Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-11-19


This day was made FOR thee
yor soon the ,.wthorn SPRAY shall rhrt.
Ard thou face shalt sec
That comes. Q heart. foolish heart,
This way to gladden. thee
III. G. BURNER.
Stoddar('s telegram was brought TO rre
m tho Clcnorm pier at four o'clock
tuesday afternoon. the NTH OF June.
IN thus explicit. for all the matters
hereinafter Described turn upon the rc-
reip. " Stoddard's message, which was.
% be sure harmless enough in Itself.
)ut. like many other scraps OF paper
that blow about the world, the fcrerun-
Ner Of confusion and trouble.
My friend. Mr.. John Glenarm, had
gone abroad FOR the GUNNER with his
family and had turned Over to mo his
house Mt Annandale that l might enjoy
Is seclus!on and comfort while writing
ny book on Russian Rivera"
II John Glenarm had not taken his
family abroad with him when he went
TO Turkey to give the 4ulton's engineers
lessons In bridge building: il had not
accepted his kind offer Of the house at
Annandale for the summer and Il Paul
Stoddard had not sent me that telegram,
should never have written this narra-
tive. But such was the predestined way
Of it. rose from the boat | was ca ak
ing. and. with the waves from the recel-
ing steamer slaprine the pier, read this
message:
Stamford. Conn. June 3
Meet Miss Patricia Holbrook Annanda!e
station, five twenty Chicago express and
conduc: he- to St. Agathas school,
where she is expected. She will explain
difficulties have assured her of your
sympatfy and aid. VIII Join you later
# necessary Imperative engagements
call me elsewhere. STODDARD.
To say that l was angry wren read
this message is to belittle the truth
read and reread it with growing heat. I
had accepted Glenarm's offer OF the
house at Annandalc because it promised
peace and now I was ordered by teln-
graph to meet a strange person Of whom
! had never heard. listen to her story.
and tender my sympathy and aid. I
glanced at my watch. It Was already
after four Delayed In transmission"
~as stamped across the telegraph form
] learned later that it had lain half the
Jay in Annandale, New York-so that
was now face to face with the situation.
and without opportunity to fling his or
ders back to Stoddard If I wanted 80.
Nor did oven know Stamford from
Stanboul. and | am not yet clear IN my
nind-being an Irishman with rather
vague notions of American geogra ply
whether Connecticut Is north or south OF
Massachusetts.
lima"
I called my Japanese boy from the
poat house, and he appeared, paint bru sh
In hand.
"Order the double trap, and tell them
10 hurry"
l reflected, as I picked up my coat and
walked toward the house, that If one but
Pau Stoddard had sent me such mes
sage | should most certainly have ignored
It, bu: | knew him MS n man who did
not make demands or impose OBLIGATIONS
lightly. As the founder and superior e
the Protestant religious order OF the
Brothers Of Bethlehem he was. 7 knew.
an exceedingly busy man. His religious
house in the Virginia mountains;
but he spent much time in quiet. humble
service in city Sums in lumber amps,
In tho mines OF Pennsylvania and oc-
casionany he appeared like Il prophet
from the wilderness in some great church
vicious eoquence to wondering throngs.
The trap swung into the arched drive
way and I hade the coachman maze
haste to the .Annandale station. The
handsome bays were soon trotting swift
" toward the village. while | drew on
my gloves and considered the situation.
A certain Miss Holbrook. of whose en-
istence | had been utterly ignorant al
hour before, was about TO arrive at An
nandale. A Clergyman. whom 7 had not
seen for two years. had telegra phed ne
from a town in Connecticut to meet this
person conduct her to ST. Agathas
Schoo-just closed for the summer, az
! krew-and to volunteer my services II,
difficulties that wsre darky indicated in
a telegram OF forty-flYe words. Tho
sender OF the message I knew to be n
serious character and q gentleman a
distinguished social connections. The
name e the lady slgnied nothing ex.
cert that she was unmarried; end as
Stoddards acquaintance was among al
sorts and conditions of men ! could as
sumo nothing more than TINT the I'm,
known had appealed to him as a priest
and that he had sent her to Lake An
nandale to shake of the burdens Of tn,
world in the conyentual mir of ct
Agatha's. High-born Italian ladies'.
knew, often retired to remote converts
in the italian hills for meditation or pen
ance. Miss Holhrook's age / placed con
servatlvely at tweuty-nine for no bette
reason, perhaps, than that am thirty
two.
The blue arch Of June does not cncour
age difficulties, doubts or prescntments
and with the wild rose abloom alon!
tho fences and with robins tossing thei
song across the highway I ceased t
Rrowl and found curiosity getting IN
better OF my temper. Expectancy, aftc
all. is tho cheerfullest tonic OF life, AM
when the time comes when can Fec N
whole Of a days program from m
breakfast table | shall be ready 70
mans last adventure.
I smoothed my gloves and fumbed NJ
tie as the bays trotted briskly along IN
lake shore. The Chicago express whistle
for Annandale just We gained H.
edge OF the village. II paused grude
ing moment and was gone before W
reached the station, ! jumped out an
ran through the waiting-room to tn
platform, where the agent was gather
'ni- UP the mail-bags. while an assIstar
led a truck with trunks I glance
t. ana the moment was an lmportaf
my life Standing quite alone BIZ
several pieces OF hand baggage wa
lady-unmistakably a lady-leanin