FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145  
146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   >>   >|  
hairy men of long ago, felt the same way when the cold drove them to their caves for the first time. A great comfort in the protecting walls and the fire." "It's an interesting thought--that perhaps the love of home sprang from that hour." "Quite possibly. Perhaps it came only when they had to fight for their homes--against beasts, and such other hairy men as tried to take their homes away from them. Perhaps, after all, that's one of the great differences between men and beasts. Men have a place to live in and a place to fight for--and the fire is the symbol of it all. And the beasts run in the forest and make a new lair every day." Thoughts of the stone age were wholly fitting in this stone-age forest, and Ben's fancy caught on fire quickly. "And perhaps, when the hairy men came to the caves to live, they forgot their wild passions they knew on the open trails--their blood-lust and their wars among themselves--and began to be men instead of beasts." Ben's voice had dropped to an even, low murmur. "Perhaps they got gentle, and the Brute died in their bodies." "Yes. Perhaps then they began to be tamed." The silence dropped about them, settling slowly; and all except the largest heap of red coals burned down to gray ashes. The darkness pressed ever nearer. The girl stretched her slender, brown arms. "I'm sleepy," she said. "I'm going in." He got up, with good manners; and he smiled, quietly and gently, into her sober, wistful face. "Sleep good," he prayed. "You've got solid walls around you to-night--and some one on guard, too. Good night." A like good wish was on her lips, but she pressed it back. She had almost forgotten, for the moment, that this man was her abductor and her father's enemy. She ventured into the darkness of the cave. Scratching a match Ben followed her, so that she could see her way. For the instant the fireside was deserted. And then both of them grew breathless and alert as the brush cracked and rustled just beyond the glowing coals. Some huge wilderness creature was venturing toward them, at the edge of the little glade. XXVII The match flared out in Ben's fingers, and the only light that was left was the pale moonlight, like a cobweb on the floor of the glade, and the faint glow from the dying fire. About the glade ranged the tall spruce, Watching breathlessly; and for a termless second or two a profound and portentous silence descended on the camp. No leaf rustled,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145  
146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

beasts

 

Perhaps

 
darkness
 

pressed

 

rustled

 
silence
 

dropped

 
forest
 
father
 

gently


wistful
 

Scratching

 

abductor

 

ventured

 

moment

 

prayed

 

forgotten

 

creature

 

ranged

 
moonlight

cobweb
 

spruce

 

Watching

 
descended
 
portentous
 

profound

 

breathlessly

 
termless
 

fingers

 

breathless


cracked
 

instant

 

fireside

 
deserted
 

glowing

 

flared

 

venturing

 

wilderness

 

quietly

 
symbol

differences

 
fitting
 

caught

 
quickly
 
wholly
 

Thoughts

 
comfort
 

protecting

 

interesting

 
possibly