New Britain herald., 1917-07-19
How NIadge Knew that Alfred Durkee
Understood.


Dicky's tone was a bit dubious as
we finished our inspection tour of the
grounds surrounding the house which
Alfred Durkee wished us to buy, and
STONED on the bank of the pond that
lies at the rear of the garden.
Tell him you adore it, Mrs. Ora
ham," begged Alfred Durkee boyish-
ly. Il can guess by his tone that he
needs little coaxing.'
Across Dicky's forehead fitted
tiny frown, gone as soon as 1T came,
but | knew what it meant. He very
much dislikes to be 'CoaXed' to 90
ANYTHING against his will, but he has
rarely been subjected to the process
by me- l saw that, it would take
careful management to make hin,
come definitely to the point of buying
the property.
Secretly l was delighted with the
place 1t had been the home Of pros
porous business man who had died
few years before, and 1t had since
been rented as a summer Furnished
country cottage" by his widow, VINO
could not afford to live in it after her
husbands death. The result of SUCH
tenancy was only too apparent In the
piles of rubbish and the tangles OF
weeds in the garden. Even the little
lake and the brook leading to it were
choked with rubbish, while all over
their surfaces hoated empty tin cans
and bottles
But closing my eyes to the deVasta-
ton which the tenants had wrought
T endless nOSSihi1itjQS in
the place. I said so quietly, watch
ing carefully to see the effect of my
observation upon Dicky.
"Oh, possibilities he snorted.
I'm sick of the very sound Of that
word. OF course there are possibilities
in the most hideous places if you spend
money and time enough on them.
But it strikes me that this is
mighty discouraging prospect.
Don't Decide so Quickly
"If you had waited until I had fin
ished instead Of snatching the words
out of my mouth" l returned saucily,
you would have learned that I agree
with you. The place certainly has
possibilities, but it fs too run down to
make it worth while to bother with
in"
as rigidly decided as l could. For
in a flash had como to me the way
to manage" Dicky about the house.
He was in one of his provoking OBJ
stinate moods, and l had learned by
sad experience that when he had
contrary fit on as my little mother
used to say, he appeared to take
especial pleasure in thwarting any
expressed wish Of mine.
Perhaps if 1 expressed disapproval
of the house in such a manner that
Dicky would not suspect the ruse he
might reverse his own opinion and
decide to buy it. 1 waited with in
ward trepidation for Dicky's reply to
my first objection.
But it Was Alfred Durkee who an
swered instead. Dicky only glanced
at me sharply.
please, Mrs. Graham, don't decide
so quickly" young Durkee pleaded.
i've just got Dicky where he was
ready to consider the place, and I
don't mind his barks of discourage
ment, for he never means half he
says. But l know what you say goes
around the Graham ranch, and l do
hope you didn't mean what you
said
COulu nave Cld ppSu lily IldnuS Ill
glee at Alfred Durkee's unconscious
taking Of my cue. If he had been
coached he could have said nothing
more calculated to stir up Dicky's OBJ
| stinacy against me. AS I answered
| him + purposely made my voice as
firmly disappearing as possible.
| II am so sorry, Mr. Durkee," I
said, but I don't see how 1 could
| possibly manage to live here with so
| much to be done Besides, that wa
| ter looks distinctly unhealthy to me-"
| An Unmistakable Wink.
| "Unhealthy!" Dicky snorted. There
| you go again, Madge, with those fool
! sanitation ideas of yours. She's per-
! fectly daffy on the subject, folks he
| explained half laughingly, rides the
| hobby at every opportunity. But I'd
! like to know how you figure that this
lake is unhealthy. Don't you know it
is fed by springs, and that similar
lakes and brooks all over Long Island
formed Brooklyn's water supply be-
| fore the new Ashokan dam was
] opened?'
| THAT may all be-" l returned, and
! I am afraid l made my tones as irri-
! tatingly obstinate as I could, but I
| don't believe this particular lake is
| the source of anybody's water supply.
And as for the brook running into it,
! just look at that network Of vines and
wood choking it up.
| Dicky, who was standing nearest
! the brook, took his stick and lifted up
| a section of the twisted vines to
| which l had referred.
| DO you happen to know what this
| is?" he demanded loftily. THE wom-
| an who owns the place told me all
| about this. 1t Is wonderful old
| wild grapevine, with simply bushels
Of wild grapes on it in the autumn.
| But it never has been trained, and
| La 20 int tho ct M