The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-01
IN THE GR0TTO.
sy N. QUAD.

copyright. 1903, BY Associated Literary
Press.i
1t took place quite suddenly; but,
then, 1t was at a summer resort.
Things always take place quite sud
deuly at those places or not at all.
They observed each other al the din
ner table: they went out sailing 10 the
same boat ID the afternoon; IN the
evening they found themselves side BY
side on the yeranda listening 10 the
music and looking out on the moonlit
waters. Somehow they introduced
themselves to each other, and after
that Fate held them In the hollow Of
her band.
Minnie Lee was there under the
chaperonage of her aunt Homer
Ware. being twenty-four years old,
was acting as his own guardian. While
this was a case Of love at first sight,
neither Of the principals told all they
knew at the flrst. second or third
meeting They spoke or uncies. cous.
ins and aunts: they referred 10 music
and the drama; they spoke OF London,
Paris and other foreign capitals II
would have been HI bad taste for the
young woman TO even hiut that she
was m heiress Or for the Young man
70 give fist Of the stocks aud bonds
be bad in j safety vault Oh, 10. The
sordid did not enter into the affair ID
the least 1t was the romantic alto
gether
The young man was IA time intro
dueed 10 the ehaperom "in time" IN
this case meant within three days aft
er Tie first meeting Y0n have got to
hustle things along AZ summer resort
or get left The chaperon was WON
an of forty, either an old maid or a
widow, and. while NOT severe. she was
a woman u the world
Two weeks passed ike day They
always pass swiftly at the summer re-
sort tt they didn't Tie landlords
couldn't present their bills 50 often
During the second week II became pat
emf Co many guests that the couple We
have under discussion were very much
III love and that an engagement was
topping on the brink. No one threat
ened 10 use a club to halt proceedings.
however Even the chaperon seemed
to favor Il Therefore things were
goiug like June day when Fate made
up her mind 70 take a hand IN There
we're grattoes In the hotel grounds
hair dozen of them Some were
double grottoes. like two family houses.
and others only single IL a loving
couple made an early start from the
dinner table they might pre-empt one
Of the single grottoes and hold I'll
against all Corners untu an hour after
midnight If all the single ones were
found occupied the double ones came
into play They were divided by al
stone wall, but they were intended to
convey sound instead Of deadening ii.
On this certain evening. when the I
moon was round and full and white
and soft and when the hotel band was
trying TO walzen love in other hearts, /
our couple were a minute late In leav-
ing the dining room and had to rent
half OF a double grotto. The other side
was not yet occupied, and they had an
hour to themselves Over 5000 words 1
OF love can be spoken IN an hour. The /
couple had got up to 1924 when the 4
other side Of the house was occupied
BY man and a woman. In very
businesslike voice the man started of 7
BY saying:
$50 you are sure it's the same pair?r I
oh | cannot be mistaken" replied h
the woman
lyon saw them at Atlantic City IN
AprilYn
Yes
And then at a hotel IN New York;
"As ] told you, and know that they
Jumped their board bill ID both places
know that the supposed aunt borrow
ed money Of two or three guests at the
hotel IN Atlantic City and Went away
leaving them unpaid have the
strongest suspicious that the girl is o
divorced wife and is being used as a
stool pigeon 60 pluck such fools as the
one who IS sweet on her now The
annt's room IS next to mine and last
night ! heard her saying something
about striking some one for thou
sand dollars. She must have referred
TO him. Yes. I'm sure they are a cou
pie Of sharpers.
And what about the fellowg
what know | got from Betty, and
she got It from another lady's maid
Some one. has found out that he is liv-