That place belonged to our leadin' summer
resident, Mr. Hamilton Colfax, of New York. There's a good view from
there, too, but not as fine as this one of yours, Mrs. Barnes. When your
uncle, Cap'n Abner, bought this old house it used to set over on a part
of that land there. The cap'n didn't like the outlook so well as the one
from here, so he bought this strip and moved the house down. Quite a job
movin' a house as old as this one.
"Mr. Colfax died last October," he added, "and the place is for sale.
Good deal of a shock, his death was, to East Wellmouth. Kind of like
takin' away the doughnut and leavin' nothin' but the hole. The Wellmouth
Weekly Advocate pretty nigh gave up the ghost when Mr. Colfax did. It
always cal'lated on fillin' at least three columns with the doin's of
the Colfaxes and their 'house parties' and such. All summer it told
what they did do and all winter it guessed what they was goin' to do. It
ain't been much more than a patent medicine advertisin' circular since
the blow struck. Well, have you looked enough? Shall we heave ahead and
go aboard your craft, Mrs. Barnes?"
They walked on, down the little hill and up the next, and entered the
front yard of the Barnes house. There were the marks in the mud and sand
where the depot-wagon had overturned, but the wagon itself was gone.
"Cal'late Winnie S. and his dad come around early and towed it home,"
surmised Captain Obed. "Seemed to me I smelled sulphur when I opened my
bedroom window this mornin'.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69