The Man in Lonely Land Read online

  E-text prepared by Al Haines

  THE MAN IN LONELY LAND

  by

  KATE LANGLEY BOSHER

  Author of "Mary Cary" and "Miss Gibbie Gault"

  MCMXII

  TO MY BROTHER

  EDWARD PORTIUS LANGLEY

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER

  I. GENERAL II. THE REQUEST III. SCIENTIFICS IV. DOROTHEA AND MR. LAINE V. THE LOSS OF HIS BEST FRIEND VI. A LETTER FROM DOROTHEA VII. AN AFTERNOON CALL VIII. THE RECEPTION IX. DOROTHEA ASKS QUESTIONS X. A DISCOVERY XI. A CHANCE ENCOUNTER XII. CHRISTMAS SHOPPING XIII. MR. LAINE GOES SHOPPING ALONE XIV. AN INFORMAL VISIT XV. THE MAN WHO DID NOT KNOW XVI. A CHANGE OF PLANS XVII. A VISIT TO VIRGINIA XVIII. ELMWOOD XIX. CHRISTMAS XX. CLAUDIA XXI. A VISIT FROM DOROTHEA XXII. SPRINGTIME

  I

  GENERAL

  Mr. Winthrop Laine threw his gloves on the table, his overcoat on achair, put his hat on the desk, and then looked down at his shoes.

  "Soaking wet," he said, as if to them. "I swear this weather wouldruin a Tapley temper! For two weeks rain and sleet and snow andsteam heat to come home to. Hello, General! How are the legstonight, old man?" Stooping, he patted softly the big, beautifulcollie which was trying to welcome him, and gently he lifted thedog's head and looked in the patient eyes.

  "No better? Not even a little bit? I'd take half if I could,General, more than half. It's hard luck, but it's worse not to knowwhat to do for you." He turned his head from the beseeching eyes."For the love of heaven don't look at me like that, General, don'tmake it--" His breath was drawn in sharply; then, as the dog madeeffort to bark, to raise his right paw in greeting as of old, he putit down carefully, rang the bell, walked over to the window, and fora moment looked out on the street below.

  The gray dullness of a late November afternoon was in the air of NewYork, and the fast-falling snowflakes so thickened it that the peoplehurrying this way and that seemed twisted figures of fantasticshapes, wind-blown and bent, and with a shiver Laine came back andagain stood by General's side.

  At the door Moses, his man, waited. Laine turned toward him. "Getout some dry clothes and see what's the matter with the heat. Ablind man coming in here would think he'd struck an ice-pond." Helooked around and then at the darkey in front of him. "The Lord gaveyou a head for the purpose of using it, Moses, but you mistake it attimes for an ornament. Zero weather and windows down from the toptwelve inches! Has General been in here to-day?"

  "No, sir. He been in the kitchen 'most all day. You told me thismorning to put fresh air in here and I put, but me and General ain'tbeen in here since I clean up. He's been powerful poorly to-day,sir."

  "I see he has." Laine's hand went to the dog and rested a moment onhis head. "Close up those windows and turn on the lights and seeabout the heat. This room is almost as cheerful as a morgue atdaybreak."

  "I reckon you done took a little cold, sir." Moses closed thewindows, drew the curtains, turned on more heat, and made the room ablaze of light. "It's a very spacious room, sir, and for them whatloves books it's very aspirin', but of course in winter-time a roomwithout a woman or a blazin' fire in it ain't what it might be.Don't you think you'd better take a little something, sir, to het youup inside?"

  Laine, bending over General, shook his head. "No, I don't. I wantsleep. I came home early to try and get a little, but--"

  "You ain't had none to speak of for 'most a week." Moses stilllingered. "I wish you'd let General come in my room to-night. Youcan't stand seein' him suffer, and you'll be sick yourself if youkeep a-waitin' on him all night. Can't I get you a little Scotch,sir, or a hot whiskey punch? I got the water waitin'. They say nowwhiskey ain't no permanent cure for colds, but it sure do help youthink it is. Experience is better than expoundin' and--"

  Again Laine shook his head. "Get me some dry clothes," he said, thenwent to the table and looked over the letters laid in a row upon it."Have a taxi-cab here by quarter past six and don't come in againuntil I ring. I'm going to lie down."

  A few minutes later, on a rug-covered couch, General on the floorbeside him, he was trying to sleep. He was strangely tired, and fora while his only well-defined feeling was one of impatience at havingto go out. Why must people do so many things they don't want to do?He put out his hand and smoothed softly General's long ears. Whycouldn't a man be let alone and allowed to live the way he preferred?Why-- "Quit it," he said, half aloud. "What isn't Why in life isWherefore, and guessing isn't your job. Go to sleep."

  After a while he opened his eyes and looked around the book-linedwalls. When he first began to invest in books he could only buy oneat a time, and now there was no room for more. He wondered if therewas anything he could buy to-day that would give him the thrill hisfirst books had given. He had almost forgotten what a thrill couldmean. But who cared for books nowadays? The men and women he knew,with few exceptions, wouldn't give a twist of their necks to see his,would as soon think of reading them as of talking Dutch at adinner-party, and very probably they were right. Knowledge addedlittle to human happiness. Science and skill could do nothing forGeneral. Poor General! Again he smoothed the latter's head. Foryears he had barked his good-bye in the morning, for years watchedeagerly his coming, paws on the window-sill as dusk grew on, foryears leaped joyously to meet him on his return, but he would dothese things no longer. There was no chance of betterment, and deathwould be a mercy--a painless death which could be arranged. But hehad said no, said it angrily when the doctor so suggested, and hadtried a new man, who was deceiving him.

  "You are all I have, General"--his hand traveled softly up and downthe length of the dog's back--"and somewhere you must wait for me.I've got to stay on and play the game, and it's to be playedstraight, but when it's called I sha'n't be sorry."

  From a box on a table close to him he took a cigar, lighted it, andwatched its spirals of smoke curl upward. Life and the smoke thatvanisheth had much in common. On the whole, he had no grievanceagainst life. If it was proving a rather wearisome affair it wasdoubtless his own fault, and yet this finding of himself alone atforty was hardly what he had intended. There was something actuallycomic about it. That for which he had striven had been secured, butfor what? Success unshared is of all things ironic, and soon noteven General would be here to greet him when the day's work was done.He blew out a thin thread of smoke and followed its curvings withhalf-shut eyes. He had made money, made it honestly, and it hadbrought him that which it brought others, but if this were all lifehad to give--He threw his cigar away, and as General's soft breathingreached him he clasped his hands at the back of his head and staredup at the ceiling.

  Why didn't he love his work as he used to? He had played fair, butto play fair was to play against the odds, and there were times whenhe hated the thing which made men fight as fiercely to-day as in thedays of the jungle, though they no longer sprang at each other'sthroats. On the whole, he preferred the cavemen's method of attack.They at least fought face to face. As for women--

  He got up, stooped down, and patted General softly. "I'm sorry toleave you, old man, but you'll sleep and I won't be long. Why Hopedidn't telephone what she wanted me to do, instead of beseeching meto come to her that she might tell me, is beyond male understanding.But we don't try to understand women, do we, General?"

  The big brown eyes of the collie looked up in his master's face andin them was beseeching adoration. With painful effort he laid firstone paw and then the other on Laine's hand, and as the latter strokedthem he barked feebly.

  For a moment there was silence, the silence of understandingcomrades, then Laine turned away and began to dress.