The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-10-22
By ]. S~UinnertOn

surprises were bound to happen. The hOus-
es in It were Of considerable height and
smoky black, with brightly polished
brass door knockers and wide dOOrsteps
and white curtains and IL ended IN q sort
OF passage that ran beneath an ugly brick
house belonging to the street into which
the passage led. Jack was attracted here,
and he had a faint sense Of adventurous
ness as he went tOwrd the narrow path
Of egress under the ugly strange house.
Buildings rose above him, darkening his
path. They crushed him. He felt their
weight upon his shoulders. But just as
he was beginning to hurry with his head
down. Jack was suddenly moved to look
up. Straight before him, on the side Of the
house under which the passage ran, was a
poster.
1t was not a particularly impressive
gg SsF mi aIa have h@ OT Sa9seSY it eir GE m
But in that semi-darkness it shOne like a
beacon. Electrified Jack stopped and star
ed at the poster. In the middle Of it, in
grayish brown ink, was the reproduction OF
a large photograph Of the most charming
house he had ever seen. 1t was a delicious
house. 1t was neither too small nor too
large. 1t was low and long and pictur-
esgue, with beautiful square chimneys, |
and with timber showing bravely amid
the brick and stone. 1t had fascinating
old diamOnd paned windows, some quite
near the ground and others peeping quaint
ly out from beneath the caves. The roof
was a long broken line OK old HOrsham
stone that the more beautiful because
1t was not altogether straight.
The house was OF a kind that sugges-
ted coy inglenOoks and wide open fire
places, divine GOODNESS in the summer and
glowing in winter time. 1t
was such a house as to stir the magma
ton and hold a stranger spellbOund. Jack
stood as II enchanted, devOuring that
lovely scene. He could not believe his
eyes. 1t seemed to him the street faded
the photograph became living and took all
the glowing color Of reality; the trees
rustled and the sun glinted upon every
polished surface; he himself. with a soft
warm breeze tanning his cheeks, stood thus
engrOssed within a short distance Of the
humming to their work. It was like a
dream so vivid that in it he was trans
ported utterly from present surroundings
to a scene which awakened the keenest
emotion in his breast.
A bump from a passing boy, who carried
a basket upon his arm, brought Jack slow
ly back again to the little narrow street
in semiadarkness, to the still darker pas
sage, to the knowledge that the smoke
soiled sky Of LnOdOn was high above
his head, beyond those tall, ugly, old build
ings. He looked again, signing at the poster.
The photograph was a photograph again.
The house, which so lately had been warm
with beauty before his eyes, was chilled
once MORE, a photograph only, printed cold
~ there upon the poster in grayish brown
ink. Memory of its radiance alone con-
tinued to fill Jacks heart as he stood
gazing increduously at the dead repro
ductiOn.
At last, still staring at the shadow Of his
vision, and trying to recapture the dying
delight, he realized that the house Of which
the photograph was pasted upon this wall
was for sale, and that the poster he was
scanning notified the date Of the sale. II
did more than that. 1t gave the house
b its name, description, its proper portion OF
it land, number Of bedrooms, cottages and
1t stables. 1t mentioned the owners name,
the reserve price placed upon it; and
Is many other details which Jack could not
h absorb. Revett's Mead was the name OF
the house. "This fine old Elizebethan cot
lie tage-residence," said the bill Of sale. "By
order Of the owner, Sir Montague Revett
Pole" blouse and cOntents-hundred acres
of MISUNDERSTANDING village Of Bever.
ut ton Lee, twenty six miles from the towr
lg Of MaidenstOne." BeVertOn Lee-where ba(
ne Jack heard that name? If he had evel
go heard it, the memory was immediately
ct gone. He stared at the poster smiling
OF At last Jack turned reluctantly away
h 1.-THE sale Will be held" Why hadn'
he noticed when and where II would b.
= held? He ought to know that. It wal
j, most important that he should know that
Upon this excuse he went back again, Il
spend several minutes more over the photo
graph, forgetting his hunger. He made Al
odd picture, this shabby man with the hart
felt hat firmly down upon his head, hi
I boots dilapitated, his collar worn, an
! the marks Of poverty and suffering upOl
, hisface, intent only upon the photograph
4 of a house which could only belong Z
the One who had at least an income o
five thousand pounds a year. What Q
:, that2 Jack. to whom five thousand shil
4 lings would have been a fortune, was 70
once very happy. His eyes sparkled. II
stepped out bravely, whistling upon hi
hOmeward way.
The next morning Jack awoke with tn
words Beaverton Lee" on his lips. He ha
been dreaming about Revett's Mead. Whe
Nancy also awOke he was speaking, not {
her, but to himself, aloud. She hear
him say "BevertOn" and again Beaverton.
Then: "Revett's Mead, Beverton Lee
evett-POle-BevertOn." Remembering hi
excitement Of the previous evening sh
smiled to herself. She was glad to see hiI
so interested and so fOrgetful Of his receI
detected self-blame for their poverty.
And then Nancy saw Jack get out Of be
and go to where there was a pencil an
a sheet Of paper. He drew first a house
a house with a long broken line Of roo
with diamOnd paned windows, with a wild
porch. Then, signing, he seribble
no artist But the pencil was 500
busy again, this time, surprising
ly enough, in the representation Of a shil
1t was a strange ship-not a modern shs
at all, as Nancy could quickly see. VINE
the pencil stopped, and while Jack wa
- looking at the drawing with that straine
y expression which she so much dreaded
lot Nancy gave a hasty glance first at tn
in drawing and then at Jacks face.
'Stili at it, Isee," she dryly remarked
y. but with alarm in her tone.
"What2 O-was II" Jacks eyes weI
clouded. He looked down at the sketel
as IL he had been unconscious Of ii. An
as he looked dow he started. "A ship
cried Jack. "a ship. That's funny! Nov
q why did I do that?"
perhaps you thought Of going for
"a sailor" suggesed Nancy. you needn
g think you're going. Because you aren't
dy eyes, but a ship" Jack fell thoughtful
eW The frOwn reappeared. The gloom cam
of He looked tragic. Nancy snatched at b
hand, and pressed It to her bosom. Slow
Il Tootra frou-n Welded m n smile Ha mr.,