Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-02-17

NNtNA - vel VI
stealing a thing and yet paying enough
nezer where he lived.
His daughter liked Brown, too, and
twas easy enough to see that Brown
liked her. She was a mighty pretty
girl, the kind Peter called a queen"
and the active manager took to her
like a cat to a fish. They was together
more'n half the time, Citing up sailing
parties, or playing croquet, or setting
up on the Lovers Nest" which was
a III of slab summer house Brown
had rugged up Oh the bluff where Aunt
Sophrony's pigpens used to be in the
old days. But all that was afore the
count come aboard.
We got our first letter from the count
about the Sd of June. The writing
was all over the plate like a billed din
mel, and the English looked like it had
been shook up in a bag, but it was
signed with a nine fatho1n, toggle lint
ed name that would give a poll parrot
the lockjaw and had the word count"
on the bow of it.
You never see a Teller happier than
Peter L. Brown.
"Can he have rooms?" SAYS Peter,
can he! Well. l should rise to elo-
cute! He can have the best there is
II yours truly has to bunk in the COOP
with he gladstone Plymouth Rock.
mats What! He says he's a count
II he'll be advertised as a count
from this place to where rolls the
Oregon"
And he was too. The papers were
full Of how Count What's-his-name
was hanging out at the Old Home
House, and we got more letters from
rich old women and pork picking
m~oneybags than you could shake a
stick at. IT you want to catch the
Tree n equal nabob of a glorious re-
public. bait up with a little nobility
and you'll have your salt wet in no
time. We had to rig up rooms in the
carriage house, and me and Jonadab
slept in the haymow.
The count himself hove in sight on
June Is. He was a little, smoked
Italian man with a pair of legs that
would have been carried away in a
gale and a black mustache with
waxed ends that you'd think would
punch holes in the pillowcase. His
talk was like his writing, only worse.
but from the time his big trunk with
the foreign labels was carried upstairs
he was skipper and all hands Of the
Old Home House.
And the funny part Of it was that
old mar Dillaway was as much gone
on him as the rest. For a self made
American article he was the worst
gone on this machine made importa-
ton that ever you see. 1 s'pose when
you've got more money than you can
spend for straight goods you naturally
go in for buying c%uriosities; 1 can't
see no other reason.
Anyway. from the minute the count
come over the side it was "Goodby,
Peter" The foreigner was first oar
with the old man and general Censor
for the daughter. 1t worried Peter;
you could see that. He's set in the
barn with Jonadab and me, thinking.
thinking, and all at once he'd bust out:
"Bless that dago's heart! I haven't
chummed in with the degenerate aris-
tocracy much in my time, but some
where or other I've seen that chap be-
fore. Now, Observation-Disclosures"
For the first two weeks the count
paid his board like a major; then he
let it slide. But Peter got bluer and
bluer.
One night we was in the setting
room-me and Jonadab and the count
and Ebenezer. The queen" and the
rest of the boarders was abed.
The count was spinning a pigeon
English yarn of how he'd fought a
duel with rapiers. When he'd finished
old DillaWay pounded his knee and
sung out:
"That's business! That's the way to
fix 'em! No lawsuits, nc argument, no
delays. Just take 'em out and punch
holes in 'em. Did you hear that,
BROWNE"
Eyes, 1 heard it," says Peter, kind
Of absentminded like. Fighting with
raZors, wasn't it?"
"What-a you say?' the count says,
bending for'ards.
"Mr. Brown was mistaken, that's
ALL" says Dillaway. "He meant ra-
piers"
But why-a razors; why-a razors?''
says the count.
Now, l was watching Browns face,
and all at once 1 see it light up like
you'd turned a searchlight on it. He
settled back in his chair and fetched
a long breath as if he was satisfied.
Then he grinned and begged pardon
and talked a blue streak for the rest
Of the evening.
Next day he told Jonadab and me
that he was going up to Boston that
evening on business and wouldn't be
back for a day or so.
He was back again three nights aft.
erward. and he come right out to the
barn without going nigh the house.
He had another Teller with him, a kind
Of shabby dressed Italian man with
curly hair.