The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-08-12


and the light of the short November
day was failing. A searching north
east wind chilledfme to the marrow.
My horse had gone lame, and / was
leading him. Inithese mountain soil
tudes man is atfoOl TO let himself be
lost, but plainly hadttaken the wrong
fork. had begun to, despair when /
came upon a clearing nnd In the midst
an implanted house and a huddle of
barns. A figure In jeans was drawing
water at the well, one of the old fash
toned kind with u sweep.
Can put up here for the night?" l
shouted In my cheeriest accents. The
figure turned and stared at me, but
there was no reply. l saw before me
an old man with struggling locks and a
beard reaching to the waist. | repeat
ed my question with,a quaver, for the
wild appearance of the old man and
his singular silence disconnected me-
He drew a clawlike hand down the
length of his beard. and his eyes
seemed to bore me through and
through, but still no sword. With a
curse for his incivilityI turned away
and my horse hobbled after me with
dropping head. Some IMPULSE made
me look back, and. 10, the old hermit
such took him to be-wsls waving me
to return We retraced our weary steps
willingly enough.
"A raw evening" said Ito my host
with a desire TO be sociabBe
A jerk of the head, and it seemed to
me that l caught a winIy CLEAN of
hospitality in his eye, yet never word
he spoke, but took the horse by the
bride, pointing at the snme time to
the house 1t was not an inviting place.
The fire was almost at the last flicker.
sat down in one of the chairs, ana it
gave way under me. Somewhere in
the uncertain light a leg rolled about.
I recovered il, found the hole for 1t
and tried the seat gingcrly. In a little
while my host staggered in with his
arms full of wood, which he let fall
on the hearth. thought that I would
let him speak first this time, but
down he went on his knees and blew
at the embers.
AS the pine wood burst into fame
and a ruddy light filed the room the
old man lit an oil lamp. | then OBJ
served d shotgun on rack over the
tnantelpiece and above the shotgun a
crude chrome of Andrew Jackson IN a
gBt frame, the only ornament in the
room. My strange host, having re
piased the lamp chimney, stared at me,
with hands on his hips. | did not like
ms scrutiny. His eyes were very large,
with s.avernous depths. and the balls
twitciIcd as from a nervous Affections.
I Ind m uncle once who thought he
was the grand moguI, and he had Just
such eyes before they took him away to
the asylum Once his eyes were off me
/ fought back the shlyers and said as
carelessly as l could:
\ "Kind O. lonely up here"
= The effect OH him, for his herring
seehaed unimpaired, was to bring OH Il
tit Of twltehing, and, what WINS worse
and veEy horrible in mute, the whole
right side Of his face moved violently
up and DOWN. as If he bad lost control
Of his nerves TO hide his lnflrmity
he turned his back OH me and for
awhile seenedt to be going through Il
sort of spasm. The seizure passed off
aes quickly as itAhad come on, and he
5eft the room.
Returning with A'black saucepan he
wfedged it In between the burning logs
He disappeared again. and could hear
him grinding coffee. The pot he placed
on some side embers and then pro-
duced loaf of bread and fell to cut
ting off liberal slices. These he toast
ed on a long fork | had expected
nothing better than fried salt pork
and, TO- a savory rabbit stew steamed
before me! At first ate like long
shoreman. My host leaned against the
wall and watched me. He would not
eat His eyes left my face only to fix
on space behind me with a startled ex-
precision that made me turn III my seat
several times. | began to shake as
with cold. but | knew it was fright.
The handle Of the cup slipped from my
trembling fingers, the hot coffee
streamed over my legs, with difficulty
I repressed yell, and the cup smashed
into fragments on the floor. The her
mit's face worked fearfully, and
leaped up.
Il didn't mean to do itr' cried.
The remark was supremely foolish,
but | was terrified out Of my wits.
The effect on my host was extraordi-
nary. He bolted out into the night so
suddenly that his chair was thrown
down. determined not to remain lon
ger as the guest of a mailman. Before
could get out he confronted me on
the threshold, and In his hollow eyes
there was a resolution that l should
stay. / succumbed when he waved
me to a seat Then he took dc%'H the
shotgun from the rack, patted the
breeeh lovingly, pressed the lever, fun
bIed in his coat pocket and ran two
cartridges into the barrels. When he
snapped them into place, l thought my
last hour had come, so set, grim and
evil seemed his expression.
THAT'S fine gun you have there" l
said, with my heart In my throat, fec