The Bismarck tribune., 1924-01-30

Gertrude Atherton
isively from the first. seemed. al.
though they were quiet. subtly to
lack the repose of her body.
Once. while he was gazing into
the fire he felt sure that she was
examining his profile. He made no
pretensions to handsomeness. but
he rather prided himself on his
nose. the long dne straight nose o.
the Claverings. His brow was also
good. but although his hair was
black. his eyes were bNe, and he
would have preferred to have black
eyes. as he liked consistent types.
Otherwise he was one Of the black
Claverings." Northumbrian in sri.
gin and claiming descent from the
Bretwaldes. overlords OF Britain,
the Claverings were almost as fair
as their Anglican ancestors, but
once in every two or three gen.
erations a completely dark member
appeared, resurgence Of the an.
cient Briton; sometimes associated
with the high stature OF the strong,
er Nordic race, occasiorally-par.
ticularly among the women-al
most squat. Clavering has been
spared the small stature and the
small too narrow mead. but saving
his steel blue eyes-tra:ned to look
keen and kard-ho was as dark rs
any Mediterranean. His mouth
was we'll shaped and closely set
but capable OF relaxation and look
ed as IL II might once have been
full and sensitive. It too had been
severely trained. The long face
was narrower than the. long ad.
mirably pr0portioned head. 1t was
by no means as disharmonic type
as Cora Dwight's; the blending OF
the races was far more subtle, and
when making one of his brief visits
to Europe he was generally taken
for an Englishman, never for a
member Of the Latin peoples: *.
cept possibly in the north OF
France, where his type, among
those Norman descendants of
Morse and Danes, was not uncom.
mon. Nevertheless. although his
northern Inheritance predominated,
he was conscious at times of a
certain affinity with the race that
| two thousand years ago had net
and mingled with his own.
He turned his eyes swiftly and
met hers. She colored family and
dropped her lids. Had she lowered
those broad lids over warm
glow?
Nov know what you look
like!" he exclaimed, and was sur.
prised to find that his voice was
not quite steady. "A Nordic prin.
cess"
"Oh! That is the very most
charming compliment ever paid
me-" Xxx
"You look a pretty unadulterated
type for this late date. I don't
mean in color only, of course: there
are millions of blondes"
my mother was brunette"
"Oh, yes. you are case Of atas
vism, no doubt. II I were as good
a poet as one Of my brother col.
umnists I should have written q
poem to you long since. I can see
you sweeping northward over the
steppes Of Russia as the ice-caps
retreated re.embodied on
the Baltic coast or the shores of
the North Sea sleeping for
ages in one Of the Megaliths, to
rise again daughter Of the
Brythons. or Of a Morse Viking
j. west into Anglia to appear
once more as q Priestess Of the
Druids chanting in sacred grove
j.. or as Boadicea-who knows!
But no prose can regenerate that
shadowy time. I see it-prehistory
AS q swaying mass of ghostly
multttudes. but always pressing on
lon as We shall appear,
no doubt, ten thousand years hence
II all histories are destroyed-as
no doubt they will be. III were
an epic poet I might possibly find
words and rhythm to At that white
vision. but Il 10 wholly beyond tho
practical vocabulary and mental
makeup Of a newspaper man of the
twentieth century. Some Of 10
write very good poetry indeed, but
It is not precisely inspired, and Il
certainly Is not epic. One would
have to retire to = cave like Bud.
dha and fast"
(To Ra ContinnaIN -.