The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-03-23

| pledSdutly. OuueT TIE CiTCuuStduCcS,
/ am sure Mr.. Nesbit will be ready to
give up the thought of establishing a
| hunt In this vicinity If they'd
been really friendly. Smif, If they'd re-
membered that ] was young lad
alone in a strange country. things
might have been different. l might
have been disappointed. but feel sure
would have explained that knew
nothing of the Hoxton Hunt when |
came there and had no intention of
setting up an opposition to It. AS 1t
was, / was young, | was sore. was
doubly disappointed In that there was
no friendliness in their gesture. and
l simply said:
I'm sorry, gentlemen. see no
reason to deprive myself of such a
simple pleasure. If you do not want
my check, there Is q waste basket be-
side the desk. wish you very good
morning. | turned my back on them
and walked out of the room. You see,
Sniff, l was bent on playing the man
and 1 was afraid they might see tears
In my eyes.
"They left at once and later found
the check under a glass paperweight
with a snow scene inside the glass, on
top of my desk. 1t has reminded me
of them ever since. it looks so chilly
and whatever else gets broken. 1t never
doesi
Naturally l kept on hunting, and
there were people who Joined me; but
/ had sense. enough to see they were
not the sort Of people ! had looked
forward to knowing and l did not
make friends among them.
81 was doing a great deal of work
on the place. building track and so
on; was looking into the breeding of
thoroughbreds with special thought
given to steeplechasers and hunters,
and was not having a bad time, al
though l was lonely. OF course / was
lonely.
"There was one man who hunted
regularly with me to whom I had
taken special dislike. He was a petit
Jogging lawyer in the town and l sus-
pected him of a desire to curry favor
with me in order to get share at
least of my business.
81 was at the track experimenting
the work one day when he rode up
to me.
I'm mighty sorry, Mr.. Nesbit,' he
said with a long face, mighty sorry,
sir, to hear this news
"'What news? l asked.
"'You got letter from the Hoxton
Hunt club. didn't your
No. returned shortly, I did not
"He made his face, if possible, longer
still.
"Then I'm mighty sorry that Pm
the one to bring you the news he
said. I have it on good authority, sir,
that they've reported you to the Master
of Foxhounds association, which has
not only censured you but proposes 70
have you barred by the Horse Show
Association of America from any rec
ognized show. They mean to freeze
you QUITO boycott you socially
"That got my temper up. Listen
I said. and take it to yourself or who
ever sent you flor rightly or wrongly,
l suspected him in more ways than
one): The Hoxton Hunt and every
one who belongs to 1t, can go right
straight to the devil. I'll do as
please, when l please, where please.
Freeze me out? How can they, when
don't give d-n for any of them?
came here to do exactly what l am
doing. am enjoying myself. and it is
out of their power to spoil my pleas
ure'
"At that he left me- He tried to stir
me up again from time to time as oc-
casion offered, but / had taken the
heart out of him.
"Yet his warning proved based on
fact. When | returned to the house
that afternoon the first thing | saw
was a letter from the Hoxton Hunt
club.
81 returned 1t unopened by special
messenger, who had orders to demand
a receipt for It."
"Whew-w-w," Sniff whistled. mo
wonder you were lonely"
"But they haven't frozen me out
and they aren't going to- Stone as
serted. That's what l meant when /
told you it was impossible for me to
go away to discourage Mercy. II
went, it would be a victory for them,
don't you see?"
81 see," said Sniff, knowing argu-
! ment useless and wondering what she
was going to do about it.
Before Stone left, Sniff had learned
how be had come by the emerald horse
shoe and all about his acquaintance
with Miss Mercedes.
The latter was quickly disposed of.
She also had been an exiled American
in her childhood taken abroad by her
mother who was a young widow, os-
tensibly for her education, In reality to
free her parent from censorious re-
straints imposed by relatives by mar
rage who believed in mourning for
years in twelve-inch borders of Grape
and corresponding gloom. Mrs. Mer-
cedes had lived gay life for two sea-
sons. During this period her orbit
and that of the Rockwells had crossed
at various times and places where
Martha and Stone had played together
casually and without congeniality or
any depth of affection. Then, most
surprisingly. Mrs. Mercedes. instead Of
acquiring a gigolo or doubtful title,
had made suitable marriage with q
manufacturer of furniture from Grand
Rapids. Mich. Little Martha (she was
not Mercy until her war service) was
whisked back to the Middle West. only