Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1911-03-03


would have slipped out of his life, f.
nally and beyond recall. And he could
do naught to hinder such a finale to
the adventure.
Sulkily he resigned himself to the
inevitable, waiting and watching,
while the boat slid and blundered
clumsily, paddle wheels churning the
filthy waters over side, to the floating
bridge; while the winches ratified, and
the woman, sitting up briskly in the
drivers seat Of the motor car, bent
forward and advanced the spark; while
the chain fell clanking and the car
shot out, over the bridge, through the
gates, and away, at very consider
able, even If lawful, rate of speed.
Whereupon, writing finis to the final
chapter of Romance, voting the world
dull place and life a treadmill, an
athematizing in no uncertain terms his
lack of resource and address, Maitland
paid off his cabby, alighted, and to
that worthy's boundless wonder,
walked into the waiting room OF the
railway terminus without deviating
hairs breadth from the straight and
circumscribed path of the sober in
mind and body.
The 1920 had departed by a bare
two minutes. The next and last train
| for Greenfields was to leave at 10:59.
Maitland with assumed nonchalance
composed himself upon a bench in the
waiting room to endure the 37-minute
interval. Five minutes later an able
| bodied washerwoman with six children
in quarter sizes descended upon the
same bench; and the young man in
| desperation allowed himself to be dis
| possessed. The news stand next attract
ing him, he garnered fugitive amuse-
ment and two dozen copper cents by
the simple process of purchasing six
might extras" which he did not want,
and paying for each with five-cent
piece. Comprehending, at length, that
he had irritated the news dealer, he
meandered off, jingling his copper for
tune in one hand, Juggling his news
papers in the other, and made a de-
termined onslaught upon a slot ma
chine. The latter having reluctantly
disgorged "a assorted samples of
chewing gum and stale sweetmeats,
Maitland returned to the washerwom-
an, and sowed dissension in her brood
by presenting the treasure horde to
the eldest girl with instructions to
share it with her brothers and sisters.
1t is difficult to imagine what folly
might next have been recorded against
him had not, at that moment, fe-
rocious and inarticulate howl from the
train starter announced the fact that
the 1859 was in waiting.
Boarding the train in thankful
spirit, Maitland settled himself as com.
fortably as he might in the smoker
and endeavored to find surcease OF
ennui in his collection Of extras In
vain; even a two-column portrait OF
Mr.. Dan Anisty, cracksman, accom-.
panied by vivacious catalogue Of that
notoriety's achievements in the field OF
polite burglary, hardly stirred his in.
terest. An elusive resemblance which
he traced in the features of Mr. Anisty
as presented by the sketch-artist-on.
tne-spot, to some one whom he, Matt
land, had known In the dark back
wards and abysm of time, merely drew
from him the comment: "Homely
brute!" And he laid the papers aside
cradling his chin in the palm of one
hand and staring for weary while
out of the car window at reeling and
moonsmitten landscape. He yawned
exhaustively, his thoughts astray be.
tween girl garbed all in gray, Ban.
nerman's earnest and thoughtful face,
and the pernicious activities of Mr..
Daniel Anisty, at whose door Maitland
laid the responsibility for this most
fatiguing errand.
The brakeman's wolf-like yelp-
"Greenfields! ds!"-was ringing in his
ears when he awoke and stumbled
down aisle and car steps just in the
nick of time. The train, whisking
round curve cloaked by a belt of
somber pines, left him quite alone in
the world, cast ruthlessly upon his
own resources.
An hour had elapsed; 1t was now
midnight; the moon rode high, cold
white disk against a background OF
sapphire velvet, its pellucid rays re-
vealing with disheartening distinct.
ness the inanimate and lightless road
side hamlet called Greenfields; its gen.
eral store and postoffice, its soi-disant
hotel. its struggling line of dilapidated
habitations, all wrapped in silence pry-
found and impenetrable. Not even a
dog howled; not belated villager was
| in sipht. and n waa q moral cartointv