 respond l, seemed
20 throb. like one living entity, as n
In hanging for something lost Ions
AGA half-forgotten happiness. a
glory and a triumph that were gone
never 10 return. No creatures that
followed the woods trails were duh
and fat tonight They were all swept
with mystery. knowing vague long
ings or fierce desires II was the
harvest moon. but here Il did not
light the fields so that men might
harvest grain Rather Il illumined
the hunting trails so that the beasts
OF prey might md relief from the
Wild lusts and SETTLING ferment that
was In their veins But mostly the
forest mood was disconsolate. rather
than savage. tonight The Wild geese
on the lake called their weird and
plaintive cries. their strange COM
plants that no man understands; the
looms laughed IN insane despair. and
the coyotes on the ridge walled out
the pain Of living and the vngue
iongings OF their wild hearts
In the glory Of that moon Fenris
the wolf knew the same. reastless
longings that 20 many times before
had turned him from the game trails.
There was something here that was
unutterably dear 10 him something
that drew him. called him like n
voice. and he could not turn aside
Because h, was a beast. he likely
did not know the force that was
drawing him again along the lake
shore. Yet the souls Of the lower
creatures no man knows: and per-
haps he had conscious iongings pro
foundry intense. for n moments
fcsteh 80 n us~.,- tanA -, Nta aNs,,l
der-one forgotten caress
from a cortsin god that had gone 10
a cave 10 1--we. II was true that his
Wild instances ever more In donni-
nance these past weeks. would likely
halt him at the cavern nav, permit
ting no intimacy other than 20 as
certain that all was wen. They were
too strong ever 70 brook mans con-
troll again. The moon was a moon
Of desire. but only because II Was
also the moon Of rncmory-and per-
haps memories, stirring and exaitinE.
were sweeping thru him. Straight as
an arrow he turned toward tho cave.
His foriovers-the snunt female
and two younger males. the structure
about which the winter pack would
form-hes;tated at fIr-s They had
no commanding memories OF the cav
crn on the far ode Of the lake. Yet
Fcnris was their leader: by the
deep-fyfrg laws Of the pack they
must follow where he led They
Could not decoy him Into the trails Of
game. As ever they sped swiftly. 81
ientfy after him.
In this forest Of desires Ben knew
but one-that he might yet BE- Of aid
to Beatrice. But he knew In his
heart that II was a vain hope. He
was within q hundred yards Of Rsy's
camp now. but the struggle TO reach
the lake and the polling across it's
waters had brought him seemingly
to the absolute limit OF his strength.
clear 20 the brink Of utter exhaustion
Never In his life before had he known
the full meaning Of fatigue-fatigue
that WAS like a paralysis. bunting
she mechanism OF the brain. burning
like a slow fire in his muscles. pois-
oning the vital fluids OF his nerves.
Stroke after stroke. never ceadngl--
The flame Was high. cracklIng-just
before him. Thru a riff in the trees
he could see the outline Of two men
and the slim form OF the girl. Just
few yards more.
But OF all the desires that the moon
invoked In the woods people there
were none 80 unredeemed. so wicked
and cruel as this that slowly wakened
In the evil hearts OF these two de-
generate men. Beatrice's captors. She
sensed II only vaguely at first All
the disasters that had fallen upon