The Raymer enterprise., 1911-07-13
byLOUIS JOSEPH Va
Au1n0l OF afh6 BRASS BOWL" ETC.

nyme andy enough. but l don't know
you, and"
But Mr. Ruttonr"
rs . party I've never card Of. II
you'll excuse my sayin' 30. no moren
I ave Of yourself. SIR"
WELL" began Amber: but paused.
his face hardening q he looked the
man up and down. nodding slowly.
"Per'aps." continued Mr.. Doggott,
unabashed. you mistyke me for my
brother. Emery Doggott. e was 'ome.
in England. larst I card Of i'm. We
look deal alike. rve been told"
you would b." admitted Amber
drily: and, shutting his teeth upon his
Inherent contempt for liar. he
swung away. acknowledging with q
curt nod the civil Good AFTERNOON.
sir" that followed him.
Tho man had disappeared by the
time Amber resained 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.
consolats youth. clad In a three-days'
growth Of beard. . checked Jumper
and khaki trousers. this person
lounsed negliEently in the doorway Of
tho 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.
IT ye're lookin' for tn hotel" he
volunteered Unexpectedly. there amt
none" and effected . 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 ain't." hs said, planting
himself In front Of the grating: but
! expected to b met BY some one
from Tanglevood-"
"Thets the Quain place. daown BY
tn ba-ay." interpolated the youth from
unplumbed depths Of mournful abb
straction.
1T Is. I wired yesterday"
"Yeour names Amber, amt itr'
Yes. i"
We'll. Quain didn't get yeour mes.
sage till this mornin'. ! sent kid
daown with It 'baout ten o'clock"
But why the-but wired yester.
day afternoon"
II knaow 70 did," assented the
youth YEARLY. 1T come through
raound closin' time and they want
nobody baound that way. 50 ! held II
over"
This craze for being characters.
tic." observed Mr. Amber obscurely.
rs 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: q 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 at
least, his own: for he had thought.
lessly worded his telegram, viii be
with you tomorrow afternoon" and II
was wholly like Quain that he should
have accepted the statement at It's
face value. regardless OF the date line.
II can leave my things here for .
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.ledse: whom
he started. eyed the offering with fugi.
tive mistrust and gloomily possessed
himself Of II. I'll look after them"
he said. BE ye thinkin' Of walkin' ?"
Yes" said Amber over his shoul.
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 briskly at frst, he
soon left behind the railway station
with It's few parasitic cottages, a 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: II seemed rather to be
intimacy. for when he chose to for.
sake the main travelled road he did go
boldly. striking of upon 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 slight
and stealthy rustlings in the brush,
the clear dense ringing OF some re-.
mote Ak. an attenuated clamor Of
cawins from some far crows con.
gress. but served to accentuate its In.
nuence.
Then into the silence crept a sound
to rouse him from his formless rev.
erie. At hrst a mere pulsing In the