The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-04-08
Madam Barlow
By GEORGE ADAMS
The Eyrie was well named.

The pinnacle of ledge on which the
cottage was perched was "ell-nish
inaccessible; quite so, in fact, except
by way of the picturesque little foot
path that crept up to it from the group
Of summer houses clustered on the
brow on the beach around Its feet
few hundred yards below.
Midsummer was at hand and the
Eyrie the center OF attraction TO
every summer young man at Spur
wink Cliffs. 1t had been so since the
barge running semi-daily from the sta
ton three miles away had deposited
an even halfdozen delectable summer
girls at the foot Of Eyrie Path late one
afternoon three weeks prior to the
opening Of the story
Several impetuous youths-more
eager than wise-scrambled up the
narrow footway, the morning after the
arrival, with the expectation OF eaten,
ing a glimpse of the newcomers, ana
incidentally precipitating an introduc-
ton: but not only were the young
ladies invisible; they found, much to
their surprise, corpuent. middle
aged dignified female sitting in the
window that held the path, and In
tently reading.
When or by what means a portly
chaperon could have been smnggled
into town right under the eyes OF the
summer colony puzzled the young
men as much as her presence cna-
grined them, for they had already en-
tertained visions of unlimited good
times with bevy Of uDchaperoned
summer girls.
mo fun up here, boys; lets watch
out for the girls around the rocks ana
the beach; that old lady won't get lar
from camp with all her avoirdupols
and this hill in the proposition. TOO
you may mark my words" and Billy
Matthews ordered his squad to right
about face" and retreat.
The story of the safely-guarded Ely
RE soon spread through the little com
munity and various tactics were de
vised by the boys to lure the ne"
girls into the holiday life OF this par
ticular halfdozen summer young men
The scheme all proved more or less
successful, for 1t transpired as Billy
Matthews had predicted; the duenna
or our chaperon, Madam Barlow al
she soon came to be facetiously called
never did attempt the difficult path
Nevertheless, all hints to the girls
for an invitation to call at the Eyre
were ignored by them and every al
| tempt made by the ardent "half-dozen
to steal I'D unlimited resulted in con
| fronting the obsequious Madam Bar
| low with the inevitable book in hant
In the watch tower, as the WlndoV
| came to be called, and past which NJ
welcoming nod ever encouraged them
| The girls proved every bit as entlc
ing as the first sight Of them hat
promised, and II one by one they even
| tnally eluded the ferret eyes or tn
madam and stole an hour singly or II
: groups on the rocks. or for stroll II
| the moonlight, or a dip in the sur
with these equally charming youn
men It Is certain no one trouble
about It, and all the oottagers encou'
aged It from pure love Of mischie
seemingly, for the exclusive madam
had by medium Of her young nocf
absolutely declined all overtures c
hosn,tality extended either to herse
or the Young ladiesby the friendly oil
nosed cottagers at the foot OF nc
path.
All day long, and day succeedln
day she sat there, reading-readln
reading never condescending on
glance even along the path.
Rilly Matthews was hopelessly ]
love with Ethel Moses-everyood
could see that-and Ralph lnSraha'
wac developing symptoms easily ola
nosed by his chums, and which ne i
penuously admitted. Fred Lander ar
paotrice Munroe read Omar khayya
too assiduously for 1t to go dowl
with any one who had previous
known Fred.
r,o Wavelet weekly folio She
gotten out for the amusement Oh u
summer colony, announced the e
,aomant of four out OF the SIX co
Mes whose life centered about u
Eyrie and made convincing prop p,
sia. resnecting the others. only w
hours later the colony was start. !,
nv the news Of the tragedy at u
Eyr,s Madam Barlow was said
have committed suicide.
Help was summoned to the my +,
and the pathway was quickly wave
,ng line Of hurrying, struggling pu
,n S perspiring. wild.eyed humani,
The Eyrie door stood open and WI
-, ceremony men, women and Oh
dren with hushed voices fiieo INTO