The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1910-07-01
CHAPTER 1.


pealed to us both. Vincent's whole
name and title is Lord Wilfred Vim
cent for he is the younger son Of the
old duke of Totten. Men of his own
age call him Freddy" but | call him
Vincent or Wilfred, because | con
slider Curtailed appellations undignifea,
Vincent is an artist-that is, he calls
himself one; his friends call him "A
dabbler in art" He doesn't really so
in for it seriously, you know, but he
did little sketches of COWS and that
sort of thing rather well, | fancy. So
we agreed that our aim was to find
little old village, far away from
London, and get rooms in some old
farmhouse. My idea was that Vincent
Wild go out and paint the COWS while
/ would lie in the hammock and the
old lady would bring me butterm'lk.
Wilfred had an idea that he, toe,
would like to spend good bit of his
time in hammock, but with this diff
ference, that the old ladys beautiful
daughter was to bring him lemonade.
But l pointed out to him that the
from town was to get rid of the
debutantes. and therefore he'd have to
leave the fair ones out Of our air castle.
Our plan was just to bask in Nature,
and we had six weeks to bask in. The
foreign Office doesn't seem to require
much of Wilfreds time and he doesn't
do anything else except "dabble." OF
course, being a younger son, he hasn't
a shilling of his own, but the old duke
makes him a comfortable allowance,
because he dotes on Wilfred as much
as he detests his eldest son. Edmund
the heir to the dukedom. So, when
Vincent complained of feeling "all run
down" it was easy for him to get six
weeks off, although, as l tell him. he
has been getting six weeks Off ever
since he left Oxford, two years ago
He isn't "a yet.
Nevertheless, Vincent is one of the
best little chaps in the world. | don't
mean that he is understood, for he
stands six feet two in his stockings;
but Is so good natured, so jolly and
amiable and straight-well-jus natur
body Is Just crazy about him. as the
American girl met last summer used
to say, and all the men, young and old
alike, have gotten to calling him lit
tie Vincent" or Freddy" from his
Elton days, just by way of endearment
OF course, I'm much older than Vim.
cent-to be more exact, there's a mat
nf I 1
/ must say | can't help being drawn
to him. I've known him ever since he
was born, and then, you see, we're |
both Oxford men, belong to the same |
clubs, and, of course, Terhune is as |
Old name as Vincent, even if it hasn't |
any handle to 1t, and, If | do say it, |
there's never a dinner given in Lon
don town that Archibald Terhune is |
not invited But, somehow, in this, my
tenth season, | became utterly weary
of the limelight, the dinners, the balls,
the matchmaking mammas flor | am
an eligible bachelor") and, most of
all, the debutantes, with their eiu-
Gated smiles AID cultivated stares.
felt that l must fee from London to
ways ready for a holiday, we found
ourselves one fine day well started on
our jurney. We had taken the noon
train for Kingsbridge, and changing
there were to go on to Cuppstone,
which an artist friend of Vincent's had
recommended to us as just the place
We were looking for
Jolly lark this" said Vincent, after
We had been some time on our way;
only hope Cuppstone and Dancers
fal m will be what we want. Graham
clHcked it up to the skies"
That's the trouble" l complained;
when things talked up too much
IT'S sure to disappOint one"
Wait till you see it. old pessimist!"
said Vincent, with a cheerful grin.
Its got COWS which provide butter.
milk and art. and I've got some lem
ons in my grip for the lemonade. The
only thing that troubles me is the
beautiful daughter. I'm
afraid she'll be a minus quantity"
Then he put his feet across on NV
side Of the carriage and lit nasty,
smelly, old pipe. That's the worst
of Vincent; he's so young he doesn't
think how thing like that may get
on ones nerves. But | wouldn't hurt
his feelings for anything, and so had
to let him smoke
About three o'clock in the after. ,
noon. when We had left the comfort.
able carriages of the main line for
the ramshackle ones Of the branch
line. We came to a sudden stop in the
center Of a big stretch of meadow
and. A few miles away we could see :
he spires and roofs of little village J
md. what was more noticeable. a big ,
sastle, that stood on higher ground
ZONE distance above the town. b,n !
aot far from where the train had !