The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-03-20
curtains and speak Of the weather in

Z sotce vibrant with feeling. MS III
something he had prepared himself and
was anxious to have MIR. Magee try.
So. when q rafting noise came to his
al on his first morning at Baidpate
inn. Mr.. Magee breathed sIeepily from
the covers. Good morning. Geoffrey.'
But no CHEEKY voice replied in terms
OF sun. wind or rain. Surprised. Mr..
Magee sat up In bed. About him the
maple wood furniture Of suit I stood
shivering in the chill Of q December
morning. Through the door at his left
he caught sight Of a white tub into
which. he recalled sadly. not even a
Godfrey could coax a glittering drop.
Yes-he was at Baldpate inn. He re-
membered-the climb with the dazed
Quimby up the snowy road. the plant
Of the lovelorn ~haberdasher. the va
garies Of the professor with a penchant
for blends. the mysterious click Of the
door latch on the floor above. And
last of all-strange that it should have
been last-a girl in blue corduroy some
what darker than her eyes. who wept
amid the stations gloom.
Il WONDER" reflected Mr.. Magee.
staring at the very brassy bars at the
foot of his bed. what new varia-
tons on seclusion the day will bring
FORTH"
Again came the rafting noise that
had awakened him. He looked toward
the nearest window, and through an
unfrosted corner Of the pane he saw
the eyes of the newest variation star
ing at him in wonder. They were dark
eyes and kindly. They spoke a desire
to enter.
Rising from his warn retreat. Mr..
Magee took his %shivering way across
the interpreted floor and unfastened
the windows catch. From the buster
ing balcony a plump little stepped
inside. He had a market basket on
his arm. His face was a stranger to
razors: his hair to shears.
Magee dived hastily back under the
covers. "Well?' he questioned.
80 you're the fellow?' remarked the
little man in W He placed the
basket on the floor. 1t appeared to be
filled with bromide groceries. such as
the most subdued householder carries
home.
(Which fellow?' asked Mr.. Magee.
The fellow Elijah Quimby told me
about" explained he Of the long brown
locks. 1.-The fellow that's come up to
Baldpate inn to be alone with his
thoughts"
you're one Of the villagers. l take
itr' guessed Mr.. Magee.
"You're dead wrong. I'm no villager.
Ny instincts are all in the other direc-
tion-away from the crowd. 1 live up
near the top Of Baldpate in a little
shack I built myself. My names Pc
tiers, Jake Peters. in the winter. But
In the summer. when the inns open
and the red and white awnings are
out and the band plays in the Casino
every night. then I'm the hermit Of
Baidpate mountain. / come down here
and sell picture postcards Of myself
to the ladies'"
Mr.. Magee appeared overcome with
mirth.
"A professional hermit, by the gods!"
he cried. Say. l didn't know Bald
pate mountain was fitted up with all
the modern improvements. This is
great luck. I'm an amateur at the
hermit business. You'll have to teach
me the fine points. Sit down."
Just between ourselves. I'm not Il
regular hermit" said the plump. be-
whiskered one. sitting gingerly on the
edge of q frail c~hair-"not One of
these all for love Of a woman her
mits you read about in books. OF
course I have to pretend l am. in sum-
mer, in order to sell the cards and do
my whole duty by the inn manage
ment. A lot Of the women ask me in
soft tones about the great disappoint-
ment that drove me to old Baldpate,
and l give EN- various answers. &C.
cording to how l feel. Speaking to
you as a friend and considering the
fact that it's the dead of winter. |
may say there was little or no romance
in my life."
Back to nature. in other words" re-
marked Mr.. Magee.
Yes, sir: back with a rush. l was
down to the village this morning for q
few groceries. and | stopped OF at
Quimby's. as ! often do, BE told me
about you. l help him a lot around
the inn. and we arranged i was to stop
in and start your 1re and do any other
little errands you might want done.
thought we ought to get acquainted
you and me-. being as we're both liter
ary men. after a manner Of speaking"
MOP cried Mr.. Magee.
YES" said the hermit OF Baldpate.
Il dip into that work a little now and
then. Some of my verses on the joys
Of solitude have appeared in prtnt-on
the postcards l sell to the guests IL
the summer. But my life work. as you
might call 1t, Is a book I've had under
way for some time. It's called sim
ply 'Woman'-just that one word;
but, oh. the meaning in it! That book
10 going to prove that all the trouble