Cave Girl | Page 6

out of the dark cave
before which he had fought. Simultaneously with the realization of it he
swung his cudgel in a wicked blow at this new enemy as he turned to
meet it.
The creature dodged back, and the blow that would have crushed its
skull grazed a hairbreadth from its face. Waldo struck no second blow,
and the cold sweat sprang to his forehead when he realized how nearly
he had come to murdering a young girl. She crouched now in the mouth
of the cave, eying him fearfully. Waldo removed his tattered cap,
bowing low.

"I crave your pardon," he said. "I had no idea that there was a lady here.
I am very glad that I did not injure you."
There must have been something either in his tone or manner that
reassured her, for she smiled and came out upon the ledge beside him.
As she did so a scarlet flush mantled Waldo's face and neck and
ears--he could feel them burning. With a nervous cough he turned and
became intently occupied with the distant scenery. Presently he cast a
surreptitious glance behind him.
Shocking! She was still there. Again he coughed nervously.
"Excuse me," he said. "But--er--ah--you--I am a total stranger, you
know; hadn't you better go back in, and--er--get your clothes?"
She made no reply, and so he forced himself to turn toward her once
more. She was smiling at him.
Waldo had never been so horribly embarrassed in all his life before--it
was a distinct shock to him to realize that the girl was not embarrassed
at all.
He spoke to her a second time, and at last she answered; but in a tongue
which he did not understand. It bore not the slightest resemblance to
any language, modern or dead, with which he was familiar, and Waldo
was more or less master of them all--especially the dead ones.
He tried not to look at her after that, for he realized that he must appear
very ridiculous.
But now his attention was required by more pressing affairs--the cave
men were returning to the attack. They carried stones this time, and,
while some of them threw the missiles at Waldo, the others attempted
to rush his position. It was then that the girl hurried back into the cave,
only to reappear a moment later carrying some stone utensils in her
arms.

There was a huge mortar in which she had collected a pestle and
several smaller pieces of stone. She pushed them along the ledge to
Waldo. At first he did not grasp the meaning of her act; but presently
she pretended to pick up an imaginary missile and hurl it down upon
the creatures below--then she pointed to the things she had brought and
to Waldo.
He understood. So she was upon his side. He did not understand why,
but he was glad.
Following her suggestion, he gathered up a couple of the smaller
objects and hurled them down upon the men beneath.
But on and on they came--Waldo was not a very good shot. The girl
was busy now gathering such of the cave men's missiles as fell upon
the ledge. These she placed in a pile beside Waldo.
Occasionally the young man would strike an enemy by accident, and
then she would give a little scream of pleasure--clapping her hands and
jumping up and down.
It was not long before Waldo was surprised to find that this applause
fell sweetly upon his ears. It was then that he began to take better aim.
In the midst of it there flashed suddenly upon him a picture of his
devoted mother and the select coterie of intellectual young people with
which she had always surrounded him.
Waldo felt a new pang of horror as he tried to realize with what
emotions they would look upon him now as he stood upon the face of a
towering cliff beside an almost naked girl hurling rocks down upon the
heads of hairy men who hopped about, screaming with rage, below
him.
It was awful! A great billow of mortification rolled over him. He turned
to cast a look of disapprobation at the shameless young woman behind
him--she should not think that he countenanced such coarse and vulgar
proceedings. Their eyes met--in hers he saw the sparkle of excitement

and the joy of life and such a look of comradeship as he never before
had seen in the eyes of another mortal.
Then she pointed excitedly over the edge of the ledge.
Waldo looked. A great brute of a cave man had crawled, unseen, almost
to their refuge. He was but five feet below them, and at the moment
that he looked up Waldo dropped a fifty-pound stone mortar full upon
his upturned face.
The young woman emitted