Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-09-03
CHAPTER v-continued.

"And tell sad stories of the deaths
of kings" said Jed drawing his chair
nearer to the fire and spreading out
his hands before it. He was drinking
more nationally now, slipping his wine
instead of gulping it. He had arrived
sat his desired state and wished to
maintain it.
Mr.. Sidney seemed to feel COM
Portable glow as Jed drank. There
was no doubt that by suggestion he
obtained physical sensations of stirnu-
Iatton and joviality.
"If we had a ghost" said Mr.. Sid
ney, sit would walk on such a night. .
The wind made an extraordinary at
tack upon the windows as he spoke
and sucked a soughing sound from the
chimney.
"Ten the doctor the story Of the
poot," Mr.. Sidney said to Jed. "We
are in the comfortable werewolf state
LET'S have our legend. Do you want
TO add shiver to your contentment
adoctor?" he asked.
''I want to hear the story l said.
$50 do l. once again" said Mr.. Sid
.ney, con such a night"
"This place once belonged to a fam
lily named Dobson," said Jed.
ut was a very old famiIy-for
American families" said Mr.. Sidney.
"Came over in 1640," said Jed.
English Puritans from Holland, :
said Mr.. Sidney. go ahead, Jed.
sha'n't interrupt"
"After the capture Of New Amster.
dam from the Dutch by the English
the Dobsons came down from the
north and bought this manor-house
from the Dutch family that had it
Then the Dobsons lived here in a sim.
pie fashion.
'They renamed it Hartley house for
their father, who was Hartley Dobson
That's its name now"
81 don't want to break in unneces.
sarily," l said, "but where do you gel
syour information, jedi"
sxxt's all in records in the library
she answered, "and If am going to tell
the story / want fair chance.
A lot of generations of Dobsons lived
here. There was always a Dobson fam
lily in the house, and the property
came down to the generation that
made this story. There were two boys
in that family-a half century ago
the sons of James and Henrietta Dob
son.
Henrietta Dobson died when her
son Richard was nine years old and
her other son Henry was seven years
old. James Dobson died two years la
ter and the boys were parentless.
This family was an argument against
families"
That's one of the heterodox notions
/ have instilled in an innocent mind. !"
said Mr. Sidney. "Jed, you must not
repeat phrases in your narratives. You
parrot things and try to pass them as
observations"
''You'll have him surly in a moment, !"
i suggested, "and then where is the
stOry?"
81 never knew him surly," said Mr..
Sidney, land he could not be in his
genial wine"
Jed showed the flicker Of a malig-
nant glance in my direction and went
on with his story evenly and good-na-
turedly.
81 don't pretend to have all the de-
tails or to understand It," he said !;
'hut from what learn, Richard Dob
son. the elder brother, was strong and
brutal. Henry Dobson, the younger
brother, was frail and sensitive. /
guess they hated each other from the
cradle.
"Dick, when he was four and Henry
WAS two, found ways Of tormenting his
younger brother. The best thing Hen
ry ever had from Richard was con-
tempt"
81 have known families Of Ahat ma
ture," said Mr.. Sidney. sour conven-
tions teach us to regard a family tie
as a sacrament. In many cases it Is
only an odious obligation leading to
tragedy"
"Dick knew all of Henry's weakness
es," Jed continued. Sometimes he
would torture him physically, by twist
ing his wrist or rolling him over on
the ground when young girls we're
around. Sometimes he would torture
him without laying hands on him.
"Dick was a thick-headed brute, but
he had a genius for cruelty. When
their parents died and the boys az