St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-01-04
WHTTAkER'S
PLACE
BY JOSEPH C. LINCOLN
-,opyrisht. 1908. BY D. Appleton 6, Co.

whats Cap'n Josiah think about
the chances?' asked Asaph eagerly.
well, sometimes he thinks Yes and
then again he thinks No." replied
Bailey. HE says. of course, if Heman
Is able to get it he will. but If he amt
able to he-he"-
.'He won't. s'pose. Well, can
think that myself, and I don't set up
to be no inspired know-it-all, like Joe
Dimick. He amt heard from Heman
lately, has hep
'.No, he amt. Neither's anybody
else, so fur as I can find OUT
'Oh, yes. they have. / have. for
one"
Mr.. Bangs stopped short In his dou-
BILE quick march for home and din
ner and looked his companion in the
face.
"Ase Tidditt," he cried, do you
mean to tell me you've. had letter
from Heman Atkins from Washin'-
tonY'
Asaph nodded portentously.
Eyes, SIR" he declared. ga letter
from the Hon. Heman G. Atkins of
Washin'ton, D. c., come to me last
night. read it afore turned in"
'You did! And never said nothin'
about it?'
'Why should 1 say anything about
it? Twas addressed to me as town
clerk and was concernin' matter to
be took up with the board Of s'lect-
men. l amt in the habit of hollerin'
town affairs through speakin' trum-
pet. Folks that vote for me town
meetin' day know that guess. Angie
Phinney says to me only yesterday,
Mr.. Tiddftt,' says she, there's one
thing I'll say for you-you don't talk"
"HumphY' Bailey snorted indignant
ly. 'She thought twas a good thing
not to talk, hey? She did? Well, by
mighty! You never get no chance to
talk when she's around Angie Phin-
ney! Why, when that poll parrot of
hers died Alph'us Smalley declared up
and down that what killed it was jeal-
ousy and disappointed ambition; he
said it broke it's heart tryin' to keep
up with Angie. Her ma was the same
breed of cats. What did Heman say
about the appropriation? Is he goin'
to get it?'
Mr.. Tidditt paused before replying.
Then, bending over, he whispered in
his chum's ear:
HE never said one word about the
appropriation, Bailey, not one word.
He wanted to know if we'd got this
years taxes on the Whitaker place
and If we hadn't what was we goin'
to do about it. Bailey, between you
and me and the miZzenmast, Heman
Atkins wants to get a-hold Of that
place the worst way
'fHe does! He does! For the land
sakes, amt he got property enough al
ready? Amt "a palace like that
enough for one man without wantin'
to buy rattletrap like that?"
The first that was emphasized by
brandished but reverent left hand,
the second by derisively pointing
right. The two friends had reached
the crest of the long slope leading up
from the town hail. On one side of
the road stretched the imposing front
age of the atkins estate" with it's
iron fence and stone posts; on the 9th
er slouched the weed grown, tumble
down desolation of the ICY Whitaker
place." The contrast was that of opu-
lent prosperity and poverty stricken
neglect
Heman was our leading citizen, our
representative in Washington and the
towns philanthropist He gave the
Atkins memorial window and the At
kins tower clock to the Methodist
church. The Atkins town pump, also
his gift, stood before the town hall.
The Atkins portrait in the Bayport
Ladies' library was much admired, and
the size of the Atkins fortune was the
principal subject of conversation at
sewing circle, at the table of 'tthe per-
feet boarding house," around the stove
in Simmons store or wherever Bay
porters were used to gather.
The ICY Whitaker place. faced the
Atkins estate from the opposite side
of the main road, but it was the gen.
eral opinion that it ought to be asham-
ed to face it. Originally it had enjoyed
the dignified seclusion afforded by
white picket fence with square gate
posts, and the path to it's seldom used
front door had been guarded by rigid
lines of box hedge. This, however,
was years ago, before the second Cap
tain Cy Whitaker died and before the
Howes family turned it into the Sea
Sight House, a hotel for summer
boarders.
The Howeses Improved" the house
and grounds. They tore down the
picket fence, uprooted the box hedges,
hung sign over the sacred front door
and built a wide veranda under the
parlor windows. They took boarders
for five consecutive summers. Then
they gave up the improbable under
taking, returned to Concord, n. H.,
their native city, and left the Cy Whit
taker place to bear the ravages Of
Bayport winters and Bayport small
boys as best it might
For years 1t stood empty. The Sc
lectmen would have liked to tear It
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