The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-06
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eyes bent on her work and her quick 1T
tie ears open for every word that was
said. Percy was three years oder than
she and not much taller, but slighter. His
hair was coal black and his pleasant. in
telligent eyes were dark brown, with very
long. thick lashes. Roger was of about
Arthurs height and age, but darker, with
larger features and with especially large,
expressive eyes and straight hair. parted
exactly in the middle Roger was the
musical one of the party and had brought
along his banjo with him. AS he had at
tended a military school, he wore uni
form when he wished to look particularly
fine Madeline was already debating in
her mind whether she could have banjo
solo from Roger with which TO enrich her
fair
Victor Reeve had a round. laughing face,
with a fascinating. turned-up nose, merry
hazel eyes, and tight curling, reddish
hair, considerably lighter than Madeline's.
Victor was a pretty good boy and gem
eral favorite, but he had one dreadful
habit which will soon appear. He would
pun and there seemed little use in trying
to break him of this unfortunate predilec-
ton Mark declared, with a stern con-
traction of his forehead, that Victor was
corrupting Percy and Roger and Arthur,
and that something had got to be done
about 1t; but ere was always so much
other busine~ going on that Ii did not
Seem likely that Victor would get re-
formed right away. However, though the
other boys all scolded him whenever he
gave them provocation, they could not
help laughing at the puns when they were
rather neat AZ often happened Then the
others occasionally made puns themselves.
All this was bad for the cause of Victor's
reformation.
About the middle of July, when the
boys were in the midst of their black
berry picking, they were down in the
village one day disposing of the fruits of
their industry, when a very strange thing
happened. 1t did not seem at the time to
have any connection with Marks colossal
scheme for the regeneration of Farleigh.
but, in point of fact, 1t turned out to have
an important bearing upon that enter
prise
Not far from Mr.. Kelsey's. on the top OF
Faregh hill, lay the farm of a certain Mr..
Benson. He was one of the selectmen of
the town, but he was very odd. He was
Industrious and well-to-do and had good
Judgment In business, but in other matters
he was, as Mr.. Wellman said. inclined to
go little wild" II there were time,
number of funny stories might be told
here of the doings of this Mr. Benson.
Mrs. Benson was kind-faced. hard
workingng woman. There were eight
children, and Mr.. Benson intended to give
tnefn all a bOOu DWlHnt, tue
eldest son, now about "a years, had gradu-
ated from Williams college and was study
ing theology at Andover. He had been
taken i'll just before the divinity school
broke up for the summer, and was still
unable to come home In fact, a telegram
received about a week before this particu-
lar day, had informed the Bensons that
Dwight was very much worse. 1t seemed
impracticable for any of the family to
leave at this time. All that Mr. Benson
could do was to order the best possible
care taken of the boy and that the family
should be informed of his condition. Then
word came that Dwights life was de-
SPARED of. 1t was a question OF only q
few hours when he must die.
To this announcement Mr.. Benson re-
turned the singular response that he wish
ed his sons body forwarded to Farleigh
on a certain train, and that, unless he
were advised to the contrary he would be
at the railroad station at Clearpond to
receive the body when that train should
come In.
AS no further tidngs were received, on
the appointed day Mr. Benson rode TO the