Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-10
THE VICARI0N by Gardner Hunting

Copyright, 1928. by Public Ledger


with a beard like a grsndfather's. to
find that he's lost his flesh. lost his
memory, lost his whereabouts. lost his
identity, and lost his clothes-and
yet"
He laughed again, but with plain
effort.
Tell Miss Norman what you just
told U.S." said Brainerd, FESTIVE at delay
in the proceedings.
"Norman?" repeated the man. scam
ming Phyllis face. Then he shook his
head. That's what puzzles me-"
You think you know me as Phyllis"
said Phyllis herself.
"Yes!" His eyes widened again.
But they tell me this is the year
10 Ha! It's impossible! I'm no
Rip Van Wrinkle. am 1? / came here
I came here" He stopped.
He seems almost to remember at
moments" said John softly In Phyllis
ear.
The man looked up quickly. 81 do
almost remember!" he said. smiling
more easily again. The doctor said
was victim of amnesia. Amnesia
is it, when a man forgets part of his
life, and inconsistency remembers"
He paused abruptly again and stared
at Phyllis. Then he shook his head.
Nineteen thirty-five," he murmured.
do you know-Iye lost eight years
somewhere! You don't see them lying
about?"
This last was pleasantly, clearly.
Phyllis laughed.
Thank you for that" he said, EVIL
IDENTIFY grateful for cheerfulness. Il can
tell you more than you think I can If
you won't all look at me as if you think
I'm insane l don't believe / am. You
tell me I'm in Mr. Brainard's studio,
| in Santa Monica. Calf 1t should be
Santa Monica--but / didn't recognize
it when-when I woke up
He says he came to California on
his vacation in 1921" exclaimed Miss
Brainard happily.
He doesn't know where he's from"
supplied Carol.
II know I'm from somewhere In
| the East" said the man thoughtfully.
do you know your name?" asked
| Phyllis gently.
He shook his head. his eyes cling
| ing to her face. Then he smiled again.
Might as we'll call me RIP" he re-
Piled
"All right. Rip" responded Phyllis,
sensing his longing for the lighter vein.
| But where do you think you have been
all the time since you came? You have
a theory. of course"
He nodded. Il know" he said But
haven't told anybody else yet. because
| 1 wanted to get this insanity theory out
of their heads. Will you promise TO be-
| lieve me if tell you?"
Yes" said Phyllis.
I'm a sea cave!" said the other.
"What?" queried Brainard sharply.
II went in bathing on the Santa
| Monica beach on Saturday morning
| in 1927-August! I explored cave.
and I think-that the cave caved In
on me. I'm not sure. I can't remem-
ber-except that in my recollection
or what seems to be my recollection. /
have fixed fast terrible sensation of
smothering in sand. may be the vic
| tum of all manner of hypnotic suf-
gestions!"
But you can't tell where you were
when you came back to consciousness"
commented Brainard skeptically.
! yes. was on the sand of the beach,
just lying in the sand You know that
! the tattcrs 1 had on when / came in
here were the remnants of a bathing
suit. found myself lying there in the
darkness of night in those shreds OF
clothing, the sand piled up all around
me, my limbs partly buried in it, and
myself in the condition." He broke
off suddenly as realization got the bet
ter of his effort to be calm. He sat I'm
wildly. Can you think what this
means to me? Where-where is the
time of which I have been robbed?
Where is my home? Where Is my call
ing? Where are my friends? Where is
the man who was in this body, when 1t
oY94
young?"
He beat at his thin arms with his
frail hands; then sank back and coy-s
cred his face and moaned.
In the silence Miss Brainard glanced
at Phyllis and touched her forehead
with her finger in time-worn gesture.
nodding.
! The man opened his eyes. quite self
| controlled again. Il don't see It's
| amazing that 1 should be alive at ALL"
| he said. and laughed again.
| Why SOP" asked Radley easily. TAX
. ing out a cigarette. You Fasteners
never did appreciate our climate"
| The other started "What?" he said.
| turning to Brainard Then he smiled.
Now know I'm in California;"
Radley laughed a more natural
| laugh than Phyllis had heard from him
| for weeks. But at the end his eyes
went furtively sidelong toward the man
in the pillowed chair.
Well he commented presently, IF
your calendar was right when you
started on your vacation It's a long
| time between baths for you"
And no wonder / needed a hair
cut!' answered the stranger. Nine
teen thirty-fve That has a queer
sound to man who still has two in
stallments to pay on his 1925 income
taxi"
DO you know" asked Carol sud-
denly, that Santa Monica is part of
Hollywood now?"
Hollywood" echoed the man. why,
Hollywood is 20 miles awayl"
Continued in Tomorrow's Star)