The guardian., 1941-07-05
The Adventurer
BY RICHARD HILL WILKINSON
g Associated Newspapers.-wNU Service.


venture and great deeds and the
idea of striking out on his own ap-
pealed to his imagination.
There was one thing about the
plan that bothered him a little. He
had no good cause to want to leave
his home. In fact, it made him
little sick to think of losing his mo-
ther and father, who, when you con-
sidered them from various view
points, measured up pretty well.
Then, too, there was the matter of
Scruff, the black and white over
grown and very congenial mongrel
dog who was his bosom companion
and without whom Dannie felt he'd
be mighty lonesome.
He chose Saturday for the begin
ming of his adventure. School didn't
keep Saturday, so the teacher could
MT spread an immediate alarm, and
mother wouldn't begin to worry
about him till an hour or so after
dinner time, and by then he could
be pretty far away.
By mid-morning Dannie had left
behind him the last familiar land
marks, and was plodding steadily
along an old woods road that wound
through a towering forest of ever
green's. He had no definite plan in
mind, knew vaguely that sooner or
later he would come to farmhouse,
where, he hoped, he could beg his
supper and nights lodging.
He tried not to think of Scruff or
mother or father, tried to ignore the
strange depressing sensation in the
pit of his stomach. There was really
no reason to feel depressed. Here
he was doing exactly what he want
ed to do, with high adventure in the
offing, and never a care or worry.
He changed his mind about the
never care or worry business
within the next hour. Something be-
sides a feeling of depression in his
stomach brought to mind the fact
that he had neglected to bring along
anything for lunch. The discovery
was bit disconcerting. He paused
to consider, trying not to think of
the tasty Saturday noon dinner that
mother always prepared. Then he
remembered how one of the char
acters in the adventure books had
lived off berries that grew on a
desert island, and he Immediately
began to search for some. 1t was
June and he found them in plentiful
quantities along the road and in the
woods beyond. Wandering from
bush to bush, he ate ravenously.
Presently his hunger was appeased
and he started back toward the
road. After ten minutes of walking
he stopped dead still and looked
around. The woods road had disap-
peared. 1t was right here a moment
ago and now-Dannie walked sever
al PAGES in every direction, but
caught no glimpse of the road. He
stopped again wide-eyed, filed with
a sudden horror and fright, aware
of that awful sinking sensation that
comes to the man who unexpectedly
loses his bearings.
After an hour of fighting his way
through the underbrush in country
that was startlingly like that
through which he had come, Dannie
stopped again, utterly unhappy, ut
terly miserable. He sat down to
rest, little by little giving way to
fears and panic, wishing fervently
that he were safe at home with
mother and father and Scruff.
Tears appeared in his eyes and
trickled down his face He cried
silently, huddling against a tree
trunk. Presently his sobs ceased
and he lay still. A great WEAKNESS
stole over him. He lay, forlorn
little figure, his head pillowed on the
rough root of the tree.
But it was not a peaceful sleep.
Terrible dreams beset him. He
dreamed that he had arrived at the
next farmhouse and timidly knocked
on the door. A giant opened the
door and at sight of him let out a
roar like thunder, and dragged him
inside. The giant set him to peeling
potatoes, with promise of being
eaten for supper for his reward.
There were great stacks of pota-
toes, stacks that kept increasing
rather than decreasing in size.
Presently his back began to ache,
but he dared not stop because he
could hear the giant licking his
chops in the next room. After awhile
the giant came in, still licking his
chops, and bent over him. Dannie
could feel the monsters hot breath
on his face, could even feel his
rough tongue against his tender
skin.
Shrieking, he sat up and opened
his eyes. The first thing he saw was
Scruff, his tail humping joyfully
against the tree trunk, his homely
mongrel face wreathed in the ami
able smile with which Dannie was
so familiar. AS Dannie stared, only
half believing, Scruff tried to lick
his face again, and Dannie remem-
bered the giants great red tongue
and instinctly recoiled. Scruff gave
zip of joy, thereby establishing
his reality, and Dannie grabbed the
great homely mutt around his shag-
gy neck and hung on for dear life.
nanniof1 ,,,n41