Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-03
BY
". B. MAXWELL
Author Of
1.-THE GUARDED FLAME"

| Don't trouble about that tonight,
father: that'n keep till tomorrow. won't
| it, ." Yes. I have seen 1t.
Don't look at it tonight. No-not
! what one could call really good But.
| father il might we'll be worse"
! OF course Mr.. Crunden would not wait.
| He must see the wretched document now,
| here. this very minute.
Then there would be an oppressive ST.
! lence The father had laid down his
pipe was sitting in the candle-tght at
! his bureau solemnly reading: the son had
plunged his hands In his trousers pockets.
was looking at the ceiling or making IA
cstious grimaces at his young sister;
mamma. miserably uncomfortable, was
warming Dick by raised finger and NOV
ing lips to refrain from impudence and to
bear reproof patiently; Mrs. Price, softly
clearing the supper table, was too brave
10 hurry through her task and get safely
away to the kitchen, although she might
think that domestic earthquake was
coming.
We'll" sad Mr. Crunden at last turn
ing from the bureau and facing his son,
we'll what have you got to say FOR your
self?
oh" said Dick, with real or affected
carelessness, they'll never make a
learned pig OF me. They'd better give me
| up bad job
Then perhaps papa Tor little while
looked quite terrible. He was a short.
seeming strong and hard as one Of his
bricks set on end. He had stin. gray
eyebrows. a broad nose and stin. snort
beard. His dark hair had gone gray, but.
although he was fifty. it remained thick
and strong still. When he frowned as he
was frowning now hi. eyebrows mad a
straight bar. and. in the shadow beneath
his keen gray eyes were almost lost Yet
| he was not really angry even now, IN
| spite of the report
ivfa 81
| was Dicks report term after term.
This Kings Cottage was pleasant,
| countrified oldworld house to find IN a
| town Mr. Crllnden-whose business 1t
was to know all about houses-used 10
tell people that, in fact the cottage was
here before the town. In the good old
times. when almost all the twenty-five
miles between Medford and London were
covered by royal forest, the cottage was
a royal lodge. In II lived one of the
counted for the name. and also Tor the
spacious solid offices as well as the Dig
room.
This room. sir Mr.. Crunden would
say was employed as kind OF court
| room for trying the desr stealers. and l
make no dlubt myself what is now our
! kitchen was employed as lookup.
| | judge that by many signs.
The house had been added to and
| messed about" as Mr.. Crunden said.
| much OF the splendid old material re-
manned
Look. sir at those ceiling beams, and
the span of the hearth. or measure the
| thickness of this wall-an internal wall
| mind YOU We don't build like this nova
| days Give me an order to put up a
| house like this and I'd be frightened to
| take the order.
II people exhibited any interest in these
matters Mr. Crunden would show them
Ill II CT. 10
| Step this way. sir''-marching the visitor
| through the sitting room. where. perhaps,
! Lizzie and her governesS were busy with
| their books Now, sir. I'll give you my
| own belief about that staircase. It's
| Charles Two or James Two, all that
| woodwork is. and I believe 1t was taken
! bodily out of a church. If you ask what
! church. / say the old church that Is
marked on all the maps up to hundred
| years ago hard by where st. Barnabas
| and Mr. bowling. the architect he says
| he wouldn't care to bet against it
Be all that as it may. Mr.. Crunden was
not improperly proud Of his modest yet
comfortable home and little Lizzie loved
it.
Outwardly. 1t was whte-walled. red
rooted with deep caves. 1t had two front
doors-the main door. which opened into
the lobby of the big Office room, which
carried the brass plate r. Crunden,
builder and decorate which, weather
permitting. stc-d open all the morning to
admit all crme,s. and the small state
door, which was approached by the tiled
path through the narrow strip OF garden
/ behind the white palingS. Hera, at this
| second door, Mrs. Crunden's ceremonious
| visitors knocked and rang and waited
until somebody happened to hear them
and that was often very long time.
Inwardly it was a house of varied
! charm. or so it seemed to Lizzie and to
( Dick in these days. 1t was not too big,
not too small-no room In it like another,
/ full Of surprises. hiding places; with
quaint. oldfashioned furniture every
where except in mammals drawing room
In that apartment all was neW-chosen