Angel Island

"Here they come!" Billy exclaimed at last.

The men did not speak; nor until they came to the little knoll that

debouched from the trail did the women. Again Julia acted as spokesman.

"We have given you a night to think this matter over," she said briefly.

"What is your decision? Shall Angela's wings go uncut?"

"No, by God! " burst out Ralph. "No daughter of mine is going to fly. If

you - ."

But with a silencing gesture, Billy interposed. "Aren't you women

happy?" he asked.

"Oh, no," Julia answered. "Of course we're not. I mean we have one kind

of happiness - the happiness that come's from being loved and having a

home and children. But there is another kind of happiness of which when

you cut our wings we were no longer capable - the happiness that comes

from a sense of absolute freedom. We can bear that for ourselves, but

not for our daughters. Angela and all the girl-children who follow her

must have the freedom that we have lost. Will you give it to them?"

"No!" Ralph yelled. And "Go home!" Honey said brutally.

The women turned.

A dead tree grew by the knoll, one slender limb stretching across its

top to the lake. Peachy ran nimbly along this limb until she came as

near to the tip as her weight would permit. She stood there an instant

balancing herself; then she walked swiftly back and forth. Finally she

jumped to the ground, landing squarely on her feet. She ran like a deer

to join the file of women.

Involuntarily the men applauded.

"Remember the time when they first came to the island," Ralph said, "how

she was proud like a lion because she managed to hold herself for an

instant on a tree-branch? Her wings were helping her then. Now it's a

real balancing act. Some stunt that! By Jove, she must have been

practising tightrope walking." In spite of his scowl, a certain

tenderness, half of past admiration, half of present pride, gleamed in

his eyes.

"You betchu they have. They've been practising running and jumping and

leaping and vaulting and God only knows what else. Well, we've only got

to keep this up two or three days longer and they'll come back." Honey

spoke in a tone which palpably he tried to make jaunty. In spite of

himself, there was a wavering note of uncertainty in it.

"Oh, we'll get them yet!" Ralph said. "How about it, old fellow?" Ralph

had never lost his old habit of turning to Frank in psychological

distress.