Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-08-28
Copyright. isO7. by a. c. McCiurg q Co. r
CHAPTER !.


] took Vincent with me. except that we
both needed holiday at the same
time and the same kind of holiday ap-
pealed to us both. vincents whole
name and title is Lord Wilfred Vim
cent, for he is the younger son of the
old duke of Totten. Men of his own
age call him FREDDY" but | call him
Vincent or Wilfred. because l 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 II 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
a little old village. far away from
London. and get rooms in some old
farmhouse. My idea was that Vincent
would go out 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 spend a good bit OF his
time in n 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
40 linz ali
course. being a younger son. he hasn't
q shilling of his own. but the old duke
makes him a comfortable allowance.
because he dotes on Wilfred as much
as he detests his eldest son. Edmund.
the heir to the dukedom. So. when
Vincent complained OF feeling all run
down" It was easy for him to get six
weeks OF, although, as I tell him. he
has been getting six weeks OF" ever
since he left Oxford. two years ago.
He Isn't "a yet.
Nevertheless. Vincent is one Of the
best little chaps In the world. l don't
mean that he is undersized. for he
stands six feet two In his stockings:
but Is so good natured. so jolly and
amiable and straight-well-just natur-
body is Just crazy about him." as the
American girl / met last summer used
to say. and all the men, young and old
alike. have gotten to calling him Tit
tie Vincent" or Freddy" from his
Eton days, Just by way of endearment
OF course. I'm much older than Vim
cent-to be more exact. there's n mat
ter OF IL or Is years between us-but
I must say I can't 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 a name as Vincent, even II It hasn't
any handle to 1t, and. II | do say II.
there's never a dinner given in Lon
don town that Archibald Terhune is
not invited. But. somehow. in this. my
tenth season, became utterly weary
OF the limeliGht the dinners. the balls.
the matchmaking mammas (for ! am
an eligible bachelor"). and. most of
all, the debutantes. with their edu-
Gated smiles and cultivated stares. II
felt that I must flee from London to
escape. and thus. as Vincent is al
ways ready for holiday. we found
ourselves one fine day well started on
our jurney. We had taken the noon
train for Kingsbrldge. and changing
there were to go on to Cuppstone.
which an artist friend of Vincent's had
recommended to us as Just the place
we were looking for.
Jolly lark this" said Vincent, after
we had been some time on our way;
only hope Cuppstone and Damer's
farm will be what we want. Graham
cracked 1t up to the Skies
That's 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 cheerful grin.
Its got cows which provide butter.
milk and art. and I've got some lem
ons In my grip for the lemonade. The
only thing that troubles me is the
landlady's beautiful daughter. I'm
afraid she'll be a 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 a thing like that may get
on ones nerves. But I wouldn't hurt
his feelings for anything, and so I had
to let him smoke.
About three O'Clock in the after.
noon, when we had left the comfort.
able carriages OF the main line for
tho ramshackle ones Of tho branch