Pocahontas star herald., 1908-08-14
cHAPTER /.

time and the same kind Of holiday ap-
pealed TO us both. Viucents whole
name and title is Lord Wilfred Vim
cent. for he is the younger son Of the
Old duke of Totten Men o. his own
age cali him Freddy" but | call him
Vincent or Wnfred, because | con
slider curtailed appellations undIgnified.
Vincent is an artist-that is, he calls
himself one: his friends call him "a
dabbler in art" He doesn't really go
in for It seriously, you know, but he
did little sketches of COWS and that
sort of thing rather well, fancy. SO
we agreed that our aim was to find
little old village, far away from
London, and get rooms in some old
farmhouse My idea was that Vincent
would go ont and paint the COWS while
] would lie in the hammock and the
old lady would bring me buttermilk.
Wilfred had an idea that he, too,
would like to srant good bit of his
time in a hammock, but with this diff
ference, that the old lady's beautiful
daughter was to bring him lemonade.
But / pointed out to him that the
chief reason that | was running away
from town was to get rid of the
debutantes, and therefore he'd have to
leave the fair ones out Of our air
castle.
Our plan was just to bask in Nature,
and we had six weeks to bask in. The
foreign Office doesn't seem to require
much of Wilfred's time and he doesn't
do anything else except "dabble." OF
course, being a younger son, he hasn't
shilling of his own, but the old duke
makes him a comfortable allowance,
because he dotes on Wilfred az much
as he ietests his eldest son, Edmund,
the their to the dukedom. So when
Vincent complained of feeling "al run
down it was easy for him to get six
weeks off, although, as Ttell him, he
has been getting six weeks Off ever
since he left Oxford, two years ago.
He isn't "A yet
Ncyortheles'k Vincent is one Of the
best little chaps in the world, I don't
mean that he is understood, foz he
stands six feet two in his STOCKINGS;
but is so good natured, so Jolly and
amiable and straight-weil-just natur
ally nice don't you l1ow-that every
body is Just crazy about him, as the
American girl met last summer used
TO say, and all the men, young aad old
alike, have gotten to calling him lit
tie Vincent or Freddy" from his
ESon days, Just by way of endearment
OF course, I'm much older than Vim.
cent--te be more exact. there's a mat
ter OF II or is years between us-but
Unjust say cant help being drawn
to him. I've known him ever since he
was born, and then. you see we're
both Oxford men, belong to the same
clubs, and, of course, Terhune is as
old name as Vincent, even If it hasn't
ahy handle to 1t. and, II | do sag il.
there's never dinner given in Lou-
don town that Archibald Terhune is
not invited But. somehow. in this, my
tdhth season. became utterly weary
ol the limelight, the dinners, the balls,
the matchmaking mammas (for | am
an "eligible bacheloT") and, most Of
at the debutantes, with their edu.
Gated smiles and cultivated stares.
felt that | must fee from London to
e$rape, ''and thus as Vincent is al.
ways ready for holiday, we found
ourselves one fine day wen started on
oIl1 jurney. We had taken the ndtn
tain for Kingsbridge and changing
there were to go on to Cuppstone.
which an artist friend of Vlncenps had
RECOMMENDED to us as Just the place
we were looking for
Jolly lark this. said Vincent, after
We had been some time on OUT way:
only hope CuppStone and Damer's
farm will be what we want. Graham
cracked 1t up to the skies
"Thats the trouble" ! complained;
when things talked up too much
it's sure to disappoint one"
Wait till you see it, old pessimist"
said Vincent, with a cheerful grin.
ITS got COWS which provide butter
milk and art and I've got some lem.
ons In my grip for tha lemonade. The
only thing that troubles me is the
landlady's beautiful daughter I'm
afraid she'll be minus quantity"
Then he put his feet across on my
side OF the carriage and lit a nasty.
smelly, old pipe That's the worst
Of Vincent; he's SO young he doesn't
think how thing like that may get
on ones nerves. But wouldn't hurt
his feelings for anything, and SO had
to let him smoke
About three o'clcck in the after.
noon, when we had left the comfort.
able carriages Of The main line for
The ramshaokle ones OF the branch
line, We came TO a sudden stop in the
center of a big stretch Of meadow
land A few miles away we could see
the spires and roofs Of little VILLAGE.
and what Was more noticeable. a big
castle, that stood on higher ground
some distance above The town. but
not far from where the train had
STOPPED J asked the guard what the
trouble was and he told me that
something was wrong with the engine
and it might be couple Of hours be-
fore we could 20 ahead
Just as he finished his explanation