Catoctin clarion., 1901-01-03
A CERTAIN GOOD MAN.


little estuary. This was the accident
of large rift in the the trees on the
side of the water opposite to our camp.
Almost Immediately, strange purpEsh
gloom followed, and then it was quite
dark.
What can have become of Borden"
inquired Storrs, IS he filled his big
brer-root pipe by wallowing it in a can
vas bag Of tobacco.
Sure enough, Borden had not come
in; but, after all, when was he ever
known to come in on time?
| ,He never can leave off his botanic
: ing and insect-chasing while there's a
ray of daylight, or even twilight | re-
marked, lounging comfortably in the
red glare of the pine knot fire.
Logan, the fourth man Ct our party,
had nothing to say. He was sitting on
the ground, with his chin on his knees
looking triAe more haggard and
gloomy than usual.
In those days, Florida was, indeed a
wild country, especially when you were
far down on the peninsula. Nobody
had thought of booming town sites
and planting speculative orange groves
A sportsman paradise, naturalists
eden, lay from gulf to sea, dark, tangled,
humid, but blooming and gorgeous
withal, infested with venomous reptiles
bloodthirsy beasts and treacherops no,
madic Indians.
Our camp was on small estuary OF
San Lucia Sound. Behind US lay ter.
rible swamp jungle, in which to be lost
left one chance in thousand OF not
being lost forever. Wild things made
hideous noises therein. Unknown birds
screamed and chattered, saurians bel
lowed like mad bulls, and now and
again, panthers walled back and forth
to one another across the hdeons cy-
press intervals between the tangles,
Borden is going to get caught out
one of these times said Storrs whose
pipe was now going vigorously, max
ing all the air about US pungent and
hazy. He no sense about taking risks
- Hear that devilish cat! 1t must be 6
monster. Never heard such cry
| had nearly started to my feet wher
the panther's scream split the gather
ing gloom like bolt, and seemed t'
flash from point to point as does erratl'
lightning
That's man eater, said Logan
epcaklng for the first time and wlthou
lifting his head.
"A man eater" queried Storrs.
Once a panthers tasted hlman fesl
he is Il changed animal. You may
know it by his eyes, his breathing, an(
more certainly by his voice, Listen
Doesn't that have a ravenous sugges
ton in it?
v fear for Borden l exclaimed 'Hov
dark it isH
Logan sank his chin lower and ut
tered growing noise, sort of mar
ticuate vollev of imprecatlons. ii
hated Borden with a hatred that wa
implacable. They had been partners il
business long ago. Borden had com
out rich, Logan poor-rulned. This
however, was not the inner core of tn
trouble. There had been love affair
rivalry, with Borden an easy winner
Still was this not the ultimate sourc
of hatred. The marriage had PROVED
unhappy, the wife had died, and man,
believed just as Logan believed, tha
Borden had crushed out her life witt
his neglect and his cold, cruel nature
How came Borden into our party?
was accident. He owned sloop ant
was yoyaging on the east coast of Flor
ida when a sudden gale wrecked hin
near US. He begged our hospitality un
til ssch time as his crew could max
their way to ST. Augustine and fetcl
HIM another vessel. He was strange
to Storrs and me, and Logan was alb
sent from camp at the Tins, 30,
course, we made him welcome.
He rescued from the wreck his yalu
able collections of plants and insects
birds and reptiles. and brought them t.
our camp for safe keeping.
When Logan returned, there was
quiet but terrible scene. He knew Bor
den the moment be glanced at h M
albeit they had not met for fifteen years
and stood for few seconds, like statu
OF ghastly inquiry, glaring with sucl
concentration of rage as hope never t.
see again. Borden did not recognize
him at once, but looked up very lndif
ferently with his curious, round brown
eyes, his dark, ewish-looking face anc
curling black hair giving him mos
picturesque and magnetic comeliness