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West Wind Drift
By GEORGE BARR McCVTCHEON
Cefirrtpht, tut, ty Oterpt Oarr JfrCutcSeen
IX WAa ' """, " III"-IU-man
system traffic. DUt no ne took
It llfhtly or In the spirit of Jest They
y,tre serious, they were sober-minded,
jntfrcat. Incentive, rflm determination
centered In the seemtntrly childish ar
rangement. Greed was lacking, for there
yfM n0 ehance te heard j confidence was
paramount, for there wm no chance te
lese.
The "heur'' traveled In a circle, from
the "government" te people, from people
te "government"! when nil was said
and done, It was the product of neli and
ea that formed the backbone of the sys-
Wlth the Adoption of the plan, It wee
n become a punUhable offense Indeed,
. . .11 .. klfMhU ht nn.n.
tf wm te be classified as treason for
any resident of Trigger Island te "for
age" for necessities. He could de what
hi nleased In respect te the1 nenessen
tials but when It came te feedstuffs of
Bny kind or description, he was guilty
of a felony If he failed te turn all that
he produced or secured Inte the general
stores.
"Strikes me," said Randelph ritts In
council meeting, "that we nre arriving at
the most exquisite state of socialism.
This comes pretty clone te being the
essence of that historic American dream,
'of the people, by the people, for the
ienle.' Up te date, that has been the
rarest socialistic doctrine ever premul-
Cited, Dul we 1MB HUHIH ,1 U. IVIIB Olftlll
!i,r. 'Frem the people, by the people,
hitter. 'Frem tne people, vy me people,
iha people.' what de you call that
hut socialism?"
"Are you speaking te me?" demanded
Perch al. ,
in n general way, vei."
"Well, Its net my Idea of socialism,
fie far as I've been able te discover, so
cialism Is a game In which you are sup.
noted te tnke something out of your
nocket and put It Inte the ether fellow's
Whether ha wants It or net. This scheme
of ours la quite another thing. We're
net planning te split even en what wo've
Vel In our pockets se much as we're
planning te divide what we've get In our
hands, and there's a let of difference
between a hand and a pocket, old top.
Yeu can see what's In one and you can't
see what's In the ether. And, by the
v. a", Fltts, If we let the socialists In this
camp suspect that we're trjlng te In
troduce seclnllsm here, there'll be a re
volution before you can say Jack Robin Rebin
son They won't stand for It. They'd
let out the blamedcst rear en record If
they thought we were trying te depth e
them of the right te feci sorry for them-
" Iluth hurried ever te the town hall
brlsht and early en this snowy, gusty
morning. The forenoon session of the
school began punctually at 8.30 o'clock.
She was there half an hour ahead of
time te see that there was a rearing
nre In the huge fireplace, and that
the benches for the scholars were
drawn up clene te It.
i'hr wm two teachers besides ner-
ie nnrf lieth of them were extiirlrnced
'school m.irmt" She taught the "Infant
class." comprising nbeut a tieien mis
Th ihrcs teachers took turns about In
building the fires, arranging the benches
and cleaning the crude blackboard.
There had been church services thn
hlffht before, and the beiichfts were all
In use, arranged se that they Tnced the
combination pulplt-reatrum-stnge at the
far end of the room. Tonight thcie wns
tn i, 11. rpneral committee meeting te
dlscure the prospective financial sclieme
and the general election mai wan w
take place the following week.
The structure was net blesied with n
piuclty of names. If there was te be a
council meeting or a camp assembly, It
was called the "meeting house." On Sun
da) s It bjcame the "tabernacle." week
da) s It was known as the "schoelhoune.
and at odd times It was spoken of as the
"theatre," the "concert ball," and the
"Trigger Island court house." In ene
corner stel the grand piano from the
Dernlne, regularly nnd laboriously
tuned by the great Jescppl. Madam
Cnrenl-Amerl cave vocal and Instru
mental lessens here every afternoon In
the week, from 8 te 0. Among the elder
children thre were a number who had
voices that seemed worth developing,
and the fnmem soprano put her heart
and soul Inte the bewildering task of
nulling the rudiments of music down
their threats. . ,
Ruth stepped just Inside the deer ana
looked nbut her In astonishment. The
benches had been drawn up In an order
ly semicircle about the fireplace. He He
jend them rhe observed the figure or
a man kneeling before the fire, using a
bellows with gr(U effect The big leg
wen snapping, nnd cracking, and spit
ting before the furious blasti.
She closed the deer and started across
the room In his direction. Suddenly she
Treiinnixv the bread back and the fa
miliar but levy unseasonable panama
hat. She turned quickly, bent en
mal.lng her cecnre. Her heart wis beat
ing Ilk a triphammer "he felt
strangely wtek In the knecs. An
iihruntly, ahe checked the lmpulBe te
llee. Why should she run away, new that
the moment shi had wished for se ar
dently the night before wai at hand.'
Chance had answered her call w til
amnilng swiftness. She was aleru with
him she could go te him nnd lay her
weapons at his felt and say as she
had said n hundred times In uie nrstit
"I can light no mere, l am beaten
IJut new thut the time had come for
h-fvAr., ,hn fmtmi tiAmflf serelv afraid.
A chill swept thieugh her a weakening
cum tlint toeK away ner bkciik-.ii
left her trembling from head te feet. The
tilals was at hand the great, surpass
ing erlMs. She found herself hazily,
trmnnlmit.lv Tvnnderlntr what the next
tnlnuln In li llf wnllllt t)A like Would
she be in his urms, would his lips be
upon hers all In the minute te ceme
Wrs the uhole of her life te be altered
tn Ik. l.l -..n rt n mlntltA'fl tlmOf
A warm glow suddenly drove oft tne
chill. It .same with the realization that
ha una liulliHnir the Mre for her that
bin thmiL'htn were 1 1 her thit he had
cinUn linn ih tmiMlnir te make It warm
and comfertablo long before she was due
te arrive ana sunt no weuia eneii i"
srln as seen as the "chores" were
done. . .
He arose te his feet and steed eyer
the flr- for a moment or two, watching
Its lleiy progress.
Apparently satisfied with his efforts,
he turned and started toward the deer.
Bhe was stendng In his path, a shy,
)uaerlng smile en her lips.
He iiiLed, and after an instants hesi
tation, riummered: ,
"I I rier dreamed you'd be around
e early. I thought I'd run In as I was
passing and build a fire for for the
Klddli n. Uet the place warmed up a
bit licfire "
'Will jeu let me say something, Mr.
Perclal?' she broke In, hurrying the
erds.
He fumblel for his hat. "I am sorry
If ou are annoyed. Miss Clinten. Please
bellee me when I tell you I hoped te
cet nut before ou rainc. I enme early
se thit you would net llnd me "
"Yeu are net letting me say what I
ant te say."
Hhe came toward him. her hand ex
tended, "Oh, I de.Vt want te thank you
for lighting the fire and putting the
room In order. I want te tell you that I
surrender."
"Hurrender?" he exclaimed, staring
"I cannot fight you any longer," she
said brenthlesily. . .
He looked dumbly first at her hand
nd then Inte her eyes. She was nn
arm's length awny.
. Klght me?" he mumbled, uncompre
hending. ou you said we ceum nei ue
"lends. I knew what you meant. If
If you love me eh. If you de love me,
need net be friends. Hut I knew
you love me. If I did net knew It I
could net have come te you like this
and."
"De I love you?" he cried out. I I
erhlp you,"
8he held out both arms te him. "Then
We will try no mere te be friends," she
murmured very softly. "Here are my
rms. I surrender,"
A long time after he said te her as
they sat before the Jubilant, applaud'ng
"ff the only witness te their ecstasy:
New I understand why we have
nver really been friends. It wasn't
wnu Qed Intended. Even In the begin
5ng we were net Wends, . We thought
R? werebut we weren't, we were
wvjrs, Ituth from the start,'1
5l!&d J?1", A 1,t,Ie co"" I" the
rti0(.hl',..cnclrcJc1 ftrm ""ew won wen
derful It all Is hew wenderfull"
"I never belleved It could come true.
I hoped, hew I hoped but It dlilnt
m T;?8lblB that this could ever hap
n?ma ,' J,.wnn,",J te held you In niy
arms, te kiss your dear lips, te kiss your
fi?; i feu-ch vow nftlr. te press you
ai.l""lmir h.tMt- And "r8 ' ftm
awoke, net dreaming, net longing and
LJX.Vei. i,one n thtse things. I
wonder If I can possibly be dreaming all
is for the thousandth time,"
iJl1 .,nM, thinking f jeu when 1 came
.:.a. roe'n net ten minutes age
? w?d?tl,ly J flaw "u' ' w terrified.
tJi. , ? tn'.n .t,,at my dreams were com
!", tr,Uerr: l hnew 't. nnd I don't knew
wny i iiiii net run away. Any self.rc-
Kec,AnS,.,50dcft.lrt weul1 nnv done
S:,.Mut v,htlf ,dld I de? I. a supposedly
sensible, w 'll-breught-un-! ',
Yeu caught me trying te run away,"
5!.... e ln; ' 8lVe yu wy word, my
heart was ln my threat all the tlme I
?.12rk,i1r evw that fire scared stiff
Wltn the fenr fhnt vm, mah!,i w.m.& ih
and bayonet me with ene of theso Icicle
leeks of yours. And see what reallv
happened I"
They were silent for some time, star
Ing Inte the fins Suddenly his arm
tightened; he.drew a sharp breath. She
looked up quickly.
"Why are you frowning?"
"I was Just thinking," he replied after
a moment's hesitation.
"p K1"? nueer little Jerk of his head.
an If costing off something that bothered
mm. Inte his pnrodlie hud slipped the
memory of a night net long since when
he held the yielding, responsive form of
another woman In his arms, and felt
the thrill of an Ignoble passion surging
through his elns. The kiss of the sen
suallst had burned en his lips for days;
een te this hour It had clung Xe them:
no was never free from the fire It had
started In his Invaginatien. And always
en uiga's red, alluring lips lurked the
reminder that she had net forgotten ; In
htT.fl.yM. Ifty the light of expectancy.
'Of whom?" asked Ituth, net culy,
but with a directness that startled him.
She seemed te have divined that his
thoughts were net of her In that brief,
Hitting Insunt.
. "?'. nyelf," he answered, qulte
truthfully.
She laid her hand en his. "I forbid
you te think of any one but me," she
said.
He was silent for a moment. "I shall
nner think of any one but you, Iluth
Clinten," he said earnestly. "Yeu have
nothing te fear."
I believe you." she said, nnd pressed
his hand tightly. After a slight pause,
she went en, looking straight Inte his
eyes: "I might have lest you, dear
and I could have blamed no one but my my
eelf. She she Is ery alluring."
He shook his head. "I've always been
of the opinion that Samson's hair needed
trimming. His mother probably brought
him up with Kauntlerey curls, peer
chap. If he'd had his hair cut regularly.
no wouldn't nave looked such an ass
wnen uenian get through with him."
"I don't quite fellow the parable."
"In ether words, It's what a man's
get In his head and net se much what
he's get en It that mekes him strong,"
he explained, still mere or less cryp
tically. "I am beginning te see. Yeu made
geed use of what ou have In your hciul,
Is thnt It"
"I made use of what you put Inte It
a geed many months nge, dear heart.
Yeu lliue been In mv hend nnd In mv
heart all these months, and se It was
you who made me strong. Without you
In there, I might have been as weak as
Samson was before he had his hair cut.
Ne sensible man blames Delilah. In fact,
men are rather strong for her. When
you step te think hew long old Samson
get away with It, and what a shock It
must have been' te her after she trim
med him and found there wasn't any
thing left te speak of, you've just get te
feel sorry for her. She took onegeod
leek at his head and understood why
he let his hair grew. He was like the
renew who wears long whiskers te de
elep his chin. If Samson had had room
enough In his head for a thought of any
thing except himself. Delilah wouldn't
hae been able te catch him napping."
She could net help laughing. "Yeu
take a most original way of evading the
point Still, I am Rationed. Yeu did
net have room ln your head for any one
else but me and that's all there is te
It. I can't help feeling tremendously
complimented, however. She Is quite
capaeie or turning any man s head."
"She plays fair, Iluth," he said seri
ously. "She keeps the danger signal up
all the time. That's mere than you cuii
say for most women."
"Yes," said she; "she plays fair. She
is a strange woman. Sim has given me
a let or advice and I am just begin
ning te take It"
"If I had believed what she told me
three months nge," said he, "this glor
ious hour would have been advanced
just that length of time."
Ituth stiffened. "What did she tell
your
"She told me I was a feel and a
coward ; that all I had te de was te walk
up te you and say, 'Here, I want you,
and that would have been the end of
my stupense. She told me something I
didn't knew nnd couldn't believe."
"Indeed! I like her Impudence I
She "
"She told me you were as much In
love with me as I was with you. Honest
was she right?"
nuth sighed. "I suppess she was
rlirht."
"And would you have come te me If
I had said, 'I want you'?"
"If you had said It as you say It new,
I llBten I Geed gracious 1 There are the
children 1"
Shn snranir te her feet blushtmr fu
rieuHlv. The deer enencd and three smalt
children wire fairly blown Inte the
room three swarthy, black-eyed urchins
who Btared In some doubt at the "boss"
and the adored "teacher."
"Geed morning; children," she cried
out Jerkily, and then glanced at each of
the windows In quick succtsalen. "Yeu
don't suppose" she began under her
hreath. turnlnjr te 1'erclval with a dis
tressed leek In her eye.
"I wouldn't put It above 'em," said he
cheerfully. . .
"We should have thought of the win
down."
"Thank goodness, we didn't," he cried.
He went out Inte the storm with the
song of the lark In his heart
"What a beautiful place the world
Is!" he was saving te himself, and
all the whlle the sleet was stinging his
radiant face with the relentlessness of
angry bees.
riiArTr.n xxiii
As he swung Jauntily down the read
In the direction of hi "office," nil the
world nilcht liave seen that It wnia
beautiful place for him. He passed chil
dren hurrjlng te wclwel, and shouted
envious "hunyips" te them. Men and
women, itelnr about the morning's busl.
ncss, felt better for the cheery ret.
Inn he gae them. Kven Manuel Crust,
pushing a crude barrow Isden with lire lire
weed paused te leek nfter the slrut
., .- reMiminr his urertreBB with
an annecd icewl en his brvw, for he
had been gumy ni a icinain it-t,.,-.
,. ti.ivui'u nvnlal "uoed-mornlng.
Manuel went his way wondering what
the devil had get Inte pem or uiem.
Olgn Oliesky was peering from a win
dow ns he passed her hut He waved his
i..Jwt n i.rnnil then shook Ills head.
He hed rnPl her three dnncing girl girl girl
Heme distance down the read, romping
llkn chlldnn In the snow.
nuck Chlxler was waiting for him out
.,JL Vh. "nfllce." The little jockey had
.nm.ihlnir en his mind something that
caused him te grin sheepishly nnd at
the "ame time leek furtively ever hi-
"h"Cejtri see nu for a ceupla minutes.
A. A.?' he Inquired, following the ether
t0"Cheertalnly, Duck as many minutes as
nucKscevercd Hni.delph Fills nnd
MChnel Mnlime rcated before the fire,
" MUkU'wiea you outside." he said
nev"nyvhat is It?" akl l'erclvat,
strpiilnir outside and closing the de.r.
IJuck IcJ him around the corner of the
hU"lt ain't se'wlndy here." he explained.
Awful weather, ain't It?-'
What's troubling you. Buck? Put en
your cap. you ldet VegMlYaks cold."
EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER-PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY,
THE GUMPS Times Have
7-
SOMEBODY'S STENOG
SSVA
rjlHlSPE
The Yeung Lady Acress th Way
The young lady ncress the way
seys she saw In the paper that Car
pentlcr carried dynamite in each
glove and she Ktiesscs baseball
Isn't the only sport that's get te
be cleaned up.
PETE Y Sure, This Is His
tfV 'COICY 9UT
wcev cMtre. beurne. A HX w M x a ,., v ri:hember. tme oue fahiehct
VA-XH VOU WIS MOftHINC v W FATHERS AW? TO-IH6 I TWC Oipwwu.."- xw r
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VC ULOE SUV-T OH AWO t AW vj. vOULC'N'T cAe give vs vwvek. w- J V T-wtKS J
WA WKIM 0. OF HEfte mW I WUK AH ARGWEKT -TV V V
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'S-"- SP' 'S ' l i 5AY HAVE ' 1 1$ ) I
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fOK A COOPCA HUWDPrn
BecKi First Time w
A i-euc VHIC
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THE CLANCY KIDS He
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Changed Since Father Was a Hey
Orders Are Orders
MODERN YOUTn
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iO IHC GOOD IHINC 5 WE
COMlMC MV VWWTO
Knows His Dad
JSk
B,i
YeOrlO MAN .r DO
YbU KNOW WHAT
Ww II
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MY I MUX"'
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NOVEMBER 27, 1920
"jr uuat tup riCWFJii Y7e77ilV hiue sua takes V ' - T
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-" VJHaTS aul This Hl)5H j jVAiap yJr "T
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iM 3 .liiiiB!
FONTAINE FOX
SCHOOL
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DAYS
CAN7 SpEM
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Yel T-THeN-v-yeu'D
f'UCK Me f-fer.
Win' that k-kind
OF LAN60A6e
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By Sidney Smith,,.
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By Hayward
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By C. A. Voight
"De Neu Thihk
OufiHT Te UiANC OUT
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