The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-25
CHAPTER xI. HedgeroNw House.

centric circles Of scandal
 financial. political, social and mostly untrue. Those in which the greatest portion of truth inhered dealt with. the escapades of Wilfrid Blair, the only son and heir of the household, who had burned up all the paternal money he could lay hands on, writing his name In red fire across the night life of London, Paris and New York. Firing of this, he had come home and married a girl of nineteen, beautiful and innocent. whose parents, the elder piously opined, had sold her to the devil per MT. Blair. agent. The girl. whose maiden name was Marjorie Dor rance Rents fingers went to his ear at this-had left Blair after a year Of marriage, though there was no legal process, and he had returned to his haunts of the gutter until retrdbution overlook him in the form of tubercu- losis. His father had brought him to their place on Sundayman's creek, and there he was kept in semi-seclusion, visited from time to time by his young wife. who belped to care for him. -H
 That's the story they tell.'' com mented the elder, but some folks has got suspicious My own suspicious is that the young feller hasn't got no more consumption that you have, all though he's got a man nurse. I think old Blair has got him here to keep him out of the papers. -
 Publicity is not to MT. Blair's taste, then 2''
 T don't believe the old man would hardly stop short of murder to keep his name out of print He's kind O loony on the subject. Sailor Milt Smith is the feIler that can tell you about the family and the place. Here he comes up the street,
 He thrust his head out of the door Rnd called. Sailor Smith. sturdy and white. entered and greeted Kent cour- teously.
 MT. Dennett was saying remark ed Kent. that you know something of the history of Hedgerow house, as I believe they call it. !
 They call it!'' repeated the old sailor. 'sWho calls if? If you mean the Blair place. that's Hogg's haven, that fss You can't wipe out that name while there's man living as knew the place at its worst Old Captain Hogg built it and lived in it and died in it. The devil is hyin' bacon out of old Hogg today for the things he done in that house.
 ~NHow long since did he die?"
 "Oh. twenty year back"
 '.And the house was sold soon after?'
 Stood vacant for ten years. Then this feller Blair bought t. don't know him, but he bought a weevily biscuit there A bad house. it is-rot- 9en bad!"
 whats wrong with it?"
 ''Men's bones in the brick and wom- en's blood in tue mortar
 Was the old boy cannibal?- asked Kent. amused by the sea veterans herofcs.
 -'Just as bad-sIave trader''
 Have you ever been in the houseg, 5 s'MaHyss the time when it was Hoggs haven. Only once since. They do tell that the curse has come down with the house and is heavy on the new owners son.
 ''So I've heard.'
 The old white head wagged bodingly. The curse of the blood he said. ..Its on all that race
 sHogg's oldest sister was the grand mother of this young feIler's mother: wasn't sheg' put in Elder Dennett.
 s-Thate right Wffrtd Blair's great grandmother.''
 And bad nm, too, guess,' con unued the elder rellsh shfngly.
 Don't you say ft!'' cried the old sea man. ~The curse of the blood was on her. Strange she was and beautiful. so my mother used to tell me, but not bad She came in at Lonesome Cove too.''
 Drowned at sea Ts asked Kent
 'Tbey never knew. One day she was gone. The next night her body cau1a in They said in fl1a co,1Y,t,.v side that she had the gift of second sight and foretold her own death"
 'tHum-n,7 unused Kent And now the Blairs have changed the name of the place No wonder
 There's one thing they haven't changed, the private buryin' plot"
 'fFamfIy2"
 'fHogg's there, all right, an never a parson in the countryside dared to speak to God about his soul, when they laid him there His nephew. too. ~SCs