Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-04-15
Madam Barlow
D.. CCOpcE ADAMS
The Eyrie was well named.
By GEORGE ADAMS

cottage was percned was WeiEhish
| inaccessible: quite so, In fact, except
by way of the picturesque little foot
path that crept up to 1t 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 10
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 half-dozen 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 catch
ing a glimpse Of the newcomers, and
incidentally precipitating an introduc.
ton; but not only were the young
ladies invisible; they found, much TO
their surprise, corpulent. middle
aged dignifed female sitting In the
window that held the path, and In
tently reading.
When or by what means a portly
chaperon could have been smuggied
into town right under the eyes OF the
summer colony puzzled the young
men as much as her presence cha
grined them, for they had already en-
tertained visions Of unlimited good
times with a bevy Of unchaperoned
summer girls.
"No fun up here, boys; let's watch
out for the girls around the rocks and
the beach: that old lady won't get far
from camp with all her avoirdupois
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 Ey'
rie soon spread through the little com
munity and various tactics were de-
vised by the boys to lure the new
girls into the holiday life Of this par
ocular half-dozen 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" as
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 at
tempt made by the ardent "half-dozen
; to steal up unlimited resulted in con
; fronting the obsequious Madam Bar
| low with the inevitable book In hand
5 In the watch tower, as the window
r came to be called, and past which nc
4 welcoming nod ever encouraged them
The girls proved every bit as entic
ing as the first sight OF them nae
promised. and If one by one they even
tually eluded the ferret eyes or the
i madam and stole an hour singly or III
groups on the rocks. or for stroll III
=. the moonlight, or dip in the sur
? with these equally charming youne
y men. IL Is certain no one troubled
about It. and all the cottagers encour
S aged It from pure love of mischief
n seemingly. for the exclusive madam
t had by medium Of her young nock
/, absolutely declined all overtures o
i hospitality extended either TO hersel
= or the young ladiesby the friendly dis
posed cottagers at the foot OF he
;, path.
' All day long, and day succeedin,
day she sat there, reading-readin'
l, reading. never condescending on
glance even along the path.
= Billy Matthews was hopelessly II
! love with Ethel Moses-everybod
V could see that-and Ralph lngrahan
d was developing symptoms easily diae
o nosed by his chums, and which ne III
l. oenuously admitted. Fred Lander an
beatrice Munroe read Omar khayyaI
TOO assiduously for II to go down
with any one who had previousi
n known Fred
- The Wavelet. weekly folio shee
Ia gotten out for the amusement OF IN
10 summer colony. announced the OF
u, paeement of four out OF the SIX COZ
II, ples whose life conferred ABOUT Ia
Eyrie. and made convincing proph'
sizes respecting the others. Only wv
hours later the colony was s'arue
by the news Of the tragedy AT IN
Eyrie. Madam Barlow was said
have committed suicide
ut Help was summoned to the EYRE
or and the pathway was quickly a wave
ing line OF hurrying, struggling, pui
e. ing, perspiring, wildeyed humanit
as The Eyrie door stood open and Wit
It's out ceremony men, women and en-
er dren with hushed voices filed into u
En- cottage.
In the living room they were met
ut the ak young women dressed In pu'
ou white and with serious faces.
on This way, If you please, said be
ID trice Munroe, acting as spokeswoma
mt led the way into the dining-roo
is where the bewildered, incredulo'
ewes of the people met an array
'ly daintily spread luncheon tapi'
ranged around the four sides OF u
room. while from the ceiling overne,
depended a Manila rope, and from u
ed end of this rope which passed arouI
.aa her annie waist line, swayed the pc