Litchfield enquirer., 1878-05-23
From Harper's Maga2inel GRETA'S BOYS.

 young matron, who always listened kindly to the condolences of her hostess. "Her rooms are small to be sure but cGna-aaOt understand how she can crowd all those people into her house. How many came to-day ?"
 :Four think. I saw them get out of the Florida House stage: an old feeble-looking gentleman and his wife, on whom he leaned "a little woman in a dark veil-and two young boys, their sons, imagine very nicely dressed"
 '.How they can" began the lady again, but was interrupted by servant with plate one of tn boarders wanted another piece of the chicken and then old Madame Rolf on the left, made some remark to Mrs. Jacobs, the hostess, and so for the present, the party Of four who had gone to the rival boarding house were dropped from the conversation.
 None of them might ever have been men, tioned again except for the perverted energy and wicked ways of those two boys.
 The 'tHotel Jacobs" as the boarders called 1t was separated from itsrival, the Hotel Parks by one of those narrow lanes that abound ln the city of St. Augustine-a thoroughfare barely wide enough for wagon, having no sidewalk except for narrow beaten path each side of it. The side windows of the two houses confronted each other across this lane and one of the new corners, the daughter of the old gentleman whose wife she had been mis takenly called, looked from her window on the night of her arrival at the ''Hotel Parks" and saw below her window opening on the lane, with it's curtains not yet drawn. A tickle bright light such as comes only from wood fire, illuminated that room in the Hotel Ja- cobs :" on the window-sill were shells and wild flowers in delicate tall glass, and some plants and ferns growing. 'That is woman's room," conjectured Margreta, looking idly down on the taste and beauty of it--"a lone- some woman's, perhaps. know there are no boys to bless and bother there, or it never would look like that"
 If one of the boys, Gretta's brothers, hadn't thnmped on the door just then, and called her out to come find something 'he couldn't find and didn't believe she had ever put it in his trunk, anyway" she would have presently seen gentleman come to the window below and draw his curtains for the room was bachelors-Christophe Fields. He had had this room for three winters in succession. He was man of leisure, being born rich, he usual ly had some friends who came South, and he had made friends with the peasantest resi- dents of the place :; he liked sailing, and horse back riding and botanizing, and all the other little amusements of the visitor to St. Angus tine. So he came yearly, took his big room on the ground floor of the ''Hotel Jacobs and with the help of some favorite books and his regular magazines and newspapers spent third of his year here very peacefully. He was thoroughly good fellow, his companions said kind hearted, honorable, intelligent, and rather tolerant enemy. Though not exactly of heroic stuff, Christopher Field is the hero, the victim, the villain, and the knight of this tale
 Somehow those boys took fancy to MT. Field at first. They were bright-looking lads of twelve and fourteen, and as they lounged on | tba fba coannA O1OrNinD after their IT,. rival, and saw this gray-clad, dark-eyed, smiling and affable looking man walk passed and turn off to enter the yacht clubhouse, one | of them was seized with the idea thathe would be good-natured enough to let them go in too; they wanted to go out under that awning where the gentleman smoked and enjoyed the breeze, and by-and-by went of sailing in pleasant parties with and without ladies. The 1 boy who hoped so much of Mir. Fields amia- bility ran up to him and preferred his request | with audacious words, but a blush on his blonde young face which showed that he hated the chance of rebuff ''We fellows wanted to go in, and they said member of the club l could take us"
 Mir. Field looked down, smiling on the ruddy lad Couldn't do it," he said, and went on to keep an engagement with a party about to sail down to Mantanzas.
 The careless way, but, above all the laugh Ing lOOk, SSuC JIG pcLlGIOuCA UdCh uOG OAAAy ! disappointed but wrathful.
 '.'See how he laughedtat us, Wally?''he said, indignantly, to his calmer and younger broth CT. "I can stand a stingy fellow, perhapsS l but do hate fellow that laughs at his own meanness 'sif twas smart. Amt he witty, though?"
 MT. Field went off sailing unconscious of the scorn and indignation he had reused.
 The two little brothers found time hang heavy on their hands. Their father who was an invalid, required their sisters close atten- dance for the first weeks arrival Greta car ried him his meals, read to him, soothed, en- tertained him, sang to him, watched beside him, absorbed. Nobody saw her except very briefly at meals. MT. Field once caught glimpse of her in the piazza as he passed-no- ted a slight figure dressed in black, knot of sunny curly hair, and a pair of deep blue eyes with black lashes. He meant to ask who she was, but did not. This is the way he l found out
 He went to stay few days with his friend MT. 'Bestor, who had beautiful residence in St. Augustine, and who had been left alone by his familys departure for trip up the Ok lawaha with some New York friends Mir. Bestor said that somebody had been mutila- ting his orange-trees lately, climbing the wall. breaking off stout branches full of bloom, even robbing the trees of fruit occasionally, and l committing depradatiens among his roses He had seen two boys dressed in navy blue hang ing about that wall the day before and if he caught them in his grounds he meant to thrash them, or at least scare them half to death. Now it happened that one day Mir. Field was | lying alone, his friend being away, on a gar den bench completely shaded by orange-trees, and half concealed by flourishing rose-bush. | On this same afternoon, fate compelled the two Godfrey boys to wander down the road | by Mir. Bestor's and to attempt to secure some | beautiful orange blossoms hanging by the wall, to 'ttake to father" Impelled by filial affection and superabundant energy, the elder boy Jack, with his brothers assistance climb ed the wall It was their first attempt against Mir. Bestor, but Christopher leaping to the conclusion | that these were the young robbers above men, toned, sprang to his feet at the sight of navy blue jacket, and stealing up to the wall, tiptoed and made grab at the foot of the of- | fender, who startled but alert, evaded him, and with a sign to his ally without ready to l help him at a moments notice, exclaimed Tn tone, half surly, half saucy,
 Say you're in to big hurry!"
 Christopher grabbed at the boys leg a sec ond time, but Jack skipped again, managed to tread on his enemy's fingers whereat he laughed, and was echoed by low laugh from his brother without This exasperated Chris topher, and he turned and sped to the gate. Jack saw what he meant, clambered down the wall, seized Wally and said, Let's give him run-go it!' and the brothers fled to- gether Christopher gave chase. The boys ran well but Christopher, with smarting fin- gers and wrathful heart, ran fast too, and poor | Wally, tripping on some oyster shells lying be- fere little shop, came to grief and fell flat. Jack helped him to his feet and they started on. Christopher, who was close on them, half stumbled too, caught himself, and deliv- ering parting kick toward Jack, as the boys turned the corner, gave up the chase, for he had seen blood spin from the younger brothers forehead, and heard Jacks breathless exhor- tation, Don't give in before him !" and some how the fire of his wrath had cooled. There lay the boys new straw hat, however, before him. Christopher considered, picked it up, and walked leisurely toward the "Hetel ParksD He would hand over the hat to the boys father, and lodge his complaint of the young rogues. He opened the gate of the | hOa ardinR hn1co woIkod nm tho ro11o and