Smyrna times., 1913-03-12
THE BRAMBLY
COTTAGE
The Story of a Rescue
By cLARlssA NAcKIE

cupping one freckled hand around
IarSe and leathery ear
II asked il there was good fishing
in the lake." repeated the man pa
tiently.
sometimes there is and some2mea
there amt" returned Mr. Kittredge'
with an enigmatic smile.
"HOw's that?"
'It all depends on Faustna Stand
ish." chuckled Leander. 1t all de
pends on Faustinar
The stranger looked puzzled "Who
is Faustina Standish?"
"She owns the lake and it's her say
so whether there's fish TO be caught or
not"
"Oh, didn't know 1t was private
property! The people at the hotel said
any one could fish there"
Belongs to Faustina. It's her say
So"
where does she liver"
"Down In that brambly cottage at
the shore now. In the winter time
she moves up to her house In the vii
lage. Some day Faustina II get ketch-
ed by a high tide or something and
cottage and all II fiOat on" Leander
shook with silent mirth.
'sTide! thought It was a fresh wa
ter lake.
"Its a bay-nothing more or less
than leetle salt water bay. with just
the teeniest outlet to the sound.
standishes have always owned the
bay, and now it's Faustina's. and she's
got a cottage down there that has its
feet I'm the water sometimes. She and
that grampussing old black cook.
Cleopatra. have It all 10 themselves
from June To October"
''NO harm in asking permission To
fsh?" ventured the stranger. And.
following Leander's guiding finger. he
/ turned into another woody road that
/ led him down IN the waters edge.
Davis Emery paused in sheer admi
ration Of the tiny bay. perhaps quar-.
ter OF mile In diameter. Tipped by q
snow white sandy beach with back
ground Of gently sloping pastures and
cedar clothed hillsides. Directly op-
/ pOsite was a rift In the white beach
that showed the channel, with a dark
/ rim OF the sound beyond. The sky
was blue. and the water reflected the
pure tint. The tide had been an un.
usually high one. for bits OF dried
driftwOOd were floating away from the
high wzter mark. Long lines OF dead
seaweed undulated with the swell Oi
the ebblng tide
Nowhere along the beach was ther,
a sign OF a ''brambly cottage" such a'
Leander Kittredge had described
Not far from where he was standing
However. there was a small building
whitewashed outside and in and speck
lessly clean. An indignant cluckins
frsm a nesting box In one corner re
vealed that this was n chicken house
and II was evident that the tide has
Tapped the door OF the building. 70
the sand lay In little riffied. dam
lines.
II this was Faustina Standlsh'
chicken house her brambly cottag
could not be far away. But look a
he might up and down the beach h
saw nothing save a sweep OF wet san
and glistenlng pebbles
All at once Emery saw II In the mos
unexpected place. There. bObbin
drunkenly In the middle OF the littl
bay. was a small white cottage owe
run with red roses. The water swashe
around the tiny porch and broke /
white foam against the sides OF n
building. From a small iron chimns
smoke poured forth as II this une.
pected trip on the water had not hli
! dered the round OF domestic dutie
Up on a balcony above the porch a W
man was sitting eOmpOsedly. readir
a book.
There was only one thing for Dav
Emery 70 do and that was 10 rescl
the damsel as quickly as possible.
order 10 do that he must have a boa
and. looking about. be soon made Il
unpleasant discovery that there we
three very capable looking small boa
adrift on the bay. He raced madly
the shore and found nothing save
broken oar half buried IN the 81
grass With this IN his hand he we
back 10 the chicken coop and the
behind II. resting on the sloping ban
were the outlines OF a fiat bottoms
skin beneath a covering OF tarpaul
and dried seaweed.
After fifteen minutes labor he b
the covering cleared away and {
boat ahoat ROwlOcks there we
none. but Emery could paddle ev
with a broken oar. so he pushed or a
went bObbing slowly toward the bra
bly, cottage. which was also bobbi
on the tide and headed straight
the narrow. wicked looking chauneL
Perhaps the girl had suddei
thought OF the channel. for all at OF
:, she arose and went 10 the railing a
J leaned over and looked long and an
oe ously az the course OF the cottage.
saw Emery Just then. and IN respoI
10 his hail he heard faint response
The current was stronger now. a
the speed OF both cottage and 81
was accelerated. so that Emery did