Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-03-07
THE BRAMBLY
COTTAGE
The Story of a Rescue
BY CLAR1SSA MACKlb
BY CLARlSSA MACKIH

Leander Klttredge leaned over the
fence and scrutinized the lnquiring
stranger who carried fishing rods and
basket. what sa-ay" he drawled,
cupping one freckled hand around
large and leathery ear.
IL asked IL there was good hshing
In the lake." repeated the man pa
tlently.
Sometimes there Is and sometimes
there amt" returned Mr., Kittredge,
with an enIgmatic smile.
"How's thutT'
ut all depends on Faustina Stand
Ish." chuckled Leander. ut oil de-
yends on Faustina"
The stranger looked puzzled. "Who
Is Faustina Standishr'
"Shc owns the lake and it's her say
80 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 Ash there"
Belongs to Faustina. It's her say
go"
"Where does she live"
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 II high tide or something and
cottage and all II float off" Leander
shook with silent mirth.
"Tidel | thought It was a fresh wa
ter lake"
ITS bay--nothing more or less
than n leetle salt water bay, with Just
the teenlest outlet to the sound.
Standishes have always owned tho
bay, and now it's Faustina's and she's
got a cottage down there that has Its
feet In the water sometimes She and
that grampussing old black cook,
Cleopatra, have 1t all to themselves
from June to October"
mo harm In asking permission to
fish, vcntured the stranger And,
following Lenders guiding finger, he
turned into another Yoody road That
led him down to the Waters edge.
Davis Emery paused in sheer adml-
ration Of the tiny bay, perhaps a quar-
ter OF mile In diameter, Tipped by n
snow white sandy beach with II back
ground Of gently sloplng pastures and
cedar clothed hlllsides. Directly op-
poslte was rift In the white beach
that showed the channel, with n dark
rim of the sound beyond. The sky
was blue. ana 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 water mark. Long lines of dead
seaweed undulated with the swell OF
tho ebblng tide.
Nowhere along the beach was there
a sign OF a "brambIy cottage" such q
Leander Kittredge had described.
Not far from where he was Standing,
however, there was small building
whitewashed outside and In and speck-
lessly clean, An indignant clucking
from n nesting box In one corner re-
venled that this was chicken house,
and 1t was evident that the tide had
Tapped the door OF the building, for
the sand lay In little ri1ied. damp
lines.
If this was Baustina Standlsh's
chicken house her brambly cottage
could not be far away. But look ~
he might up and down the beach he
saw nothing save sweep of wet sand
and gllstenlng pebbles.
All at once Emery saw 1t In the most
unexpected place. There, bobblng
drunkenly In the middle Of the little
bay, was n small white cottage over
run with red roses. The water swashed
around the tiny porch and broke in
white fonm against the sides OF the
building. From n small Iron chimney
smoke poured forth rs II this uneX-
pected trip on the water had not hin
dered the round OF domestic duties.
Up on balcony above the porch Il wo-
man was sitting composedly, reading
a book.
There was only one thing for Davis
Emery to do and that was TO rescue
the damsel as quickly AZ possible. In
order to do that he must have boat,
and, looking about, he soon made tho
unpleasant discovery that there were
three very capable looking small boats
adrift on the bay. He raced madly up
the shore and found nothing snvo a
broken oar half buried in the salt
grass With this In his hand he went
back to the chicken coop and there
behind II, resting on the sloping bank,
were the outlines OF fiat bOtt0med
skif beneath covering Of tarpaulin
and dried seaweed.
After fifteen minutes labor he had
the covering cleared away and the
boat aiont ROwlocks there were
none, but Emery could paddle even
with broken oar, 80 he pushed on ana
went bobbing slowly toward the BRAN
bly, cottage, which was also bobblng
on the tide and headed straight for
the narrow. wicked looking channel
Perhaps the girl had suddenly
thought Of the channel. for all at once
phe arose and went to the rniling md
leaned over and looked long and anxi-
Ously at the course Of the cottage She
saw Emery Just then, and in response
10 his hail he heard n faint response.
The current was stronger now. and
the speed ~ both cottage and skin
was accelerated. 10 that Emery did not
gain much on the little house, but after
awhile his strong. stendy persistent
strokes counted for results. and lust
when he was beginning TO feel the