268 
FOREST AND STREAM 
crowed, and a large yellow tom cat that had 
been sleeping at the other end of the porch, got 
up, yawned, stretched his four paws till his belly 
touched the floor, and came softly to rub his 
arched sides against Karl Miller’s legs. It was 
an irresistible smile- A jumping toothache could 
not have kept us from answering it with another. 
“Are you Karl Miller?” we smiled. “Then this 
is Unamis and you are King Karl?” 
“This is Unamis,” he returned, “and I have 
reason :o believe that they do call me King 
Karl.” 
“Can we fish here?” 
“You can do anything you like here that is be¬ 
coming to gentlemen.” 
The smile lingered. So did the conversation. 
We learned that for three miles up stream the 
valley and the mountain sides were his. He had 
come out there some five years ago, having picked 
up his thousand acres for a song. He was 
practically alone in his little kingdom, with only 
a farm house or two within a four mile radius, 
and a dozen, perhaps, if you took in four miles 
more. 
He took us over to see his house, next door to 
the store, where his two men and their families 
lived, as well as himself. It was a well built 
country house, not a bit pretentious, but substan¬ 
tial and comfortable, and suggesting an acquain¬ 
tance with the luxuries of the city. The linen 
was of good quality, there was a library of well 
selected books, there was a rug here and there 
of excellent pattern. He conducted us across the 
road to inspect the cot'ages, which were four 
room bungalows with each a little bath room, 
with running water from a reservoir on the 
mountain side above- He informed us that he 
intended to make this a summer resort, and men¬ 
tioned the price of the cottages, which was so 
insignificant that we looked at him in doubt. He 
only smiled. 
Across the road again he led us to see his 
trout pond, where we watched as many as fifty 
big fellows lazying in the pool, while he ex¬ 
plained that this was intended for ladies only. 
No man might despoil this treasury with rod 
and line, save only if he were so unskillful as to 
spend two entire days along the stream without 
reward. Then three casts over the pond were 
allowed him. He showed us his cows and 
horses and chickens, and at last we followed him 
down into a dank shady glen, in whose heart 
lay a black pool, witn a thic^ snow-white foam 
covering half the surface. This, he told us, was 
a spring of lithia water of great medicinal vir¬ 
tue, and would some day become famous 
throughout the country, for its curative proper¬ 
ties were established. He would later show us 
the government analysis and reports from emi¬ 
nent physicians to prove it. 'We drank copiously 
and courteously, and the taste fully warranted 
his assertions. All the while he carried on a 
breezy conversation, touching on this subject and 
that with animation, sometimes fixing a point 
with a quotation, again with an anecdote, show¬ 
ing now and then a speaking acquaintance with 
politics, with history, with literature, and ever 
and anon breaking out into that infectious smile, 
that ended in rollicking, spontaneous laughter. 
At length we strolled back to the store, and he 
invited us to his sanctum, or throne room. We 
followed him through the long store with its 
amazing assortment of merchandise, back to a 
small office in the rear, partitioned off by un¬ 
painted pine and dingy ground-glass and he ush¬ 
ered us in. A roll-top desk occupied the promi¬ 
nent position, groaning with papers, loose and 
in piles, letters in their envelopes scattered about 
and tied in packages, books on farming and 
chicken raising, government reports, photographs 
and photo films, pipes and broken cigars, and 
a general disarray of miscellaneous articles. Two 
chairs, besides his revolving desk chair, and an 
old egg stove completed the furniture, if a worn, 
colorless rug on the floor be excepted. He got 
out a large bottle of lithia water and set out 
glasses, and we lit our pipes to smoke things over. 
Meanwhile our minds were furtively busy, try¬ 
ing to find out the solution of the puzzle. Why 
had this man of evident breeding and education, 
this delightful companion, who entertained a 
couple of strangers with cheerful urbanity, 
buried himself in this lonely wilderness, with 
only two hired men for company, and the near¬ 
est farmer, even four miles away? A little girl 
came shyly into the store. He excused himself 
to wait on her, and we saw him open the back 
of the candy case and get out an “all-day sucker,” 
which he handed to her with a smile as she 
'held up her penny. 
“Don’t know what I’ll do, if business keeps 
up this way,” he chuckled, as he returned, “guess 
I’ll have to get help. My wife was here one 
time when that little girl came in with her penny 
and she saw me make the sale of one lolly-pop. 
‘The idea of a man who once sold bonds in 
hundred thousand dollar -lots, retailing candy over 
a counter,’ she scolded: ‘You ought to be 
ashamed of yourself,’ ” and he laughed aloud at 
the memory. 
I seized the opening: “You’re married then?” 
I questioned. “'Oh, yes, my wife lives in the city. 
She likes it there. I like it here. I drop in on 
her occasionally and she reciprocates. She likes 
society and I don’t. I like the country and she 
don't. So there you are.” 
“What do you do to keep busy?” Dick ventured. 
“Oh, I look over the place and boss the men,” 
-he replied, “and tend store. And when my friends 
come out I entertain them.” 
“Don’t you get lonesome when none o-f your 
friends are around? How do you keep cheerful 
all by yourself?” 
“I think over the good times I’ve had,” he 
answered. Then he changed the subject by sug¬ 
gesting a good camp site, inasmuch as we were 
determined to camp out, though he renewed his 
former invitation to stay at bis house; at a 
price, he explained, for Unamis was strictly a 
business proposition, but again the price he men¬ 
tioned was ridiculously inadequate. 
Evening was approaching when we left him. 
We should have been fishing all afternoon, but 
he had 'held us like the Old Man-of-the-Sea. We 
followed the road about a mile up the valley, 
found the site he had described, made our camp, 
and considered the business of getting our sup¬ 
per. I suggested that we alternately take charge 
of the meals, and that Dick start by cooking the 
supper and washing the dishes, and I would get 
breakfast. He said the idea was all right, but it 
would be better for me to take the -first meal, 
because 1 was experienced, and he could watch 
the process and be ready for the next one. I 
said there was a flaw in that argument some¬ 
where, and he demanded to know where. After 
considerable study, I suggested that we take this 
one meal at Miller’s, but after that arrange a 
satisfactory plan, and cook all our own meals 
as every true sportsman should. He agreed, and 
we jumped into the car and hurried to the store. 
We found the King just locking up. “I thought 
you might be along,” he chuckled, “and told the 
cook to be prepared. Glad to see you. Come 
right on over.” 
The dinner? There is no use trying. The dic¬ 
tionary is a wonderful book. I believe it is 
supposed to contain every word in the English 
language. But it does not contain any that are 
adequate to describe that dinner. I hunted all 
