Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-03-13

sumption and had been sent away tx
Judson, a small Florida coast place
to live She had taken a tiny cottage
for which she paid no more in a yeal
than | spent for nothing at all in &
week. But she had a spare room. anC
wrote that she would love to keep me
for as long as 1 liked to stay. Hel
name was Mrs. Pendennis and we had
got acquainted through my writing
in care of her editor, to tell her how
much I liked story of hers.
She did me good because she never
fattered, but scolded me instead OF
being cynical. She said it VISA a
mental dyspepsia" and while
! lived with her l almost believed ii
was.
l hadn't been in Judson for week
when one day came in from a walk
and exclaimed well, it's begun"
What has begun" inquired my
dear old friend, looking up from love
scene which was meant to make the
! public shed tears.
"The usual thing" said 1. "A man
has come. I am not conceited, but
there are signs, and l am sure he is
, one Of them"
| She knew what | meant without ask
ing, and merely sat still with a mild
smile as | related the incident which
| had occurred.
Circumstantial evidence was with
me for men were out of season in Jud-
son. l had been the only stranger.
Now, within a week of my advent,
there was another-a male stranger,
a gentleman to the eye and ear, well
dressed (but not too we'll dressed)
staying at hotel which offered no in
ducement at this time Of year to his
kind. | had seen him come out OF
that inn, and instinct told me that I
was the inducement. Who the man
was | could not guess, but | was sadly
sure that emore than guessed who |
was. Somehow my secret had been
etrayed, and he-no doubt of the army
of impecunious unattached ones-had
stalked me to my lair. My hat had
blown off, he had run after it, picked
it up and handed it back with a bow
anu muTmureQ WOrO.
To be sure he had not followed up
his advantage, but | was certain that
this was only his cleverness, and that
he would be more pushing next time
l was so hatefully experienced in that
kind of thing knew all the phases
Mrs. Pendennis tried to cheer me up,
but | had seen the speck in my gar
nered fruit, and it was a big speck, at
least six feet tall and broad in pro-
portion. One couldn't forget it, es-
pecially as to less sophisticated mind
it might have appeared exceedingly
good to look upon.
Next day I met him again, or rather
he met me. But to my surprise, in
stead of taking off his cap and smil-
ing and making the most of yester
days acquaintance he glared and
plunged round the first corner. Could
this be new kind of tactics? asked
myself Could it be that he wished to
rouse interest by piQuing curiosity?
l smiled with scorn at the thought
and determined to show the man at
the first opportunity how futile were
his subtleties. Still, if it were his OBJ
ject to make me think of him, | must
confess that to certain extent he
succeeded, for it was a novelty % be
glared at by man, and the picture of
the big brown frowning fellow lin
gered in my mind.
That evening my opportunity came
NJ 1DI 70 no
taken alone, as Mrs. Pendennis' work
ing days were long. l was strolling
by the sea at the sweet hour when the
east is misty silver with the rising Of
the moon, the west fading pink with
the setting of the sun. There he was,
presumably lying in wait, so l glared,
and, turning round, marched away.
But something seemed to force me to
glance back-just fieeting glance,
yet long enough to see that the man
was striding off in the opposite direc-
ton. So far had he gone already that
l was afraid he must have missed my
protest.
For an entire week we kept it up.
There were not many different walks
to take, so it need not have been sur
prising that we almost invariably met.
But as invariably we turned upon our
tracks and-often met again. | could
not help wondering who he was and
about him and whether, after all, he
really was one of them.
After a whole fortnight | came in
form a walk one day to find Mrs. Pen
dennis nervous and embarrassed.
I've a confession to make, dear" she
said at dinner. do forgive me, but
! I've let out to the rector's wlfe-she
called while you were out-who you
really are. I'm afraid she's rather a
gossip, and probably half Judson
knows by this time
IF by half Judson you mean the
man." l retorted, sit doesn't much mat
ter, for if he came for the purpose we
suspect he must have known all
along"
Don't say we suspect Margot.
don't suspect"
''You did. You know you did. Il
you don't now it must be because you
have found out something"
well, told you the dear rector's
wife was inclined to gossip, and hel
husband is an old acquaintance of the
!, mans. That, she says, is what brought
the man here. He wanted to find the
!, quietest, most secluded spot in Amer
lea, and he thought of his friends de
: scription of Judson."
why did he want a retired spot
Is he an escaped convict"
mo RTt his name is John Dray