The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-06

sorry Dudley, but I've planned to run
out to my place at Fawn Lake tomor-
row You see 1 want solitude to finish my
monograph on The Mummies Of"
"Oh let the dead bury their deadr
Think how long your be mummy your
self Penny. If it's a choice between an
Egyptian princess who's been dead 20OO
years and an American queen who's been
alive twenty I'd"
1--WE never been a success with a lady
under a few thousand years of age,
Dudley" interrupted Mr.. Pembroke sadly.
you never get near enough. You can
make pretty talk through a megaphone,
you know. Now, look here-A1iss Rodney
begged me to ask your
las a file-closer l fear-or possibly for
outpost duty. II she had wanted me as
a cavalier, l am afraid the message would
never have reached me, Dudley"
You old fox! But think of the good
times we will have. boating and tramping
horses and dogs"
children and dogs are my pet abomi-
nations. l regard them both as primitive
creatures of dangerous intelligence and
ungovernable impulses"
"Oh, go to the" began Mr. Dudley
Strong, impatently.
Il must again decline, Dudley. 1 un-
derstand that she caters to New Workers
and entertains but very few Bostonians.
What kind of a summer colony have
you got at Fawn Lake?' asked MI
Strong, abruptly changing the CONVERSE
ton
Myself, my valet, chef, coachman, two
horses, some chickens"
"All roosters, I'll bet, and tomcat.
Any pretty girls?"
Mr.. Pembroke shuddered My nearest
neighbor is about a quarter of a mile
away. I am a little worried, as l under
stand that the cottage has been let for
the summer | don't know to whom"
Hope you will find it full of chorus
girls Well, I'm off. Hope you have
good summer!" Shaking hands with the
Bostonian, Mr.. Strong rushed from the
room in the usual manner of the metro
politan.
The following morning, after some
what difficult but nessary argument with
his publishers, who were aggravatingly
dense in being brought to see the vital
Importance of printing the page numbers
of his latest book in the lower center in
stead of the upper and outer corners,
especially as half of the edition had been
printed in the latter way, Mr.. Pembroke
found himself on the way to the Grand
Central station, whence he was 10 ldhe d
sleeper to Fawn Lake.
According to his usual custom Mr.. Penn
broke arrived at the station before the
gates were opened to admit passengers,
and while standing in the crowded walt
ing room he became interested In group
which was occupying the greater part
of the bench opposite him. Interested is
hardly the word, as Mr. Pembroke's at
tention was held with the same shudder-
ing fascination with which person hav-
ing an antipathy for cats might watch
the additions of family of half grown
kittens.
The unconscious party under the covert
observation Of Mr.. Pembroke consisted of
five children, all between the ages of
and 10 years Even to his unskilled eyes
It was obvious that two of the children
were twins, the similarity of which he
contemplated with the secret marveling
of a red Indian inspecting a mechanical
toy
Although there were but five, Mr.. Penn
broke found 1t necessary to count them
several times to assure himself of this
fact, their activity giving the impression
of at least twice that number. From the
boisterous interest which they took in sur
rounding objects Mr.. Pembroke surm1sed
that they were unaccustomed to travel
He also observed with silent admiration
how the pretty French maid who seemed
to be the only shepherdess of the flock,
was skillfully herding them with deft
dispensing of bonbons.
Mr.. Pembroke's train was shortly an
nounced but being just at that instant
absorbed in the skillful team work of the
twins who were attempting to wrest a
small wicker basket from the eldest, a
square jawed, blue-eyed boy, he utterly
ignored the summons. Strange SOUNDS
proceeding from the basket whetting
his interest still keener, he was almost
capszed by a portly lady carrying hand
trunk but beyond his automatic pardon
me-" his eyes were still fastened upon the
wrestlers, when suddenly the Irvine hold
ing the basket together snapped under the
strain the twins sprawled one way, the
boy another, and a large, fat puppy was
spilled from within, falling to the floor
with a "plop."
Despite the fall the pup was the first
to regain his equilibrium and promptly
crawled beneath the long settle, upon
which the entire juvenile litter gave voice
like a pack of beagles. Unconsciously Mr..
Pembroke found himself Fastening to
their aid seeing an excellent tool for the
capture of the quarry in the crooked ham
re of his stick At that particular mo-
ment the dislodgment of that pup from
beneath the settle would have ranked
even higher in Importance than the loca-
ton of the page numbers of his book.
Before he knew it he found himself on
hands and knees ekillfully lunging be-
tween the multitudnous bags and bas-
kets. but the puppy, II corpulent, was
active, and nimbly evading the crook,
made a dash for the refuge offered by
the skirts of lady seated half way down
the bench. Intent upon the chase Mr..
Pembroke failed TO note the character of
the cover until he had hooked an ankle
by mistake, and the fair owner, rising III
haste had tripped and fallen across the
semi-recumbent bodies, of the twins,
knocking one of them across the pup,
who promptly lifted small but penetrat-
ing voice in bitter lamentation.
In the midst of babel of yelps, squeals.
laughter and apologies Mr.. Pembroke $
ears were suddenly assailed with the
megaphonic tones of the train announcer
voicing the fact that the Adirondack ex-
press was about to leave. Gathering him
self together in haste he noticed lady in
second mourning, who was coming into
the orbit of activity with rush and flut-
ter that suggested a duck coming into
the flock. In one hand she held a mass
of loose skirts, and from the frank and
innocent expression of her big, blue eyes,
lust now brimful of distress. was able to
diagnose her at once as the mother of
the brood To most men her manifold
attractions of face and figure would have
been the first impression: to Mr.. Penn
broke 1t was the agonizing fact that she
had a scant three minutes to get her fam
lily aboard the train.
"oh Cecile." she gasped, the parlor
car seats were all taken"
A guilty pang shot through Mr.. Penn
broke as he realized that he had secured
the last.