Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-06-08
THE ALIEN
By CECILLE .LANGDON


man. At twenty he broke down from
Overwork at tOp-notch speed. 1t was
the end, the doctor told him, unless
he could Spend year in New Mexico.
Warren went thither. At the end of
six months he had exhausted the last
penny of his careful savings and was
forced TO work, beg or starve. Most
fortunately he happened across a
ranch owner the great extent of whose
holdings demanded quite some clerical
attention. When not busy at his ac-
counts Warren helped rounding up the
cattle. There was just enough vigOr-
Gus outdoor exercise to harden him,
and at the end of the year his ailments
were gone.
Bound to get back to the city, are
you:" propOunded his employer. dis
appOintedly.
why, yes" replied Warren. Some
how it has a lure for me. l like to be
among men and events. They interest
me- I'm done with ambition, though
that is, the kind that steams ahead
recklessly and winds up in a wreck" "
You are in quite prime condition"
advised his physician when, bronzed
and brisk. Warren reported to him.
''NOw don't fall back into the old rut.
The ideal life for you is a position
where you can get outside half of the
time" and Warren proceeded to look
for work corresponding with this
basis. Luckily he found it at the very
start His ideas of compensation wers
modest.
His new employer was the publisher
of an annual city directory. Three
months in the year 1t was all canvass
ing for names. Warren had his own
district, covering territory where the
majority of the population was of for
eign birth or descent. He had Il snat-
tering of several languages and as
each year came around about one
third of it was spent in the open air.
He had completely systematized his
district and his friendly ways &On the
cooperation of landlords, parish
priests and policemen, who knew old
and new residents of the district.
Particularly helpful In spelling out
strange names and getting them cor
rect was young girl named Aida
Merrill. She had charge of creche
for benevolent society and cared for
children left in daily charge. Her sal
airy was small, but she loved the little
ones and this constituted bond be-
tween Warren and herself. She had
acquired knowledge of Polish and
Bohemian and very often corrected
Warrens list where, because of the
ignorance of those he listed, he was
compelled to spell names purely by
sound.
Most of the canvasSers on the direc-
tory were transient employees. War
rem, however, had become so proficient
and experienced that he was taken on
permanently. There was always more
or less clerical work to do between di-
rectory issues. The company was
often solicited to furnish classified
lists of names TO hunt up individuals.
As the company had for reference
the directories of all the large cities a
genealogical bureau in England once
employed them To list all the
brakes" in the United States. Some
real life romances and tragedies came
to light In other Investigations. These
Warren was deputiZed to take in
charge.
A peculiar case had come to him.
A local law firm employed him per-
sonally 10 look over old directories and
try to locate one Vaclav OquisOn. They
stated that OquisOn had left Poland ten
years previous and it was known that
for time he had lived in Chicago
The name was an odd one, but did not
occur in any local or other directories
Warren gave up the search, but did
not forget the incident, for the attor-
neyS stated that they would pay him
five thousand dollars for the discovery
of this Naclav OQuiSOn.
Warren was glad to start out on the
annual canvass. 1t would give him an
excuse to again meet Miss Merrill
whom he could not forget. One after
noon. i'll the very next house to the
creche, he came across a man who re
fused to give his name. Warren dis
cerned that he was q Pole. He Went
TO Aida and asked her to assist him II
getting the mans name. Her knOwl
edge of his native tongue evidently
won upon the foreigner,
He is Peter Brown, he says" re
ported Aida. (Which IS nonsense, fol-
he is dyed-in-thewOol Pole. l saw
that he was hiding something and
grew confidential and friendly. L
seems that he left Poland ten year:
ago under the ban of the Russian gov
eminent. and changed his name SO b,
could not be traced. His real name
! is Naclav OquiSon.'
What :" fairly shouted Warren
Springng impetuOusly 10 his feet
"Oh, Aida! l mean, Miss Merrill, thi
means five thousand dollars for us :
Five thousand dollars for US? How
strangely you talk" spoke Aida Devil
| deredly.
HIS fears are foolish explained
| Warren. He is heir TO large ESTATE
in Poland and have been searching
for him for over two years. You dis
| covered him. You can carry out al
your longing ideas 10 provide for you
little charges now. for half the rewar'
| is justly yours"
She looked so impressed with hi
worthy generosity and unselfishnes
| that Warren called her Aida" again
this time with prefix of endearment
and that was the preface TO 4 comics