The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-20

 lustration forever and devote my time to painting. turned my back on the novelists. Can you imagine what hap pened?'
 My fmagination's a little tired, 5 apologized MT. Bland.
 Never mind. I'll tell you. The lead ing authors whose work I had so long Illustrated saw ruin staring them in the face. They came to me on their knees, fguratfve1y They begged. They pleaded. In order to escape them and their really pitiful pleadings I had to flee. I happened to have 8 friend in volved in the management of Baldpate inn. I am not at liberty to give his name He gave me key. So here am. I rely on you to keep my secret. If you perceive a novelist in the dis tance lose no time in warning me-
 MT. Magee paused, chuckling inward ly. He stood looking down at the loveIorn haberdasher. The latter got to his feet and so1emnly took Magee's hand.
 .I-I-oh. well, you've got me beat annie. old man. he said. You don't mean to say''- began the hurt Magee-
 ssOh, that's all right, 2 MT. Bland as sured him. q believe every word of it. aIt's all as real as the haberdash- cry to me- I'll keep my eye peeled for novelists. What gets me is. when you boil our two fly by night stories down. I've come here to be alone. You want to be alone We can't be alone here together. One of us must clear out Nonsense. 7 answered Billy Magee. ssI'll be glad to have you here. Stay as long as you like" -
 The habert1asher looked MT. Magee fully in the eye, and the latter was startled by the hostility he saw in the others face.
 saThe point is,'' said MT. Bland, "I don't want you here. Why? Maybe because you recall beautiful danes on book covers-and in that way, Ara bella Maybe-but what's the use? put it simply. I got to be alone-alone on Baldpate mountain. I won't put you out tonighf'-
 ssSee here, my friend cried Mir. Ma gee, ssyour grief has turned your head. You won't put me out tonight or to- morrow. I'm here to stay. You're welcome to do the same, if you like. But you stay-with me know you are a man of courage, but it would AA~-g7S put me ont of Baldpate inn" , They stood eying each other for a moment Bland's thin lips twisted into sheer. ssWe'll sec" he said. We'll settle all that in the morning. His tone took on a more friendly aspect s.I'm going to pick out downy couch in one of these rooms,'' he said, land lay me down to sleep Say, l could greet blanket like long lost friend. 2
 MT. Magee proffered some of the GOV CTS that Quimby. had given him and accompanied MT. Bland to suit 10, aeross the haHs With a brisk good night MT. Magee returned to No. '.
 But he made no move toward the chilly brass bed in the inner room. Instead he sat long time by the fire: He reflected on the events of his first few hours in that supposedly uninhab- tied solitude where he was to be alone with his thoughts. He pondered the way and manner of the fippant young man who posed as a loveIorn haber- daSher and under whose hippancy there was certainly an air of hostility. Who was Andy Rutter, down in Reu- ton? What did the young man mean when he asked if he should 1cIose up BhOp?' Who was s'he'' from whom Fame the orders, and, most important of all, what was in the package now resting in the great safe?
 Mr. Magee smiled. Was this the stuff of which solitude was made2
 He threw off his dressing gown and began to unlace his shoes.
 There has been too much crude melodrama in my noyels,'' he reflected. Its so easy to write. But Pm going to get away from all that up here. Pm going
 MT. Magee paused, with one shoe poised in his hand For from below came the sharp crack of a pistol, fol- lowed by the crash of breaking glass.
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