The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-03
HlL.LRLSE
fc..ntln.aed.l

 quite the gentleman, and, as was soon known had been admitted into friend- ly conapanicnship by some of the real xont1en1en. When he should have been efoopinR over his board and scale. ne Nad been seen lounging in the bar of the White Hart Hotel with the idie. loungfng sons of the gentry from the < Hil1- such as MT. Charlie Padfield. and tho puffy-faced. whiskey-swiiling MT. LArdner of Hill Rise. At last, one day. ' lis brought home with him his most splendid frfend--a creature of another xace. dazzling presence-Mr. Jack Vincent, son of the great Sir John. from Hi11 House. who deigned to be friend. of idle. conrade. with Dick. And. af- ter that day smiling. idle MT. Jack z came again and again.
 Mrs. Price. housekeeper-cousin. lift ed her hands in wonder at his conde- ncensfon. Mother was aattered and <. krAtified. Only father was steruiy fnimical to this friendship.
 Lizie heard him once. when her moth- CT said the connection might be valu- able: @Rubbishl No compliment, 1 tell you. They all do it--these young princes. They look below them for hangers-on- It is them sinking. not our boy rising"
 s'oh. I can't see that."
 sIet people keep in their places. I say, They'll make bigger fool Of Dick than he is already" Lixzie had no uuaIms of care. To her. Mr. Jack was many-facetted fash ing ptrfecfion. He lcunged in the gar den, or. 1azily rousing himself. played with her-better than Dick even. It seemed dfsfoyal to admit this. but it was fact. As an artist to rnake-be- I3eve he began where Dick left off If he told her to walk warily through the & thfcket and Ikeep sharp lookout for n4a t1s s<xxsu mi . ntIf a was q bear--neither more nor less. and BlAd were you by hard running to es- cape unhugged.
 when with words he wove a new. game about you. realities slunk away ashamed of themselves: his fiction held the stare of life. As. for instance. the wonderful, often-played game In which he and Lizzie were pirate and his wizo living for many years in island forkresses and Dick was British &Ioop Of war. and it's captain and its crew.
 He was a year older than Dick. and get was quite devoid of arrogance. He made nothing of his age or of all his visible and invisible pomp and splen- dor. He had blue eyes. dark. close- cropped hair, the slightest downy nousthche, and the ready smile that wes like careless profuse sunshine. If poor Dick was fine of raiment. he was gnxNspus He had white flannel waist ooafs with brass buttons; his shirts were uf all eolors of the rainbow: his ties were ike the rainbow itself--college tiAs. He waB a Cambridge undergrad uAke--wiaat Dick would have wished tn De also He possessed a wonderful ineAraehaum pipe that he smoked as- nidu0usly: and this. perhaps. was the ofly thing about which he was ever serious. He would not permit Lizzie fo touch the bowl with her her warm .. s1 < silk Handkerchief; and his bright face was elouded by heavy trouble when he feared fhnt the pipe had been made too hot and then cooled too rapidly. At the White Hart Hotel he drank whis- key and soda with Dick. but at King'c Cottage there was only tea to oner him He drank it contentediy. and seemed to like it--and that was more than could truly be said of Dick.
 In these happy early spring days he would often come lounging with Dick Into the big room at tea time: and. no Mrs. Crunden was proud to welcome him,
 rray be seated. Mir Vincent
 Thnnk you. Mrs. Crunden. Here am, you sss turned up again like pad penny. Sure you don't mind z,
 Indeed no. Pray join us at tea"
 He praised everything quite sincere iy, There could be no doubt that life nt the top of Hill Rise If splendid was mighty dull. The hours for this young man were long and empty; and he found dIfnculty In filling them.
 T love this room" he said. smiling Kraciously. T do call it such rip ping room"
 'sOh, surely not" said Mrs. Crunden, deprecattnH. but intensely gratihe6. very different from the rooms you are accustomed to-"
 But that perhaps was just why he liked It Anything for a change.
 Once MT. Crunden happened to be in at tea and Mfr. Jack was told about the origin of the room and SO forth. Courtroom. was 1t? What ripping Idea.
 Yes. sir. and what is more. our kitchen was once used for the iock-up. judge that. sir. by many signs.
 Mr. Crunden always addressed him as "Sfr" and was stiff and hard in manner, although most respectful. He would scarce sit down to take his tea with so august visitor, but stood, cup in hand. before the hearth. He seemed determined to remember the visitors high rank and station. even if hie family wilfully forgot them.
 kk must be Confessed that Mir. Crun- den cast a gloom over these pleasant dawd1fng tea-parties. It was a relief when father marched of to wind up the working day at the yard. Although dusk was falling. the room seemed of sudden brighter when father left it.
 Dick, who had been sitting mum chance. found his glib tongue again; Mrs. Crunden began to prattle gaily; and the visitor soon set them all laugh ing.
 Happy, silly hours, so dear to Lizzie.
 In the candlelight they talked such utter nonsense, with no one to check eheui--unIess 1t was Mrs. Price. But Ers Price was absolutely captivated hy the visitors affability, and gladly Joined in all the fun. The visitor call ed her Pricey-P -Pricey-hrst behind her back, and then before her face.
 h the candlelight and the 1reglow they used to play a game of cards that silly old muggins, but now a re- auxenated, glortfied muggins because he prealded over the foolish sport. He would have them play the game with an unheard-of. preposterOus, yet en- chanting strictness-as he said 1t was played at the University of Cambridge.
 eA6uggins," he would cry, did one make the most trihing blunder, and force one to accept card in penalty.
 ''Muggins again. Pricey-Pricey."
 ~Lor', no. l done no wrong"
 ''Muggins you for not mugginsing me- Or, worse still: 'Muggins you for not mugginsing me for not mug ginsiAg you"
 "oh. 'tis a shame" Mrs. Price would expostulate. You all shuffie off your rardg on me-
 The object, of course, was to be rid nf arata "a rda mt of fha game and