The Sky Line of Spruce

al drama. The convicts stared; Howard, the second guard, forgot his vigilance and stared

n Darby in a convict gang?"

t I'm a-doin'." He composed himself then and shifted his gun from his left to his right shoulder. "He's here i

To Ezra Melville there could no longer be any shadow of doubt as to the truth: even that he had found the young man working in a gang of convicts could not impugn the f

was a long, dark scar just under the short hair at his temple that Melville had never seen before. And th

y struggling with deep emotio

owing bewilderment. "Five years-for burglary," he answered simply. "Gu

s own bewilderment seemed to pass

o Melville's side. "He's suffering loss of memory," he explained swiftly. "At least, he's either lost h

ut I don't. I honestly didn't remember my name was Darby until a minute ago-then just as soon as

ey. "May I talk to you about this case?" he asked quietly. "If not to yo

ersation. The afternoon was shadow-flaked and paling when they had finished, and before Sprigley led his men back within t

lean old man, dressed in the garb of the cinder trail, was pleading his case to no less a personage than the governor of the State of Washington in whom authority for dealing with Ben's case was absolutely vested. It

e of McNamara, the Governor. McNamara himself stood up to greet them when they entered, the guard and the convict.

a high score, he conversed easily, he talked frankly of his symptoms. He had perfect understanding of the general sweep of events in the past twenty years: his amnesia seemed confined to his own activities and the

n?" Forest asked him quietl

With the vaguest kind of memory. I know I've see

folks. I should say he was a very good friend, to

be told that fact. The explan

d. "You remember the

s mind were not clear enough for him to an

if he remembers winning the canoe race at Lodge

owly shook his head. "I can't reme

e been interesting experiences. Now what do these mean to you

onsciousness. Thunder Lake! Somewhere, some time, Thunder Lake had had the most intimate associations with his life. The name stirred

knowledge of the name and all that it meant. But it simply

n named Abner Darby: some one whom he had once worshipped with the fervor of boyhood, but who had leaned on his own, strong shoulders in latter year

-pictures went no further: there were no later visions of Edith as a young woman, blossoming with virgin beauty. They stopped short, and he had a deep, compelling

onded at last. "I think they'll come plainer, though, the m

it be blank." The alienist again leaned toward him, his eyes searching. There ensued an instant's

ing in some degree the effect of a violent start. "Wolf D

else, shows that that blunted memory of yours has begun to functio

that the name gave him a certain sense of pleasure and pride, as if it had been used in compliment to some of his own traits. Far away and long ago, men had calle

en's case were receiving justification. He appeared quite a little flushed, deeply intent, when he turned to the next feature

e your own possessions once-you sent them yourself to Abner Darb

s. There was little doubt but that his subconsciousness had full cognizance of the contents of that box. He was trembling slightly, too-in e

is chair; Forest had the rapt look of a scientist in some engrossing experiment. He opened the box, taking there

is brown face, and all at once small drops of moisture appeared on his brow and through the short hair

wly, brokenly. "I won it, didn't I-the day-t

s dropped over him; there were only the medals left in their roll of cotton, and the broken fragments of a story-of some

ours or mine. With the right environment, the right treatment, he'd be on the straight road to recovery. In a

first on Ben, then on the alieni

temporary mania from shell-shock. It is true that his memory was left blank, but there doesn't seem to be any organic reason for it to be blank-other than lack of incentive to remember.

-Melville-offers to

p to you to say whet

n once, in the line of duty imposed by his high office, he had been obliged to make decisions contrary to every dictate of mercy. He was al

ollowed what the doctor

well,

nd earnest friend if I may say so-we've looked up your record, and now we know more about you than you know about yourself. You served in France with Canadian troops and there, y

rime. For some months you lived as a desperate criminal in Seattle. You came to yourself in the act of breaking into a bank, only to find

of this State to punish men when they are not responsible for their deeds. Melville tells me that your record, in your own home, was the best; your war record alone, I bel

re of course no one knows for sure-but Doctor Forest has a theory; and I think he will tell you that he will share the credit for it with the same man who has been your fri

he'll tell you of later, that will not only be the best possible influence toward recalling

m going to parole you-under the charge of your b

cken instantly solemn too, surprised that the droll smile they were so used to se

orest got up to shake his hand. "I'll look after

e dignity as he thanked them, gravely and earnestly, for their kindnes