Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-06-07
AUTHOR OF THE BRASS BOWL" ETC.

nyme andy enough, but I don't know
you. and"
But Mr.. Rutton?"
as g party I've never card of, If
you'll excuse my sayin' so, 10 moren
ave of yourself. sir"
Well" began Amber; but paused.
his face hardening as he looked the
man up and down. nodding slowly.
"Per'aps,' continued Mr.. Doggott.
unabsshed, you mistyke me for my
brother, Emery Doggott. E was ONE,
in England. larst card Of i'm. We
look a deal alike. I've been told"
you would be, admitted Amber
drily; and, shutting his teeth upon his
inherent contempt fol liar, he
swung away, acknowledging with a
curt nod the civil Good AFTERNOON,
sir" that followed him.
The man had disappeared by the
tine Amber regained his kit-bag and
gun-case; standing over which he
surveyed his surroundings with some
annoyance, discovering that he now
shared the station with none but the
ticket agent. A shambling and dis
consulate youth. clad In a three-days'
! growth Of beard, a checked jumper
and khaki trousers, this person
lounged negligently in the doorway of
the waiting room and, caressing his
rusty chin with nicotine-dyed fingers,
regarded the stranger in Nokomis
with an air of subtle yet vaguely mel
ancholy superiority.
IF ye're lookin' for tn hotel" he
volunteered Unexpectedly, there amt
none" and effected a mastery retreat
into the ticket booth.
Amused, the despised outlander
picked up his luggage and followed
amiably. I'm not looking for the
hotel that amt" he said, planting
himself in front Of the grating; but
I expected to be met by some one
from Tanglewood-"
"Thet's the Quain place, daown by
tn ba-ay," interpolated the youth from
unplumbed depths Of mournful alb
! straction.
ut is. I wired yesterday"
"Yeour names Amber, amt it?''
Yes. L"
We'll. Quain didn't get yeour mes.
sage till this mornin'. / sent a kid
daown with 1t 'baout ten o'clock"
But why the-but 1 wired yester.
day afternoon"
Il knaow We did" assented the
youth YEARLY. 1T come through
raound closin' time and they want
nobody baourd that way, so l held IL
over"
This craze for being characters
tic" observed Mr.. Amber obscurely
lis the only thing that really stands
in the way Of Nokomis becoming a
thriving metropolis. Do you agree
with me? No matter" He smiled en-
gagingly; a seasoned traveller this
who could recognize the futility OF
pickering over the irreparable. More
over, he had to remind himself in all
fairness. the blame was, In part al
least, his own; for he had thought
lessly worded his telegram, will be
with you tomorrow afternoon" and II
was wholly like Quain that he should
have accepted the statement at its
face value, regardless of the date line
II can leave my things here for q
little while, / presume?" Amber sug
gested after a pause.
The ticket agent stared stubbornly
into the infinite. making no sign till a
coin rang on the window-ledge; when
he started, eyed the Offering with iugi-
tive mistrust. and gloomily possessed
himself of It. "I'll look after them,
/ he said. BE We thinkin' of walkin' ?"
YES" said Amber over his Shout
J der. He was already moving toward
the door.
'Knaow yeour wa-ay?"
I've been here before, thank you
Crossing the tracks, he addressed
himself TO the southwark stretching
| highway Walking b-askly at first. he
soon left behind the railway station
with its few parasitic cottages, DIP
in the land hid them, and he had
hereafter for all company his
thoughts. the desultory road a vast
and looming sky. and bare fields
hedged with impoverished forest.
Amber had professed acquaintance
with his way; # seemed rather to be
! intimacy, for when he chose to for.
sake the main travelled road he did go
boldly, striking off upon q wagon
track which, leading across the fields
delved presently into the heart of the
forest.
The hush Of the forest world bore
heavily upon his senses; the Sigh.
and stealthy rustlings in the brush,
the clear dense ringing of some re,
mote ak, an attenuated clamor of
cawing from some far crows' con.
gress, but served to accentuate its in.
| fuence.
Then into the silence crept a sound
to rouse him from his formless rev.
erie. At first a mere pulsipg in the
| stiffness. barely to be distinguished
from the song Of the surf; but pres.
| entity a pounding, ever louder and
more insistent. He paused, attentive;
and while he waited the drumming,
minute by minute gaining In volume,
swept swiftly toward him-the rhyth-
mic hoofbeats Of a single horse madly
ridden. When it was close upon him
he stepped back into the tangled IN
dergrowth, making room; for the
track was anything but wide.
simultaneously there burst into
view, at the end of a brief aisle Of