Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-18
CHAPTER VII --(ContinuedD

DAISING himself from his leaning pos
~ ture against the raj Of the bridge as
approached and facing me. he took off
his hat. The salute was not unusual in
Itself. but 1t was perhaps just a tr1e
more courtly in execution than was
within the powers even when it was
within the will. of any Of our northern
gentry of the road The fellow bowed.
too, in ingratiating fashion.
Can you tell me. sir if am on the
road to Aberdeen ,"
Hearing him speak. understood his
fine manners. The man was n foreigner.
for though his English was good it had
that suggestion of a trip or halt m II
that Is the last barrier to "A perfect enun-
citation. ! stopped. grounded the butt Of
my rod and smiling at his question. lie
responded, smiling himself very pleas
antly tk:,, ,,,,,a, ,,,.o ,,,. cha ro,a u,or
deem five miles back" I said.
He threw up his hands in n gesture Of
dismay-they were thin hands and very
'Ach :" he said pIaintively, 1T is the
language"
You are not English" asked
'Ah no! | am Polish. from Warsaw.
where | was student at the university
once. Got into trouble"-here he lcered
atrociously-"go to Libau and find little
British grain steamer. ! have been nine
montas in Lanark working in the coal
II rolled off like lesson learned and
left me with the feeling that the man
was lying. though for what purpose I
could not imagine. Looking at the hands
WHICH he said had worked for nine
months in a coal pit and remembering
the hands OF Alec Duff and his mates,
the mans story seemed to me pure i'm
pudence They were dirty enough GER
tainly, but smooth and unroughened, ana
the dirt was of another quality, -.
What do you want in Aberdeen !
/ asked
well" he replied. my lecetle trouble
In Warsaw it blow over and ! expect t.
get a little ship, fishing ship to Riga
before the storms of winter come
I sprang a question on him suddenly
In German:
sAre you afraid of the sea-
There seemed to come a hlCker or
light a little spark. into his eyes that
died away as soon as it came. and was
replaced by an appearance Of thought
fulness.
THAT is German. is 1t not? I do not
understand. ] am a Russian Pole, from
Estopol. east of Warsaw.
He smiled as if something had pleased
him, as a man smiles sometimes AT MS
own lie, when the deception is either so
gross a thing as not to be hid or when
he does not care to hide it further
There was something reptilian about the
creature. , 60
Look here, my man" said, q asked
you II you were afraid OF the sea
have no idea why you should lie ABOUT IT.
but fancy you have more German thah
have"
He grinned at me.
.sThe Engleesh. they think every one
II afraid of the sea but thelrSeiNes'
Sk1 passed on taking no more need AS
the distance between us increased 50
did the fellows venom increase; .,-,.
s.The Engleesh - he shouted ~ ou
spik of the sea as II II We're your prV3p-
erty; but soon you will understand, You
have been feeshing today? Gais YOU YOU
{ have been feeshing in troubled waters
before today. and ] will show you What
comes of 1t: l! Behold ,o,,, b.cl
This made me pause ana loon pd'h'
i marveled at the mans hate. an ap-
parently, reused by my innocehI guTS1 ,Sn
fjon as to the sea. He had PICKED up
bia yellow box and was dancing with
rage. his feet making a great noise on
the wooden flooring OF the ioot.prlusI g..
III was a strange spectacle in that lonely
rlen, flooded with the soft light OF
spr Abercromby :" he shouted. Or,
There was something formal in his his
manner of crying my name that Cauen
INV ear. He was facing me with nus EeI..
low box in his two hands. Looking az
him ! saw what he did not. the hguIe
iot a man coming up the roau ,peSoiu
and II did not need the game-oag anu
fhe gamekeeper-the long, Looping strlde
was sufficient. The peddler's voice rent
the air as he clutched his box, as If 10
shurl IL at me over the hundred yards
II viii show you what comes Of feesh'
ing / will send your soul to feesh IN
He'll" and he dashed his box with
. loud bang on the ground
\ think I mJrst have been in the act
OF opening my mouth to laugh. when:
almost simultaneously with the crash OF
the box on the wooden bridge, there
came from the wood alongside me; a
sudden crack crack crack At the first
ms cap was lifted clean off my head as
by sudden wind with the second: a
srear Of red-hot iron passed across the
back of my neck: and at the third my
( rod jerked itself from my grasp, became
r suddenly alive like a serpent and took
= dive into my side. must have
Thrown up my hands and fallen back
Xard In heap. collapsing INTO the
efnong the burdocks and thistles. Then
6&Ikness fell
when came to myself Forsyth was
! bending over me- and old Peter Milne,
{he forester kneit at my head, on one
knee, with his hat full of water. I felt
horribly sick and weak.
HES coming round, Peter" Forsyth
4 KnH saying. ABut. man, II was an awfu'
u&rrow thing that"
tAy." said Peter. "1f We had ma
1T On your gun. and IL | had ma shouted
( ir tho plantation behind the blackguard's s
back. It's a funeral we'd have had on
Erjday.
Then must have gone of again, for
when came round they were examin-
ing the back OF my neck.
An eighth of an inch more, and he'd
have been by wi IT,"
di3o you think maybe the sinews are
cut ~ asked Peter. IL mind me of a
chap that was here before you, Wuliie.
4 H4 had bit accident that cut the
t|ne~s Of his neck. and when he got
batter bis neck was set stiff, looking
10 this Forsyth seemed to give no
. MD. going on iavlng my head with the
<rM water.
Il f's 4 fac I'm teilin' YOU" said Peter.
~ MAS ma here long. for. as the laird
he michf ha' done for pheasants
dro>I<e but he was no use for rab-
1x HHres and Whiffericks or any
Ma does ma ny" "a. n q