The sun., 1918-08-21

A tramp Ii on his appearance a.
easily assignable to his particular
niche in the Temple OF Fame AZ q
II merchant were to go
into haberdasher's shop to sell neck
wear with his shirt band unbuttoned
and his breast exposed as Walt Whit
mans once was no would certainly be
taken for a tramp and ignored by any
sane man whose business It Is to sell
the toys with which human male bi-
peds cumber themselves in q vain at
tempt to appear attractive. 80 It is
with tramp who ignores his print
tive blight Of possession and carries
around with him the evidences of
commerce or professionally must ex-
pect to be misunderstood.
found this to DO true when I got
to the door Of the little house down
the road. The Yankee postman at
Mount Hope was after all not the only
one to look on my camera with sus-
picious and inQuiring eyes.
My fardel containing soap and tooth
brush. but not pink .pajamas-for the
former were concessions to gentility
that could successfully cosceal from
the most importunate masquer, male
or female-all OF a sudden took to
laughing at my camera, and my cam
era to fitting its nose at my fardel
Neither Of them was a bit moro sin
cere in its ridicule than l was In
my character OF INDECENT wayfarer.
but they presently got to wrangling.
I addressed myself to the task Of COM
they had ceased their strife-I put the
camera behind me to prevent its rend-
ing my fardel and exposing its hypoc-
risy-I knocked at the door Of the
Orchard House.
1t was opened by a woman-a word
more opposite than lady because, more
human-who later proved to be a real
humorist. She paid no attention to
my fardel, but looked at my camera
with the same merriment Of eyes with
which the bundle Of rags that 1 car
ried had regarded 1t.
where's your rig7" she asked.
I didn't quite get" her. I thought
that she was poking fun at me. But
she was quick to explain.
"Oh. l thought that you was q
doctor and l was going to put your
horse in. What's the box?"
"a camera" said. in q stage
whisper so as not to have the fardel
cry out in derision and reopen the
quarrel.
"Oh. yes; I see. Want a room, I
suppose?" she asked blithely.
1 told her that I did. She admitted
me to the cramped hall. and asked
her il she had a room with a closet.
She looked at my bundle and grinned.
For what?" she asked. trying to
keep a straight face.
THE box-to load my plate holders"
I explained.
Cant load things in this house !;
the townships dry" she said, with a
chuckle.
l finally convinced her OF my
seriousness. and she admitted me to
a sitting room that was Just a sight
10 behold. 1t was covered with rugs
that were soothing to the eyes and all
made from strips OF bright colored
rags woven in country hand loom
with exquisite skill. l hadn't seen
anything like them since I was a boy
l sat down and took" the room in.
A table in the centre. a desk in a
corner. chairs enough for a homely
little group, a picture or two on the
walls. that chatty woman who was
secretly laughing at me but eager to
help me, and those wonderful rugs
1t had the dusty road and the Ponce
de Leon beat to stand.
My hostess looked at mme for a
moment to assure herself that l was
all right, and then left to return and
announce:
Your room with a closets at the
head of the stairs" She laid special
stress on the closet.
Then she told me that supper would
be ready shortly. and ! went up the
steep stairway, stubbing my toes ir
my unfaIniliarity with the short steps
to the one bedroom in the house ir
which was my coveted closet. And
such a closet; big enough to sleep ir
and as dark as a dungeon.
1t was just the place to load plate
holders, so I deposited my camera ir
1t. arranged my boxes of plates in
preparation for my after supper occu.
patton and went down stairs.
THE Boss Is away. It's fair time
you know, and Eds doing them" my
hostess explained in a way that opened
whole continent for conjecture. Their
she showed me to a seat at table ir
the combination dining room ant
kitchen that was spread for mea
and lighted by kerosene lamp. At II
sat young girl and a young man. the
latter with an air of listless indiffer.
ence.
First nights in a remote country
house among strangers are generally
awkward-you don't know what note
to strike to awaken interest. AZ
ter supper l stayed for a while in the
sitting room looking at those wonder.
full rugs and cloaking myself in mys.
FERROUS silence. Grace, my hostess's
daughter. and the listless young mar
after a while got up and went outside
Then l went to the room with the
closet.
Grace told me afterward that I was
really fascinating to her that night al
table because of my sudden and mys.
FERROUS appearance at the Orchard
House and my impenetrable reserve
hat hat 10 Iaft