puzzled. It seemed to him that there had been a shade of
evasion in the other man's manner, slightly less frankness in his eyes.
But he showed no excitement, nothing furtive or alarmed. And the open
and unsolicited statement as to Norada baffled him. He had to admit to
himself either that a man strongly resembling Judson Clark had come from
the same neighborhood, or--

"Norada?" he said. "That's where the big Clark ranch was located, wasn't
it? Ever happen to meet Judson Clark?"

"Our place was very isolated."

Bassett found himself being politely ushered out, considerably more at
sea than when he went in and slightly irritated. His annoyance was not
decreased by the calm voice behind him which said:

"Better drink considerable water when you take that stuff. Some stomachs
don't tolerate it very well."

The door closed. The reporter stood in the waiting-room for a moment.
Then he clapped on his hat.

"Well, I'm a damned fool," he muttered, and went out into the street.

He was disappointed and a trifle sheepish. Life was full of queer
chances, that was all. No resemblance on earth, no coincidence of
birthplace, could make him believe that Judson Clark, waster, profligate
and fugitive from the law was now sitting up at night with sick
children, or delivering babies.

After a time he remembered the prescription in his hand, and was about
to destroy it. He stopped and examined it, and then carefully placed it
in his pocket-book. After all, there were things that looked queer. The
fellow had certainly evaded that last question of his.

He made his way, head bent, toward the station.

He had ten minutes to wait, and he wandered to the newsstand. He made
a casual inspection of its display, bought a newspaper and was turning
away, when he stopped and gazed after a man who had just passed him from
an out-bound train.

The reporter looked after him with amused interest. Gregory, too! The
Livingstone chap had certainly started something. But it was odd, too.
How had Gregory traced him? Wasn't there something more in Gregory's
presence there than met the eye? Gregory's visit might be, like his own,
the desire to satisfy himself that the man was or was not Clark. Or it
might be the result of a conviction that it was Clark, and a warning
against himself. But if he had traced him, didn't that indicate that
Clark himself had got into communication with him? In other words, that
the chap was Clark, after all? Gregory, havi