Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-10-11
About a fortnight before. being in town. 7

About a fortnight before, being In town. I
had spent the evening with the doctor. He
was not alone, and | was introduced to a tall
pale young man named Carriston. He was A
much In my line. AT first | judged him to be
a would-bc poet of the fashionable miserable
school; but finding that he and Brand talked
so much about art l eventually decided that
he was one of the doctors many artist friends.
Art is q hobby he hacks about on grandly.
MEM. Brands own attempts at pictures are
Just before / left, Carriston. the doctors
back being turned, asked me to step into an
other room. There he showed me the por-
trait OF a man. Ii seemed very ~cleverly
drawn, and presumed he wanted me TO
III am a precious bad Judge" | said.
IL am not asking you TO pass an opinion"
said Carriston. II want TO beg a favor Of
you. i am almost ashamed 10 beg IL on so
short an acquaintance"
He seemed noIoSt, and not in want Of
money, so / encouraged him 10 proceed.
~ heard you say you were going into the
country" he resumed. Il want 10 ask you
If by any chance you should meet the origi-
DIR. Brand"
whereabouts does he liveY'
II have no idea. III chance throws him In
your way please do as | ask"
Certainly / will" 1 said, seeing the young
man made the request in solemn earnest.
He thanked me, and then gave me a small
photograph OF the picture. This photograph
he begged me to keep in my p~ocket-book. so
that | might refer 10 1t In case / met the man
he wanted. i put il there, went my way,
and, am sorry to say forgot all about II. Had
II not been for the strange cigar in my case
bringing back Carriston's unusual request TO
ny mind, the probabilities are that ! should
aot have thought again OF the matter. Now,
by a remarkable coincidence, | was spending
the night with the very man who, so far as
my memory served me, must have sat for the
portrait shown me at Brands house.
.! wonder what | did with the photo" l
said. l turned out my letter-case. There it
was, right enough! Shading il with n
hand, | carefully compared it with the sleep
fr.
Not a doubt about IL! So far as a photo
graph taken from a picture can go, IL was the
man himself. The same ragged beard, the
same coarse features. the same surly look.
Young CarristOn was evidently a wonderful
hand at knocking off q likeness. Moreover,
in case j had felt any doubt in the matter, q
printed note at the bottom of the photograph
said that one joint was missing from a right
hand finger. Sure enough, my friend lacked
that small portion of his mlsbegOtten frame.
This discovery threw me into an ecstasy of
delight. 4 laughed so loudly that i almost
awoke the rufiian. / guessed ! was going to
take a glorious revenge for all the discomforts
! had suffered. No one, | felt sure, could be
looking for such a fellow as this to do any
good to him. ! was quite happy in the
thought, and for the remainder Of d., night
gloated over the idea of putting a spoke in
The wheel of one who had been within an ace
of causing my death. | resolved, the mo-
ment | got back TO civilization, to send the
desired intelligence to Brand, and hope for
the beet.
IN