The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-08
TALKS IN ENGLAND.
a. the Country Aucrisa.

and regarded as one % It's celebrities az
far hack a. can remember In this old
settled and closely peopled land at least
you may obtain a considerable notOriety
even without desiring Il. by simply keep
ing to Yourself, and most English neigh
borhOods entertain themselves with a
figure % this kind.
Our hermit who had the name Of Henry
Mott was a foreigner By Jigin. which
doesn't mean here that he was a French
man or a German. bat that hs came from
another mart u England. On.his arrival
he bought a good sized house Of ten rooms
or 10 on byToad about a mile out of the
village and there settled down to live in
strict solitude. The site itself was not
particularly secluded. az the front of the
housa touched the road. with no garden
intervening bat then the front door
always remained clOsad and the windows
suffered. and the only exit in use was
at the back. where lay a little orchard.
we'll hidden by trees and a tall hedge.
He was said N take walks In the orchard
and once when was riding past ! did
catch a glimpse Of a nightcap moving
among the trees.
On returning To the neiGhborhOOd after
an absence Of several years I was sur
prisAd To hsaT % the long remembered
hermit heing still alive. but a week ago
there appeared on the barn wall beside tho
Green. which is used for such public an
nouncements. a printed notice hsinning
Re Henry Mott, deceased BY order Of
the administrators a sale will bs held at
4 noon &c. The sale was 10 be 90 the
hous'. and hoWever reluctant yOl might
be- "a pry into the Affairs u a man ~
tenacious Of privacy. curiosity could plead
that abstaining would b. futile wheR half
the countryside. was sure 10 b. there
A walked up the village on my way 20
the slla | slW Mrs B the gard ner =
wife. chatting with q neghhor before her
matched cottage. which vas front"d by a
nm show Of dldodils In hower. and
stopped 10 wish her good morning She
was just then laughing over her husbands
success in getting a reward II twenty
shlllings offered by the old lady who EN-
ployed him 20 ybody who could cure her
little granddaughter Of the habit Of suck
ing her thumb won the reward by
the simple method II taking Miss Mary's
thumb ont II her mouth and putting II into
his own. which sent the child on scream
lng - Nor grandmother In spite Of this
wlndfall Mrs y wash going to the sale
shgwas TOO stout n walk IN far. she said.
and the only tap n the village free that
day was the on" which be- { made her miss
hor sisters funeral Eve years ago by fail
ing 10 krop an ,Rreemant - come 20 fetch
her. since tIen she hal never engaged il.
hh0 was yery sorry not IN 60 having. she
admitted. a strong mind to sse tho inside
Ut a house which had ~ long been closed
ur like o dungeon
Here's y. she exclaimed. laughing
again and pointing across thee rcen, with
Miss Mary medicine bottle on has face
tn" gard ner was coming our way with
a stranger n q queer shapcd cap who had
wooden box under ons arm and under
the other a reddish animal that I discov.
cred after a moment was FOX. The fox,
who was wearing a handsome collar with
q chain, should perhaps receive passing
mention because Of his rare accomplish
ments His owner a vermin killer by
trade, had besn summoned by r. 70 do a
job at an Clubhouse which was being pullsd
down. His tools werc half dozen lerrcts.
lodged in a wooden case. and the fox.
which he called Hszekiah 'Hez,ki n
WORK to ferrets. he said. -h-tter'n any
dog you ever SEED. 'Es qucker'n light
ming. and never lets any Of EN- put W
much a. a scratch . hisself There amt
another fox n0wheres In the country 10
prettily broke a. ferrets a. Hezekiah j.
. 'Tis no more than the truth, ns-sntsd y
pinching one u Hszekiahs ears. who
snapped lack quickly hut harrnle~ly.
being muzzled
X was not going 20 the sale either. he
was too busy I could a bought ono II
The Old man weapons or something too
he added. for there's twenty shillinRs In
my pocket this morning that wash { there
overnight
After We had heard the sale about
little Mary's thumb over again | took
NJ his allusion 20 the hermits weapons.
which brought back stories familiar 20
ne ~ a child about loaded guns pointing
loWn the passages ~ the barred house ,
md an arnory n various swords IN Il:
MN" broad and soms thin FOR passing
lnder the door 10 slice IN a mans feet
tanding on the - sps. some very narrow ,
o stab YOU with through the keyhole.
When ! asked Do you think IL was true
.bout all thoss weapons y answered .
rnly oh, yes. sir You'll see them there /,
the heirs haven't took them away o,g
Z shame And when | went on At
II events, no ons ever knew the real
rason Why he shut himself up like that.
rejoined with confidence Begging
our pardon, SIR, h was this way John I,
'luell"n told mo You wouldn't hardly :
emembsr him but twas him took the
ousa for Mr. Mott when first = come
ere that's Airty-gve years ago. Mr..
lot p vas crossed IN love
In saying tho last words n like the
Their men horeabout when giving this
M honored account of the matter.
puld not arrest a slight grin. and Mrs.
l., like the other women. who always
i've this account with complete serious n
sss. put in gravely. The girl = vas II
counting died n
But he was very rich said irrele-
antly. hurryins over the familiar ground. o
Yes. said Mrs h o was warm. and N
D mistake That 10 Why e Was an armed =,
aD. a. you might say. and had those b
-eat alarims In the house. and wouldn't Z,
'er lst any one inside MY belief is = a
cant 10 die by hiss.lf, too p signed d