The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-10-08
| On the
| Other Shore
BY CT. RYDER
Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Coz

| Copyright, by Shortstory Pub. Coz
When you have been padding for a
week and half down an unmapped
Canadian river, with very little va
riety of scenery and none whatever
OF anything else, when you begin to
think it doubtful whether there is any
way out, and highly improbable that
you ever find it, when your compan-
/ IONS voice makes you wriggle and you
| hate to meet each others eyes, then
| it is as good as being snatched from
| the jaws of death to see the smoke
of somebody else's camp down the
| next bend.
Arthur May and l were in the con-
dition described ON the twenty-eighth
/ of August, 190-, at eighty thirty in
the morning. At that moment we slid
out of big bullrushy meadow upon
a lake about five miles long by three
miles wide, and probably very beauti-
full If one were in a condition to care.
But the thing that absorbed our atten-
tion was canoe drawn up on the 9th
er shore about mile away, and the
CLEAN of a duck tent through the
trees.
AS we came near the shore I
thought I distinguished through the
trees two persons sitting on the
ground beside the tent, but before
had fully made them out the bow of
our canoe touched the shore, and
jumped out and pulled up.
Down the bank to meet US came the
most extraordinary spectacle of a
man have ever seen in my life. He
was, l should think, between rs and
30 years old, tall and naturally of a
powerful build, but in the most pitt
full state of starvation. His shirt was
open at the throat, and his bones
positively glistened white through
his brown skin. But the most aston
ishins and shocking thing about him
was the perfect poise and good breed
ing with which he greeted us, just as
though he were putting us at our ease
at some commonplace reception in
town.
Good morning." he said. my name
is Waite-Chandler Waite"
We conformed as best we could, re-
turned his greeting and told him our
names
Delighted to see you," he went on
with that awful incongruous savoir
faire, though l am afraid can't Of
fer you very hospitable entertainment.
Won't you come up and meet my
wife?"
He turned and led the way up the
bank. At the tent he stopped and
bowed back to us, his strange eyes
directed toward us, with the most in
describable lack of focus, like man
walking in his sleep.
Margaret, let me introduce Mr..
Kimball and Mr.. May; gentlemen, my
wife"
She was sitting against tree and
she did not move to acknowledge the
introduction. She was stone dead.
We looked back at Waite, expecting
some instant sign of shock; but he
showed no surprise.
"You will pardon her not rising
she has seemed very tired for some
days. l am afraid the trip has been
too much for her; she has always been
somewhat delicate"
He evidently expected us to shake
hands with her, and one after the 9TH
er we lifted the pitiful little limp hand
and dropped it back on her lap. She
was very small and had been pretty,
and she had evidently died in such a
quiet, patient way.
Arthur and l looked at each other
and grit our teeth. Arthur was the
first to pull himself together.
"Mr. Waite" he said, II don't know
whether you've had your breakfast
yet, but we haven't had ours. and if
you'll allow us to cook on your clear
ing we'll be very much obliged-pos-
sibly you'll join us if you haven't
breakfasted."
The man said: Certainly" with
an air of being glad to confer a favor.
The idea of hunger had evidently
passed completely out of his mind
We built fire, and brought coffee,
bacon, and biscuit up from the canoe
only little, because much will kill
man who has starved for many
days. When everything was ready
we served it to him in his own cup
and plate. He took them, but only
to set them down before the dead
woman.
"Mr. Kimball and Mr.. May have not
breakfasted-shall we keep them COM
pany?" And the astonishing thing is,
that when she did not touch the food
he himself refused to eat. We urged
him and plead with him, but with the
same CHASTITY courtesy he remained
| firm l think he no more knew that
he was hungry than he knew that she
was dead.
After the travesty of breakfast Ar
thur and l went down to the shore, os-
tensibly to wash the dishes, really to
settle our course of action. Here we
were, at large in the province of Que
bee and more or less lost, with not
more than enough provisions at best;
and now, in addition to this, we were
intrusted with the care of a man
starved crazy and refusing to eat.
and a dead woman whom he supposed