Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-12-18


rooted bung a
They came upon red low
Your house,
sir" and Oscar swung himself down at
the steps of a broad veranda He led
the horses away to a barn beyond the
house, while Armitage surveyed the
landscape. The bungalow stood on a
rough knoll and was so placed as to
afford a splendid view of a wide re
gion. Armitage traversed the long YER
anda, studying the landscape and de-
lighting in the far stretching pine COW
cred barricade of hills. He was arous-
ed by Oscar, who appeared carrying
the suit cases.
There shall be breakfast" said the
man.
He threw open the doors, and they
entered wide, bare hall, with a fire
place, into which Oscar dropped
match.
"All one 6oor-plenty of sleeping
rooms, SRA place to eat here-a kitch'
en- beyond-a fair barracks for a com
mon soldier; that is ALL"
ut is enough. Throw these bags
into the nearest bedroom, if there is
no choice, and camp will be estab-
lished."
This is yours. The baggage that
came by express is there. A wagon
goes with the place, and l brought the
things up yesterday. There Is a show
er bath beyond the rear veranda. The
mountain water is off the ice, but
you will require hot water for shaving
is 1t not so?"
You Cypress me with luxuries. Os.
car. Wind up the clock. and nothing
will be wanting"
Oscar unstraped the trunks and then
stood at attention in the door He had
expected Armitage to condemn the
place in bitter language, but the pro-
prietor of the abandoned hunting pre-
serve was in excellent spirits and
whistled blithely as he drew out his
keys.
THE place was built by FOOLS" de
clared Oscar gloomily.
Undoubtedly! There is a saying
that fools build houses and wise men
live in them. You see where that
leaves US, Oscar. Let us be cheerful.
He tried the shower and changed his
raiment, while Oscar prepared coffee
and laid cloth on the long table be-
fore the fire. When Armitage appeared
coffee steamed in the tin pot in which
It had been made. Bacon, eggs and
toast were further offered.
you have done excellently well, Os-
~
mitage dropped a lump of sugar into
his coffee cup and surveyed the room.
A large map of Virginia and a series
Of hunting prints hung on the unlimited
walls. and there were racks for guns,
and a work bench at one end of the
room where guns might be taken apart
and cleaned. A few novels, several
three-year-old magazines and a variety
OF pipes remained on the shelf above
the fireplace. The house offered posi-
bilities Of meager comfort and that
was about all. Armitage remembered
what the agent through whom he had
made the purchase had said-that the
Nace had proved too isolated for even
thunting preserve and that its only
we was In the timber. He was salts
ueu With his bargain and would not
. ia lumber mill yet awhile. He
nsn'eu cigar and settled himself in
al easy hair before the fire, glad of
. .ne IuA of peace and quiet after his
sircuieous ,urney and the tumult OF
souDt ana Vestion that had shaken
him.
He slit the ~apper of the Washing
Ton newspaper at Oscar had brought
IRON the mountaA postoffice and scan
NED the headlines. He read with can
dispatch from LoNon that purportet
TO reflect the sentiAnt of the CONT
mental capitals towah Charles Louis
the new emperor-king Z Abstraction
gary, and the paper droped upon hi,
Knees. and he stared into he fire Ther
he picked up a paper of EARLIER dat,
and read all the foreign dlsatches ant
the news Of Washington. He wa,
about to toss the paper aside when hi
ayes fell upon boldly headlIIsd artj
tle that cause his heart to throb dercs
". IT recited the sudden reatpear
Ance OF the fraudulent Baron Won KIs
sel In Washington and described IN ia