terested comment ran through the
room.

"But how was it possible for her to get her hands loose?" said one.

"I assure you," said Mrs. Meyer, she of the _Parsifal_ impressions, and
the wife of the Hebrew leader of the Gentile mob who went "down the
line" for McCorkle the night before the caucuses, "I assure you that
what she told me was unknown not only to every one else, but to me
also; but it turned out true. It's uncanny!"

"It's humbug," said the bass voice of Doctor Brown, "and until you show
me the source of this 'occult' energy, I shall so contend. Animal
magnetism and sleight-of-hand! What do you think, Mrs. Hunter?"

Amidon looked across and saw--Mrs. Hunter, of Hazelhurst! It was she
and her daughter from whom he had bashfully flown to the buffet, just
before he alighted from the train at Elm Springs Junction. As he
looked at her all the old life returned to him! He saw himself sitting
with her and Minnie in the car, as she talked fashions to him and
chattered her anticipations of the lovely time Minnie was to have with
the family of Senator Fowler on the Maine coast. He saw Blodgett come
in, and himself seize the opportunity to escape with his lawyer to the
buffet. Then he saw the rural railway platform, the fading glory of
the west--and then the waking in the sleeping-car! Could it all be
possible?

"Do you know the lady talking with Doctor Brown?" he asked of Miss
Waldron.

"Mrs. Hunter?" said Elizabeth questioningly. "Why, didn't you meet her
when you came in? She is Mrs. Pumphrey's sister, of Hazelhurst,
Wisconsin. She receives with Mrs. Pumphrey to-night."

"I thought it was Mrs. Hunter, as soon as I saw her," answered Amidon;
"she is an old acquaintance of mine."

And it was some little time, so far had he forgotten his peculiar
position, before the baleful possibilities of this innocent and
truthful remark occurred to him. When he thought of it, any observing
friend might well have inquired after his health, so gray with pallor
and moist with sweat had his face become. Not that he felt hanging
over him any such danger as he had feared when he found himself in the
shoes of another man, with that other man unaccounted for. He really
cared very little about _that_, now. The people of Bellevale, and
Hazelhurst, too, might think what they pleased about this mystery of
disappearance and reappearance: he was independent of them all, and
those he really cared about would understand.