view of his house, standing some
hundred feet back from the street. The south, or side, window afforded a
view of his front yard and that of an adjoining dwelling, beyond which
rose the wall of a mercantile block. Business was encroaching upon
David's domain. Our friend stood looking out of the south window. To the
left a bit of Main Street was visible, and the naked branches of the
elms and maples with which it was bordered were waving defiantly at
their rivals over the way, incited thereto by a northwest wind.

We invariably form a mental picture of every unknown person of whom we
think at all. It may be so faint that we are unconscious of it at the
time, or so vivid that it is always recalled until dissipated by seeing
the person himself, or his likeness. But that we do so make a picture is
proved by the fact that upon being confronted by the real features of
the person in question we always experience a certain amount of
surprise, even when we have not been conscious of a different conception
of him.

Be that as it may, however, there was no question in John Lenox's mind
as to the identity of the person who at last came briskly into the back
office and interrupted his meditations. Rather under the middle height,
he was broad-shouldered and deep-chested, with a clean-shaven, red face,
with--not a mole--but a slight protuberance the size of half a large pea
on the line from the nostril to the corner of the mouth; bald over the
crown and to a line a couple of inches above the ear, below that thick
and somewhat bushy hair of yellowish red, showing a mingling of gray;
small but very blue eyes; a thick nose, of no classifiable shape, and a
large mouth with the lips so pressed together as to produce a slightly
downward and yet rather humorous curve at the corners. He was dressed in
a sack coat of dark "pepper-and-salt," with waistcoat and trousers to
match. A somewhat old-fashioned standing collar, flaring away from the
throat, was encircled by a red cravat, tied in a bow under his chin. A
diamond stud of perhaps two carats showed in the triangle of spotless
shirt front, and on his head was a cloth cap with ear lappets. He
accosted our friend with, "I reckon you must be Mr. Lenox. How are you?
I'm glad to see you," tugging off a thick buckskin glove, and putting
out a plump but muscular hand.

John thanked him as they shook hands, and "hoped he was well."

"Wa'al," said Mr. Harum, "I'm improvin' slowly. I've got so 'st