Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, February 01, 1910, Page 6, Image 6

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    k i
The
OF
By
Booth
3
CIl.Vl'J Lit .il.
NC vwutti' I returned in tlie
hit) in ttin! n I 1 ir van from
M Olwf, t!.. .learest railway
. station, urawa up in the court
yard at the foot of the BUilm lead
ins to tbtf glll'i'i'i mid "II tlw peOpTe
of tlie inn. from Mm. Urossard iwbo
directed), to (jloucjou (who madly at
tempted the heaviest pleeesl. busily
Installing trunks, bags and packing
cases lu tlie suit engaged for tbo
"great man of science" on the sccoud
floor of the east wing of tbe building.
Neither tbe great nutu nor bis compan
ion was to be Been, however, both bav
tng retired to their rooms Immediately
upon their arrival, to Amedee Inform
ed mo.
J made my evculng ablution, re
moving a Joseph's coat of dust and
paint, and came forth from my pavil
ion, hoping that Professor Kcrcdcc
and his friend would not mind eating
In tbe same garden with a man ,ln a
corduroy jacket aud knickerbockers,
but tbe gentlemen continued Invisible
to tbe public eye, and mine was -tbe
only table set for dinner In tbe gar
den. Upstairs the curtains were care
fully drawn across all the windows of
tbe east wing, little leaks of o ran 50
within. .--"" ,u
r "It la Id be supposed tbatvlvrofessor
K6redec and his friend arc fatigued
with their Journey from Paris?" I be
gan a little later.
"Monsieur, they did not seem fa
tigued." said Arnedce.
"But they dine in their own rooms
toulght."
"Every night, monsieur. It is the
order of Professor Keredec. And with
their own valet de chambre to serve
them. EhV He poured my coffee sol
emnly. That is mysterious, to say
tbe least. Isn't Iti"
"To say the very least." I agreed.
"Monsieur the professor Is a man of
secrets. It appears." continued Amedee.
"When lie wrote to Muio. Brossard. en
gaging his rooms, he Instructed her to
be careful that none of us should men
tion even his name, and today when
be came he spoke of bis anxiety on
that point."
"But you did mention It."
"To whom, monsieur?" asked the old
fellow blankly.
"To me."
"But I told him I bad not." said
Amedee placidly. "It" Is the same
thing."
"I wonder." I began, struck with n
sudden thought. "If It will prove quite
the same thing in my own case. 1 sup
pose you have not mentioned the cir
cumstance of my being here to your
friend Jean Ferret of tluesnay?"
lie looked at me reproachfully. "lias
monsieur been troubled by the people
of the chateau? Have they done any
thing whatever to show that they have
heard monsieur Is here?"
"No; certainly tbey haven't." I was
obliged to retract at once. "I beg your
pardon, Amedee."
"Ah. monsieur!" He made n depre
catory bow. wblch plunged me still
deeper In shame. "All the same." he
pursued. "It seems very mysterious
this Keredec affair!"
When n man Is leading a very quiet
und isolated life it is Inconceivable
what trltles will occupy and concen
trate his attention. Thus, though 1
treated the "Keredec affair" with a
seeming airiness to Amedee, I cunning
ly drew the faithful rascal out until
virtually 1 was receiving every even
ing at dinner a detailed report of the
day's doings of Professor Keredec mid
his companion.
The reports were voluminous, the de
tails few. Professor Keredec's voire
could often be heard In every part or
tbe Inn. at times holding forth with
such protraetcd vehemence that only
one explanation would siiiitee tb
learned man was delivering a lecture
to his companion.
Amwlee brushed away my suggestion
that the auditor might he a stenogra
pher to whom the professor was dictat
ing chapters for a new book. The re
lation between the two men, be con
tended, was more like that between
teacher and pupil, "hut a pupil with
gray hair." he tlnlshed, raising his fat
hands to heaven, "for that other mon
sieur has hair as gray as mine. '
That other monsieur" was further j
uescnucii as a nun man, uauusomc,
but wlth,a "slugulnr air," nor could
my colleague more satisfactorily dellno
this air.
1 ascertained that, although "that
other monsieur" had gray hair, ho was
by no means a person of great age.
Indeed. Glouglou, who hail seen hltn
oftencr than any other of the staff,
maintained that he was quite young.'
Nevertheless, Amedeo remarked. It was
certain that Professor Keredec's friend
was uelther aii American nor an Eng
lishman, "Why Is It certain?" I asked.
I'Monsleur, he drinks nothing but wa
ter, ho does not smoko, and (lloulnu
says lie cats bin soup vlleutly."
"Glouglou is an authority wl.o re
solves tub dltBctilty. That other tnnn
slutir" is a Frenchman."
"I (mi fl"il mo flaw In lh ileili!"
tlmi." I :'. 1'! in j-u I" -t'-l. "Vm
THX M1D1F0IU) KAIL TRIBUNE, MKDJETQUl),
i i
GLEST
QUESNAY
Tarkington
Cpyrtti. I Hi. j lt HcClirt UtifMr
C
must leave It there for tonight."
j The next evening Amedeo allowed
I ine to pcrclve that be was concealing
something uuder his arm as he stoked
. tbo coffee machine.
; "What Js that?" 1 said,
t "It Is a book."
"But why do you tiring it to me?"
"Monsieur," he replied in the tones
of an old conspirator, "this afternoon
the professor aud that other monsieur
went, sis usual, to walk lu the forest.
When tbey returned this book fell from
tho pocket of that other monsieur's
coat as ho ascended the stair, and ha
did. not notice."
The book was Wentworth's algebra
elementary principles. Fnlnful recol
lections of my boyhood and tho bi
nomial theorem rose in my mind as
I let the leaves turn under my angers.
His tone became even more confiden
tial. "Part of It, monsieur, is in Eng-
usn. mncts piatn. i nave rounu an , U(.c A, j nought 0f tbe Jig I had
English word In It that 1 know-the. t u,ulw to it my faro hurtled again,
word 0.' nut much of the printing Is Suddenly i snapping of twigs Under
also in Arabic. Yes. monsieut', look ;Mt un, u swishing of branches It tho
there." Ho laid a fat forcllngcr on 1 picket warned wc f n Second lu-
(!l,o',f,:ifb,bV' ,,Tunt ls Arable. I trudvr ordng n way toward tho path
Old Gaston has been to Algeria. Ho thJou.h ,nc underbrush, and very
wnru m ...v " o.u .ui- u
Arabic."
1 shed liO.ligilt UiWil Win. The book
befcn Greek to me In ray tender
years. It was a pleasure now to leavo
a fellow being under tbe impression
that It was Arabic.
But the volume took Its little revenge
upou me. for It Increased my curiosity
about IYofcssor Keredec and "that
other monsieur." Why were two
grown men one an eminent psycholo
gist and the other n gray haired youth
with a singular nlr-carrylng alwut on
tbelr walks a text book for the Instruc-
tlon of boys of thirteen or fourteen?
The next day that curiosity of mine
was piqued In earnest. It rained nnd
I did not leave the Inn. but sat under
tbe great archway and took notes In (
color of the shining road and bright
drenched tlelds. My back was toward '
the courtyard.' and about noou I be- j
came distracted from my work by a I
strong self consciousness which catno
upon roe without any visible or audible
cause. Obeying an Impulse. 1 swung j
round on my camp stool and looked up
directly at tfiV gallery -window of the ,
salon of tin "grande suite." A man J
with a great white beard was standing j
at the window, half hidden by the cur
tain, watching me luteutly. He per-'
celved that I wiw blm and dropped tbe I
curtain immediately. I
The spy was Professor Keredec.
The next day I painted in various
moniing along tbe eastern fringe nnd
moving deeper In as the day advanced.
The path debouched abruptly on tbo
glade and was so narrow tbat when I
leaned back my ellsiws were In the
bushes. I bad tbe ambition to paint a
picture here to do the whQlo thing in
the woods from day to day. Instead of
taking notes for the studio, but when
I rose from my camp stool and stepped
back into the path to get more distance i
for my canvas I saw what a mess I
was making of it. At th- same time my !
band, falling Into'the capacious pocket
of my Jacket, encountered a packago- .
my lunch. Vhlch I had forgotten to
eat. Whereupon, becoming suddenly
nware that I was very hungry, 1 began
to eat Amedee's good sandwiches
without moving from where I stood.
Absorbed, gazing with abysmal dis
gust at my canvas. J was eating nb
8cntmlndedly nnd with all the re
straint and dignity of a Georgia darky
attacking a watermelon when a pleas
ant voice spoke hi French from Just
behind me:
"Pardon, monsieur. Permit me to
pliss. If ynu please."
1 turned In confusion to behold a
dark eyed lady, charmingly dressed in
lllnc and while, waiting for mo to
make way so that she could pass.
I lut vi Just xii Id that 1 "turned In
confusion," The truth Is that 1 Jump
cd like a kangaroo, but with Infinitely
less grace. And In my nervous hasto
to clear the way, meaning only to push
tin. fimlli ktmil nut of tin. n.ith tvith
my foot. 1 put too much valor into )
fliu ruiuli unit ivIMi hnrrfil- untv Hu.
the push, and with horror saw the
camp stool rise In the nlr and drop to i
the ground ngnlu nearly a third of the
distance across the glude. Upon Unit
I squeezed myself back Into tho bush
es, my ears sluglng nnd my cheeks
burning.
There are women who will meet or
pass a strange man In tho woods or
fields with as finished nn nlr of being
unawaro of him (particularly If he bo
a rather shabby painter no longer
youngi, but this woman was not of
that priggish kind. Her straightfor
ward Rlanco recognized my exlstcnco
as a fellow being, nnd she further ac
knowledged It by a faint smile, which
wni of courtesy only, however, nnd
ndtnlttfl no referenco to the fact tbat
ar t.io first wound of her volco 1 bad
) npc I into tho ulr, kicked a camp
w.ol twenty feet and now stood blush
Ing, so shumefiilly stuffed with sand
wich that I dnrod not rpeak.
"Thank you." she said as she wont
by and made mo a little bow no grace
ful thnt It almost coDoolt-d mo for my
ojierl:1.
Tnln.i:
I turned in conunion Co txhaU a dark
ryot lady.
Then, discovering that I still held
the horrid remains of a sausage sand
wich lu my hand. I threw ft Into tho
underbrush with unnecessary force
and, recovering my camp stoolt sat
down to work. I did not Immediately
s(briBkIv ,00, judging by tho sounds.
He burst out Into tho glade r few
paces from mo. a tall man
j nnnuels. liberally decorated w
lu wblto
Ith brain-
; Ue(, am vlluglng shreds of under
t brush. The youthful sprlghtlluesa of
1 his light figure and tho unlvo activity
i 0f nls approach uuvc.uic n very faun-
like llrst liiiliresslou of him.
"Have you seen a lady In a white
and Iliac dres and with roses In her
hat?" he demanded eagerly.
What surprised me was the instan-
, tniiraus certainty With which 1 mog-
' nlzed tbe speaker from Amedce's de-
scrlptlon.
My sudden gentleman was strikingly
good looking, his complexion so clear
" in re cen her only once More."
and boyishly healthy that, except for
bl m' u,,,r' uu mlht Pag8cd,
for- 'ty-two or t wouty-three and
even as It was I guessed tils years
..I..... .1.1.... It... M...
' . " J" ' .. ' 1,, . JIT'
turely gray hair, and, as Amedeo said.
though out of the world we were near
It. It was the newcomer's "singular
air" which stahllshed tils Identity.
Amedee's vagueness had Irked me, but
the thing llself-the "singular air"
was not at nil vague. Instantly per
ceptible. It was an Investiture, mark
ed, definite nod Intangible. My Inter
rogator was "i hut other monsieur."
In response to his question I asked
him another:
"Were the roses rertl or artificial?"
"I don't know, he answered, with
what 1 took to be a whimsical as
sumption of gravity, "It wouldn't
matter, would It? Have ynu seen
her?"
"Isn'l your description." I said grave
ly, thinking to suit my humor to bis
own. "somewhat tint general? A great
many while hats trimmed with rojes
might come tor a stroll lu tneso
""J"1.""
UaVC
seen her only once before,"
he responded promptly, with n seri
ousness apparently quite gcnul j.
"Thnt was from my window at on Inn
three days ago. 8bo drove by In un
open carriage. i
"A llttlo while ngo," ho wont or,. "I I
was up In tho brnnclios of n tree over ,
yonder, nnd I cm tight n glimpse of a
lady In a light ircs'H and a white hut, !
nnd I thought It might he the hi. ,e.
Sho woro n dress lll.o that mid n vuU
hat with rusei when shu ijrove b He
Inn. I am very anxious sen hn
asaln." "Von fieein to be!"
"And hnven't you seen her? IJnsn'i
she passed this way?"
"I thltil: that I may have seen li t."
I began slowly, "but if you do 1101
Know her I should not ndvlso
1 was Intnirupted hv n shout ami the
sriind of n lur'.' bod. pluilng In the
thicket, l'rofcijsor Kerediv floundorid
nit thiout'ti tho last row of topilnu
nnd buahi'St. his Ixttnl en 'iellhiied
with u broken wig. his big 'ilie red
:i'ii P'-r ; lr' i!' iU4 i' 1
i;r .li .-i I. li, I'm o-'i i
ii - ju .-au.uiitLt i iljz:
OUECIPN, TUESDAY, FEBUUAIiY 1, 1010.
i V .
muiiiiniriiiui oi ueigui. sniornuuuH i
girth, ' lli,HMed the oun man by
the anil.
"Ha. my frlendl" he exclaimed In A
bass voice of astounding power cud
depth, "that Is one way to study botany-lu
Jump out ot the middle of a
high tree and to run like a eraay maul"
"1 saw a lady I wished to follow,"
the other answered promptly,
"A lady! What lady?"
"The ludy who passed the tuu three
days ago. I spoke of her then, you re
member." 'Totinriiv de Dbni!" Keredec slap
ped his thigh violently, "llarr I nev
er told you that to tollow strange la
dles Is one of the things you csunol
dor'
, 'That other monsieur" shook bis
head. "No: 'ou have never told mo
tbat. I do uot understand It," he said,
adding Irrelevantly, "I believe this
gentleman knows her. Hv says ho
i i. i.. ..I...... ... '
thinks he has seen her."
"If you please, wo must uot troublo
this geutlemau about It," said tho pro
fessor hastily.
"Hut I wish to ask blm her name,"
urged tbe other.
"No, uol" Keredec took blm by tho
nrti). "We must go!"
"nut why?' persisted tbe younf
nan.
"Not now!" Tbo professor removed
bis broad felt bat and hurriedly wiped
his vast aud steaming brow. "It la
better If wc do not discuss It now."
"But I might uut meet him again."
"I do not know the lady," 1 said,
with some sharpness, "I have never
seeu her until this afternoon.1'
Upon this "thnt other mousleur" as
tonished me In good earnest. Search
ing my eyes eagerly with his clear, In
qulsltlve gaze, lie took a step toward
tne and said:
"You are sure you ar tolling tbo
truthX
Tlie professor uttered hit SK'lf.ma
lion of horror, sprang tVtwnrd and
clutched his frtoutl fm again. "Mnl
hcureux!" he cHcd. and then to me:
"Sir. von will give hltn pardon It you
can. lie has no meaning to bo rude."
"Itude!" The young man's volco
showed both astonishment and pain.
"Wss that rude? I didn't know. I
didn't mean to be rude, God knows',
Ah." he mi Id sadly, "I do nothing but
make mistakes. I hope you will for
give me."
"Ha. that Is better!" sliuured the
great man. "We shall go home now
nnd eat n good dinner. Hut tlrst"
his sllvur rluiim-d spectacles twinkled
upou mi', and he bent his Ittubdlug
uaglan back In a bow which, against
my will, reinliidi-d me or the courtesies
performed by tirlofTs dancing bears
"llrst let me spi-nk some word fur my
self. .My dear sir"- he addressed him
self lo me with grave formality "do
uot KtipMsi I have no realization that
other excuses should Ik- made to you.
Believe tne. they shall be. it is now
that 1 see it Is fortunate for us that
you are our fellow luiismun at l.c
Trots Pigeons."
(T b svUiud.)
! Head tbe Classified Atls
. . jaWLB. . s
REAL
ESTATE
SNAPS
A bargain 41 acres fruit or al
falfa lunil, 2 milsH from station.
Finest fruit and alfalfa ranch in
ApplexnU valley, ditch anil water
right with place; $00 nu ucrs; onsy
terms.
00 asres rich bottom land, 70 in
high-grade fruit, 'JO in younf alfalfa,
fine buildings; $30,000; good turms.
SiskiyouLandCo
206 Pliipos Building,
Medford, Or.
The JACKSON COUNTY REALTY COMP'Y
604 WEST TENTH STREET, OR 124 KING STREET.
MEDFORD
Offlco In residence, corner West Tenth and King Streets. Always prepared o show you tlie best Jack
son county has In the real estate line from the unimproved land to tho best boarlng orchards, farm land
or stock ranches; also city property. Tho manager has had ten years.' expcrlenco In tho county, which
will aid the prospectivo purchaser. Seeing Is knowing. Wo also have modern rooms to accommodato
0
our patrons.
Following are Some of our Good Buys
1G acres Newtowns and
Spit, apples, $.10,000 easy
terms; .j uut ready to bear.
30 acres Nowtown- and
Spit apples 4-ycar-old
trees; $5GO0, easy terms.
Several nice small tracts
near town just corning in
bearing.
I
1
andsee us in our New
Quarters, 108 W. Main
St, next door to York &
Co. Realty Office.
SRex Market
Huth fi Pech Props. Phone 3071
r
REAL
I
Farmland Timber Land
4 , Orchard Land
Residences City Lots
Orchards and Mining Claims
Medford
Room 10, Jackson
I Medford Iron Works
I E. G. TRBYrlRIDSE, Proprietor.
Foundry-and Machinist
All Ur, of Englnii, Spraying Outfits, Pumps, Boilers and Ma
Tehlnery, Agents in Southern Bregon for
FAIRBANKS, M0PSE & CO.
tf tf 4 f -f-tt-t-f
3G0 acres 1 1-2 miles north
of Baglo Point, $18,000,
eusy terms.
200 acres south Eagle
Point, $10,000, easy
ternm.
House, two lots, well locat
ed; price $1700; torma.
293 acres near coal mines,
$9000, cnsy4erms.
ALL
ESTATE
Realty Co
County Bank Building
RESOLVED
TLt tist rasolMtiou fr you
to roast is ! sums U un far
your risxt suit, if you waul
souittbiug oat of tin ordinary
Wo ilo lha btst work and tibnrgo
llio lowtst pries.
W. W. BIFKET
tub raoaR&taxvxi tatxok
OREGON
ALSO A HUNT KOH T1IK .SNOWY
mJTTH OHCIIAHI).
Two lots, fine louation,
$1500.
Sovoral acre tracts, fine lo
catibn to subdivide for
lote for aalo.
i