Adventure, June 1911 — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

BY FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER. CHAPTER I MR. ASHTON HE dull October afternoon was = rapidly drawing to a close as I passed through the village of Pinhoe and set my steps rather wearily toward Exeter. I had conceived the idea, some time before, of walking from London to Torquay, and my chief concern at the moment was to decide whether or not I could cover the intervening five miles and reach the Half Moon Hotel in High Street before the impending storm broke. I had left Pinhoe perhaps half a mile to the rear, when the strong southwest gale. whipped into my face some drops of cold, . stinging rain. As I hesitated, uncertain whether to go forward in the face of the - gale or to beat a hasty retreat to the vil- lage, I heard behind me the sound of an approaching automobile. 343 It slowed up, and a voice inquired whether I could point out the way to Major Tem- ple’s place. I glanced up and saw a tall, heavily built man of perhaps some forty years of age, bronzed and rugged, with the mark of the traveler upon him, and al- though his face at first impressed me un- pleasantly, the impression was dispelled in part at least by his peculiarly attractive smile. I informed him that I was myself a comparative stranger to that part of Eng- land. He then asked if I were going toward Exeter and, on my affirmative reply, at once invited me to get into the car, as he could carry me at least the major part of my way. He was a good looking fellow, of a sort, with a somewhat sensuous face, and I felt certain that his short, stubby, black mus- tache concealed a rather cruel mouth. Evi- dently a man to gain his ends, I thought, without being over nice about the means he employed. COniICloo cS (C@