And certainly there was no
form of eccentricity less aggressive than that of a hermit, had
they chosen to give him that appellation. But they did not even do
that, probably from lack of interest or perception. To the various
traders who supplied his small wants he was known as "Kernel,"
"Judge," and "Boss." To the general public "The Man on the Beach"
was considered a sufficiently distinguishing title. His name, his
occupation, rank, or antecedents, nobody cared to inquire. Whether
this arose from a fear of reciprocal inquiry and interest, or from
the profound indifference before referred to, I cannot say.
He did not look like a hermit. A man yet young, erect, well-
dressed, clean-shaven, with a low voice, and a smile half
melancholy, half cynical, was scarcely the conventional idea of a
solitary. His dwelling, a rude improvement on a fisherman's cabin,
had all the severe exterior simplicity of frontier architecture,
but within it was comfortable and wholesome. Three rooms--a
kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom--were all it contained.
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