The Irish standard., 1905-12-16
(< E
| The Hermit
NJ A Story of the Wilderness L.
- By CHARLES CLARK MUM "
Author OF Pocket lssrd" Uncle Terry"
AID Rockhaven.
Copyright, 1905. by Lee and Shepard
CHAPTER NVlI.-CoSrlNuEp.

CHAPTER NVII.-CoNTlNUEp,
Il amt said word TO nobody
added the old man, with true hunters
instinct, IN l wish you wouldn't vel
awhile, N don't be thinkin' O buyins
land q Dave Curtis m gettin robbed
He'll croak fore many years n Their
We kin get it fer what it's wuth; sides
AMI might Show up any day"
What reason have you for believ.
Ing AMI still alive?" inquired Martin
little touched by the blind faith OF
old Cy. No one else here shares your
belief. so Dr. Sol says"
Wal" answered the old man, slow.
ly, Its a curis notion o. mine. bu,
him n me WIS just like two brothers
n used to fish n hunt together, n
spend hours in the woods talkin' 'bou,
all sorts o things. He had queer ideas
about some matters. n one WIS tina,
all kinds of animals had souls. same
ez we hev. They all live over again,
he used to say, only they keep or
chansin' shapes back n forth. Birds
becomes animals, n animals birds; II
men N women become COWS n pigs
n cats n back to human shape agin
shall. n so will you, m If change
lust, I'll find some way o tell;n' you,
n ! believe he would jest as sure
ez believe I'm Twin Then agin. he
was good deal younger II am, n
what | call handy in the woods. Give
him an AK n gun n drop hin
down in the middle O wilderness
n he'll take keer o himself in thv
dead o winter. His sense o. hearin
an smellin' was keencr n a fox's
N he could see a bird or hear d
squirrel a mile off, n ez fur trackin
game, he could beat any dog that ever
rum"
IL don't recall him very WE'LL" as
serted Martin. but | remember there
was bitter hatred between him and
his brother. and | always supposed
he was out of his mind when he dis
appeared. or course | heard of the
peculiar will, but | imagined the law
had settled that long ;.So"
II don't believe no law kin rob Il
live man o what he inherils." an
swered old Cy, earnestly, IN If Aun,
Comfort II Angie was mind. the,
cud make old Dave trouble. The,
won't, though. 1t hain't Aunt Com
forts natur'.'
"Tell me what sort of looking mar
AMI was continued Martin, as q
curious thought came TO him, "and
what were his pecuiarities don't
recall him very we'll"
Wal, he was tall m lanky, with
wife starin' eyes n queer ways. II,
liked tn he by himself good deal
n once in while lister come ontel
him alone in the woods m twansin
a jews harp. He "llus carried one
with him."
For one instant Martins heart al
most stopped beating, as the wilder.
ness hermit. now so accurately de.
scribed, flashed into mind. But grra,
heaven! could it be possible? And
then came the thought of Angie, now
growing very dear to him, and what
this seeming revelation might mean
to her. if true.
| LIZ uoWu W lIllIlk.
AS a rule Martin seldom lost his
head, or spoke without thought lie
had battled With shrewd hard-hcadcd
grasping men. when i; word too much
or too soon meant everything, and he
had learned caution To now disclose
even by Il hint. what he felt was true
would mean to set all G:cenvale in
an uproar Old Cy might be trusted
and again he might not 1t was. Il,
least. safest not to try him.
II don't know what to think aboul
David's price, Martin said at last tic
old Cy, who stood watching him; iii
staggers me. had an idea the fall:
and swamp above might be bought 70,
perhaps ten thousand or less"
And old Cy never suspected thp,
dust had been thrown into his eyes
I'D rather you'd Keep to yourself
what I've said. Cy," Martin added a
little later: 81 certainly won't pa"
what you say David asks, and I'm not
anxious to buy at any price. If this
stranger comes around again, however
let me know at once: I'd like to meet
him."
| When Martin was ny himself again,
and could think cohercntly, a new
horizon seemed W open before him,
and, as might be expected, Angie WAS
In the foreground. Most of her his
tory he knew very well; some details
had been added by the doctor, but now
the situation was all changed If this
ole hermit proved to he her father
as Martin felt almost sure he was
If he could be induced to return TO
Greenvalc and assert his rights, what
must it mean TO Angie and Aunt Com
fort? The half-dcmcntcd. or queer
condition of mind, in which the old
fellow seemed to be. was another fac
Tor, and what could he done with him
in Grcenvalc? 1T was a problem hzrd
to solve. and, turn il which way he
would one that was pathetic, tragic,
and almost horrible.
1t was long past midngh; that nigh,
ere he ceased thinking of j., or DO
cidcd upon Il course of action.
CHAPTER XVIII.