Evening star., 1924-11-16

garden, and stables, anu eoE
course-all OF the most expensive va
rfety." So surveyors and architects
planned and landscape gardeners did
whatever it Is they do. Anyway, they
cleared the tangles of wild grape and
elder and burned off the sweet fern
and sumach. They turned the touch
me-not swamp into a concrete basin
for irises. They cut down the old
hickories and struggling NAPLES and
planted exotics In neat rows. On the
river bank they built what j. Morti-
,uer Brickdale called his country cot
tage. and they had great difficulty
with the plumbing. the land being
dead level for mile between the
sides Of the lovely valley. They
thought OF a great deal, but they
couldn't think of everything. So that
when j. Mortimer, looking as lone
some In his long green car as one pea
in pod went to INSPECT his new
estate the first thing he said was:
Why in thunder have YOU left that
great, half-dead pine standin' just
behind the house? Cut it down
The foreman of all the landscape
gardeners looked at the tree, and he
was startled. He had never realized
how entirely, with the clearing OF
the lesser growth. 1t dominated the
view. He said: Wei. now YOU cone
to mention 1t. sir. it amt exactly
elegant, Dut--
What's that" barked J. Mortimer.
'I said. Cut 1t down."
I'm afraid you'll find II difficult 10
do that, Mr.. Brickdale." said the fore
man, who did not like being barked
at. That tree stands farther off than
what you think. 1t amt on Your
property
That was the first time ]. Mortimer
Brickdale became aware of the eX-
istence of Mason Larrabie.
He talked great deal about him
IN the next 10 minutes, and about
employees who never had the interests
of their employer at heart. and about
squatters' rights. 1t seemed old Lar
rabie had acquired his estate by the
simple eXpedient OF living OF ii for
years and years.
How much of It is there" barked
] Mortimer. Half an acre" Quar-
ter? offer him two hundred. with
immediate possession. And. say. see
that your men have that tree right
down the very day he quits
They offered Mason Larrabie two
hundred, which was rot a bad price.
They offered him two-flfty, three hun
dred, three fifty. rising by degrees to
fve hundred. He refused all offers.
Brickdale went in person TO offer
him six hundred and to tell him what
he thought Of him.
iic "Shl oul II OIll CElS III llt
green car. and he was amazed and
enraged to notice from what dis
tance the pine tree could be seen.
Long before the ornate roofing OF the
country cottage or the gilded vane
on the stables came into view the
ruin OF Larrabie's pine possessed the
vision. 1t was as hopelessly at odds
with the landscape gardening as a
lighthouse would have been. Last
giant Of the forest which once had
covered the land it carved its gaunt
outline unconquerably upon the blue.
!: =; x =
REYoND his new asphalt driveway
- the green car bucked and swung
in a sandy track and stopped at
little gate. 1t was homemade gate
Stats and chicken netting. Brickdale
got out Of the car, opened the gate,
and went into Larrabies garden.
His indignant eyes took in every
detail-the starveling beds where
silver trumpets of the woolly couvo-
lulus grew among the tomatoes and
Eoldenrod crowded the cabbages.
Everywhere We're hens, ring-straked
and spotted. On the only outcrop of
granite rock to be found in all that
mild alluvial plain Mason Larrabie
in long past days had built his shanty.
and 1t was shanty still-an old and
untidy one. And garden, rock and
shanty alike were gripped and laced
and bound together with the resinous
roots Of the pine. They lay in the
earth everywhere. hard as red con-
crete where the hens had scratched
them bare. They twisted among the
stones like cables. and buttressed
that saunt shaft. Jagged with broken
branches that sprang heavenward
from the shanty's very doorsilI.
Are You Maso LARA bie?''
The old man, who sat in an arm
chair among the twisted roots, pulled
his corncob pipe out OF his mouth.
said II be- and put the pipe back
again. He was a sha bby old man. on
tho verge of rags. He had eyes of a
heavenly blue These rested on J.
Mortimer Brickdale with a gentle
expression.
Brickdale was trying hard to be
genial. He had said to his agents:
"Pll have TO do this job myself, see.
You don't handle these people right.
You have TO jolly 'em along. That's
t-Jolly 'em along" In accordance
with this design, he opened breezily.
See here" he said II guess there's
been a little Misunderstanding, and
I've come to set it right. I've come
myself You know who I am, hey?
l guess YOU do. I'm Brickdale. And
You know what I've come about, hey?
You've been trying to be a little bit
too clever. hey" He shook his finger
JOLLY and laughed. We'll, I've come
TO have little talk with you. I'm
sure we can fix things up between US
with little straight talk. You're
cute, / can see that. You don't like
dealing through lawyers and agents
and I'm with you there. I'm straight.
And I come straight to the point.
What / want to know is-just friendly
between you and me-whatll you
take for this nice little place of
yours? Fine little place. Well-six
hundred. hey? What do you say to
that, hey?"
Mason Larrabie slowly removed his
corncob pipe.
I'll say to that" he answered
mildly, what Cousin steve Larrabie's
sister Jane said to the book agent
when he come courtin."
What's that"
"'Scat, young fellow" said Mason
J-arrabie. and once moro corked him.
self with his pipe.
Brickdale kept a tight hold on him
self.
IF you won't take a good offer like
that" he said as casually as he could
you're the loser. Theyre-he choked
they're generous terms. l won't
raise EN-.
II bent askin' you to. be II"
See here Brickdale tried again.
''If you won't sell the land. what will
you take for that tree, hey?"
What do you want o my tree?"
"1t spoils my view. I want to cut
1t down. I'll give you---"
He backed. suddenly silent. Mason
La-rabie had risen from his chair.