The Ozark spectator., 1916-07-21

would have been content W1tn any thing so easy So I fastened on the printed words, for you can make pretty good numerical cipher if you have key word which gives yen the sequence of the letters.
 tried for hours. but nooo of the words answered
 Then I fell asleep and woke at Dun fries just in time to bundle out and get into the slow Galloway train. There was a man on the platform whose looks I didn't like, but he never glanced at me, and when caught sight of my self in the mirror of an automatic m chine didn't wonder.
 With my brown face, my old tweeds and my slouch I was the very model of one of the hill farmers who were erowding into the third class car. rfages.
 travelled with half . dozen in m atmosphere of shag and clay pipes. They had come from the weekly mar ket, and their mouths were full of prices. I heard accounts of how the lambing had gone up the Cairn and the Deuch and Il dozen other mysterious waters
 About half of the men had lunched heavily and were highly favored with whisky. but they let me alone. We rumbled slowly into a land of little wooded glens and then to great. wide moorland place. glearning with lochs, with high. blue hills showing north ward.
 About 5 o'clock the carriages had emptied. and I was left alone. as had hoped l got out at the next station, little place whose name l scarcely noted, set in the heart of bog. It re- minded me of one of those forgotten little stations in the Karros.
 An old station master was digging in his garden and with his spade over his shoulder sauntered to the train. took charge of a parcel and went back {, his potatoes. A child of ten received my ticket, and I emerged on white road that struggled over the moss. It was gorgeous spring evening with every hill showing as clear as u cut amethyst
 The air had the queer rooty smell of bogs. but 1t was as fresh as midocean. and it had the strangest effect on my spirits. I actually felt light hearted. might have been a boy out for spring holiday tramp instead of q man of thirty seven very much wanted by the police.
 felt just as 1 used to feel when was starting for big trek on frosty morning on the high veldt
 If you believe me. I swung along that road whistling. There was no plan of campaign n my head. only just to go on and on in this blessed, honest smelling hill country. for every mile put me in better humor.
 In a roadside planting l cut q walk. ing stick of hazel and presently struck off the highway up a bypath which fol lowed the glen of brawling stream. reckoned that l was still far ahead of any pursuit and for that night might please myself It was some hours since l had tasted food and was getting very hungry when came to n herds cottage set in a nook beside waterfall brown faced woman was standing by the door and greeted me with the kindly shyness of moor land places
 When l asked for a nights lodging she said l was welcome to the bed In the loft" and very soon she set be fore me hearty meal of ham and eggs, scenes and thick sweet milk At the darkenins her man came in from the hills, lean giant, who fin one step covered as much ground as three paces of ordinary mortals.
 They asked no questions, for they had the perfect breeding of all dwell CTS in the wilds, but l could see they set me down as some kind of dealer. and took n little trouble to confirm their view
 spoke d lot about cattle, of which my host knew little. and l picked up from him n good deal about the local Galloway markets, which 1 tucked away in my memory for future use. At 10 was noddlng in my chair, and the bed in the loft received weary man. who never opened his eyes till . o'clock set the little homestead going once more.
 They refused any payment, and by G I had breakfasted and was striding southward again.
 My notion was to return to the rail way line station or two farther on than the place where I had alighted yesterday and to double back. 1 reck- oned that was the safest way. for the police would naturally assume that 1 was always making farther from Lon. don in the direction of some western port
 thought had still q good bit of a start. for us I reasoned 1t would take some hours to fix the blame on me and several more to identify the fellow who got on board the train at St. Pancras
 It was the same jolly clear spring weather, and l simply could not con trive to feel careworn, Indeed. was in better spirits than 1 had been for