Evening star., 1909-06-25
CHAPTER xv1II-Continued.

From drawer he drew a small metal
case, unlocked and opened it. 1t was full
of letters. Each envelope that met Gaines
inuuisitiye eye bore Desiree Shevlins
Handwriting. Selecting one from the bud
get, Caleb opened it with a strangely gen.
tie motion of his stubby fingers. glanced
in silence over the few lines, then read
aloud:
It's like some wonderful dream, and
every day I'm afraid shall wake up and
find 1t isn't so. The air is like crystal
that has been dipped In balsam.'" 4"
why in blazes. in,erpolated Conover.
in perplexity. should anybody want to
dip crystal in balsam. / can't"
Go on.'' adjured Caine, Il understand
:" L feel as IL i were on the top of the
world pursued the letter The sky is
so big: so near. And II seems to rest on
the crests of those splendid. old noun
tains. The Antlers is on side hill. partly
cleared of forest and running down TO
Raquette lake. The hotel is white. and
it's on the top of the slope. It's nice
hotel. they say I've only been in it twice
Almost nobody is ever indoors except at
night or when II rains. And most of the
people don't live at the hotel Itself. They
live in the cottages and lodges ard tents;
and eat in the two big dining rooms that
are houses by themselves It's the out
doorest place 7 ever saw. We and
fish and tramp and swim and loaf all
day, and go on pcnics. And late In the
afternoons there's regular fleet of boa is
that put out into the lake TO watch the
sun set. The Sunset Fleet" call them.
And in the evenings we 90 10 the open
camps and lie back among the balsam
boughs and watch the big camp fires and
tell stories and sing college songs. And
sometimes we coax Ed Bennett to come
down to the camp with his violin and give
is THE Arkansaw Traveller" or tell US
one of his stories. He has the voca bulary
of college professor. He knows all the
Adirondack books. and he reads US chap
ters from them.
And BY 10 O'Clock generally. every
body is in bed. sleeping as no one can
sleep I'm town. One man in a tent lcft
lis mouth open when he went to sleep
the other night and made funny v
shaped noises that got all three of the
dogs to barking and walked everybody
NJ. There's the loveliest collie here.
Ills name is Rex. He has adopted me
and goes everywhere with me. Some
times even when / haven't any candy
10 give him. | wanted TO buy him and
take him home. But Mr.. Bennett,-aot
Ed. but his brother. the proprietor
won't sell him for any price. Isn't il
horrid? Rex and Siegfried- Mickey would
get on beautifully together. ] know
And their color schemes harmonize 81
perfectly
And Oh. ! forgot there's a yellow
kitten here. too. that's made friends
with me. And what do YOU suppose one
Of the BOYS did the other evening? We
had welsh-rarebit party at the open
camp. and he poured beer all over the
yellow Kittens fur just before we Went
away. And, of course. cat like she
llcked IT all off. And she came bound-
lug into my room ten minutes later III
perfectly scandalous condition. The
beer she had licked up from her fur
had gone TO the poor little things
head. Her eyes were big as saucers
aud she purred all the time like wag-
onful OF ratty steel rails. And she
went dancing round in circles on three
legs and trying To climb the wall till
she fell asleep in my waste basket
Wasn't il shame? I'm sorry laughed
But she did look so weird. And bier fur
smelt so horribly of beer that / couldn't
pick her up and try to reason with hnr.
Next day she the living picture of
remorse. 7 got her some Ice TO lap ana
put blue ribbon on her.
know you'll love the Adironda cks
lust think. In six weeks and two daIs
vou'Il he here. BY the way. you mus,
remember not to speak of coming up
To the Adirondacks. or going down FROM
them. Nobody does. They al. speak Of
coming i'm and going out" don't know
why Neither does ar! one l ask Per-
haps that's the reason. j M saving all the
beautifulest places 10 show YOU. The
prettiest rows. the widest trails. Perhaps
can deer. Wouldn't II he fun
DO so want 10 see one before ! go. And
vell climb Blue mountain and make the
trip through the chain of lakes. too Can
Nou come earlier than YOU planned? /
hate to think you're missing all this glo-
riouS time
An 10, OF the same sort added
caleb. folding and putting away the let
ter with unconscious tenderness, Writes
dandy letters. don't she2 hut il don't
make sense to me. SO far's | can see,
there's nothin 10 do but get cats drunk
and watch camp fires an get all het up
by rowin' an ciimbin' hills. Where's the
:un in al! that for a grown MANI
Miss Shevin viii be there" suggested
cane.
Course she will. said Caleb. Other
wise, d. you s'pose Tde waste my time GO
in'' ! wonder how I was ever jollied into
promisin
"Conover. remarked Caine. rising to