The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-02


tickets?'
That's So" he remarked courteously.
II will sell you tickets to Wilton, and
you can probably get a team there and
drive through the country. A ticket to
Wilton will be only cents more"
"Wilton?"
IT'S on the Louisville and Nashville"
he explained.
But" I said, 7 have one transporta-
ton over the Southern to Aldrich. What
can I do about sfat?''
well" he answered, 81 will see the
conductor for you. Under the circum-
stances, l think 1t will be honored.' The
conductor would notify the gatekeeper,
who woHld in turn allow me to pass with
out further molestation.
When l presented the tickets the sate-
keeper slammed the big iron gates In my
face to emphasize his remarks.
They are trying to find the conductor"
he said but no one has seen him, and
you Will have to walt here until some
one finds him"
How soon will the train leave?' I
asked.
TITS pulling out now" he said. COM
plaicently.
l brought all my ultra-philosophy to bear
in trying to get through those gates. [
turned in dispair to the Dear One.
"Ie does not intend to ever let us
blllOuBlh SiiO othihf oAAo SUI AAeA SANtF Imp
bag down.
/ glared at the gatekeeper.
do you see aY5 signs of the conduc-
tori"
Il guess not" he said.
I looked down the long car tracks at
the people surgng by, but was not in
terested in them I was thinking OF my
| render me impervious to the Indifference
OF the gatekeeper, and of how it had
! failed Here was a gatekeeper who was
running, deliberately running, my whole
summer
What a clever person 1t was who de-
| creed that there must be several gates
! at u railway station. suddenly thought
| that perhaps there was another official
| and another gate where I might receive
some definite information. l told my
story presented my transportation and
| tickets, and received not only definite in
formation, but satisfactory. The train
| was just leaving, thrown somewhat out of
it's schedule and Its route, but the Dear
One and I, travelling bags and everything
were comfortably aboard, after an expert
| ence that made me feel like an immi-
grant at one of the detention bureaus.
where are you going Miss? said the
| conductor, or some who asks You things.
II am sure I do not know" I answered.
ITO Wilton or some place 1 want to go
to Aldrich."
"Well,' he replied. This train goes
to Montevallo. You had better get off
there and drive to Aldrich."
En- route to Montevallo the only famil-
lar landmark was the Vanderbilt hotel at
Calera. 1.-THE next stop" said the com
ductor" is where you get off"
From the Montevallo station we went
in the bus to a hotel, from where I ex-
pected to telephone to Rajah Lodge that
we would drive out as soon as possible.
At the physiological moment that I ran
up the steps of the hotel some one an
nounced that the Aldrich carriage was
waiting for me at the entrance.
1t had been scarcely an hour since
had left Birmingham, and Aldrlch Is two
miles from Montevallo.
How did 1t happen, | wondered, occult,
or what, when | was expected to arrive
by the regular morning train at the Aid
rich station.
The sequel Of tho story of the woman
and the gatekeepar was a charming drive
across country. The lodge gates stood
wide open as We 1rove through them I'M
mense flower boxes bloomed above them.
Scarlet hedges made brilliant the lower
driveway. The horses pulled up beneath
the porte o-chere. On the steps above
was a charmingly lovely hostess, In a
morning costume of pale blue silk. Break
fast was served in gold room In which
charm Bron2ed colored creatures in i'm
msculate white that made you think of
the Ceylonese people, served you figs, and
1 reserved the telling of the gatekeepor
story until now.
There are two charming children here
, who make life a delight at the lodge.
They have been reared in such an atmos-
phere of love and kindness that I am
sure that a harsh word would drop upon
their hearts If they had heard, for the
first time, foreign language.
They are very ingenious and after the
manner OF clever children may be de-
pended upon to devise intricate things for
the suppression of burglars and the de-
light which they enter into schemes to
punish those midnight raiders bent on de-
vouring cheese and other delicacies. would
meet with approval of the Japanese au-
thorities who have recently exterminated
several thousand rats in Toxic.
These children discovered that the laces
on the buffets gave evidence of being
| lSnawed, and that the intruders had made
attempts, repeated attempts, to gain an
entrance through a cabinet door behind
which was cream cheese.
Boy devised a plan which resulted
in amassacre. He arranged au-
tomato springs on the doors opening into
the favorite retreat of the invaders. BY
pulling one string all the doors closed
simultaneously, and the invader was
caught red-handed-this is, If Girl bad not
made any noise to frighten him away.
The two of them, Boy and Girl, began
their vigileraly In the evening. They sat
on the floor, like Turks. scarcely breath
Ing and watching stealthily for the APP
proach Of the invader. Sometimes Girl
was guilty of an indiscretion. Occasion
ally she was known to move ever so
slightly Boy looked unutterable things
II Girl breathed. They were armed with
dreadful. dagger-lool1ing things some of
the wonderful weapons that ornament an
armor hung hall at the lodge
| But the most beautiful and unselfish
| part of 1t all was that Boy always in
sisted that 1t was the blow from Girl that
| did the work, while Girl insisted that
| the massacre was due entirely to Boy.
| Then 1t was decided to install cat at