The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-07
WHITTAKER'S
 PLACE
By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN

ner and looked his companion in the face
 "Ase Tidditt," he cried. "do you mean to tell me you've had a letter from Henaan Atkins from Washin'- tonP'
 Asaph nodded portentously. s'Yes, sir," he declared. "A letter from the Hon. Heman G. Atkins of Washin'ton, D. O., come to me last night read it afore turned in.''
 "You did! And never said noth1n' about 1t T'
 'FWhy should I say anything about 1t? 'Twas addressed to me as town clerk and was. concernin' a matter to be took up with the hoard of s'1ect- men. ain't in the habit of hollerin' town affairs through a speakin' trum- pet. Folks that, vote for me town meetin' day know that guess. Angie Phtnney says to me. only yesterday. MT. Tidditt, says she, there's one thing I'll say for you-you don't talk g 'Humphi" 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- neyi Why, when that poll parrot of hers died Alph'us Smalley declared up and down that what killed it was jeal- ousy and disapp'inted 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 T'
 1 MT 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 i and me and the mizzenmast, Heman ] Atkins wants to get a-hold of that place the worst way.''
 l He does! He does! For. the land Bakes, ain't he got property enough al- ready? Ain't a-a palace like that enough for one man without wantin' to buy a rattletrap like that?" The first that" was emphasized by a brandished but reverent left hand, | the second by a derisively pointing right. The two friends had reached the crest of the long slope leading up ! from the town hall. On one side of l 1 age of the Atkins estate," with it's iron fence and stone posts; on the oth- CT slouched the weed grown, tumble down desolation of the "Cy 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 ptilanthropist. 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 ''the per feet boarding house." around the stove in Simmons store or wherever Bay porters were used to gather.
 The ''Cy 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 faceit- Originally it had enjoyed the dignifed seclusfon 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 a wide veranda under the parlor windows. They took boarders for five consecutive summers. Then they gave up the unproftabIe 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 1t might.
 For years it stood empty. The se- iectmen would have liked to tear 1t down. but they could not because it 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 disinherited and cast off by the proud old skipper in consequence. Each March Asaph Ttdditt in his official capacity as town
 clerk had been accustomed to receive
 an envelope with a South American
 postmark, and in that envelope was {
 draft on a Boston banking house fol
 the sum due as taxes on the "Cy
 Whitaker place." The drafts wert
 signed Cyrus M. Whitaker"
 But this particular year, the year il
 which this chronicle begins, no draf
 had been received. Asaph waited {
 few weeks and then wrote to the ad
 dress indicated by the postmark. Hi
 letter was unanswered Next to th'
 harbor appropriation the question O
 what should be done about the 70.
 Whitaker place" filled Bayport'i thoughts that spring.
 [ -ssst in the world" repeated Bai ley. does Heman want of shebani
 like that? Amt he got enough al
 ready?"
 His friend shook his head.