Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-09-05
CHAPTER XVI.


the sham funeral was nothing less than
CHASTITY. The lead-colored sky seemed to
mufle the very chimneys of the town,
and from the low roof the rain dashed
down in ceaseless torrent for hour on
hour. Monboddo had prepared everything
and soon after breakfast he and Harvey
set out together for the village cemetery,
which was seven miles from their start
Ing point.
Jethroe himself had insisted upon be-
ing one of the party, and nothing would
safety him but that he should see the
ceremony through; but his friends had at
least succeeded In persuading him not
10 be seen on an occasion so important to
LIS own safety in a society which might
instantly have identified him and brought
all his plans to naught He followed the
mourning coach, therefore, in four
wheeler.
The driver of the vehicle was more
than once startled by what he took to
De great burst of laughter from his
rare, but the rain and the wind made
the man uncertain.
A surprise was waiting for Jethroe,
Dut he met it with an imperturbable
face. As his fly drew up at the lodge
OF the cemetery a door opened, and with
In the doorway stood gazing carelessly
out at the weather the one man on whom
the keen adventurer had been most upon
his guard from the very beginning of his
enterprise. The man was thick set and
Durly, and round his neck he wore linen
oandage, whic-- had partly slipped away,
revealing the fact that he had suffered
some injury there, which might, by the
look of it, have been a scald. he looked
up at the low sky and the plunging rain
from side to side, and then, seeing Jeth-
roe In the act Of advancing toward him.
ne recoiled a step to make room, and
IN that very instant raised ais eyes to the
newcomers face. His mouth gaped and
his eyes stared, and Jethroe looked at
him with an aspect of sudden inquiry
as II to ask why stranger should stare
30 hard. The man turned away and
looked out of the window across the
soaking place of burial, and bit his nails
In perplexity. He could not refrain from
furtive glance now and again, but Jeth-
roe had set up his eye glass by this time,
and was regarding him with a look Of
puzzled displeasure which he could not
face.
ADOuI what asked JeIlrOe,
with wild West" accent which was
initiated to the life, lis this melancholy
business expected to be over, Mr.. Mon
boddo?"
by midday, SIR" said Monboddo-
"hy midday"
We'll" said Jethroe, 81 want to see
him planted safe and good. It's FIVE and
twenty years since 1 parted with him,
and don't pretend to be as much cut
up as | might have been if had known
him closer; but he was my mothers sis
ter's son, and blood's thicker than water.
and it's a respectful thing to see the last
of him, since happen to be in this coun-
try"
THAT is undoubtedly so, Mr.-er-Mr
-er-"
Monboddo, muddled, had let slip his
employers simple alias.
Jones, SIR" said Jethroe-"Jethroe
Jones. | was christened after his father,
out of family compliment Is this gentle
man." he asked, STOPPING forward In a
half-whispering inquiry, and signaling the
man with sideway cast of the thumb
lis this gentleman a relative of the de-
ceased?"
NO" said the burly man in a sulky
tone I'm no relation. I'm an old ac-
Quaintance, though-p'r'aps about the
Oldest acquaintance Martin Jethroe had"
''Is that so, sirY asked Jethroe.
"Your hand, sir, if you do not mind
When all is said and done, 1 am the
representative of the family, sir"
The burly man accepted Jethroe's prof
fered hand, but he feigned no heartiness
over it.
Singular likenesses runs in families"
he said in what appeared to be his Gus
tomary manner-a manner, that is to
say. of hangdog i'll temper and stubborn
ness.
THAT is so, SIR" said Jethroe-"that
is so, but it is not so invariably. Ny
fortunate Cousins nephew, for example"
indicating Harvey as he spoke, "does not
feature his uncle"
you feature his uncle" said the man,
with a queer flash in his eyes.
"Sayw said Jethroe SIS that so, now =?
1t used to be remarked when we were
boys, but growing up makes a difference
Habit makes a difference. 1t makes a
difference whether a man works or
whether he lounges, sir; whether he trav-
els or stays at home; whether he drinks
freely, sir, or drinks guardedly. Now,
my poor cousin Harvey and me, so far
as / could learn about him, was Just
about as like in our ways as need be
both wanderers, both hard workers and
hard livers. Yes; l guess we'd start alike
and stop alike. There was one thing
bout poor Harve-you call him Martin.
! notice, sir, but we always called him
Harvey in his youth-there was one
thing bout him could never equal. He
had the knack Of making money, gentle
men. I've got, perhaps, as much as I
want-as much as is good for me. mavhe
but it's willed money mainly; and if
I'd ever been right on the hard nan like
poor old Harve. I'd have STAYED there /"
The demeanor of the burly man was
strange. He was hangdog, he was fur
tive, he looked like one who md haan
overcrowed, and - thro, al his Dis.
comfort there was q kind of peepinp 90
casional indication of something lie
triumph. A keen watcher and nroc-
iced physiognomist would have seen that
ne was alternately bewildered ami ,s-
sured, and that his bewilderment and his
certainty each knocked the other ON a.
head with a curiousIy rapid alienation
The keeper of the place came to COLL
Aem, and the quartette-Jethroe Mon
ooddo, Harvey, and the strapgar-ran
through the rain TO where the first rart
of the service was to be held, The yonnc.
er Jethroe hung his head. His whole
heart revolted at this subterfGge, and h a
found him self wishing that he had never
engaged III it. The sacred words were
outraged. to his mind, and the whole
business was debased and debasing
comedy. Happily for him, 1t was soon
over. The wet earth was being shoveled
over that repellent imposture of coffin.
and he was driving back with Monboddo,
when that worthy spoke for the first time
that day Of his own initiative.
Did you happen, sir" he began.
smoothing those trembling and bibulous
lips of his as he spoke-"did you happen
TO recognize the man with whom YOU col
lided in the corridor in the small hours
this morning?"
NO" said Harvey. What about
himT