Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-02-16

you want your kilograms delivered
at the house, he asked.
Yes, please, ! answered. and he
turned away TO his desk OF clicking in
struments without looking at me again
1t seemed wise to establish relations
with the postoffiee, so ! made myself
known to the girl who stood at the de-
livery window.
You already have box she adj
vised me There's a boy carries the
mail TO your house; Mr. Bates hires
him.
Bates had himself given me this in
formation. but the girl seemed TO find
pleasure in inparting it with Ger
tain severity. ] then bought a cake Of
soap at the principal drug store and
purchased a package OF smoking to-
bacco, which did not need. at a
grocery
News Of my arrival had evidently
reached the villagers; | was conceited
enough to imagine that my presence
was probably of interest to them; but
the station master, the girl at the post
Office and the clerks in the shops
treated me with an unmistakable cold
reserve. There was certain even
ness of the chill with which they Wis
tied me, as though a particular degree
of frigidity had been agreed on in ad.
vance.
| shrugged my shoulders and turned
toward Glenarm. My grandfather had
left me a cheerful legacy of distrust
among my neighbors. the result. prob
ably. of importing foreign labor TO
work on his house. The surly Morgan
had minated as much; but 1t did not
greatly matter. | had not come to
Glenarm to cultivate the rustics. but
TO fulfil certain obligations laid down
in my grandfather's will | was. so TO
speak, on duty. and | much preferred
that the villagers should let me alone
Comforting myself with these reflec
tons | reached the wharf where / saw
Morgan sitting with his feet dangling
over the water smoking a pipe.
| nodded IN his direction, but he
feigned not to see me. A moment later
he jumped into his boat and rowed out
upon the lake.
When / returned to the house Bates
was at work in the kitchen This was
large square room with heavy tim.
bers showing in the walls and low
ceiling There was a great fireplace
in an enormous chimney, fitted with
a crane and hobs, but for practical pur-
poses a small range was provided.
Bates received me placidly.
Yes; it's an unusual room. sir. Mr.
Glenarm copied it from an old kitchen
in England He took quite a pride in
it. It's pleasant place to sit in the
evening sir"
He showed me the way below. where
| found that the cellar extended under
every part of the house, and was di-
vided into large chambers The door
of one of them was of heavy oak
bound in iron. with a barred opening
at the top. \ great iron hasp with
heavy paddock and grilled area win
dows gave further the impression Of
a cell, and fear that a this. as al
many other things in the curious
AOuHt. ! SNOi Ill i ulu not IdUEH-
thinking of the money my grandfather
had expended in realizing his whims.
The room was used, | noted with
pleasure, as a depository for potatoes
In another of these rooms | found a
curious collection of lanterns of every
conceivable description, grouI ed on
shelves; and next door to this apart
ment was another store-room filled
with brass candle-sticks of many odd
designs.
| returned to the main floor and
sought the comforts of the library.
where | smoked pipe over a very
tedious chapter in an exceedingly dull
book on Norman Revivals and Infu-
ences." Then ! went out, assuring
myself that | should get steadily to
work in a day or two.
Bates was soberly chopping wood al
a rough pile of timber at the rear OF
the house. His industry had already
impressed me. He had the quiet ways
of an ideal serving man.
Wei, Bates. you don't intend to let
me freeze to death do you? There
must be enough wood in the pile there
to last all winter"
Yes sir; / am just cutting little
more of the hickory, sir. Mr.. Glenarm
always preferred it to beech or maple"
turned toward the unfinished tower
in the meadow. from which windmill
pumped water to the house. The iron
frame was not wholly covered with
stone, but material for the remainder
of the work lay scattered at the base.
| went on through the wood to the
lake and inspected the boat house;
then | followed the pebbly shore to
the stone wall where it marked the
line OF the school-grounds. The wall,
observed, was of the same solid
character here as along the road.
tramped beside it. rejecting that my
grandfather's estate, in the heart of
the Republic, would some day give the
lie to foreign complaints that we have
no ruins in America.
The buildings OF st. Agatha's were
well hidden by the intervening wood