News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-12-10
gar Bert Smith


up. 1t was dark outside, and nothing
inside but freight. Suddenly
seemed to feel somebody looking al
the back of my neck and l turned
around. There was a man standing
outside one of the windows, staring in
My first thought, Of course, was
that it was Mr.. Dick, but just as the
face vanished l saw that it wasn't. 1t
was older by three or four years than
Mr.. Dicks and bit fuller.
I'm not nervous. I've had to hold
my own against chronic grouches too
long to have nerves, so l went to the
door and looked out. The man came
around the corner just then and
could see him plainly in the freight.
He was covered with snow, and he
wore sweater and no overcoat, but
he looked like gentleman.
II beg your pardon for spying" he
said, "but the fire looked SO snug!
I've been trying to get to the hotel
over there, but in the dark I've lost
the path"
That's not a hotel" l snapped, for
that touched me on the raw. "That's
Hope Springs Sanatorium, and this is
one of the springs. You'd better come
in and get warm"
He shut the door behind him and
came over to the fire.
I'm pretty we'll Frozen" he said.
f'Dont be astonished if | melt before
your eyes; I've been walking for
hours"
Now that I had better chance to
4see him I'd sized up that drawn look
saround his mouth.
Missed your luncheon, I suppose"
Il said, poking the fire log. He grinned
rather sheepishly.
We'll, I haven't had any, and I've
certainly missed it," he said. Fast
tng's healthy, you know"
"Nojhing's healthy that isn't nat
gral," I declared. IF you'd care for
a dish Of buttered and sailed popcorn,
there's some on the mantel. It's pretty
SALTY; the idea is to make folks thirsty
so they'll enjoy the mineral water"
'"TLlnk Of raising a thirst only to
drown it with spring water!" he said.
But he got the popcorn and he ate
1T all. If he hadn't had any luncheon
he hadn't had much breakfast The
queer part was-he was a gentleman;
his clothes were the right sort, but
he had on patent leather shoes il all
Ghat snow and an automobile cap.
i put away the glass while he ate. !
Pretty soon he looked up and the
drawn lines were gone. He wasn't |
like Mr.. Dick, but he was the same
type, only taller and heavier built.
And 80 it isn't q hotel" he remarked. |
Well, I'm sorry. The caravansary in
the village is not to my liking, and I
had thought of engaging a suite up
here. My secretary usually attends to
these things, but-don't take away all
the glasses, Heb beg your pardon
but the thirst is coming"
lie filled the glass himself and then
he came up and stood in front of me,
with the glass held up in the air.
To the best woman | have met in
many days." he said, not hooking but
serious. 81 was about to lie down and
let the little birds cover me with
leaves" Than he glanced at the empty
dish and smiled, ITO buttered pop
corn! Long may it wave!" he said,
and emptied the glass.
Well, found a couple of apples in
my pantry and brought them out, and
after he ate them he told me what
had happened to him. He had been a
little of everything since he left COL
Iege-he was about twenty-fve-had
crossed the Atlantic in a catboat and
gone with somebody or other into
some part of Africa-they got lost
and had to eat each other or lizards,
OF something like that-and then he
went to the Philippines, and got stuck
there and had to sell books to get
nome. He had little money, enough
or a grub-stake," he said. and all his
iofks were dead. Then college friend
Of his wrote a rural play called Sweet
title, don't you Think"
ne asked-and he put up all the money.
It would have been hit, he said, but
The kid in the play-the one that
mites its parents in the last act just
before he dies of tuberculosis-the kid
took the mumps and looked as if, in
stead of fading away, he was going
70 blow up. Everybody was so afraid
Of him that they let him die alone for
three nights in the middle of the
stage. Then the leading woman took
The mumps, and the sheriff took ev-
erything else.
Well, of course, the thing failed,
md he lost every dollar he'd put into
It, which was all he had, including
what he had in his pockets.
"They seized my trunks" he ex-
planned, "and | sold my fur-lined over
coat for eight dollars, which took one
Of the girls back home. It's hard for
the women. A fellow can always get |
some sort of a job was coming up
here to see if they needed an extra
clerk or a waiter, or chauffeur, or any
thing that meant roof and something |
to eat-but suppose they don't need
4 jack-of-all-trades."
''No," / answered, 'but I'll tell you
what I think they're going to need.
And that's an owner!"
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