The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1905-10-27
CHAPTER IX.-(Continued.D
Tlybnk xu,. HE o1nsH onfT s

Ut night. Colle say ne was III urinh' Uut
then he was always a sober man. Mr..
George Sidcote it was that found him
lying In the road. He was insensible for
three days. When he came to he couldn't
remember nor tell anybody how the accl-
dent happened; but he said he'd been
robbed, though his pocket was full of
money, aud his watch and chain hadn't
been taken. Papers they were, he said,
that he was robbed of. But there's many
thinks he must have put those papers
somewhere, and forgotten because of the
knock on his head"
"Oh" the stranger rubbed his hands.
@'I'm better now" he said II am much
better. Out in Australia caught a
fever, and It gives me a shock now and
again. Much better now. Sold Dan
Leighan fell from his pony--he had AL
accident and he fell-from his pony-on
his head-and was senseless for three
daysTand was robbed Of papers? Now,
who could have robbed him Of papers?
Were they valuable papers?"
swell, that / cannot say"
Did you ever see a man In an hys-
terical fit 1t is pretty bad to look at a
woman laughing and crying with uncon-
tyolled and uncomfortable passion, but 1t
ID far worse to see man. This strong,
rugged man, seized with an hysterical
ut, rolled about upon the bench. rolling
his shoulders and crying at the same time.
but his laugh was not mirthful and his
crying was a scream, and he staggered
90 he laughed. Then he steadied him
self with one hand on the table; he
caught at another mans shoulder with
the other hand; and all the time, while
the villagers looked on open-mouthed,
he laughed and cried, and laughed again.
without reason apparent, without re-
straint, without mirth, without grief.
while the tears coursed down his cheeks.
Some of the men held him by force; but
they could not stop the strong sobDi lg
or the hiccoughing laugh or the shaking
Of his limbs. At last, the fit spent, ne
lay back on the settee, propped against
the corner, exhausted, but outwardly
calm and composed again.
"Are you better now?" asked the land
lady.
eve been ILL.," he said, "and something
shook me. Seems as If I've had a kind
of a fit, and talked foolish, likely. What
did say--what did talk about?"
"You were asking after Mr.. Leighan.
Who are you? What do you want to
know about Mr.. Leighan? You asked
about his health and his accident And
then you had fit Of Mysteries. l never
saw q man-nor a woman, neither-in
such Mysteries. You'd best go home and
get to bed. Where are you going to
sleep3 Where are you going tor
"Where's your husband, Mrs. Exon
Where's Josephr he asked, unexpected
".
Mrs. Exon started and gasped. 40
seph's gone to Bovey with the cart. He
ought to have been home an hour ago
But who are your"
the men-'you don't seem to remember
meT'
"Why, no." William replied with o
jump, because 1t is terrifying to be rec
ognised BY a stranger who has fits and
talks about live mems ghosts. "No:
can't rightly say I do"
Grandfather Derges"-he applied tc
the oldets inhabitant, who Is generally
found to have just outlived his memory
though II you had asked him a week OIL
two ago he could have told the most
wonderful things-"Grandfather Dergss
don't you remember meT
"No, don't. Seems as II I be old
enough to remember everybody. Blu,
my memory isn't what it was. No.
don't remember you. Yet should say
now, as you might belong to these parts
because you seem to know my name"
81 remember you. Grandfather, wher
you used to cane the boys in church."
"Ay, ay," said the old man. $50
did, 80 did. Did ever cane you, mas
teri You must have a wonderful mem
ory, now, to remember that"
"Don't you remember me, William
ClampitT he asked a third man.
'No, l DON'T" replied William, short
ly, as II he did not wish to tax his mem
DRY about q man SO ragged.
"1've been away a good many years,
he said. land I've come back pretty wei
as poor as when left and q sight more
ragged. I didn't think that beard and
rags would alter me so that nobody
should know me. Why, Mrs. Exon. does
Q man leave the parish every week fol
Australia, that I should be SO soon for
gotten"
He did not speak in the least like one
Of themselves. his manner of speed
was not refined, 1t Ii true; but there ar,
shades, SO to speak, which differentiat,
the talk Of the masters from the talk o.
the rustics.
IT have come back without anythin,
except little money In my pocket. Now
Mrs. Exon, give me some bread ant
cheese for supper, I've had no dinner
Being Ill, you see, and shaken more thar
a bit, didn't want any dinner. Ther
I'll have a pipe, and you shall tell m,
the news and all that has happened
Perhaps by that time you viii find on
who l am"
When he had eaten his bread an,
cheese he began to smoke, showing IA,
trace at all Of his late fit. He talke,
about the parish, and showed that h
know everybody In It; he asked VIII,
had married and who were dead; he in
qIired into the position and prospects O
all the farmsi he showed the most In
Innate acquaintance with everybody an,
the greatest interest In the affairs Of al
the families. Yet no one could remem
Der who he was.
Avout $3.50 o'clock the door was open
ed again, this time to admit Harry Rab
jahns, the blacksmith, who had been fin