The Story of Ab | Page 4

lay. She was worthy of attention as she ran, and this is but a
bungling attempt at a description of her and of her dress.
It should be explained here, with much care and caution, that the
mother of Ab moved in the best and most exclusive circles of the time.
She belonged to the aristocracy and, it may be added, regarding this
fine lady personally, that she had the weakness of paying much
attention to her dress. She was what might properly be called a leader
of society, though society was at the time somewhat attenuated,
families living, generally, some miles apart, and various obstacles,
chiefly in the form of large, man-eating animals, complicating the
matter of paying calls. As for the calls themselves, they were nearly as
often aggressive as social, and there is a certain degree of difference
between the vicious use of a flint ax and the leaving of a card with a
bending lackey. But all this doesn't matter. The mother of Ab belonged
to the very cream of the cream, and was dressed accordingly. Her garb
was elegant but simple; it had, first, the one great merit, that it could
easily be put on or taken off. It was sustained with but a single knot, a
bow-knot--they had learned to make a bow-knot and other knots in the
stone age, for, because of the manual requirements for living, they were
cleverer fumblers with their fingers than we are now--and the lady here
described had tied her knot in a manner not to be excelled by any other
woman in all the fiercely beast-ranged countryside.
The gown itself was of a quality to please the eye of the most carping.
It was made from the skins of wolverines, and was drawn in loosely
about the waist by a tied band, but was really sustained by a strip of the
skin which encircled the left shoulder and back and breast. This left the
right arm free from all encumbrance, a matter of some importance, for
to be right-handed was a quality of the cave man as of the man today.
We should have a grudge against them for this carelessness, and should,
may be, form an ambidextrous league, improving upon the past and
teaching and forcing young children to use each hand alike.
The garment of wolverine skins, sewed neatly together with thread of
sinews, was all the young mother wore. Thus hanging from the

shoulder and fully encircling her, it reached from the waist to about half
way down between the hips and the knees. It was as delightful a gown
as ever was contrived by ambitious modiste or mincing male designer
in these modern times. It fitted with a free and easy looseness and its
colors were such as blended smoothly and kindly with the complexion
of its wearer. The fur of the wolverine was a mixed black and white,
but neither black nor white is the word to use. The black was not black;
it was only a swart sort of color, and the white was not white; it was but
a dingy, lighter contrast to the darker surface beside it. Yet the
combination was rather good. There was enough of difference to catch
the eye and not enough of glaringness to offend it. The mother of Ab
would be counted by a wise observer as the possessor of good taste.
Still, dress is a small matter. There is something to say about the cave
mother aside from the mere description of her gown.
CHAPTER II.
MAN AND HYENA.
It is but an act of simple gallantry and justice to assert that the cave
woman had a certain unhampered swing of movement which the
modern woman often lacks. Without any reflection upon the blessed
woman of to-day, it must be said truthfully that she can neither leap a
creek nor surmount some such obstacle as a monster tree trunk with a
close approach to the ease and grace of this mother who came bounding
through the forest. There was nothing unknowing or hesitant about her
movements. She ran swiftly and leaped lightly when occasion came.
She was lithe as the panther and as careless of where her brown feet
touched the ground.
The woman had physical charms. She was of about the average size of
womanhood as we see it embodied now, but her waist was not
compressed at an unseemly angle, and much resembled in its contour
that of the Venus of Milo which has become such a stock example of
the healthfully symmetrical. Her hair was brown and long. It was
innocent of knot or coil or braid, and was transfixed by no abatis of
dangerous pins. It was not parted but was thrown straight backward

over the head and hung down fairly