Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-01-23
Memories
By HENRY MILLER
Q. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
WNU Service.
THEY brought him back to the lake

RHEY brought MIN O&ck TO the lake
l. where they had been when he wan
dered. smiling, clear-eyed, wondering.
into their camp.
Mr.. Grove Hendryx led him as If
he were afraid for him. Mr.. Hendryx'
wife, and his daughter Alice. stood on
the other side watching
Nov. John, try just walking around
the lake. Come back here afterwards.
The psychologist said that you might
remember when you saw something
that you had seen that day"
He smiled at Alice. His eyes were
as clear as a childs. As trustful, as de-
sirOus of pleasing. She smiled back
at him with faith and hope.
He wished that he might go around
the lake as Mr.. Hendryx advised and
come back with a memory Of his life.
He had no memory except that of few
weeks 1t began that day he had
walked into the Hendryx camp. His
mind had been a blank then.
In the camp he saw Alice; she was
leaning over some coffee. She straight
ened up; saw him. She was the first
girl he ever remembered seeing. She
had seemed like the love!iest thing any
where.
Hello" she had said. smiling inquir-
ingly.
Hello" he had answered. The word
had sounded strange to his ears. yet
Familiar. He had felt It coming nat
uraIly to his lips.
"Can I help your" she asked.
"Can you tell-me-wh0-I ann" he
had asked. each word new adventure
20 him.
He smiled now. at Alice again. Dur
Ing the few weeks since his birth, full
grown, she had come 10 mean every.
thing to him; love. happiness, hope.
He started to walk. His mind was
calm. rested, for he had not troubled
himself before with his identity.
Perhaps half an hour after he had
left the Hendryx trio. he came to a
stone. 1t was Of granite. He knew
that he had seen that stone before.
The rains had followed out a sort Of
pot In the granite, deeper than the
Indian squaws used to make for pound
ing their meal.
Puzzled. he looked DIT the stone. He
couldn't remember when he had seen
It
He walked past it, but his smile was
gone. He turned around. surveyed the
stone. Sometime in the past he had
sat upon il.
He retraced his steps. climbed upon
she stone. sat upon II. A branch Of
the oak tree above his head swayed.
sharp realization made itself mani
fest. He had seen that branch sway
in exactly the same way sometime or
other.
'An excitement ran in tremOrS
through him. He was or the point Of
remembering his identity.
He remembered a scene in a great
fash. Bits dribbled into his mind, it
is true. but now he was sure who he
was.
He remembered two men In a room.
They were brothers. Their last name
was Jackson. Milton Jackson was a
private secretary to a large banker in
The South. Butt Jackson was the black
sheep of the family. Butt had seen the
inside of Sing Sing and not as visitor,
either.
The man without memory had &C.
quired sharp terrible memory. He
remembered creeping, creeping upon
hrnf 10
Oered raising the sandbag which was
Ioaded. He remembered, just at the
critical moment, the sudden turning of
his brother Milton. In Millions eyes
he had seen his accusation. the COM
plete understanding of all that had
gone before.
That glance was the thing that had
driven him off that mad made him lose
his memory in an unconscious attempt
10 put the awful horror out Of his mind.
J. He sprang to his feet. He would run
back and tell Alice. He paused. one
foot Outstretched, and stood still.
How can ] tell her?' he asked the
oak. Il held up. perhaps killed. my
brother"
He loved Alice. He couldn't stand
before her confessed as Butt Jackson.
II feel clean!" he crleu. "Oh, God.
why couldn't ! really have been re-
created this time? Why do I have to
cake the punishment for something
did in another lifew
It was not only he whn would have
TO take the punishment 1t was Alice
TOO She loved him. She was willing
10 marry him even now. though she
hadn't the slightest idea who he might
be.
He couldn't tell her. He couldn't
make her Mrs. Butt Jackson.
He started to walk away from the
sake. He would find train, hop q
freight He would live straight. Butt
could never have had thought like
that He wasn't really Butt; he was
a mysterious person who had been Gre
ated anew.
AS he walked he put his hand to his
forehead There was something odd
above that. He touched II, touched the
top of his head His eyes swelled. He
eriod m romomhQr tho inS;do of Cine