San Francisco State University - Franciscan Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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He watched their antics sometimes, tolerant and benign, as they splashed in the river shallows with their mates or tumbled about the grass at river's edge with their babes. He heard them discuss the day's catch and all the tribal gossip. Some of them were even smart enough to gape awestruck at his wall scratchings and to these he was always kind despite his many pressing troubles. Then Femma carried his child in her and he was cheered up a little. She hadn't been provident enough to save many strings of dried beef to last the full time of the child carrying so he even interrupted his own work to do a little hunting for her a few times. In spite of this, she dropped the child before it was fully formed and now he was without son, too. X Surely the troubles of Luster were enough for any man, but she for some odd female reason, could not look on him again with favor after dropping the child, and their quarrels grew numerous. When she began to lose faith in the very core of his integrity--his wall scratchings, that was too much and Luster finally realized the shallowness of her under- standing. Her plan was simple and degrading indeed. She proposed that he hunt half the day so she would have to hunt only half the day. This meant he would have but half a day to wall scratch! He needed all day and sometimes all night. When he wasn't wall scratching, he was think- ing and planning bigger and better wall scratchings. Here he was, right next cave to a mere maker of sounds who enjoyed more of the tribes' favor than he could eat or use all in one day. At the river every day he saw the successor of Chut pampered and fed to the bellyfull for scratching walls with cheap and unspiritual images. Here he was, not despairing--still trying against overwhelming odds to scratch the walls with beauty that would la-st from grandchild to grandchild! And he was content with her poor hunting, standing proudly in his shabby skins, still alert to every nuance ofthought, every shimmerof leaf and shadow, every surge of deep feeling that merely rippled lightly on the commoners. Then--to have his mate Femma suggest such preposterous and un- dignified things for him to do, that was too much. He beat her soundly for the suggestion, but weak-spirited mere female that she was, she crawled back to her parents' cave and later mated with a mere hunter. Glorious even in trouble, Luster continued his deeds for the world that kenned them not. Late into the Moon he thought deep thoughts and 18

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There were a few hairpulling and shin-kickings in their first few Moon Fulls together because Femma didn't yet realize the advantages of being mated with Luster. She couldn't get it through her head why she should do all the hunting, although Luster explained it to her pa- tiently enough. She did manage to grasp the idea of the technical dif- ficulties of his work and sympathize when no tribal Chieftain came to honor him with Seashells and food for each wall scratching. Their tribe was but newly civilized and many of the commoners could not seem to comprehend their duties to his wall scratchings. They said he did it for h self and would not try to see the glimpses of beauty he was offering the She comforted Luster at this lack of appreciation by the world and they Bath told each many times about the days of Moons Not Risen Yet when the children and grandchildren of these people around them would come upon one of his wall scratchings and would really see it. Luster explained how this glimpse of beauty would affect the future looker and she would gasp with pride for him. Alas, a neighbor about as many seasons alive as Luster began to get the vulgar acclaim of the commoners about this time. He not only pounded the drums but also blew sweet sounds through aireed. 'The com- moners swayed and jumped at the sounds he made and poured many gifts upon him. This was hard for Luster to accept, that they be so eager for the other man's noises and so tardy to look upon his, Luster's, wall scratchings. Also, although he sneered at Chut's successor's work and knew he could do better, still there were skins he would like to wear and new flints to own, but he had nothing to trade and Femma wasn't a very good hunter. All she could do was to keep them eating and she even, ungrate- fully, complained sometimes at her work. He had bigger and better wall scratchings in mind with correspond- ingly difficult technical problems to consider. Also, her grumblings in- terfered with her duty to inspire him. Here he was, straining every poetic sinew of his mind to conjure up these bigger and better wall scratchings with the correspondingly difficult technical problems, quite gracious and content with a meaner cave and less to eat then his vulgar neighbor who merely made sweet sounds. He didn't expect as good a cave nor food nor skins as the hunters had, for, after all, they were mere com- moners whom he would some day educate to the beauty of life with his wall scratchings. Until he uplifted them in this way, their lives ofcourse were sordid and trivial and he didn't mind their contenting themselves with mere food and cavemates. 17 1 x I i 1 1 l l 1 1 1 4 J

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felt powerful surges of emotion such as commoners could never feel. He gazed at the touchable Nature about him and envisioned many beauties of the Can't Touch nature within man. He held even the Storyteller spell- bound with some of these beauties and graciously accepted w'hat few skins and food were proffered him. He didn't blame the world as it didn't know any better, but sometimes couldn't help musing at how unfair it was that the glimpses of beauty he offered were so poorly received. He deserved more skins and food than he received, but of course being Luster, these things were mere creature comforts to him and not the be-all and end-all of existence as to hunters. Femma drooped about and grieved over her never first-born, until she found that her new mate, although only a mere hunter, sometimes had things to say that were good to hear. Together they went to hear the Storyteller and the man who made sweet sounds, and together they looked at all the many wall scratchings. She felt a pang at first when her new mate would speak on a subject already covered by Luster, but was surprised to learn that even ahuntercan sometimes have big thoughts. As more and more big thoughts were told her by her new mate and as she experienced strong feeling with him that she thought commoners could not have, she was upset--for if mere hunters could think big thoughts and experience strong feelings, then where did that leave Luster? Hernew mate explained it to her in language she could understand. He scratches glimpses of beauty on our walls for us and for all our grandchildren's grandchildren. That is what he is to do in the world. l cannot scratch walls so I hunt and look at his work and give him of my extra skins and food to scratch pictures for us on our walls. But he cannot be fat with health unless enough of us have him do wall scratchings for us, she protested. That is up to him, shrugged her new mate. It is as much up to him as how l manage my bow to bring home dead animals for us to eat. Femma pulled reflectively at her hair. How could she put this into words? But everyone understands food. Not enough people understand wall scratchings. Well then, let him do some things they want for their walls, he suggested reasonably. I But he says then it isn't beautiful. He sees beauty which all can- not comprehend, she insisted. Then let him do those for himself and for our grandchildren to ap- preciate. lf he doesn't care as much for the creature comforts, why ask 1'9