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SON OF THE SUN ‘must’. So, here Iam, Orfeo; or rather, here we are.” It was hard to discern any worry in Adam’s face as he smilingly ended this part cre . of his story. What was it that was seething up inside me? Why did I like this man more than any other man I had ever met, and yet, felt on guard against him more than against any other man? Was it the utter magnetism of his way and attractiveness? Did my own experience and learning and philosophy not hold up under his challenging presence? Could I not admit within me that he was utterly handsome, and that in his company I stood out as almost nothing? Yet I liked him, and I liked him to such a degree I would give my life in his behalf. He was noble, he was gentle, he was as sincere as a child, and he had an elastic understanding of nearly everything. What was more, I felt within me he had a story to tell that was far beyond even him. r 1 ‘ rn re ca Our glasses were empty, so I poured water into both of them. As if I expected it of him, he responded by taking a pellet from his pocket, breaking it in half, and dropping a piece into each glass. Again he looked at the third glass, trying hard to figure out why it was there, but try as he would, it was just an extra glass. If he could not figure it out, it would certainly be no use for me to try. Soon, it proved to be the most important glass on the table. He took a drink from his fresh glassful, and I followed suit. Then he ras resumed his story. “While dining here in Twentynine Palms recently, I got into a conversation with two men who were going back to Los Angeles that same day. I learned that one of them owned a homestead cabin not far from here. Soon I had paid him fifty dollars for the rent of it for two weeks. He gave me one of three keys to it, and told me it was mine for even three weeks if I wanted it. “Suddenly I felt free. I mean really free. A rustic home in the desert was mine. I had means and a medical man’s knowledge of man and woman, yet I had nothing in the past. Life is short at best, and my knowledge was only theory and protected license. People in general seemed to be living in a 24 short at best,