The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-19

4 v morsel of food cooked by her. said she was the best cook in the county
 CHAPTER xxIIl.
 Exuent onnes.
 f~1HE professor looked up from his griddlecakes. ssWhy limit it to the coun-
 typ he asked. q should say you were too parsimonious in your judgmentss
 Mrs Quimby. detecting in the old mans words a compliment, flushed an even deeper red as she bent above the stove.
 It's so seldom anything really hap pens around here,', she said, sI just been hungeffng for news of the strange goings on up there. And Tmust say the subject. threatened tc come up and join in the proceedings myself. es- peciaiiy when I heard about the book writing cook Providence had sent you.
 You would have found us on the porch with outstretched arms, MT. Magee assured her.
 It was on Kendrick that Mrs. Quinn by showered her attentions, and when the group rose to seek the station, amid a consultation of watches that recalled the commuter who rises at dawn to play tag with a dippant train, MT. Magee heard her say to the rail- road man in a heartfelt aside:
 q don't know as can ever thank | you enough, Mir. Kendr1ck, for putting g ! new hope into Quimby. You'll never understand what it means when you have given up and your life seems all done and wasted, to hear that there's a chance left
 Wont I ?" replied Kendrick warmly. Mrs Quimby, it will make me very happy man to give your husband his chance.s'
 The first streaks of dawn were in the sky when the hermits of Baldpate filed through the gate into the road, waving goodby to Q1fmby and his wife, who stood in their dooryard for l the farewell.
 l In the station MT. Magee encounter l ed an old friend-he of the mop of | ginger colored hair. The man who had | complained of the slowness of the viii 1 lage gazed with wide eyes at Magee l sI figured 2 he said, ttthat you'd come this way again We'll, I must say you've put a little life into this place. If I'd known when saw you here the other night all the exciting things you had up your sleeve I'd 1 a-gone right up to Baldpate with you. . l But hadn't anything up my sleeve.' protested Magee.
 stMay ybe,'' replied the agent, winking- l<AThere's some pretty gfddy stories go l ing around about the cafryings on up at Baldpate-shots fired and strange lights flashing. Doggone fti The only thing that's happened here in years, and wasn't in on it. I certainly wish you'd put me wise to it.
 Two dropping figures entered the sta Hon-the mayor and his faithful lieu tenant, Max The dignity of the for I mer had faded like q flower, and the same witheredi sinlile might have been applied with equal force to the accus- toned jauntIness of Lou.
 They filed out upon the platform. MT. Magee carrying Mrs. Norton's lug gage amid her effusfve thanks. On the platform waited stranger equip ped for travel. It was MT Max who made the discovery.
 sBy the Lord Harryr' he cried sIt's the hermit of Baldpate mountainr'
 And so it: was, his beard gone, his l hair cIumsily hacked, his body garbed in the height of an old and ludicrous I fashion, his face set brayely toward the cities once more.
 sYes,' he said, sT walked the floor thinking 1t all over knew it would happen, and it has, The winters are hard, and the sight of you-it was too much. The excitement, the talk-ii did for me. did for my oath. So Tn going back to her-back to Brooklyn for Christmas"
 "A merry one to you. growled Car gan.
 Maybe replied MT. Peters. ''Very likely, if she's feeling that way. hope so. I ain't giving up the hermf job altogether-I'll come back in tn. summers to my postcard business There's money in it if it's handled right But I've spent my last winte on that lonesome hill.'' tAs author to author asked Magee .sIlow about your bookT'
 There won't be any mention o that the hermit predicted, sin Brook lyn. I've packed it away. Maybe
 can work on it summers if she doesn' come up here with me and insist ol running my hermit business for me. hope she won't, 1t would sort of put . erfmp in it. but if she wants to woq' :, refuse And maybe that book'H neve get done Sometimes as I've sat i