The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-11-10
The Hanging
Bough
1t Covered a Love
Affair
BY Agnes G. Brogan

w SOANOh AAOAh NhS aOAAANA AS
the well appointed new study and took
up his pen to write. Here in the Sc
clusion of the country he had promised
himself to finish u~ndisturbed the book
which should add to his fame.
Everything had seemed propitious to
that end-the small rented bungalow,
its peaceful setting Of silencing hills.
the absence of interrogating friends.
Old Martha, the ~housekeeper whom he
had brought with him from the city,
attended interrigently to all his wants.
Now, into all this desirableness came
the disturbing element, a great ever
green branch hanging like a screen
ing curtain before his very windows.
Against its thick fragrance the sun
battled hopelessly, while the study re-
manned in semi-gloom. If the bough
had been attached to a tree upon his
own lawn the matter might have been
quickly righted, but the particular tree
Of this down hanging branch grew on
his neighbours ground, upon the oppo'
site side of the high garden wall.
Gordon had carelessly noticed the
place as he came along, the old crum-
bling house, the broken statuary and
basins of it's gardens bespeaking a time
of grandeur long past. Disgustedly at
last the author threw down his pen.
cts no use," he told the attentive
but laconic Martha; W will have to
move the study some place else"
''You could not write in the open
living room," she answered truly. The
old bungalows space was limited.
szThen 1 will ask them to cut the
bough down" he said, and paused per-
plexedly. "Who lives there?"
1.-THE name on the door stone Is
St~uyvesant," Martha replied, Peter
Stuyvesant. That is all l know"
SO Gordon decided to pen his re-
quest. Being in an impatient frame OF
mind at the moment, his request was
more in the nature of a demand.
1.-The bough hanging before my study
window" he wrote, "causes me much
inconvenience and annoyance. l must
ask that it be Immediately removed.
~. Wesley Gordon" he signed and re-
membered with satisfaction that there
were few to whom the name was I'M
known.
Martha was dispatched with the note,
returning soon to say that, as no one
had responded to her ring, she had
dropped the missive into the Stuyve-
SAINT mail box.
Gordon was folding away the frag-
mentary work of an unsuccessful after
moor when the answer came, a freckled
Pooo5 1oI hoipn tho haarar
1.-The impertinent old Dutchman!" he
muttered, for this is what he read:
"If you would prefer to have the left
wing of our house removed just men-
ton that also. P. Stuyvesant."
The scattered pages of his days work
Knocked him. Duskily through the
screening branch fickered a shifting
light, and heatedly Gordon reached for
his pen.
IF that bough," he wrote, "is not
cut down by 8 o'clock tomorrow, l
will go over and do it myself"
This time he contented himself with
signing merely the letters ~. w. G."
When the second note in Martha's
apron pocket was passing through the
gateway broken in the garden wall,
Gordon reflected that he had been rath-
er hasty. The Dutchman's imprudence
to a personality" had rather nettled
him. For though the author would not
admit the fact to himself, subservience
had become a custom.
Back through the broken gateway
again came Martha, silently placing a
responsive note in his hand.
"Cut the branch down." was scrawl-
ed in bold defiant script. "Cut the
branch down, if you dare! P. Stuyve-
SAINT"
Gordon's brows came together angri.
ly; then he laughed. "a threat, eh?
he said; "all right" He turned to the
waiting Martha. "The affair becomes
interesting" he said. 81 will now get
out my gasoline buggy and run into
town"
At the very end of the struggling
village street he found a hardware
shop and bought a saw, then he added
to his purchase a small shining ak.
He smiled grimly as his car slowed
down nearing the great, shabby house
next door. From a rear window shone
a light. Gordon had a mental picture
of a fat, stubborn old Dutchman smok-
ing his evening pipe in the kitchen.
Preparation for onslaught upon the
tree of Peter Stuyvesant," he explain,
ed to Martha, as he left his implements
In the back hall.
1t was in a long forgotten spirit OF
boyish adventure that he sought them
next morning, and sauntered through
the break in the stone wall. All was
still. The old house and its garden
presented an appearance of having
been asleep for a hundred years, Cor
don was glad he had put on tennis
shoes; he would be able to climb VI
like a squirrel, and when the branch
had fallen neatly he would carry il
over and place 1t against their yeranda
palings, to show his accomplished pur
nnca What had Of,rpaSa ~ -, ort ~