The Virginia enterprise., 1904-09-09


derfoot. But the work was the least
OF my worries. The roar Of the city
still fingered IA my ears. and de-
cided that scenery and fresh air: could
not compose my all in life. AS for
Kent, he was an ideal camper. With
sfclay pipe and blanket roll he
was In his element. The memory of
q sweet face haunted me sometimes,
and with the post Office ten miles
away, this grew to a serious consid-
Grafton. At last, showed the white
feather to such degree that want
ed to go back. nerved myself and
told Kent about it., J
Kent. listened to me lazily, with tho
kindly indulgence of a big brother.
Go back. then" he said, with an
odd little twinkle in his eye. "The
survey can get on without you-may-
be! At any rate, can find some one
to take your place.
In a day or two 4 went. The alac-
rity with which / took my departure
amuses me when l lo<ak back on. it
now. went. and left Kent to his ro-
nance and to the "other man." Per-
haps when you hear the story, you will
say, "And do you call that romance?"
Perhaps it is not much of one, but
you must remember it is the only ro-
nance Kent ever had The other man
the man who took my place, brought
it with h!m-the romance mean, all
done up in q nice little packet, one
might say, for so it proved. I had
the good fortune to stumble over him
on my way back, although did not
know him at the time, but the descrip-
tions tally. He brushed against me
at one of the stations-almost knocked
me down, in fact, in his rush to get
of the train. seized him by his
shoulders and held him back. He
shook me off with more than neces-
sary force; then, noting my surprised
laugh, he bowed in a genteel fashion
and begged my pardon.
I turned to look at him, the same
way had turned to look at every
body after leaving the foothills. He
was we'll dressed and we'll groomed.
His hands we're soft-looking and white
and his nails highly polished. One
would not have taken him for a pros
pective lineman, but such he proved
to be-
1t is necessary to take up the story
now from Kent's standpoint, for I
drop out of the scene here, though
slightly against my will. I am rather
fond of mixing in things. If were
not I would, have told this story in a
straightforward fashion and not have
have. But the reader will please re-
member that this is the only story
know, or at least the only one I ever
attempted to tell in my life.
This man, Jack Cassie Il wonder
why it is that when a man chooses
an alias he always lights on Jack),
appeared at the camp the next morn
ing and asked for Mr.. Kent. That
in itself should have excited suspicion,
for Kent had not sent out Eat home"
cards, nor introduced himself by name
to the natives. But Kent was born to
be fooled. Mind, do not say the man
fooled him, but there is possibility
of it. At any rate, when he asked for
work, Kent promptly handed him out
my place and asked no questions.
Kent was not exactly daft on the
subject of trusting people, but he
came dangerously near being SO. He
had cheerful theory tucked away
in his soul that the best way to treat
every man is to trust him; then if the
man is dishonest, he'll give himself
away, and if not, it is all right. Kent
could afford to take chances, for, from
worldly reckoning he was remark
ably we'll off. His salary on the sur
vey did not amount to a. row of pins to
him, although he was at the head of
the party. Money did not seem to rep
resent to him what it does to most of
us. He had careless way of leaving
his wallet around. One day he rush ed
from his tent with an exclamation akin
to an oath.
*I've been robbed!'~ swore.
"Serves you right" I replied, "for
leaving your money around"
1T isn't my money" he said with a
snap of his fingers; cts my collar,
and the only clean collar l had
And that to Kent was real tragedy
But even Kent had a little suspicion
in his makeup, and Jack Cassie
aroused it after few days. Who was
he, and where had he come from? 1t
was at this point that Cassie, waking
up to the fact that he might be ques-
toned, proceeded to tell Kent the story
of his life.
A love affair was connected with his
determination to join the survey, he
said. He had been engaged to be mar
ried to a young woman who had fallen
heir to large sum of money. With
her wealth had come desire to probe
into occult sciences, and she proceeded
to use her money as key to the mys-