Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-03-23
Whit TAKERS
PLACE,
BY JOSEPH c. LINCOLN
Copyright, 1908. by d. Appleton {, Co.

Die quick 1n0rCn Tor nome and din
ner and looked his companion in the
face.
"Ase Tidditt." he cried, do YOU
mean to tell me you've had n letter
from Heman Atkins from Washin'-
tonT'
Asaph nodded portentouslv.
yes, SIR" he declared. "a letter
from the Hon. Heman G.. Atkins of
Washin'ton, u. c., come TO me last
night rend it afore turned in
You did, And never said nothin'
about it?'
it? Twas addressed to me as town
clerk and was concernin a matter to
he took up with the board Of s'lect-
men. amt in the habit of hollerin'
town affairs through spoakin' trum-
pet. Folks that vote for me town
meetin' day know that guess Angie
Phinney says to me only yesterday,
Mr.. Tidditt, says she, there's one
thing I'll say for you-you don't talk"
"Humph." Bailey snorted indignant
ly. "She thought twas a good thing
not to talk, hey? She did? We'll. 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 Smnlley declared up
and down that what killed 1t was joal-
ousy and disappointed ambition; he
said It broke its heart tryin' to keep
up with Angie. Yer ma was the same
breed of cats. What did Heman saw
about the appropriations 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 he mizzenmast, Heman
Atkins wants to get a-hold of that
place the worst way"
lie does! He doesl For the land
salles, amt he got property enough al
ready? Amt "a palace like that
enough for one man without wantin'
to buy a rattletrar 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 its
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.
! Hemnn was our leading citizen, our
representative in Washington and the
/ towns phi)anthropist. He gave the
/ Atkins memorial window and the AT
( kins tower clock to the Methodist
I 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
sowing circle, ut the table of tho per-
/ feet boarding house." around the stove
| in Simmons store or wherever Day
! porters We're 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 he ashar-
ed to face It. Originally It had enjoyed
the dignified seciusion afforded by a
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 a sign over the sacred front door
and built wide veranda under the
] parlor windows. They took boarders
! for five consecutive summers. Then
they gave up the Improbable under
| taking, returned to Concord, " 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 it stood empty. The Sc
lectmen would have liked TO tear It
down, but they could not because 1t
was private property, having been pur-
chased from the Howes heirs by the
third Cy Whitaker, Captain Cy's only
son. who ran away TO sea when he was
sixteen years old and was disinherlted
and cast off by the proud old skipper
in consequence. Each March Asaph
Tidditt In his official capacity as town
cierK had been accustomed to receive
an envelope with a South American
postmark, and in that envelope was
draft on Boston banking house for
the sum due as taxes on the 10y
! Whitaker place" The drafts wero
signed Cyrus NJ. Whitaker"
Dut this particular year, the year in
which this chronicle begins, no dra TT
had been received. Asaph waited IL
few weeks and then wrote to the adj
dress indicated by the postmark. His
letter was unanswered. Next to the
harbor appropriation the question Of
what should be done about the ICY
Whitaker place" filled Bayport's
! that eDrinU