Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-01-28


kinks you are too formal, too cut and
Tried, too wrapped up in your profess
sion To her you're fossil"
IF were you I'd kick him for say
Ing that" said Galley. go ahead,
Albeit, old man; you're far enough
bending from dignity will never be
seem
''Oh, I'll do worse than that to him
some time."' returned young Or. Alb
bett, glaring with comic malevolence at
Callander. "rll wait until ne is in
jured in some of his schoolboy esca-
pades, and then I'll operate on him.
Don't you feel the approach of another
foolish attack, Georgie?'
The three young men sat in the shade
Of a huge mass of rock that marked
the emf of long, irregular ridge of
hills Which jutted out from the main
rapgeNt to the west. At the mouth of
kiny canyon just visible from the
rJcks cluster of summer cottages
showed white against the brown and
gray of their surroundings.
rGeorgie Callander grunted, stretched
his hulking body and took out a pair
Of fieldglasses from :gscase at his side.
mo, Folsom" he replied at length;
II don't feel unusually foolish at pres
ent. But this grand air and this sun
shine and-well, life in general great
ly a. eals to me today, and so there's
no ing when l shall find it neces-
sary to break out again. By Jove,'
he went on, pointing the glasses at
the faraway cottages, there's my dear
wife and the dear wife of our friend
Hiram here, and-yes, the dear sister
of my dear wife aforementioned all
laden with baskets and making for
Flagstaff hill
Dear, dear" said Hiram Galley:
"anybody else in the party?"
'.N-no, none that l can make out
Hold on, though; yes, there is They're
passing Evergreen inn now, and that
discreditable simian Ramage has join
ed them. l believe, Albeit, that's
what you called him, wasn't it-a dis
creditable simian?''
'Callander," demanded Albeit stern
~, 'does Miss Alice know that you
two ungainly wretches enticed me
away with you this morning without
letting me know that she and other
ladies were bent upon a picnic today"
Miss Alice? queried Callander.
ooh, you mean little Allie, my wife's
sister Now that | think of it, Fol-
som, believe she did say something
about asking you to have lunch with
them on Flagstaff hill today. She ask
ed if I thought you would care to
leave your bug hunting and whether
you would make one of so informal
q party | believe | told her.
He broke off and leveled his glass at
the distant hills.
"Well, WELL" cried Albeit impatient
~, what reply did you make? Some
thing absurd, suppose. Give me those
glasses"
Callander adroitly moved out Of
reach of Abbett's arm and continued:
Il forgot just what l did say, but it
must have been something worthy OF
so ungainly a wretch. They're up on
the hill now, Folsom. and Ramage has
taken his place beside Allie and is car
rying her basket
That's bad sign" Galley put in.
''Thats the way l began on the day l
asked Ella to he my wife. You re-
member that picnic, Georgia.
Certainly. Picnics are fatal affairs
] have no doubt that if Folsom were
on Flagstaff hill today he'd be the
happy man instead of Ramage. By
Jove. He and Allie have strolled away
from the rest and are picking wild
flowers
Albeit grOaned.
And | thought you We're my
friends-my boyhOOd friends. Here
give me those glasses, l say
Again Callander eluded his grasp
and lightly sprang across a tree trunk
which spanned the creek that ratified
down from the range of hills and into
the plain. Once safely across. he pull
ed away the log and set it floating
downstream.
we are your friends. Folsom he
declared from the opposite bank.
Haven't we patiently listened TO your
rawlings about Allie for the past six
months: Didn't we bring you ont
with US today on purpose TO talk about
herr"
And you" cried the young doctor.
turning to Galley. Il suppose you're
in this attempt to keep me away from
Miss-from the picnic:"
Don't speak SO harshIy, Folsom
Gaitley returned. Let's 90 leave
George and hunt fossils or something"
I've a notion to hunt YOU" Albeit
answered. and he stepped toward
Galley.
ooh. don't. doctor: don't. doctor
Gaitley screamed in a high falsettO as
he sprang down the hill. with Albeit
at his heels
At the creek bank Galley paused to
look back. and. seeing the doctor still
s3ming. he leaped into the stream and
sOundered across il.
Albeit stopped at the hank and be-
gan to throw stones at his tUrTentors.
They moved out Of range % the mis-
siIes and walked downstream until
the settlement Of cottages came into
view from behind the rocks where
they had been sitting on the other
side Of the creek.
Albeit followed them downstream
on his side AMI bawlei out half angry
epithets at them. CaIIauder. after \
prolonged Iook through the glasses at