The Argosy, January 1906 — page 138: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

320 gatherer’s thoughts were secretly set upon the mystery of Solon Burress’ murder. Orrin had smothered a portion of his testimony at the coroner’s inquest; but he had not forgotten a single suspicious circumstance connected with the crime. Burress was therefore not a little anxious until Lloyd returned. The her- balist might be tempted, by his curiosity and love of prying into affairs other than his own, to try some foolish ex- periment upon the afflicted man. And this was exactly what he had done, but Burress only learned of it through Leslie, to whom the old man eonfessed. He had taken Lloyd into the Big Woods and presented to him suddenly the scene of the murder. He had brought him out upon the ridge above the wood-road at the exact spot from which Lloyd saw the fatal shot fired and Solon Burress fall dead. But to Orrin’s disappointment nothing eame of it. Lloyd had shown no recog- nition of the place whatsoever. After this, Burress made it a point to keep the herb-gatherer and his patient apart unless he himself could be present at their interviews. He took pains to warn Orrin, likewise, that he must not refer to Lloyd’s past life, or tell him of incidents which had happened during the young man’s primary existence. But Lloyd developed a liking for wandering about the woods and fields, and took an interest in the more simple forms of natural science, which was en- tirely foreign to his previous character. Orrin’s half-vagabond life appealed to him, and for the first time since his recovery from his fall he showed vexa- tion at the doctor’s restraint. Burress eould take nobody into his confidence, not even Leslie. To say that he was suspicious of Orrin Paddock might raise doubts of himself in the girl’s mind. Indeed, Leslie quite approved of Lloyd’s open-air life. She was anxious to do anything within her power to help him; or to attach his interest, if possible, to herself. She helped Nathan with the books of the Blue Front Grocery that the old man might not grumble over the fact that his partner left him to do all the work, THE ARGOSY. And how did this impress Lloyd? “She’s very nice to help Nathan, doctor,” he observed to Lloyd, and that careless comment was actually all he had to say about the matter. The fact remained, and no exertion upon Burress’ part could change it, that Seymour Lloyd in his present state of mind had no interest whatsoever in the woman whom he had once loved so dearly. The patient had not been informed (and that because of Leslie’s own plead- ing) that he had once asked her to be his wite. She hoped that in time his heart would turn naturally toward her, even if he retained his second identity. But this present character was utterly differ- ent from the original personality of the man; in tastes, habits, disposition, and social likes and dislikes they were so dissimilar that they might have resided in different bodies. The methodical, high-minded, rather puritanical individual whom Burress had known all his life seemed utterly buried in oblivion. This new person- ality of his afflicted friend was by no means the moral equal of the old. It was as though the worse side of the man’s nature had gained ascendancy over his higher and nobler qualities. The Mr. Hyde in Lloyd’s spiritual make- up had come to the surface and utterly ignored the claims of his earlier and better character. It was within Burress’ power to for- bid Orrin Paddock the house, and to. separate Lloyd forcibly from the old man. But the effect of this upon the patient was in doubt; and Burress was only too sure that such a course would set Orrin’s suspicious curiosity on fire. Therefore, it only remained for the doctor (as previously stated) to often set aside his own work, or his own desires, and join Lloyd and the herbalist in their trips about the country. Lloyd’s affee- tion for the doctor, aroused during the first few weeks of his affliction, had not waned. He was delighted to have Bur- ress make one in these outings. Thus far no suggestion regarding hunting, or a rifle, had been made by the herbalist. Leslie and Nathan Land- grave held the opinion that the man who shot Solon Burress had removed Lloyd’s Comichoo (E(0) im