Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-27
ELUSIVE MEMORY

A RETURNED traveller who was being
n entertained bv the friends who had seen
him off two wears before when he started on
a leisurelv trip round the globe was asked at
the informal dinner what was the most
singular incident in his trip.
at happened in my own country, he
replied, "as | was on my way back to New
York Thirty years ago | arrived at town
on the upper Missouri River for the purpose
of taking a steamboat to my destination.
| did not know the name of the town until
| was set down in it by the driver of the rig
who had brought me in from the country.
had finished my business in the country
sooner than | expected, and was told that
could reach a river point IN time for the
steamer
"When the driver put me out with my
luggage he told me the name OF the place.
learned that the steamer would not get IN
until dark. This gave me SIX hours IN the
town, and killed time by wandering until
had seen every house in the place. You
NAV get an idea of the character of the town
when tell you that | saw nothing that I'M
pressed itself upon my mind. 1t was the
most commonplace settlement | ever saw IN
nv life Contrary to what usually happened,
at that point the steamer arrived on time,
| and | was soon on my way down the river.
| fell in with agreeable company, and all
recollection of my short sojourn in the place
| from which | embarked passed from my
mind | reached my destination the next
evening just in time to catch train for the
| East.
"When got home my business demanded
immediate attention and kept me busily en-
gagged for more than a fortnight, after which
hurried across the water arriving in Lon
| don to meet friends who were waiting tor me
| to 90 on to the Continent. | was away sew
era months. All this time | was occupied
| with affairs that had no sort of connection
with my trip in the West, and had no occa-
sion to think of it. In fact, it slipped from
my mentality as completely as If 1t had never
occurred.
| 1.-TWO wears ago we assembled IN this room
for a few farewell bites and sups, and you
| fellows saw me off on the big ship that took
me to the otlqer side, where | started on the
| Journey from which | have just returned.
| came back by way of Frisco, as you all
know On my way here | met an old friend
| on the train, somewhere in Nebraska. He
had deal that looked promising, and per-
suaded me to stop off. On arriving at his
town, we went to the country to look into
his scheme We stayed two days and when
| that time expired he loaded me into motor
car and we were whirled into town to take
a train. Nothing had been said about the
| town from WnlCn we were 10 leave
"As soon as We arrived there | had a
strange sensation. | told my friend that
had certainly seen the town before; but
could not recall the circumstances of my
visit He told me the name of the place;
| but it sounded unusual. When we got out
of our car we wandered about the place for
an hour, waiting for the train. All this time
| was certain that had been in the town
| before; but to save me | could not recall
when or what it was that had taken me there.
1--WE left late in the day. At one point
along the route we came in view of a river.
| As soon as | saw it | shrieked, Eureka.' and
slapped nv friend on the back. The sight
of the river had aroused the slumbering
recollection. 1t was the town into which
was dumped thirty years ago, and from which
| had departed on a steamer. In all that
time the town had changed but little AS
recalled it, as we were skirting the bank of
the river, the people seemed to be the same
But by some fantastic trick of the memory
it had disappeared entirely from my mind "
Frank II. Brooks
THE POLITE MERCHANT
| II