Produced by Charles Aldarondo Charles Franksand the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamIllustration THE RED GLEAM FROM THE BLAZING LOGS FELL UPON HERSHINING HAIR IT GLISTENED LIKE GOLD SHE WORE A SIMPLE EVENING GOWNOF WHITEGREEN FANCYBYGEORGE BARR McCUTCHEONAUTHOR OF GRAUSTARK THE HOLLOW OF HER HANDTHE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK ETCWITH FRONTISPIECE BYC ALLAN GILBERTNEW YORK1917CONTENTSI     THE FIRST WAYFARER AND THE SECOND WAYFARER MEET AND PART ON THE         HIGHWAYII    THE FIRST WAYFARER LAYS HIS PACK ASIDE AND FALLS IN WITH         FRIENDSIII   MR RUSHCROFT DISSOLVES MR JONES INTERVENES AND TWO MEN RIDE         AWAYIV    AN EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERMAID A MIDNIGHT TRAGEDY AND A MAN WHO         SAID THANK YOUV     THE FARMBOY TELLS A GHASTLY STORY AND AN IRISHMAN ENTERSVI    CHARITY BEGINS FAR FROM HOME AND A STROLL IN THE WILDWOOD         FOLLOWSVII   SPUNGOLD HAIR BLUE EYES AND VARIOUS ENCOUNTERSVIII  A NOTE SOME FANCIES AND AN EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF FACTSIX    THE FIRST WAYFARER THE SECOND WAYFARER AND THE SPIRIT OF         CHIVALRY ASCENDANTX     THE PRISONER OF GREEN FANCY AND THE LAMENT OF PETER THE         CHAUFFEURXI    MR SPROUSE ABANDONS LITERATURE AT AN EARLY HOUR IN THE MORNINGXII   THE FIRST WAYFARER ACCEPTS AN INVITATION AND MR DILLINGFORD         BELABORS A PROXYXIII  THE SECOND WAYFARER RECEIVES TWO VISITORS AT MIDNIGHTXIV   A FLIGHT A STONECUTTERS SHED AND A VOICE OUTSIDEXV    LARGE BODIES MOVE SLOWLYBUT MR SPROUSE WAS SMALLER THAN THE         AVERAGEXVI   THE FIRST WAYFARER VISITS A SHRINE CONFESSES AND TAKES AN         OATHXVII  THE SECOND WAYFARER IS TRANSFORMED AND MARRIAGE IS FLOUTEDXVIII MR SPROUSE CONTINUES TO BE PERPLEXING BUT PUTS HIS NOSE TO         THE GROUNDXIX   A TRIP BY NIGHT A SUPPER AND A LATE ARRIVALXX    THE FIRST WAYFARER HAS ONE TREASURE THRUST UPON HIMAND         FORTHWITH CLAIMS ANOTHERXXI   THE END IN SIGHTCHAPTER ITHE FIRST WAYFARER AND THE SECOND WAYFARER MEET AND PART ON THEHIGHWAYA solitary figure trudged along the narrow road that wound itsserpentinous way through the dismal forbidding depths of the foresta man who though weary and footsore lagged not in his swiftresolute advance Night was coming on and with it the no uncertainprospects of storm Through the foliage that overhung the wretchedroad his everlifting and apprehensive eye caught sight of thethunderblack lowlying clouds that swept over the mountain and boredown upon the green whistling tops of the trees At a crossroadbelow he had encountered a small girl driving homeward the cows Shewas afraid of the big strange man with the bundle on his back and thestout walking stick in his hand to her a remarkable creature who woreknee pants and stockings like a boy on Sunday and hobnail shoesand a funny coat with pleats and a belt and a green hat with afeather sticking up from the band His agreeable voice and his amiablesmile had no charm for her He merely wanted to know how far it was tothe nearest village but she stared in alarm and edged away as ifpreparing to break into mad flight the instant she was safely past himwith a clear way aheadDont be afraid he said gently And here Catch it if you can Hetossed a coin across the road It struck at her feet and rolled intothe high grass She did not divert her gaze for the fraction of asecond Im a stranger up here and I want to find some place to sleepfor the night Surely you have a tongue havent you By dint ofpersuasive smiles and smirks that would have sickened him at any othertime he finally induced her to say that if he kept right on until hecame to the turnpike he would find a signpost telling him where toget gasoleneBut I dont want gasolene I want bread and butter he saidWell you can git bread an butter there too she said Food ferman an beast it saysA hotelWhutA boardinghouse he substitutedIts a shindy she said painfully Men get drunk there Pap callsit a tavern but Ma says its a shindyA roadhouse eh She was puzzledand silent Thank you Youllfind the quarter in the grass GoodbyeHe lifted his queer green hat and strode away too much of a gentlemanto embarrass her by looking back If he had done so he would have seenher grubbing stealthily in the grass not with her brown little handsbut with the wriggling toes of a bare foot on which the mud perhapsof yesterday had caked She was too proud to stoopAt last he came to the pike and there sure enough was the signpost A huge crudely painted hand pointed to the left and on whatwas intended to be the sleeve of a very stiff and unflinching armthese words were printed in scaly white Harts Tavern Food for Manand Beast Also Gasolene Established 1798 1 mile Also Gasolenewas freshly painted and crowded its elders in a most disrespectfulmannerThe chill spring wind of the gale was sweeping in the directionindicated by the giant forefinger There was little consolation in thethought that a mile lay between him and shelter but it was a reliefto know that he would have the wind at his back Darkness was settlingover the land The lofty hills seemed to be closing in as if tosmother the breath out of this insolent adventurer who walked aloneamong them He was an outsider He did