Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-04-29

way, You re varsity man, aren't your
Yes, Oxford 1.-The House. You are,
too, I've a notion.
From over the way-Pembroke."
well, if you've nothing better on,
leave your boat and come up to my
place. Sorry l didn't tumble to you at
first, but then you don't look over re-
spectacle just now. Are you much down
on your luck?'
"Oh, I'm not hunting alligators pro-
fessionally. I'm here for amusement. "
| concluded he was there because he
had got into trouble with the law of the
land elsewhere, but | did not suggest
this because it is considered rude to
touch upon family matters unlimited.
But after minute he broached the
topic himself. "I'm here for amusement
myself" he said. I'm here perma-
nently."
By this time we had got into bit of
clearing inside the wall of trees-a
patch of sorghum, another of sweet po-
,atoes, another of corn with stalks that
,tood ten feet high, and goodly plant
ing of green tobacco plants, with sham
bling palmetto growth at the back.
Faith" l said. you've queer no.
tions of a pleasure resort.
"I'm man," he said, with an
imagination. Consequently I make
most comfortable hermit. Come in and
take hammock. Where's our eight on
the river?'
I told him, and we went ON hard at
boating shop till the sun went out
l began to have "a strong idea that the
man was mad, but l stopped my hunger
on his victuals for all that, and then re-
lit my pipe and went on with the talk.
From the other side of the clearing
came the noises Of the night-the chat
ter of katydids and rustic of jarfiies, the
love song Of tree crickets and toads, the
deep reed notes Of frogs in their patches
of marsh, and through all mingled the
the dunes, and the forest, and the black
waters of the lake, mellowed by its pas
sage through the purple night l am the
most practical and unpoetical creature
i'll the world, as general thing, but the
influence of it was too heavy for me. l
started on to chat again about the boats,
and about women and yachts and books
and the other interests of the outer
world, but tho things fell fiat, and pres
emily the talk died out of us altogether.
We lay there, hung in silence and SEN
suously drinking in what the night gave
up We must have spent hours without
throwing down a word.
Then Atcheson spoke. "That is my
usual concert" he said. lone gets to
like it. P"
I did not answer at once. could not,
although his words came clearly enough
to my ears. A sort of mesmeric doze
pinned me down.
When l managed to rouse, felt angry
with myself for weakness and spoke
with a sneer. "You must find it mighty
monotonous, I said.
"a mistake; an utter mistake. It is
full of infinite variety; it never repeats
itself, and know, because I have lis
tened to it now for three years, in calm,
in cyclone, in every kind of night which
God will give. 1t is his orchestra, but
until the taste has grown one does not
know this. "
Another pause. Then, "Are you going
to write about this Walden pond of
yours?" asked.
II am no Thoreau with pen. Be-
sides, am selfish and if could set this
down l would not. One man in ten
thousand might understand, some wild
fellow who had lived in the air with the
things that grow in the air away from
the pestilence Of cities, and he would
never lift a book, but the others would
either yawn or deride and take it this
is no matter to be profaned. And yet
there is nothing new in it at all; only
the old things changed. l have rambled
over the world and seen and tried most
pleasures; the sounds here give it all
back to me again, only here it is ideal
lied. "
The spell of the place was closing
down again and pinning me. reused
myself with an effort and swore for re-
lief "Atcheson, said, ~ believe you
are either tho devil or Circe with a
changed sex. Be merciful and speak no
more and let me sleep If listen on, I
shall forget the place from whence am
come and stay here and become as one
Of the swine.
II am sorry" Atcheson said, "and
because l do not want converts or COM
panions l will say no more Therefore
sleep you. l."
y
The miasma of the lotus was in my
veins and l knew it and feared. woke
sullen and suspicious with the first lift
Of day and got down to my boat. Atche-
son came after and cried pleasant auf
wiedersehen, and | answered with
scowl and threw out the sculls. was
very angry with myself and still more
frightened. l had been in that kind of
temptation before and knew what it was
nfterward to wish that l had fallen.
Consequently made up my mind to get
back to the yacht without halt and so
put in Il day of savage toll, and because
tho sun above burned like kettle Of
molten brass and the air baked, the ma