Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-07-17
faced them. They were couple Of ordInary.s

sturdy, strong-buit, bull-necked rascal,
stood scOwling at me, and, concluded max
Ing up his mind as To what course To pursue.
MY good people," said, You are behav-
ing in the most unheard-of manner. Can't
you understand that mean 10 pay you well
for any trouble give YOU? But whether you
like 1t or not, here stay tonight. To turn
me out would be- sheer murder"
So saying pulled off my overcoat, and be-
gan shaking the snow out of my whiskers.
daresay my determined attitude, my re-
spectacle, as well as my muscular appearance,
impressed my unwilling hosts. Anyway,
they gave In without more ado. Whilst the
woman shut the door, through which the
snowfiakes were whirling, the man said sui
lenly:
We'll. you'll have to spend the night on q
chair We've no beds here for strangers
Specially those as amt wanted"
Very well, my friend Having settled
the matter you may as well make yourself
pleasant. Go out and put my horse under
cover, and give him feed of some sort
make a mash II you can"
After given the woman quick glance as
II warning, my scowling host lit horn lam
tern. and went on the errand / suggested. /
gladly sank into chair, and warmed myself
before cheerful fire. The prospect of spend
ing the night amid such discomfort was not
nlluring, but had, at least, roof over my
head.
AS rule, the more churlish the nature, the
more avaricious ii is found to be. My prom
Use OF liberal remuneration was, after all, not
without its effect upon the strange couple
whose refusal to afford me refuge had so
nearly endangered my life. They conde-
scended To get me some tea and rough food.
After had disposed of all that, the man pro-
duced bottle of gin. We filled our glasses,
and then, with the aid of my pipe, l settled
down TO make the best of a night spent in a
hard wooden chair
l had come across strange people in nv
travels, but have no hesitation in saying
that my host was the sullenest, sulkiea. most
boorish specimen of human nature had as
yet met with. In spite of his recent ill-treat-
ment of me was quite ready to establish
matters on a friendly footing, and made sew
eral attempts To draw him into conversation.
The brute would only answer in monosylla-
bles, or often not answer at all. SO gave
up talking as bad job, and sat in silence,
smoking and looking into the fire, thinking
good deal, it may be, of some one | should
have met that morning at Lilymere, had the
wretched snow but kept off.
The long clock-that cumbrous eight-day
machine which inevitably occupies one cor
ner OF every cOttagers kitchen-struck nine.
The woman rose and left us. L concluded
she was going 10 bed. II so | enyied her.
Her husband showed no sign of retiring. lie
still sat over the fire. opposite me. BY this
time | was dreadfully tired; every bone in
my body ached. The hard chair which, an
hour or two ago, seemed all | could desire,
now scarcely came up To my ideas of the com
fort was justly entitled to claim. My sulky
companion had been drinking silently but
steadily. Perhaps the liquor lie had poured
into himself might have rendered his frame
of mind more pleasant and amenable TO re..-
son.
excellent ones of the kind, but deucedly un-
comfortable. am horribly tired. If the re-
sources of your establishment can't furnish
bed for me 10 sleep in, couldn't you find
mattress or something to lay down before the
frep'
You've got all you'll get tonight" he an
swered,, knocking the ashes out of his pipe.
"Oh, but say?'
80 do say. say this: If you don't like
1t you can leave it. We didn't ask you TO
come"
you internal beast" I muttered-and
meant it tool declare had not been SO ut
terly worn out, | would have had that bullet
headed ruflan up for a few rounds on his
own kitchen floor, and tried to knock him III
to more amiable frame OF mind.
Never mind" 4 said, but, remember,
cyility costs nothing, and often gets reward
ed. However ii you wish to retire To your
own couch, don't let your native politeness
stand in your way. Pray don't hesitate on
my account Leave plenty of fuel, and 1
shall manage until the morning"
Where you stay, stay" he answered.
Then he filled his pipe, and once more re-
lapSed into stony silence
bothered about him no more. dozed off
IoI ~ lew NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OH again
Tor some hours. 1 was in an uncomfortable
sort of half sleep, crammed full of curious
dreamS-dreamS from which started won
dering where L was and how L got there. /
even began 10 grow nervous. All sorts of
horrible travellers tales ran through my head.
III was In Just such places as this that unsus-
pecting voyagers We're stated TO have been
murdered. and robbed, by Just such unmiti-
gated rufilans as my host-I can tell YOU that
altogether spent most pleasant night.
=, 10 make matters worse and more dismal,
the storm still ragged outside. The wind
moaned through the trees, but il had again
changed, and | knew from the sound on the
window-panes that heavy rain had succeed
ed snow. As the big drops of water found
their way down the large old-fashioned
chimney, the ire Kissed and spluttered like
spiteful vixen. Everything combined to de-
pr!ye me OF what dogs sleep l could by sheer
persistency snatch.
l think tried every position which an ordl-
nary man, not an acrobat, is capable of adopt
ing with the assistance of a common wooden
chair. even lay down on the hard flags. |
actually tried the table. propped up the up
per half of my body against the corner walls
OF the room; but found no rest. At last l
gave up all idea of sleeping, and fully
aroused myself. / comforted myself by say
ing that my misery was only temporary-that
the longest night must come TO an end
My companion had by now succumbed 20
fatigue, or TO the combined effects of fatigue
anu Ills Htdu was hanging
sideways, and he slept in most uncomforta-
bic attitude. i chuckled as | looked at him.
feeling quite sure that if such cod was cap
able on dreaming at all, his dreams must be
worse even than mine. j filled another pipe,
poked the smoldering logs into a blaze and
sat almost nose and knees over the fire, find
ing some amusement in specializing upon the
condition OF the chur before me, and thank
ing the Lord was not like unto this man.
Suddenly an idea flashed across me-
4 had is oil
or where / could not remember. His feat
ures, as | looked at them with keener inter-
est, seemed To grow more and more familiar
to me. Where could | have met him? Some
where or other, but where? | racked my
brain to associate him with some scene, some
event. Although he was but an ordinary
countryman, such as one sees scores of in
days ride, only differing from his kind on ac-
count OF his unpleasant face. / felt sure we
were old acquaintances. When he awoke for
a moment and changed his strained attitude.
my feeling grew stronger and stronger. Yet
puzzle and puzzle a 1 would | could not call
TO mind "A former encounter. 81 at last I he-