Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-03-12
tcopyrisht. 1910. by sobb.- Merrill comp.ny.l
fCoNTINUED.1

tcopyrisht. 1910. by q
(CoNTINUED.1
Passing the angle of the freight
depot brought the little harbor into
full view. A fine white yacht lay
tugging at her cables.
There's a beauty" said Fitzgerald
admiringly.
"She looks as If she could take care
Of herself. How fresh the green water
line looks! She'll be fast In moderate
weather: a fair thousand tons. per.
haps."
"a close guess"
T understand she belongs to my
employer. hope he takes the sea
soon. I suppose you know that have
knocked about some as n sailor"
THAT will help you into the good
graces of the admiral"
The carriage was at the hotel when
they returned They bundled in their
traps. and drove away.
The little man now dropped into the
railway station and stuck his head
into the ticket aperture. The agent,
who was seated before the telegraph
keys, looked up.
"No tickets before half past 10, sir"
I am net wanting ticket. I wish
to know If can send cable from
here"
"a cable? Sure. Where TOT"
paris"
"Yes. sir. l telegraph 1t to the cable
Office In New York. and they do the
rest. Here are some blanks"
The other wrote some hieroglyphics.
which made the address impossible to
decipher. save that 1t was directed
mainly to Paris. The body Of the
cablegram contained single world.
The writer paid the toll. and went
away.
"Now. what would you think OF
thatY murmured the operator.
scratching his head in perplexity.
well. the company gets the money
so it's all the same to me. Butter
flies, and all the rest In French. Next
time it'll be bugs. All right; here
goes"
The house at the top Of the hill had
two names. 1t had once been called the
Watch Tower for reasons but vaguely
known by the present generation>of vii
layers. Today 1t was generally styled
The Pines. Yet even this had fallen into
disuse save on the occupants letter
paper. When any one asked where
Rear Admiral Killigrew lived he was
directed to 1.-The big white house at
the top o the hill"
The Killigrews had not been born
and bred there. Its builder had been
q friend Of King George-that Is, his
sympathies had been with taxation
without representation. One day he
sold the manor cheap. His reasons
were sufficient. 1t then became the
property of wealthy trader. who
died in It. This was In 1909. His
heirs, living and preferring to live In
Philadelphia. put up sign and, being
Of careful disposition. kept the place
In excellent repair.
In the year 1916 1t passed into the
hands of a Frenchman, and during
his day the villagers called the house
the Watch Tower. for the Frenchman
was always on the high balcony. tele-
scope in hand. gazing seaward. No
one knew his name. he dealt with
the villagers through his servant. who
could speak English. himself profess.
Ing that he could not speak the Ian
guage. He was recluse. almost q
hermit At odd times brig would be
seen dropping anchor in the of1ng.
She was always from across the wa
ter, from the old country. as villagers
to this day insist upon calling Europe
The manor during these peaceful In
vasions showed signs Of life. Men
from the brig went up to the big white
house and remained there for a week
or q month. And they were lean men.
battle SCARED and fierce Of eye. some
with armless sleeves, some with stih
legs, some twisted with rheumatism.
All spoke French and spat whenever
they saw the perfdious flag OF old
England. This was not marked against
them as demerit. for the war Of
1872 was yet smoking here and there
along the great lakes. Suddenly they
would up and away. and the manor
would resume its repellent aloofness.
Each time they returned their number
was diminished. Old age had sue.
reeded war as a harvester. In 1922
the mysterious old recluse surren-
dered the ghost. His heirs, ignored
and hated by him for their afaliation
with the Bourpons, sold 1t to the IA.
ther o! the admiral.
The manor wasn't haunted. The
hard headed longshoremen and sailors
who lived at the foot Of the hill were
a practical people, to whom spirits
were something mostly and generally
put up In bottles. and emptied ON sun
less. blustery days. Still. they wouldn't
have been human II they had not done
some romancing.
There were a dozen yarns, each at
variance with the other. First, the
old "monseer" was fugitive from
France; everybody granted that Sec
ond, that he had helped to cut OF King
Louis head: but nobody could prove
that. Third. that he was retired
pirate; but retired pirates always
wound up their days In riotous living,
30 this theory died. Fourth. that he
had been q great soldier In the Ma
poleonic wars. and this version had
some basis. as the old mans face was
slashed and cut. some of his fingers
missing. and he hmped. Again. be
had been banished from France for a
share In the Hundred Days But all
told, nothing was proved conclusively,
But the next generation partly for
got and the present only indifferently
remembered that once upon time q
French emigre had lived and died ur
there
All these things Fitzgerald and hif
companion learned from the driver or
: the journey up the incline.
Where was this Frenchman bur
ied?" inquired Breitmann softly.
I'm tn cemet'ry Jest over tn hill
But nobody knows Jest where ne L
now. Stones gone. an tn grounds