The Kendrick gazette., 1919-01-17
The
Tourniquet
BY r. RAY BAKER
Copyright, 1918. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)

/
! James Morgan stood in the door,
way of his hermitage and gazed re-
sentfully across Silver lake, where the
red brick buildings of the new Ash
ton Memorial hospital loomed against
q blue June sky.
The slight frown developed into
pronounced scowl as his ears detect
ed faint humming which originated
some distance back Of the shack. The
humming became roar as a motor
car, with cutout open, whizzed past
not far from the dwelling Of the de-
jected hermit.
| Its the limit the way civilization
chases fellow around" he growled.
"Here l got place all picked out for
a quiet, unmolested summer of soli-
tude, and when 1 arrive to begin my
hermiting 1 find that some one has
built concrete race track at my back
door, and some one else has erected
a kill-or-cure place in my front yard.
Between sbieking motorcars and COM
planning, cOnvalescent patients and
giddy nurses my hermitage bids fair
to ripen into main street Of busy
town on a Saturday night"
! He shrugged his shoulders in dis
gust and strOde into the shack, which
consisted of living, dining, cook and
sleeping room-pll in one. Three open
windows permitted plenty Of light and
breeze to dispel germs and gloom.
In one corner were cook stove and
q table, in another a narrow cot de-
void Of bedding. Still another corner
held bookcase in which were some
dust-incrusted volumes. Two three
legged stools and one which, possess
Ing four, stood aside in proud disdain,
comprised the other articles Of fur
niture. a.
The hermit rummaged in his pock-
cts and produced pipe, sack Of to-
bacco, a box of matches and rail-
road guide. Planting himself on the
naughty stool, he filed the first-men-
toned article from the second, ap-
piled part Of the third and began to
peruse the fourth.
He was not veteran hermit. His
face was clean-shaven and he had
CltuI-Cut, youlllul ltdtuIcSS SCI Ol Dy
pair Of piercing brown eyes. He
was only twenty-seven years old, and
that is altogether too young for one
to be in the business Of hermiting.
The decision to become a recluse
WAS due to two things. They were
the acquisition of fortune and the
; lons Of an attractive young woman he
int ytr, IN
venture far different from hermit
! ing.
Janet Ellison had decided, after all,
that she did not care to settle down,
SO just before she left with her par
ents for tour of the continent she
broke off her engagement with James.
A month later James inherited near.
ly- half million dollars from an
uncle who died in the Klondike. The
money acted as soothing balm for his
shattered heart for brief period
until doting mothers heard of his
stroke Of luck and began setting
snares for him.
This having sweethearts thrust upon
him when he had just lost his hearts
desire was too much for James. He
got tired Of attending debuts of young
misses and listening to their chat
ter of society and fashion and Other
subjects that held no interest for him
especially since he was. still yearnine
and longing for Janet. The deceit OF
\ the whole thing grew on him and made
him cynical. He determined to sevel
4 the sphere Of feminism from his uni
\ verse.
He decided to spend winter il
California, and then in the summer
to start hermiting for fair. Befor,
his trip West he located this shack IL
the Ohio woods, learned who the own
4 When this transaction took place ther'
4 was no sign of a habitation or a roa,
in the vicinity.
Only one man knew his presen
q whereabouts, and that was his chun
q of college days, Ralph Williamson. VIII
:, Hanson helped him locate the plac
4 and even offered to spend some of tn
n time with him; but James declined, de
r claring he was going into hermitin
> "for all there was in it."
8 Williamson laughed and remarked
"YOu1l soon be back and you'll MARI
Janet, after ALL when she come
home" Then, thinking to do hi
a friend a favor, Williamson secret
a. sent a letter to a certain address i
=. the Canadian wilds, taking pains to d.
"a tail facts about Klondike gold.
n The day after James arrived at hi
!. cabin, to find it no longer solitud,
d he set out on hike, avoiding the turr
Z. pike and heading into the woods tha
N fringed the shore. Heavy underbrus
!. made progress rather difficult, so h
IA took out long clasp knife to cut
d walking stick from tree. Spying
n branch that looked good to him som
ID distance up the trunk, he climbed tn
tree and, seated on one branch, b,
gan to saw at the one he had selec
ed, which was just above him.
|. James was not adept as a tree Gu