The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1888-09-20
SELECTED.
A SUCCESS RuSE.

house keeper, there's Il man up in tn,
plum tree"
Up in the plum-tree - repeated Mr.
Brown. and what's he doing up in the
plum-tree: It amt the time o year fol
ripe plums."
"No, said Xuriah, giving the frying
pan that she was cleaning an extra scrapt
with the knife. " faint time o year fui
plunS to be ripe. But its always time o
year for young men to make fools OF
themselves, and the third branch of that
ar plum-tree is on line with the window
of Arabrlla Arden room
En-" said Mr., Brown dropping his
newspaper and opening his eyes very
wide.
As tue as yon live. sir said /urah
but that was precisely what my
brother sent her down here for, said Mr.
Brown, contracting his bold forehead
into innumcrable wrinkles. To keel
her out of Hubert Wyntou's way
"lIumph!' said Iuriah. The world
is wide, but it amt wide enough to kecl
two fools apart
Up the plum-trce, is hef" said Mr.
Brown with II sardonic smile, "Wha'
sort Of looking fellow is he, /cruiaht'
wall, answered the old woman, still
holding the frying pan as Minerva of old
might have held her shield, the leaves Is
thick, and my sight amt what it once
was but he's got light.colored clothes on,
as was never cut in Bean llalow and his
hat, that lays out on the grass, has got a
city makers name in it,"
Good" nodded Mr. Brown. You
ought To have been II detective, Ruey
They would give you good wages, I'll
bet big apple. Where is the hat;
al brung it in and put it on the hall
table. answered Zeruiah.
Very well. Go out and chain Caesar
under the plum tree. Give him good
length of chain, Ruey. Then come back
and move all Arabella's things into the
west bedroom. I'll take the end room
myself. If there's any serenading OF
poetry rcciting, or anything of that sort.
| Il have the benefit of it myself
A slow smile broke out over Icruiah' :
wooden face.
"But whatll YOU tell her.: said She.
Tell her? Why, that the end room is
"A better aspect for my rheumatism, said
Mr. Brown, chuckling. AID make
haste, or she'll be back from Widow
Poets. Everything must be moved ~
fore she returns. And pull the shade
down, so the city chap won't suspicion
what we're up to.
or trndged Ieruiah, who in spite of
her having first seen the light on the rug
gcd COASTS of Maine, was at heart a true
Spanish duenna, and took Il grim delight
in frustrating the intents of Cupid.
Bella Arden was young and pretty.
Bella had dared to ridicule her old-fash-
toned ideas. Bella had ncknamcd her
Medusa, and though /cruiah had not
the least idea who "Medusa1 was, she
dimly suspected that it was no compli-
mentary term And therefore /cruiah
was not sorry to see the pretty Boston
Girl Come up With, As She phrased it
why, Uncle Brown cried Bella,
when she came in, with her fair hair
blown about her face and her checks red
,lrned by her brisk walk across hill aud
hollow why have you changed my
ROOM
"Well, you see my dear, said Mr..
Brown, craftily. Il We an idce that the
east room will suit my rheumatism better.
You don't mind?
"Oh, not in the least" sand Bella,
And III 90 right to work and arrange
the things that that cross old Ieruiah has
flung about so recklcssly. oh, by the way
uncle, there was no letter for me, | sup
pose as she glanced at the weekly pa
per lying unfolded on the table, for /
see they brought the mail.
"No, my dear, said Mr.. Brown, mo
letters"
Aud the cows came, with tiuklng bells,
home from the fern-sccutcd pastures, and
the sun sank behind the maple >wamps,
and the purple dimnesS of twilight began
to brood over all things, and still Hubert
Wynton, prisoned up among the tossing
plum boughS. waited in vain for some
of his release.
.'Confound these good people! said he
to himself what on earth have they
chained that savage beast here for just
now? And believe | must have made a
mistake-that is not Bclla'a room at all
4 stout old man has sat there, reading
the paper all the afternoon, and have nj
dared to stir for fear of being shot for a
burglar. I've seen the darling once OF
twice picking flowers in the garden and
bringing water from the spring, but |
haven't vcntured to call to her for fear
of betrayng my hiding-place Shades of
Epcurlls. how good that frying chick
smells-Coiite, too, Id give king :
ransom for cup of it,
Poor Hubert He could not stir for
fear of rousing CAESARS deep low-pitched
bark and compromising himself and Bella
but he grew sitter and more crampcd
with every second of his enforced virgil.
They must take the dog to his kennel
before long he thought, AS the dew suf-
fused the air with moisture and the night
birds began to wheel about the iuXuriant
branches of the old tree.
But presently ZeruGih came out with a
tin pan of water and platter of bones to
break CAESARS fast,
lis it all right, Rucy;' said Mr. Brown
in sort of stage whisper from the kiteh-
en- door.
IAN right, sir" Zeruiah answered,
And then, in a lightning As II
were, Hubert comprehcnded it all.
He WAS entrapped That wcazcn-faccd
old woman and the malicious elderly I'M
Gle of his beloved were in league To De
his jailors. lie whistlcd softly to him
self
Caesar, from below, left off crnnching
his bones. and uttered deep, thunder
Gus growl at the sound. From the dis
lance the echo of voices reached him =
careless laughter and stray sentences here
and there.
Its Bolton and Ralph Weir, coming
Lack to the iun after their days shoe
ing" he thought. III could only =
word to them.
lie tore leaf from his pocket boob
scribbled a line or two on 1t a. well As h
could In the uncertain dusk, and wrap
ping II around his watch huug il a. fsI