Hen 
 
Tamawaca Folks 
 
 A 
 Summer Comedy 
 
 By JOHN ESTES COOKE 
 
 ^c (D-MI^^^I^^ 4"' 
 
 Publishers 
 
 THE TAMAWACA PRESS 
 U. S. A. 
 
Copyrighted 1907 by 
 G. J. WILSON 
 
List of Chapters 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I The Lawyer. ... 9 
 
 II Jim 18 
 
 III Wilder .... 31 
 
 IV Just Girls .... 53 
 
 V Getting Acquainted . . 66 
 
 VI Found Out ... 80 
 
 VII The Meeting ... 96 
 
 VIII Something Doing . . 114 
 
 IX Developing the Negative . 122 
 
 X Jim Gets a Raise . . 135 
 
 XI Rough-housing . . . 152 
 
 XII Mrs. Herringford's Party . 161 
 
 XIII Reconciliation . . 172 
 
 XIV Of Course 184 
 
Tamawaca Folks 
 
EXPLANATIVE. 
 
 The author begs to state that what- 
 ever is contained in this modest vol- 
 ume has been written in a spirit of the 
 broadest goodfellowship, and with 
 malice toward none. He has met odd 
 and entertaining people in all quar- 
 ters of the world and has brought 
 them together in "Tamawaca Folks" 
 merely that he might weave them into 
 his little romance, and with no 
 thought of being in any way personal. 
 Therefore, since these are many and 
 variant types and can have no indi- 
 viduality for that reason, the writer 
 begs his reader not to attempt to fit 
 any of the fictitious characters to liv- 
 ing persons, lest your neighbor try to 
 fit one of my masquerade costumes to 
 you which would be an impertinence 
 I am sure you would not like. The 
 temptation, I admit, is natural, be- 
 cause the people portrayed are all hu- 
 man and even their composites have 
 
prototypes in nearly every locality. 
 But desist, I entreat you. 
 
 Tamawaca exists, and is as beauti- 
 ful as I have described it. I chose it 
 as the scene of my story because I 
 once passed an entire summer there 
 and was fascinated by its incompa- 
 rable charm. The middle West has no 
 spot that can compete with it in love- 
 liness. 
 
TAMAWACA FOLKS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE LAWYER. 
 
 When Jarrod finally sold out the 
 Crosbys he had a chance to breathe 
 freely for the first time in years. The 
 Crosbys had been big ranch owners 
 and herders, mine owners, timber and 
 mill owners, bankers, brokers, bucket- 
 shop manipulators and confirmed 
 bull-dozers and confidence-men. They 
 played the game for big stakes always 
 and won by sheer nerve and audacity. 
 
 Jarrod was their lawyer and they 
 kept him in hot water every minute. 
 They had a habit of rounding up 
 other folks' cattle, cutting other peo- 
 ple's timber, jumping claims, tap- 
 ping mines and misbehaving gener- 
 ally. And Jarrod had to straighten 
 out these misdeeds and find a way to 
 keep his clients from behind the bars. 
 
io ^famawaca Folks 
 
 Old man Crosby, who had been 
 shot in the hip in a raid, ran the Bank 
 of Oklahoma, and ran it so crookedly 
 that Jarrod was often in despair. No 
 one would believe a Crosby under 
 oath, while Jarrod was acknowl- 
 edged by even his enemies to be 
 square as a die and fair as the scales 
 of justice. So his position was ex- 
 tremely difficult. He saved the Cros- 
 bys from their misdeeds for years, by 
 dint of hard work and constant di- 
 plomacy, and at last, when a thous- 
 and penalties confronted them and 
 could not be staved off much longer, 
 the lawyer managed to sell for them 
 their entire holdings and induced 
 them to retire from business in gen- 
 eral and lawlessness in particular. 
 
 When it was all over Jarrod went 
 home to Kansas City, nodded to his 
 wife, looked curiously and with some 
 interest at his children, and then sat 
 down in an easy chair and sighed. It 
 was all new and strange to him this 
 
Lawyer 11 
 
 being "at home" and he was n't sure 
 at first whether he liked it or not. 
 
 Mrs. Jarrod liked it, though, and 
 made much of him, so that gradually 
 his uneasiness wore off and he settled 
 down meekly to the practice of law 
 in general. Four or five hours a day 
 he spent in his office, listening to the 
 unimportant grievances of common 
 folks and striving to keep his nerves 
 from jumping. 
 
 He had n't thought to feather his 
 nest, yet the Crosbys had good-na- 
 turedly tossed a lump of money at 
 him and he had accepted it. But 
 a nervous man must keep busy, 
 even when those same nerves oper- 
 ate to keep him cold and quiet 
 as an alternative to dancing and 
 yelling like a madman. So Jar- 
 rod "held on to himself" and tried 
 to enjoy his devoted family and the 
 petty details which were all that re- 
 mained of a business too long neg- 
 lected to serve those wild Crosbys. 
 
12 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 The reaction had set in following his 
 recent months of hard work, and be- 
 fore many days he felt himself both 
 physically and mentally exhausted 
 and knew that unless he deliberately 
 created a diversion his run-down con- 
 stitution would be likely to involun- 
 tarily create one that he would n't 
 like. 
 
 As fate would have it, on a balmy 
 spring day he met an old friend a 
 Dr. Brush who was a prominent and 
 highly respected clergyman. Said the 
 doctor : 
 
 "You need a change, Jarrod. Why 
 don't you go to some quiet, pleasant 
 summer resort, and loaf until fall'?" 
 
 "Where can I find such a place?" 
 asked Jarrod. 
 
 "Why, any of the Lake Michigan 
 resorts are desirable Tamawaca, 
 Bay View, Charlevoix or Petoskey. 
 I've been to Tamawaca a couple of 
 summers myself, and like it immense- 
 ly. It is n't so fashionable as Charle- 
 
T'he Lawyer 13 
 
 voix and Petoskey, but it is the most 
 beautiful place I have ever seen, bar 
 
 none.' : 
 
 "What's there?" enquired Jarrod, 
 listlessly. 
 
 "Lake Michigan, to begin with; 
 and Tamawaca Pool, which is really a 
 lovely inland lake. You'll find there 
 good fishing and bathing, a noble 
 forest running down to the water's 
 edge, pretty cottages nestled among 
 the trees, lots of ozone, and quiet till 
 you can't rest." 
 
 "Eh?" 
 
 "I mean quiet so you can rest." 
 
 "It sounds promising," said Jar- 
 rod. "Guess I'll go. My wife re- 
 marked yesterday we ought to escape 
 the summer's heat on the children's 
 account. This idea will please her 
 and it pleases me. I used to fish when 
 I was a boy. And hunt. How's the 
 hotel, Brush?" 
 
 "Bad as possible. Take a cottage. 
 That's the only way to enjoy life." 
 
14 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 "How can I get a cottage?" 
 
 "Oh, ask Wilder, when you get to 
 Tamawaca. There are always cot- 
 tages to rent. But stay! you might 
 take Grant's place. He's a St. Louis 
 man, and I understand his cottage is 
 for rent. I'll write and ask him, if 
 you like." 
 
 "Do, old fellow. And thank you 
 very much." 
 
 He went home and told Mrs. Jar- 
 rod, who was delighted with the plan. 
 
 "Where did you say it was?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "On Lake Michigan, somewhere. I 
 forget the name of the place." 
 
 "How do you get there?" 
 
 "I did n't enquire." 
 
 "And whose cottage are you going 
 to rent?" 
 
 "Why, it belongs to a man in St. 
 Louis. Dr. Brush knows him." 
 
 Mrs. Jarrod asked no more ques- 
 tions, but she straightway put on her 
 bonnet and called upon Mrs. Brush. 
 
Lawyer 
 
 In an hour she knew all that was nec- 
 essary about Tamawaca. 
 
 The clergyman got a reply, in 
 course of time, from Grant of St. 
 Louis. His cottage was in Wilder's 
 hands to rent. Jarrod must see Wild- 
 er about it as soon as he got to Tama- 
 waca. It was all furnished and ready 
 to move into. 
 
 "Who is Wilder?" Jarrod asked his 
 friend. 
 
 "Wilder! Oh, I forgot you don't 
 know Tamawaca," said Dr. Brush. 
 "Therefore you don't know Wilder. 
 Wilder is Tamawaca." 
 
 "I see," returned Jarrod, nodding. 
 
 "Oh, no you don't. You think you 
 see, I've no doubt. But there is only 
 one Wilder upon earth, and perhaps 
 that is fortunate. You've been in 
 with those pirate Crosbys for years. 
 Well, Wilder is the Crosby in other 
 words the pirate of Tamawaca. See 
 now?" 
 
 "He runs things, eh?" 
 
16 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 "Yes ; for Wilder. A charming fel- 
 low, by the way. Looks like a cherub, 
 and acts like " 
 
 "You interest me," said Jarrod, 
 brightening. "I'm glad I'm going to 
 Tamawaca. 
 
 A few days later the Jarrods bag 
 and baggage, parents and children 
 travelled up to Chicago and landed in 
 the morning at the Auditorium An- 
 nex. A little fat man stood before 
 the counter in front of Jarrod and 
 winked saucily at the clerk. His face 
 was moon-shaped and rosy, guiltless 
 of whisker, and bore an expression at 
 once gentle and whimsical. 
 
 "Gimme the best room you have," 
 he called out, while scribbling his 
 name on the register. 
 
 "Ah, a twenty-dollar suite?" asked 
 the clerk, cheerfully. 
 
 "Hear me out!" retorted the little 
 man. "Gimme the best room you 
 have for four dollars a day." 
 
 "Oh," said the clerk, his jaw drop- 
 
Lawyer 17 
 
 ping. "Here, front! show the gentle- 
 man up to 1906. Any baggage, sir?" 
 
 "Just my wife," sighed the little 
 man, with another wink, and a stout 
 lady of ample proportions grabbed 
 his arm and whisked him away. She 
 did n't seem at all offended, but 
 laughed pleasantly and said: "Now, 
 George, behave yourself!" 
 
 Jarrod looked at the register. The 
 little fat man had written: "Geo. B. 
 Still, Quincy, 111." 
 
 The Jarrods shopped during the 
 day, and bought themselves and the 
 children cool things for summer. In 
 the evening they went down to the 
 river and boarded the big steel steam- 
 er that was to carry them to their des- 
 tination. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 JIM. 
 
 A whistle blew; the little tug 
 strained at its cable, and snorting and 
 puffing in the supreme struggle it 
 drew the great steamer "Plymouth" 
 away from its dock to begin its jour- 
 ney down the river to the open lake 
 and thence, discarding its tug, across 
 mighty Michigan to Iroquois Bay, 
 Tamawaca, and the quaint city of 
 Kochton. 
 
 The passengers thronged both the 
 ample decks to catch the cooling 
 breeze that came as soon as they were 
 in motion, for the day had been es- 
 pecially warm for June. The older 
 folks drew long lines of chairs to the 
 rails, while the young people walked 
 up and down, chattering and gay. To 
 nearly all the voyage meant the be- 
 ginning of a holiday, and hearts were 
 18 
 
Jim 19 
 
 light and faces eager and expectant. 
 
 Jarrod had no sooner located his 
 family in a comfortable corner than 
 he was attracted by a young man who 
 sauntered by. 
 
 "Why, Jim, is it you?' he ex- 
 claimed, jumping up to hold out a 
 hand in greeting. 
 
 The other paused, as if astonished, 
 but then said in a cordial tone : 
 
 "You here, Mr. Jarrod?" 
 
 He was a tall, athletic looking fel- 
 low, with a fine face, a straightfor- 
 ward look in his eyes and a clean-cut 
 air about him that was pleasant to 
 behold. Jarrod had recognized him 
 as the only son of a man he had known 
 in St. Louis a man very prominent 
 and wealthy, he remembered. 
 
 "What are you doing here, Jim?" 
 he enquired. 
 
 "Why, I live in Chicago now, you 
 know," was the reply. 
 
 "You do?" 
 
 "Did n't you know, sir? I left 
 
2O ^famawaca Folks 
 
 home over a year ago. I'm hoeing my 
 own row now, Mr. Jarrod." 
 
 "What's wrong, Jim?' 
 
 "Father and I could n't agree. He 
 wanted me to take to the patent medi- 
 cine business, because he has made a 
 fortune in it." 
 
 "Very natural," nodding. 
 
 "The poor father suffers a good 
 deal from rheumatism, you know; so 
 as soon as I left college he proposed 
 to turn over to me the manufacture 
 and sale of his great rheumatism 
 cure." 
 
 "Ah." 
 
 "And I balked, Mr. Jarrod. I said 
 the proprietor of a rheumatism cure 
 had no business to suffer from rheum- 
 atism, or else no business to sell the 
 swindling remedy." 
 
 "To be sure. I know your father, 
 Jim, so I can imagine what happened, 
 directly you made that statement. 
 Did he give you anything when you 
 er parted?" 
 
Jim 21 
 
 "Not a sou. I'm earning my own 
 living." 
 
 "Good. But how?' 
 
 "They don't take a boy just out of 
 college for the president of a bank or 
 the director of a railway. I'm just a 
 clerk in Marshall Field's." 
 
 Jarrod looked him over, critically. 
 The cheap new summer suit perhaps 
 it had cost fifteen dollars could not 
 disguise his manly bearing. On an- 
 other man it might have proclaimed 
 its cheapness; on Jim no one noticed 
 its texture. 
 
 "How much do you earn?" asked 
 the lawyer, quietly. 
 
 "Twelve dollars a week. But it's 
 an interesting experience, Mr. Jarrod. 
 You've no idea how well a fellow can 
 live on twelve dollars a week unless 
 you've tried it." 
 
 Jarrod smiled. 
 
 "Where are you bound for?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "A little place called Tamawaca, 
 
22 tfaffiawaca Folks 
 
 there to spend my two weeks' vaca- 
 tion. Just think of it! After four- 
 teen months I've saved enough for an 
 outing. It is n't a princely sum, to 
 be sure nothing like what I spent in 
 a day at college but by economy I 
 can make it do me in that out-of-the- 
 way place, where the hotel board is 
 unusually cheap." 
 
 "I'm told it is as bad as it is cheap," 
 said Jarrod. 
 
 "That stands to reason, sir. I'm 
 not expecting much but rest and sun- 
 shine and fresh air and perhaps a 
 nice girl to dance with in the even- 
 ing." 
 
 "I see." 
 
 "And, by the way, Mr. Jarrod," 
 this with some hesitation, "please 
 don't tell anyone who I am, if you're 
 asked. I call myself James Ingram 
 Ingram was my mother's name, you 
 know and I'd rather people would 
 n't know who my father is, or why 
 I'm living in this modest way. They 
 
Jim 23 
 
 would either blame me or pity me, 
 and I won't endure either from stran- 
 gers, for it's none of their business." 
 
 "I'll remember, Jim. Will you let 
 me present you to Mrs. Jarrod?" 
 
 "Not tonight, please. This meet- 
 ing has a little upset me. Wait till I 
 get settled a bit. You're going to 
 Tamawaca. 
 
 "Yes. We shall spend the summer 
 there, if we like it." 
 
 "Then, sir, I'll be sure to see you 
 again. Good night, Mr. Jarrod." 
 
 The young man walked on, and the 
 lawyer looked after him approvingly. 
 
 "He'll do," he muttered. "He 
 has n't crushed down the pride yet, 
 and I hope he never will. But he's 
 got a backbone, and that's worth 
 everything!" 
 
 In drawing a chair to the rail he 
 found that seated beside him was the 
 little fat man he had noticed at the 
 Annex. This jovial individual was 
 smoking a big cigar and leaning back 
 
24 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 contentedly with his feet against the 
 bulwark. Jarrod thought the expres- 
 sion upon the round face invited com- 
 panionship. 
 
 "Going to Tamawaca?" he asked. 
 
 "Yep," said Geo. B. Still. 
 
 "Been there before?" continued 
 Jarrod, leaning back in turn. 
 
 "Yep. Own a cottage there." 
 
 "Oh," said the other; "then I'm 
 glad to meet you." 
 
 "Because I own a cottage?" 
 
 "No; because you can tell me 
 something about the place." 
 
 "Sure thing!" responded Geo. B. 
 "Climate's fine. When I first went 
 there I had a bad case of indigestion. 
 Doc said I was as good as dead. Told 
 me to eat toasted straw for breakfast 
 and have my wife get her black ready. 
 Look at me now! Would a crape 
 manufacturer smile at my picture? 
 Pshaw!" 
 
 "You seem very well," remarked 
 
Jim 25 
 
 Jarrod. "Was it the breakfast food, 
 or the climate?" 
 
 "Climate, I guess. My taste don't 
 run to breakfast foods. I'd make a 
 poor horse. So I shovelled in plenty 
 of welsh rabbits and lobster newburgs 
 and corn fritters and such remedies, 
 an' washed 'em down with good beer 
 and a few bottles of sherry. Why, 
 sir, the treatment worked like magic! 
 Digestion perfect pulse reg'lar 
 spirits gay and unconfined happi- 
 ness rampant. That Tamawaca cli- 
 mate's a peach." 
 
 "Do you think I can rent a cottage 
 there?' 
 
 "Sure. Ask Wilder. He'll fix 
 you." 
 
 "Is there a grocery handy, where 
 one can purchase supplies?" 
 
 "Yep. Wilder runs it." 
 
 "And a meat market?" 
 
 "Wilder's." 
 
 "Can I rent a good boat, for fish- 
 ing?' 
 
26 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 "Wilder has 'em." 
 
 "Good. Dear me ! I forgot to get 
 a bathing suit in Chicago." 
 
 "Never mind. Wilder's Bazaar 
 has 'em. Two dollars for the dollar 
 kind." 
 
 "What time does the boat get to 
 Tamawaca. 
 
 "Four o'clock in the morning. But 
 you stay on board and ride to Koch- 
 ton, and get your sleep out. Then, 
 in the morning you take a trolley 
 back to Tarn. The steamer puts your 
 baggage off at Iroquois Bay, just 
 across the channel." 
 
 "What becomes of it?" 
 
 "Wilder ferries it over for twenty- 
 five cents a piece. It's too far to 
 jump." 
 
 "But is n't that a heavy charge?" 
 
 "Not for Wilder. It's a good deal, 
 of course, but Wilder's deals are al- 
 ways good for Wilder. You're 
 lucky he don't take the baggage." 
 
 "Oh. Is he that kind?" 
 
Jim 27 
 
 "Exactly. What you get, you get 
 of Wilder. What Wilder has n't got, 
 you don't get. When you allow for 
 expenses you want to figure on so 
 many dollars for living, and so much 
 to Wilder for letting you live." 
 
 "But that's an outrage." 
 
 Geo. B. laughed. 
 
 "It always strikes a stranger that 
 way till he gets used to it," he said. 
 "I've been to a good many summer re- 
 sorts, in my day, and always there's 
 somebody on hand to relieve the in- 
 nocent resorter of his wad. If there 
 was n't, you'd feel you'd missed some- 
 thing. It's like going to law don't 
 matter much which lawyer you go to, 
 you're bound to be robbed." 
 
 Jarrod smiled. 
 
 "Therefore, if you want Tamawaca, 
 sir, you've just got to take Wilder 
 with it," resumed the little man; "and 
 perhaps you could n't be half so hap- 
 py there if Wilder was gone." 
 
 "Does he own the place?" 
 
28 tfamaivaca Folks 
 
 "Of course. He and old man East- 
 on. Wilder has one-third and old man 
 Easton two-thirds of the whole place ; 
 but then, Easton also has Wilder, just 
 the same as all the rest of us have 
 him." 
 
 "What sort of a man is Easton?" 
 
 'Tine old religious duffer, who 
 loves to pray for your spiritual well- 
 fare while he feels for your pocket- 
 book. Public opinion's divided be- 
 tween the two partners. Some say 
 Wilder' s a highwayman and Eas ton's 
 a robber, while others claim Eas ton's 
 the highwayman and Wilder's the 
 robber. You can take your choice." 
 
 "What a bad state of affairs !" ejac- 
 ulated Jarrod, with twinkling eyes. 
 "I'm sorry the boat has started." 
 
 "Never mind. It is n't as bad as 
 Atlantic City, by a long shot. Why, 
 last year a friend of mine went to At- 
 lantic City with a letter of credit and 
 an automobile, and in three months 
 he was working at the hotel for money 
 
Jim 29 
 
 enough to get home and the hotel man 
 was riding in his automobile. Tama- 
 waca isn't as bad as that, so sit up 
 and look pleasant. Tamawaca's the 
 gem of the world a heaven for loaf- 
 ers, lovers, bridge-players and stu- 
 dents of nature including human. 
 You'll like it there. But as for Wild- 
 er and Easton say ! any combination 
 lock on your inside pocket?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then use a safety pin, and keep 
 your coat buttoned." 
 
 Jarrod smiled again. His spirits 
 rose. He scented battle as a cat scents 
 cream. Here was a delightful condi- 
 tion of affairs existing in a tucked- 
 away resort where he was going to 
 spend the summer, and the chances 
 were he would be amply amused. 
 Any capricious manifestation of hu- 
 man nature was sure to charm him, no 
 matter what phase it exhibited, and 
 the man who had for years fought and 
 conquered the terrible Crosbys was 
 
30 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 not likely to shrink from a pair so 
 frankly enterprising as Easton and 
 Wilder seemed to be. And, if he must 
 put in three long months at Tama- 
 waca, Jarrod simply had to be 
 amused. 
 
 He slept well on the boat that night 
 the first sound sleep he had enjoyed 
 for months. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 WILDER. 
 
 When Jarrod arrived at Tamawaca 
 in the course of the next forenoon he 
 found all prophecies most amply ful- 
 filled. Fronting the beautiful bay 
 was a group of frame buildings bear- 
 ing various signs of one general 
 trend: "Wilder's Grocery;" "Wild- 
 er's Ice Cream and Soda Fountain; 55 
 "Wilder's Model Market;" "Wilder's 
 Boat Livery;" "Wilder's Post Office" 
 (leased to Uncle Sam;) "Wilder's 
 Bakery;" "Wilder's Fresh-Buttered 
 Pop-Corn;" "Wilder's Bazaar;" 
 "Wilder's Real Estate Office," etc., 
 etc. 
 
 As the lawyer helped his family off 
 the car a man dashed out of the gro- 
 cery, ran up to him and seized both 
 his hands in a welcoming grip. He 
 was a stocky built, middle sized man, 
 with round features chubby and 
 31 
 
32 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 merry, a small mouth, good teeth and 
 soft brown eyes that ought to have 
 been set in a woman's face. 
 
 "My dear, dear boy, I'm delighted 
 to see you indeed I am! Welcome 
 to Tamawaca," said the man, in a cor- 
 dial, cheery tone. "And these are the 
 dear children! My, my how they 
 have grown ! And Mrs. Jenkins, too, 
 I declare! Nora, my dear," turning 
 to a pleasant faced woman who had 
 followed him out, "here are our dear 
 friends the Jenkinses, that Mr. Mer- 
 rington wrote us about. Allow me to 
 present Mrs. Wilder, my dear Mrs. 
 Jenkins, and I'm sure she's as glad to 
 see you as I am myself." 
 
 "Pardon me," said the lawyer, a 
 little stiffly; "my name is Jarrod." 
 
 "Of course of course!" cried 
 Wilder, unabashed. "Nora, my dear, 
 help me to welcome our good friends 
 the Jarrods, that Dr. Brush has writ- 
 ten us about. How nice to see you at 
 last in lovely Tamawaca! And the 
 
Wilder 33 
 
 children will have the time of their 
 lives; and Mrs. Jarrod will be de- 
 lighted with our swell society noth- 
 ing sweller in all Michigan, I assure 
 you!" 
 
 "It's awfully nice to see you here," 
 added Mrs. Wilder, as smiling and 
 cheerful as her mate. "Won't you 
 come into the bazaar and sit down for 
 awhile? Perhaps Mr. Jarrod has some 
 business to talk over with my hus- 
 band." 
 
 "Yes," said Jarrod, as his wife and 
 children trooped after the pleasant 
 little lady into the roomy and well- 
 stocked bazaar; "I want to enquire 
 about Grant's cottage. He says you 
 have the rental of it." 
 
 Wilder's face fell, and his merry 
 expression gave way to one of abso- 
 lute despair. 
 
 "Dear me!" he exclaimed, as if 
 deeply distressed; "how very unfor- 
 tunate. Grant's cottage was rented 
 
34 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 only last evening. How sad that I 
 did not know you wanted it!" 
 
 "But there are others, of course," 
 suggested Jarrod, after a moment's 
 thought. 
 
 "Let me see," mused Wilder, 
 reflectively. "There's the Stakes 
 place but that's rented; and Kim- 
 ball's is gone, too; and Smith's, and 
 Johnson's, and McGraw's all rented 
 and occupied. My dear boy, I'm 
 afraid you're up against it. There 
 is n't a cottage left in Tamawaca to 
 rent ! But never mind; you shall stay 
 with me you and the wife and the 
 dear little ones. I live over the gro- 
 cery, you know really swell apart- 
 ments. You shall stay there as my 
 guests, and you'll be very welcome, I 
 assure you." 
 
 "Oh, I can't do that, Wilder," said 
 Jarrod, much annoyed. They had 
 strolled, by this time, to the porch of 
 the grocery and bazaar a long build- 
 ing facing the bay on one side and the 
 
Wilder 35 
 
 hotel on the other. It had wide 
 porches set with tables for the con- 
 venience of consumers of ice-cream 
 sodas. Inside, the building was di- 
 vided into the meat market, the gro- 
 cery and the bazaar, all opening on to 
 the same porch. 
 
 Jarrod sat down at one of the ta- 
 bles, feeling homeless and despond- 
 ent. He had eaten a dreadful break- 
 fast in Kochton, an hour before, and 
 it had n't agreed with him. Through 
 the open door of the bazaar he beheld 
 Mrs. Wilder talking earnestly with 
 his wife. She had given his little girl 
 a large and expensive doll to hold and 
 his little boy a full-rigged toy sail- 
 boat to play with. 
 
 "Ah!" cried Wilder, slapping the 
 table with emphasis; "I have it! You 
 are saved, dear boy and not only 
 saved but highly favored by fortune. 
 How lucky I happend to think of it!" 
 
 "What is it?' asked Jarrod, with 
 reviving interest. 
 
36 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 "Why, I've got Lake View for sale, 
 the prettiest and finest cottage in the 
 whole Park. You shall have it, dear 
 boy you shall have it for a song." 
 
 "But I don't want to buy a cot- 
 tage," protested Jarrod. "I've not 
 even seen Tamawaca yet, and I don't 
 know as I'll like it." 
 
 "Not like it! Not like Tama- 
 waca!" Wilder's voice was sad and 
 reproachful. "My dear boy, every- 
 body likes Tamawaca. You can't help 
 liking it. Come, I'll show you the 
 charms of our little heaven upon 
 earth, and at the same time you shall 
 examine lovely Take View/ ' 
 
 During this conversation a little 
 group of people had been gathering a 
 few paces behind Wilder, all with 
 anxious faces but a diffidence about 
 interrupting him. Wilder noted this 
 group and excused himself from Jar- 
 rod for a moment. 
 
 "Yes, Mrs. Jones," he said, in his 
 earnest, winning tones, "give me your 
 
Wilder 37 
 
 baggage checks and I'll have the 
 trunks up to your cottage in a jiffy. 
 Certainly, Miss Vanderslop, I'll be 
 glad to telephone for you no trouble 
 at all! Here, William," to his clerk 
 in the grocery, "cash this check for Mr. 
 Chambers. What's that, Mrs. Har- 
 ringford? the bread sour? Too bad, 
 dear girl, too bad ! But accidents will 
 sometimes happen. William, give 
 Mrs. Harringford her money back; 
 the bread's sour. What is it, Mr. 
 Harden? Gasoline stove won't work? 
 I'll have a man up to fix it in half an 
 hour; don't worry, dear boy; half an 
 hour at the latest. Good morning, 
 Mrs. Still! here are the keys to your 
 cottage. I've had the women clean it 
 and put it in order and it's all ready 
 for you to walk into and sit down. No 
 trouble at all no thanks glad to be 
 of use to you. What is it, my little 
 man? a note from mamma? Ah, yes; 
 tell her it will give me great delight 
 to reserve a berth for her on tomor- 
 
38 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 row night's boat. And now, Mr. Jar- 
 rod, I'm at your service." 
 
 "You seem to be a busy man," said 
 Jarrod, with a smile. 
 
 "Usually I am," replied Wilder, 
 mopping his forehead; "but there's 
 not much doing this morning; it's too 
 early in the season; I'm resting up for 
 the busy days coming. Let us walk 
 over to the Lake front, and I'll aston- 
 ish you with the beauty of our fairy- 
 land." 
 
 So Jarrod, leaving his family to be 
 entertained by Mrs. Wilder, who 
 seemed an eminently fitting spouse 
 for her cheery husband, followed this 
 modern Poo-Bah along a broad ce- 
 ment walk that led past the hotel and 
 through a shady grove. There were 
 cottages on every side, clustered all 
 too thickly to be very enticing, but 
 neatly built and pleasant enough for a 
 summer's outing. A few paces more 
 brought them to a magnificent view 
 of the great inland sea, and soon they 
 
Wilder 39 
 
 emerged upon a broad beach lapped 
 by the rolling waves of grand old 
 Michigan. 
 
 Jarrod's eyes sparkled. It was 
 beautiful at this point, he was forced 
 to admit, and the cool breath of the 
 breeze that swept over the waters sent 
 an exhilarating vigor to the bottom of 
 his lungs and brought a sudden glow 
 to his cheek. 
 
 Along the lake front was another 
 row of pretty cottages, running north 
 and south for a distance of half a mile 
 or more. At frequent intervals an 
 avenue led from the beach back into 
 the splendid forest, where, Wilder ex- 
 plained, were many more cottages hid- 
 den among the trees. 
 
 "Some people prefer to live in the 
 forest," said he, "while others like to 
 be nearer the water. The cottage you 
 have just bought is near the big lake, 
 and finely located." 
 
 "I did n't know I had purchased it, 
 as yet," remarked Jarrod, drily. 
 
4O Tamawaca Folks 
 
 "I forgot," said Wilder, laughing. 
 "There are a good many things for 
 me to think of, you know, and some- 
 times I get 'em mixed." 
 
 "I see." 
 
 "Here," continued the guide, as 
 they went south along the wide beach 
 walk, "is the residence of the Father 
 of Tamawaca, my dear partner Mr. 
 Easton. A fine man, sir, but erring 
 in judgment now and then." He 
 stumbled on a loose, worn out plank, 
 and came to a halt. "This walk, dear 
 boy, ought to be repaired. I've talked 
 to Easton about it more than once, 
 but he says he's too poor to squander 
 money on public improvements. It's 
 his idea that the cottagers should re- 
 pair the walks." 
 
 "Is n't this in front of his own resi- 
 dence?" asked Jarrod. 
 
 "Y-e-e-e-s; seems to be. But East- 
 on says, and with justice, that all the 
 people living above here are obliged 
 to use this walk to get down town 
 
Wilder 41 
 
 where the store and post-office are lo- 
 cated and so they ought to see that 
 it's kept in proper condition." 
 
 "Who owns the street?" enquired 
 Jarrod. 
 
 "Why, we own it, of course East- 
 on and I. You see, this whole place 
 was once a farm and some men bought 
 it and laid out and platted Tamawaca 
 Park. They incorporated under the 
 laws of Michigan as a summer resort 
 company, and so they kept the control 
 of all the streets and public grounds 
 in their own hands. It's a private set- 
 tlement, you understand, and when a 
 man buys one of our lots he acquires 
 the right to walk over our streets as 
 much as he likes as long as he be- 
 haves himself." 
 
 "And if he does n't?' 
 
 "If he does n't we can order him 
 off." 
 
 "Was the original plat recorded?" 
 asked Jarrod. 
 
 "Yes; of course." 
 
42 ^amawaca folks 
 
 "With the streets and public 
 grounds laid out in detail?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "Then," said the lawyer, "the first 
 man that bought a lot here acquired a 
 title to all your public streets and 
 grounds, and you lost the control of 
 them forever." 
 
 "Nonsense!" cried Wilder. 
 
 "I've read law a bit," said Jarrod, 
 "and I know." 
 
 "Michigan law is different, dear 
 boy," announced Wilder, composed- 
 ly. "Still we mean to do what's 
 right, and to treat every cottage owner 
 fair and square as long as he does 
 what we tell him to." 
 
 Jarrod's face was beaming. He had 
 not been so highly amused for months 
 not since the Crosbys had sold out. 
 He had n't seen Lake View Cottage 
 as yet, but already he had decided to 
 buy it. A condition that would have 
 induced an ordinary man to turn tail 
 and avoid Tamawaca was an irresisti- 
 
Wilder 43 
 
 ble charm to this legal pugilist. But 
 his cue was now to be silent and let 
 Wilder talk. 
 
 "Here, dear boy," that seraphic in- 
 dividual was explaining, "is where 
 Noggs lives, the wealthy merchant 
 prince of Grand Rapids. And here's 
 the cottage of our distinguished au- 
 thor. Don't have to work, you know. 
 Just writes books and people buy 'em. 
 Snap, ain't it?" 
 
 "Looks that way," said Jarrod. 
 "What's that cottage standing in the 
 middle of yonder avenue?" 
 
 "Oh, that belongs to old man 
 Easton." 
 
 "Why is it there?" 
 
 "Why, lake front lots are scarce, 
 you know; but cottages on the lake 
 front rent for good money. So Easton 
 built one in the street, and rents it at 
 a high figure. Clever scheme, ain't 
 it?" 
 
 "Did n't the cottage owners ob- 
 ject?" 
 
44 famawaca Folks 
 
 "It was built in the winter, when 
 no one was here. When the resorters 
 came in the spring and saw it, they 
 wailed an' tore their hair. But it was 
 too late, then. While they swore, 
 Easton prayed for 'em; he's religious. 
 The old saint's got lots o' cottages on 
 public grounds, but no one can make 
 him tear 'em down because we control 
 the public grounds ourselves. What- 
 ever's public here belongs to me an' 
 Easton. Understand ?" 
 
 "Perfectly." 
 
 "Here's where the big stock-yards 
 man from Chicago lives. Pretty place, 
 eh? And here's the cottage of George 
 B. Still, the magnate of Quincy." 
 
 "I've met him." 
 
 "Fine fellow, and so's his wife. 
 One of the largest grocery bills, sir, at 
 the Park! Ah, here we come to the 
 cottage of the famous philanthropist 
 from Chicago Commons Professor 
 Graylor. Used to be a rich man, but 
 spent everything he had to convert 
 

 Wilder 45 
 
 the heathen dagos of the Windy City. 
 Now all he's got left is this cottage 
 and a clear conscience poor man!" 
 
 "Why do you say c poor man' ?" 
 
 "Because, dear boy, a clear con- 
 science ain't an available asset. I've 
 got one myself, and I know," said 
 Wilder, plaintively. "But here we are 
 at Maple Walk one of the most pic- 
 turesque avenues in town. Please 
 climb these few steps; it is on this 
 walk your charming cottage stands." 
 
 "Mine?" 
 
 "To be sure. No man of judgment, 
 dear boy, would refuse to buy it, and I 
 can see you 're a good bit wiser than 
 the average resorter. I'm so glad you 
 
 came!' 
 
 : Thank you." 
 
 "You 're just the sort of man we 
 need, Mr. Jarrod the sort we're al- 
 ways lookin' for." 
 
 "To walk on your streets and repair 
 your sidewalks?" 
 
 "Exactly." 
 
46 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 "And patronize your mercantile es- 
 tablishments?" 
 
 Wilder laughed heartily. 
 
 "Why not?" he asked, laying a fa- 
 miliar and caressing hand on the oth- 
 er's shoulder. "You've got to live; 
 an' poor Wilder's got to live." 
 
 "Poor Wilder can't help living, it 
 seems to me," returned Jarrod, reflec- 
 tively. "All these people are forced 
 to trade with you, because there's no 
 one else to patronize. You've estab- 
 lished a monopoly here." 
 
 "It ain't that," said Wilder, becom- 
 ing serious. "I don't want to monop- 
 olize anything, I'm sure. All I want 
 is for people to come here and have a 
 good time, and I can't trust anyone 
 but myself to give 'em the right serv- 
 ice and the right goods at the right 
 prices. That's why I run everything 
 myself and lose money year after 
 year a-doin' it." 
 
 "How can you lose money?" 
 
 "Why, on the folks that don't come 
 
Wilder 47 
 
 here. If Tamawaca was double the 
 size, I'd make double the money, 
 would n't I? But it's a small place, 
 you see, and no man's so energetic 
 that he can get more than there is. So 
 I work every season just to accommo- 
 date the people. When you've been 
 here a little while you'll find that out. 
 I'll cash your checks, lend you money, 
 run your errands, settle your quarrels 
 with your wife, reconcile your hired 
 girl to sleeping in the basement and 
 play blind-man's-buff with your chil- 
 dren. That's Wilder everybody's 
 friend but his own, and too honest for 
 his own good." 
 
 "Indeed, Mr. Wilder," said Jarrod, 
 "I can see already that you are a re- 
 markable man. What could Tama- 
 waca do without you?" 
 
 "That's it! Why, dear boy, it 
 would bust higher than Guilderoy's 
 kite! That's why I take such good 
 care of my health. But here we are 
 
48 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 at Lake View. Behold your future 
 home!" 
 
 Jarrod liked the place. It was high 
 enough to command an outlook upon 
 the lake and to catch every breeze, yet 
 not too high for an ordinary climb. 
 
 "What's the price?" he asked. 
 
 "Just step inside and see the rooms. 
 It's magnificently furnished." 
 
 "What do you ask for the place?" 
 
 "There's a fine pump in the back 
 yard and a sideboard in the dining 
 
 room.' 
 
 "How much?" 
 
 "It was painted only this spring 
 and everything's in apple-pie order. 
 Just step inside." 
 
 Jarrod sat down on the steps. 
 
 "I'll give you a thousand dollars 
 for it," he said. 
 
 "My dear boy, the lot alone's worth 
 fifteen hundred." 
 
 "Is the cottage on the lot?" 
 
 "Why do you ask?" 
 
 "It don't look it." 
 
Wilder 49 
 
 "Never mind that. I'll sell you the 
 lot and the cottage. If the house is n't 
 on the lot it's somewhere in the neigh- 
 borhood, and no one's going to ask 
 any questions." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Because they dare n't. They're 
 all in the same boat. There has n't 
 been a surveyor allowed in Tamawaca 
 for ages. When a man wants to build, 
 he buys a lot of me an' Easton an' 
 then hunts for the lot. If he thinks 
 he's found it, he's lucky. If there 
 don't appear to be a lot where he 
 thinks it ought to be, he just builds his 
 cottage and takes the chances." 
 
 "All right," said Jarrod. "I'll take 
 my chances. How much for Lake 
 View?" 
 
 "Well, dear boy, I've taken a liking 
 to you, and so I'm willing to sacrifice. 
 I'll pay good money to get you here 
 as a resident. But it's a dreadful 
 shame to think how property's ad- 
 vanced here lately. I've tried to keep 
 
50 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 it down, but I can't. Here's a case, 
 though, where I can forget high prices 
 and be generous. You can have Lake 
 View for four thousand dollars. 3 ' 
 
 "What!" 
 
 "And I'll trust to luck to keep Nora 
 and me out o' the poor-house." 
 
 Jarrod reflected. 
 
 "I'll give you two thousand," he 
 said. 
 
 "Then it's yours. Do you want to 
 go in and look around, or shall we 
 walk back and get your wife and chil- 
 dren, so they can begin to enjoy their 
 new home?" 
 
 "We'll go back," said Jarrod, won- 
 dering to what extent he had been 
 bled. "I'll have plenty of chances to 
 see the inside of my cottage later." 
 
 "True. And while we're down at 
 the store we'll make out the list for 
 groceries and meats and gasoline and 
 such things, and I'll send 'em up in 
 fifteen minutes." 
 
 Mrs. Jarrod was glad to see her hus- 
 
Wilder 51 
 
 band again, although in his absence 
 Mrs. Wilder had thoroughly posted 
 her in regard to everyone of note at 
 Tamawaca. She was rather aston- 
 ished at the rapidity with which they 
 had acquired citizenship, but went to 
 William at once to order her groceries 
 and supplies, while Jarrod drew his 
 check to pay for Lake View and then 
 settled with Mrs. Wilder for the doll 
 and the sail-boat one of which had 
 been broken while the other his dear 
 child refused to part with without a 
 scene. 
 
 Two hours later they had taken pos- 
 session of their cottage, unpacked 
 their trunks and settled themselves 
 for the summer. The children had ta- 
 ken off their shoes and stockings and 
 run down to the lake to paddle around 
 at the water's edge, where it was per- 
 fectly safe ; Mrs. Jarrod was instruct- 
 ing a maid that Wilder had promptly 
 secured and sent to her, while Jarrod 
 himself collarless and in his shirt- 
 
52 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 sleeves had drawn an easy chair out 
 upon the porch and set himself down 
 to think. 
 
 On a tree facing him was a sign that 
 read: "Ask Wilder." These signs 
 he had noticed everywhere at Tama- 
 waca, and as he stared at this one he 
 smiled grimly. 
 
 "There's no need asking Wilder," 
 he murmured. "Let him alone for a 
 time and he'll tell you everything 
 even more than he imagines he does. 
 But I'm glad I came. Wilder's a gen- 
 ius, and his nerve is a challenge to all 
 the world!" 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JUST GIRLS. 
 
 She was rather pretty, judged by 
 the ordinary standards. The other 
 girls called her "the heiress," because 
 she so frankly confided to them the in- 
 formation that her uncle an enor- 
 mously wealthy man had no one to 
 inherit his millions but herself, and 
 so had made his will in her favor. 
 Meantime, while he continued to live, 
 this estimable old gentleman gave his 
 niece "just anything I want, girls! He 
 just begs me to spend all the money I 
 can, and is sorry I don't spend more." 
 
 Such opulence was not observable 
 in the appearance of the young lady, 
 nor did it lead her to reckless extrava- 
 gances. She bought about as many ice- 
 cream sodas as the other girls who 
 were shy of rich uncles, and dressed 
 equally as well as the majority of the 
 young women at Tamawaca, but no 
 53 
 
54 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 better. She had no jewel cabinet, or 
 automobile, or pug dog or embroid- 
 ered underwear; so her chums and 
 comrades, who only knew her at this 
 summer resort, were wicked enough to 
 rally her upon her vast wealth and 
 slyly insinuate "they were from Mis- 
 souri" by dubbing her "the heiress." 
 
 Clara accepted the title with much 
 content. She felt she was entitled to 
 the distinction and held her chin a bit 
 higher when she passed common folks 
 on the street. 
 
 This afternoon, however, she was 
 not on dress parade. Dressed in her 
 bathing uniform she reclined upon the 
 sands in company with several com- 
 panions likewise attired and listened 
 eagerly to the comments of two young 
 ladies who had made an important dis- 
 covery. 
 
 "He came this morning, girls," said 
 Betty Lowden, impressively, "and 
 he's just the cutest thing that ever 
 came off from the boat. Such eyes, my 
 
Just Girls 55 
 
 dears ! and such lovely fluffy hair " 
 "And the air of a real gentleman, 
 girls," broke in Mary Newton; "you 
 could n't mistake him anywhere; and 
 before we passed him he looked at me 
 twice!" 
 
 "No dear, once at the weather sig- 
 nal and once at you," corrected Betty. 
 "I noticed especially, for afterward 
 he stared at me a whole minute." 
 "Why, you mean, disagreeable " 
 "Seems to me," remarked little 
 Susie, quietly, "that it's a bit of good 
 luck to have any sort of a young man 
 drop down upon us so early in the sea- 
 son. I'm told they're scarce enough 
 at any time in Tamawaca, so I did n't 
 expect to meet a real Charles Augus- 
 tus for a whole month yet." 
 
 "His name is James James In- 
 gram. Mary and I ran to look at the 
 hotel register, and he's the only man 
 that arrived today." 
 
 "And you have n't met him yet, 
 
56 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 either," suggested Mary, with an ex- 
 asperating air of proprietorship. 
 
 "No?" said Susie, demurely, as she 
 dipped her hands into the sands and 
 let the shining grains run through her 
 fingers. "But," glancing dreamily 
 over the heads of the others, "I expect 
 to meet him within the next half 
 hour." 
 
 "Oh, Susie!" 
 
 "How absurd!" 
 
 "I'll bet you the sundaes for the 
 crowd, Betty, that I'll be able to intro- 
 duce him to all of you in half an hour 
 from this second." 
 
 "And you've never met him be- 
 fore?" suspiciously. 
 
 "Never." 
 
 "You must be crazy," said the heir- 
 ess, scornfully. 
 
 "Don't turn around quickly take 
 your time, Mary. But just let me 
 know if that's James," continued the 
 girl, in a soft voice. 
 
 They gave a jump, then, and every 
 
Just Girls 57 
 
 one of them stared ruthlessly. They 
 saw a tall young man come down the 
 walk at a swinging stride, glance 
 hungrily at the sparkling waves, and 
 then enter "Wilder' s Bathing Estab- 
 lishment," which stood near by, at the 
 water's edge. 
 
 "It must be him!" gasped the heir- 
 ess. 
 
 "It is him!" cried Betty, trium- 
 phantly. "Is n't he splendid?" 
 
 "Say, girls," observed Gladys Mc- 
 Gowan, "let's take Susie's bet. It'll 
 be worth a round of sundaes to meet 
 our Jim right away, without losing 
 precious time." 
 
 "Half an hour, Susie? 3 
 
 "Half an hour at the most, girls." 
 
 "Then it's a go! How will you 
 manage it?" 
 
 Susie still played with the sands, 
 while the others watched her nervous- 
 ly. She was a tiny thing, and not es- 
 pecially beautiful, but the girls liked 
 her because she was "good fun" and 
 
58 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 exhibited a rare cleverness at times. 
 All they knew of her history was that 
 Susie was visiting at the Carleton cot- 
 tage. 
 
 "You'll help me, girls 4 ?" enquired 
 the adventurous one. 
 
 "Of course. But what's your plan, 
 dear?" 
 
 "Wait." 
 
 Presently a bather emerged from 
 Wilder's Establishment, walked down 
 to the shore near them, gave a glance 
 of brief interest at the group of girls 
 reclining upon the sands, and straight- 
 way plunged into the lake and swam 
 out with bold, vigorous strokes. 
 
 Every feminine eye followed him. 
 
 "Jim can swim, all right," observed 
 Gladys, admiringly. 
 
 Susie nodded. 
 
 "I thought he could," she said. 
 "Now, girls, in we go!" 
 
 "What! Into the water?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "And get wet?" 
 
Just Girls 59 
 
 "It'll take a week to dry our hair 
 again!" 
 
 Susie ignored the protests. 
 
 "Oh, we'll just putter around a bit. 
 It won't hurt us," she said. 
 
 They arose reluctantly and one or 
 two dipped a stockinged toe into the 
 cool water and cringed. But Susie 
 waded in without a quiver, and real- 
 izing the importance of the occasion 
 they grew bold and slowly followed 
 her. The heiress waited until the very 
 last, and hesitated even then. But 
 there was "Jim" in the water, and it 
 would n't do to let the other girls get 
 an advantage over her. 
 
 So presently they had all trailed 
 along the gently shelving bottom un- 
 til the water had reached their waists, 
 and in the case of little Susie, who was 
 in the lead, it came quite up to her 
 chin. 
 
 The young man had cleaved his 
 way a good distance out; but now he 
 was returning more slowly, leaping 
 
60 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 and turning like a dolphin at play and 
 then floating luxuriously upon his 
 back for awhile. As he drew nearer 
 to the girls Susie whispered : 
 
 "Now scream and scream loud, 
 mind you!" 
 
 In amazement they watched her 
 swim out a few strokes for the girl 
 could actually swim and then saw 
 her throw up her hands and heard her 
 cry out. 
 
 Wildly they shrieked a chorus. It 
 was the real thing in the way of a 
 scream, and owed part of its vigor to 
 the fact that Susie's action seemed 
 horribly natural. 
 
 Instantly the young man rolled off 
 his back and elevated his head, tread- 
 ing water. He saw a girl struggling 
 madly and heard the shrill outcry of 
 her companions. A moment more he 
 was dashing to the rescue. 
 
 Did Susie see him coming through 
 one corner of her eye? She disap- 
 peared entirely, and was under water 
 
Just Girls 6 1 
 
 an alarming time. When she finally 
 bobbed up a strong arm was folded 
 around her waist. 
 
 "Don't struggle! Keep quiet and 
 leave it to me," said Jim, calmly; and 
 the sound of his voice seemed to have 
 a soothing effect upon the drowning 
 girl. She rested in his circling arm 
 quite comfortably, and before another 
 minute he found a footing and then 
 waded ashore with both arms around 
 her, while Susie's envious friends 
 scampered out beside him and insisted 
 upon helping to restore her. 
 
 Very gently the big fellow laid her 
 on the sand and knelt anxiously be- 
 side her. But she had been rescued at 
 exactly the right moment, so now she 
 opened her eyes, smiled sweetly, and 
 heaved a sigh. 
 
 "Oh, thank you! Thank you, sir, 
 for saving me!" she said. The voice 
 was pretty husky for a girl that had to 
 be held, but Jim was young and did 
 not notice that. 
 
62 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 "Don't mention it," he replied, de- 
 lighted to find she was likely to live. 
 "You'd better get home as soon as pos- 
 sible, and have a good rub-down and 
 a glass of tonic. May I assist you?" 
 
 "If you please. I know it's foolish 
 and and silly; but I'm so frightened 
 and weak yet." 
 
 "Naturally," replied the sympa- 
 thetic hero; and then the heiress, who 
 could stand no more foolishness, 
 jerked Susie to her feet before she had 
 a chance to smile into the boy's grave 
 eyes again. That was wasted energy, 
 of course, for Susie just now absolute- 
 ly controlled the situation. Her deli- 
 cate form swayed so visibly that the 
 boy seized her arm at once, and Clara 
 thoughtfully usurped the other arm 
 and began to lavish such tender devo- 
 tion upon her that Gladys laughed 
 outright a cold, harsh laugh that 
 sent a shiver down the heiress' back 
 and made her vow to "get even" at 
 the first opportunity. 
 
Just Girls 63 
 
 Mischievous Susie was dying for a 
 good laugh herself at the complete 
 success of her stratagem; but she mas- 
 tered the impulse and, letting Jim 
 support her as much as he would, tot- 
 tered slowly along the beach in the di- 
 rection of home. The girls surround- 
 ed her, flooding her with eager ques- 
 tions of how it had happened and how 
 she felt, and generous praises of her 
 brave and noble rescuer. For none ex- 
 cept the heiress could withhold her ad- 
 miration for Susie's cleverness or was 
 the least bit jealous. 
 
 On the way they were all intro- 
 duced, in the most natural manner, to 
 the man of the hour, and then the 
 heroine enquired in a languid tone 
 that could not disguise her meaning: 
 "What time is it, Clara dear?" 
 
 "Oh, less than half an hour since 
 you attempted suicide," returned the 
 heiress, composedly. "Brace up, Susie 
 dear, for I'm going to buy you a sun- 
 dae tonight/' 
 
64 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 Of course the young man did n't un- 
 derstand this speech. He left the girl 
 "whose life he had saved" at the 
 Carleton porch, and begged permis- 
 sion to call in the evening and enquire 
 after her a permission instantly 
 granted. 
 
 Then, with Betty and Mary and 
 Gladys and the heiress all chattering 
 in a breath as they surrounded him, 
 Jim returned to the bathing establish- 
 ment, where they separated. The 
 heiress was a pretty girl, and the boy 
 smiled as he bade her good-bye. 
 
 As he dressed himself he could not 
 help congratulating himself upon his 
 good luck in meeting this "bunch of 
 nice girls" on the very day of his ar- 
 rival. It augured a pleasant vaca- 
 tion. 
 
 As for the "bunch," Gladys said on 
 the way home : 
 
 "Is n't Susie a deep one, though?" 
 
 "She thinks she is," answered the 
 heiress, with a toss of her shapely 
 
Just Girls 65 
 
 head. "Do you remember, dear, how 
 the cat's paw once pulled the chest- 
 nuts out of the fire for some one else?" 
 
 "Oh, yes;" answered Gladys, snif- 
 fing. "It was for a monkey, was n't 
 it?" 
 
 Those sweet, sweet girls! 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 GETTING ACQUAINTED. 
 
 Mrs. Still, who lived but a few 
 doors from the Jarrods, called upon 
 Mrs. Jarrod the next afternoon, and 
 after welcoming her cordially to Tam- 
 awaca and congratulating her upon 
 acquiring pretty Lake View, invited 
 her and Mr. Jarrod to attend a card 
 party at the yacht club that evening. 
 
 Jarrod did n't play "five hundred," 
 but when the good-natured Stills 
 called for them soon after dinner he 
 complacently accompanied his wife to 
 the club, which was located half way 
 around the bay and was reached by 
 one of Wilder' s ferry-boats after a five 
 minutes' ride from the Tamawaca 
 dock. It was a pretty building, gay 
 with electric lights. On the ground 
 floor was a reception room filled with 
 sailing trophies, and a big room 
 reached through swinging doors which 
 66 
 
Getting Acquainted 67 
 
 was devoted to the needs of thirsty 
 men. The upper floor was one large 
 room set with card tables, and here 
 Mrs. Still introduced Mrs. Jarrod to a 
 numerous concourse of merry folks 
 who were all impatient to get at the 
 cards and gamble fiercely for two 
 hours or so to win a set of prizes that 
 represented an outlay of about seven- 
 ty-five cents in the aggregate. When 
 the "prizes' 5 were won they were usu- 
 ally either dropped quietly into the 
 lake on* the way home or reserved to 
 be gambled for at some other social 
 gathering. I knew one lady who won 
 the same prize seven times in the same 
 season, and likewise gave it away 
 seven times. The only reason that she 
 kept it then was that her guests flatly 
 refused to accept it as a trophy, it hav- 
 ing become sadly shop-worn. 
 
 Jarrod was ushered by Geo. B. into 
 the thirst room and introduced to a 
 solemn group of three or four men 
 who wore yachting caps and shirts, 
 
68 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 and had brass buttons sewn on their 
 blue serge coats. 
 
 "Howdy," said Berwin, a man with 
 a bald head and serious eyes. "Hear 
 you've bought a cottage, Jarrod. 
 Want to join our Club?" 
 
 "I'd like to," the lawyer replied, 
 hesitating; "but I've " 
 
 "Ten dollars, please. That's the 
 price for season membership." 
 
 Jarrod paid it. 
 
 "But I've got no sail-boat," said he. 
 
 "That's all right," observed Stakes, 
 a little fellow with a peppery and 
 pugnacious countenance. "None of 
 the crowd upstairs owns a sail-boat, 
 but they're all club members, just the 
 same. We four Homperton, Ber- 
 win, Diller and myself own boats, 
 and we're the yacht club in reality. 
 We built this shop on credit, and run 
 it ourselves, but we let the folks up- 
 stairs support it by paying ten dollars 
 a year. It pleases 'em to be members 
 of a yacht club, you know, and helps 
 
Getting Acquainted 69 
 
 us out financially. Much obliged for 
 your donation." 
 
 "Do I have a vote?" asked Jarrod, 
 much amused by this frank explana- 
 tion. 
 
 "Of course; but according to our 
 constitution only men with sail-boats 
 can be officers of the club. So you 
 must vote for us." 
 
 "Once," remarked Diller, a fine 
 looking chap who was intently inter- 
 ested in a squat bottle and a siphon, 
 "I had money and ambition and no 
 sail-boat. Who was I, anyhow? A 
 landsman! A nobody! Didn't belong 
 to a yacht club, or anything else." 
 
 "Except Mrs. Diller," interjected 
 Geo. B., with a sly wink at Jarrod. 
 
 "Then I bought a sail-boat " 
 
 "And a dingy," added Geo. B. 
 
 "And paid up the debts of the club 
 and was made Commodore. Commo- 
 dore Diller! Who was I then? Why, 
 ev'rybody said: 'Morn'n', Com-mo- 
 dore !' 'Have a smoke, Com-mo-dore !' 
 
yo Tamawaca Folks 
 
 'One more with me, Com-mo-dore !' 
 Ah; that's bein' somebody, that is. 
 Commodore Diller ! Com-mo-dore 
 Dil-ler." 
 
 "Some men acquire greatness," said 
 Jarrod, sympathetically. 
 
 'Tact is," remarked the solemn Ber- 
 win, "that Diller's a fine sailor. Got 
 a good boat, too. Every race we have, 
 Diller's there." 
 
 "Where?' asked Diller, looking up 
 with a puzzled expression. 
 
 "Oh, somewhere," said Berwin. 
 "Only yesterday I said to Wilder " 
 
 "Con-found Wilder!" yelled little 
 Stakes, growing red with sudden rage 
 and pounding the table fiercely. 
 "Why should that monster's name be 
 mentioned in the sanctity of the sanc- 
 tum of this respectable Yacht Club? 
 Wilder's a robber, a thief, a con-man, 
 a a rascal, and a a a " 
 
 "That's all right," interrupted 
 Homperton. "He's an upstairs mem- 
 ber, and we've got his ten dollars." 
 
Getting Acquainted 71 
 
 "Well, that's something," admitted 
 Stakes, calming down somewhat. 
 "It's a pleasure to rob a robber, once 
 in awhile." 
 
 "Sh h!" said Geo. B., mischiev- 
 ously. "You forget that both Mr. 
 Jarrod and I are present, and have 
 also been separated from our member- 
 ship fees." 
 
 "You don't mind," said Stakes. 
 "You're good fellows, for folks that 
 don't own sail-boats, and your wives 
 will get ten dollars worth of struggle 
 up stairs before the season's over. 
 Eh?" 
 
 "I think so," said Jarrod. 
 
 Later in the evening the ferry-boat 
 called for the card players, but broke 
 her engines just as she reached the 
 dock. That was unfortunate, for she 
 had broken her engines only four 
 times that day and this was her last 
 trip. Wilder was with her, and he 
 promptly hustled all the people 
 aboard, collecting the fares as they 
 
72 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 crossed the gang-plank, and then, 
 after some delay, he informed his pas- 
 sengers in a despairing voice that the 
 blamed thing would n't go. Some- 
 thing was wrong with the engines, but 
 if they would be patient he would tie 
 up to the dock and overhaul the ma- 
 chinery and get things in shape again. 
 Of course they all trooped off to the 
 dock again. One or two ventured to 
 suggest a return of their fares; but 
 Wilder had gone somewhere for a lan- 
 tern and taken the pocketful of nick- 
 els with him. Before he returned his 
 people had formed a merry procession 
 to the shore back of the club house, 
 where they struck the trolley-car 
 tracks and tramped the half mile to 
 Tamawaca singing and joking and 
 thoroughly enjoying themselves. 
 They were acquainted with Wilder's 
 ferry-boat, and never allowed it to 
 make them unhappy. 
 
 Mrs. Jarrod was pleased and trium- 
 phant. She had won the third prize 
 
Getting Acquainted 73 
 
 a nineteen cent handkerchief embroid- 
 ered with the initial "S." and it was 
 indeed fortunate that she did not 
 overhear the remark of Mrs. Sauters 
 that it was the same one she had 
 dropped at the last yacht club party. 
 
 Next morning Jarrod went down to 
 the post office and met several of his 
 fellow cottagers. They were, as a 
 class, highly respectable, well-to-do 
 and good natured business men, who 
 sought in this delightful nook rest and 
 recreation after months of weary toil 
 in their offices, factories, mills or 
 mines. They talked freely of the ad- 
 verse conditions existing in Tama- 
 waca, of their abject dependence upon 
 the whims of Wilder and Easton, of 
 the usurpation by these men of the 
 cottagers' rights and privileges, and 
 ended always by expressing an opin- 
 ion that the law, if appealed to, would 
 not support the owners of Tamawaca 
 in their autocratic actions. 
 
 "Wilder' s all right," said one. 
 
74 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 ''He's a good fellow, personally, and 
 mighty accommodating. But he owns 
 only a one-third interest, so what can 
 he do against a man like Easton, who 
 owns two-thirds and refuses to spend 
 a nickel to keep his own property in 
 repair?" 
 
 "Easton is n't so bad," remarked 
 another; "but he's an old man, and 
 weak, and Wilder makes him do any- 
 thing he likes." 
 
 "Why don't the cottagers organ- 
 ize?" asked Jarrod. 
 
 "They are organized. The annual' 
 meeting is to be held next Saturday 
 night," was the reply. "But they 
 never do anything at those meetings 
 except bewail their condition of 
 slavery and mildly denounce Wilder 
 and Easton." 
 
 "What we lack," said a grizzled old 
 fellow with piercing black eyes 
 glinting underneath shaggy brows, "is 
 a leader; an organizer. The whole 
 system of imposition here is a fester 
 
Getting Acquainted 75 
 
 that is gradually coming to a head. 
 What we shall require presently is a 
 clever surgeon with a sharp lancet." 
 
 As the speaker walked away Jarrod 
 looked thoughtfully after him. 
 
 "Who is that man 4 ?" he enquired. 
 
 "Why, that's Colonel Kerry. Years 
 ago he used to be one of the owners 
 of Tamawaca; but they say he quar- 
 relled with the methods of his part- 
 ners and sold out to them. That was 
 before either Wilder or Easton 
 bought in; but the Colonel has never 
 mixed in public affairs since." 
 
 "I wonder he does n't use the lancet 
 himself," said Jarrod. 
 
 "Oh, he's capable enough, I assure 
 you; but the Colonel is n't hunting 
 trouble. He sticks to his cottage up 
 on the hillside and minds his own 
 business. But he's a shrewd observer, 
 and no one knows the inside history 
 of all the encroachments upon the 
 rights of our residents during the last 
 
76 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 dozen or so years better than old man 
 Kerry." 
 
 Jarrod strolled along the walks foi 
 an hour or two, noting carefully the 
 conditions of neglect everywhere ap- 
 parent. Nature had done wonders for 
 Tamawaca; man had done little but 
 mar nature, if we except the many 
 handsome or cosy cottages that peeped 
 enticingly from their leafy bowers or 
 stood on the hills overlooking the two 
 lakes. 
 
 Tamawaca occupies the point be- 
 tween the channel and Tamawaca 
 Pool to the north, and Lake Michigan 
 on the west, where a sloping height is 
 thickly covered with a noble forest 
 that creeps past the dwellings down to 
 the water's edge. In the hills are ro- 
 mantic ravines, flower-strewn vales 
 and vine-covered cliffs. To a lover of 
 nature nothing could be more ex- 
 quisitely beautiful. 
 
 Jarrod tripped and stumbled along 
 the walks. The boards were rotted 
 
Getting Acquainted 77 
 
 and falling apart. In places the sand 
 had drifted over and covered the high- 
 way completely. An air of neglect 
 brooded everywhere in the public 
 places, and where a bit of land had 
 originally been left for a small park 
 the ground was strewn with empty tin 
 cans, bones, papers and other debris. 
 
 It grieved him to note this condi- 
 tion of affairs. A little well directed 
 energy and a little well expended 
 money would make Tamawaca blos- 
 som like a rose ; but both these essen- 
 tials seemed lacking. The cottagers 
 would do nothing because they were 
 told the streets and public places were 
 not theirs, and the owners would do 
 nothing because they figured they 
 could get as much out of the cottagers 
 without additional investment. The 
 people who built at Tamawaca, and 
 lived there during the summer 
 months, were perhaps regarded as le- 
 gitimate prey by those who directed 
 their fates during that time. Wilder 
 
78 . tfamawaca Folks 
 
 and Easton supplied them with every- 
 thing. They owned the electric light 
 plant and the water works. Indeed, 
 they owned and controlled everything 
 that the cottagers were obliged to 
 have, and netted a fine income each 
 year. ^ 
 
 All this was a challenge to Jarrod. 
 The fires of his mental energy must be 
 fed, even when he was "resting," and 
 without the slightest personal antago- 
 nism to Wilder and Easton, but sim- 
 ply because he saw there was a battle 
 to be fought for the cottagers, whose 
 ranks he had joined, his logical mind 
 began to figure out ways and means 
 to force the fighting. 
 
 A day or two later the lawyer took 
 the electric car to Kochton and read a 
 little Michigan law in the office of a 
 friendly attorney. The result ap- 
 prised him that he was uncovering 
 nothing more than a huge game of 
 "bluff," which had been played so 
 long and with such amazing assurance 
 
Getting Acquainted 79 
 
 that it hatl completely cowed its vic- 
 tims. 
 
 Jarrod came home smiling. 
 
 "There's nothing like a summer re- 
 sort for quieting one's nerves," he told 
 his wife. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FOUND OUT. 
 
 When Jim called to enquire after 
 Susie on the evening of his adventure 
 he found her dressed in a fluffy white 
 costume and sitting demurely upon 
 the porch awaiting him. 
 
 Mr. Carleton came out to thank the 
 boy for rescuing his little guest, and 
 after one shrewd glance into the frank 
 and manly face he retired and left the 
 young folks together, satisfied that 
 Susie had made no undesirable ac- 
 quaintance. 
 
 They had plenty to talk about, al- 
 though this was practically their first 
 meeting. But Susie had faithfully 
 promised her girl friends to bring Jim 
 over to the hotel for the dancing that 
 evening, so she was obliged, although 
 reluctantly, to curtail their pleasant 
 chat and invite him to escort her to the 
 
 dance. 
 
 80 
 
Found Out 8l 
 
 Jim was tremendously fond of 
 dancing, so he accepted with alacrity. 
 When they arrived at the ball-room of 
 the hotel, where cottagers and guests 
 alike were welcomed by the proprie- 
 tor, they found Gladys and Mary, 
 Betty and the heiress all eagerly 
 awaiting them. On the floor were 
 many couples of girls joyously danc- 
 ing together, for boys of any sort were 
 scarce indeed, and their absence could 
 not induce the girls to forego the 
 pleasures of the waltz and two-step. 
 Jim promptly began to participate by 
 dancing with Susie, as politeness re- 
 quired, although she was too short in 
 stature for the big fellow and dancing 
 was not one of her best accomplish- 
 ments. He did not allow her to guess 
 they were an awkward couple, how- 
 ever, and thanked her as gratefully as 
 if he had not barely escaped being 
 tripped a dozen times. 
 
 Next he led out the heiress, who in 
 addition to being pretty and graceful 
 
82 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 was an especially skillful dancer. My ! 
 how Jim did enjoy that two-step. He 
 danced with Betty next, and with the 
 heiress again; then with Gladys and 
 once more with the heiress. Mary's 
 turn came afterward, and he really 
 ought to have asked Susie once more; 
 but by the time he had taken the heir- 
 ess out for one final whirl the dancing 
 was over and it was too late. 
 
 Clara was glowing and triumphant. 
 She had fairly monopolized the most 
 desirable young man in Tamawaca the 
 whole evening, and it thrilled her with 
 delight to notice how Mary and 
 Gladys frowned at her and shrugged 
 their shapely shoulders, and how 
 saucily Betty stuck up her nose when 
 she found she could not look indiffer- 
 ent. But Susie only smiled cordially 
 at her rival and told Clara she danced 
 as prettily as any girl she had ever 
 met. 
 
 Then Jim took them all across to 
 Wilder's for an ice-cream soda the 
 
Found Out 83 
 
 only entertainment by which it was 
 possible to repay the girls for his de- 
 lightful evening; and if he shivered 
 a bit when he paid the bill no one 
 could ever have suspected it from his 
 manner. 
 
 "A few more of these treats," he 
 thought, "will curtail my vacation 
 considerably. I must be careful, or 
 I'll ruin my present opportunity to 
 have a good time." 
 
 You may be sure the heiress urged 
 him to call the next day, and equally 
 sure that he accepted the invitation. 
 Instantly he found himself popular 
 with all the girls, for every unat- 
 tached female at Tamawaca wanted to 
 know the handsome youth. Presently 
 he received so many invitations to go 
 boating and bathing and auto-riding, 
 and for luncheons, picnics, cards and 
 dancing parties, that almost every 
 waking moment of his day was fully 
 occupied. 
 
 Throughout this social revelry the 
 
84 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 heiress clung to her conquest like grim 
 death. However much her girl friends 
 might accuse her of "artful selfishness 
 and selfish artfulness" she was clever 
 enough to charm the young man by her 
 uniform good temper and her frank 
 delight in his society. Jim's heart was 
 not mush, but he was human enough 
 to enjoy a mild flirtation. He did not 
 neglect other girls of his acquaintance 
 entirely, but was most often seen in 
 the society of the heiress ; so gradually 
 the others came to acknowledge her 
 priority and expected only a modest 
 share of his attention. 
 
 To Susie Jim remained always 
 friendly and considerate, and some- 
 times during that giddy first week of 
 his vacation he would steal away to 
 the Carleton porch to sit down for a 
 peaceful hour with the little girl 
 whose life he had saved. During these 
 interviews Susie would praise Clara's 
 beauty and accomplishments until 
 Jim looked at her curiously and his 
 
Found Out 85 
 
 face grew troubled. He would admit 
 that the heiress was "good fun," but 
 refrained from more enthusiastic com- 
 ment. 
 
 But there was only a week of this 
 hero-worship. Then the sky fell, and 
 Jim passed out of the lime-light into 
 comparative oblivion. 
 
 Katie Glaston came over from Chi- 
 cago one day, and as she knew Gladys 
 and Mary she was joyfully welcomed 
 to the select circle of "the bunch." 
 And of course one of her first experi- 
 ences was to run against Jim and 
 Clara on the board walk. They were 
 bound for a boat ride and the girls 
 halted them long enough to graciously 
 introduce the "hero" to Katie. 
 
 She acknowledged the introduction 
 with marked coldness. 
 
 "Glaston?" said Jim, reminiscent- 
 ly; "any relation to D. B. Glaston?" 
 
 "He is my father, sir," said the 
 young lady, and turned her back to 
 speak with Betty. 
 
86 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 Jim raised his eyebrows slightly, 
 smiled with quiet amusement, and 
 then walked on beside Clara, who had 
 noticed the snub and was angry and 
 indignant. 
 
 "What impudence !" she exclaimed, 
 when they had passed out of earshot. 
 "And from Katie Glaston, too ! Why, 
 Jim, her father is nothing more than a 
 manager in a department store." 
 
 "I know," said Jim, nodding. "He's 
 my chief. I'm in his department at 
 Marshall Field's." 
 
 Clara shivered and stopped short. 
 Then she walked on more slowly, with 
 a red face and eyes staring straight 
 ahead. 
 
 "Don't joke, Mr. Ingram," she re- 
 monstrated. 
 
 "Oh, I'm not joking," rejoined the 
 young fellow, with a light laugh. 
 "Did n't you know? I thought I had 
 told you that I am a mere clerk in a 
 department store." 
 
 "I Fm afraid one of my terrible 
 
Found Out 87 
 
 headaches is coming on," she mur- 
 mured, with embarrassment. "It is so 
 hot this afternoon. Would you mind 
 taking me home, Mr. Ingram?" 
 
 "Perhaps it would be better," he 
 said, quickly. "The sun will be fierce 
 on the water, and a rest may save you 
 from the headache." 
 
 They turned at once and retraced 
 their steps. At the corner of Misha- 
 haken Avenue they again passed Ka- 
 tie and her group of friends. The 
 heiress marched stiffly by, but could 
 not forbear one glance toward the 
 group and caught Betty's scornful 
 smile as a consequence. Poor Clara's 
 humiliation was so great that she near- 
 ly sobbed outright. A clerk ! A mere 
 clerk in Marshall Field's. And she 
 had been devoting herself to the fel- 
 low for a whole week ! 
 
 Jim was not blind, and needed no 
 explanation. Silently he escorted the 
 girl to her cottage, the amused twinkle 
 in his eye growing stronger every mo- 
 
88 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 ment as he noted her indignation and 
 resentment increasing. At her porch 
 she dismissed him with a mumbled 
 word and ran in to indulge in a good 
 cry as a safety valve to her vexation. 
 And the discarded youth lightly re- 
 traced his steps to the hotel, whistling 
 reflectively as he went which was 
 ample proof that he did not realize 
 how serious was the wicked imposition 
 he had practised. 
 
 Of course Katie had informed the 
 other girls most fully of the fact that 
 young Ingram was "a cheap clerk in 
 her father's department," and al- 
 though Gladys merrily declared it 
 would be an added inducement for her 
 to trade at the store, the other shrewd 
 damsels were quick to see that such an 
 acquaintance was quite undesirable. 
 
 "We really have no protection from 
 such adventurers at a summer resort," 
 observed Betty. "I understand now 
 why he picked out 'the heiress.' Her 
 supposed fortune interested him." 
 
Found Out 89 
 
 "Supposed, Betty?" 
 
 "Well, she does n't display any 
 moving pictures of it." 
 
 "We were too eager to get acquaint- 
 ed with a stranger, just because men 
 were scarce," Mary remarked, a little 
 bitterly. "This ought to teach us a 
 lesson, girls." 
 
 "Hush! Here he comes." 
 
 They fell silent, every pretty back 
 turned to the walk, and Jim swung by 
 without encountering a look or a 
 word. 
 
 The young man had not been a 
 clerk for more than a year without 
 having been forced to realize e'er 
 now that his position debarred him 
 from a certain class of social recogni- 
 tion. It must be admitted that he 
 had purposely concealed his occupa- 
 tion while on this vacation, in order 
 to enjoy a bit of feminine society, of 
 which he was as wholesomely fond as 
 every boy ought to be. And, being 
 an optimistic young fellow, he now 
 
go ^amawaca Folks 
 
 congratulated himself upon the good 
 times he had managed to secure, in- 
 stead of regretting the fact that he 
 had finally been "found out." 
 
 For two days following his "dis- 
 covery" he swam and walked and had 
 a fine time in his own company, sav- 
 ing himself from unnecessary snubs 
 by assisting his former girl friends to 
 avoid him. Then, one afternoon as 
 he passed the Carleton cottage, Susie 
 Smith ran out and seized him, urging 
 him so cordially and unaffectedly to 
 come in for afternoon tea that he 
 could not well refuse. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Carleton greeted 
 their guest with so much genuine 
 kindness that the lonely young fel- 
 low felt his welcome to be sincere, so 
 he passed the next two hours very de- 
 lightfully indeed. Really, he had 
 not enjoyed those last two days. His 
 nature craved a certain amount of so- 
 cial intercourse with nice people, and 
 
Found Out 91 
 
 he could not be entirely happy with- 
 out it. 
 
 But it would be wrong to deceive 
 Susie and the kindly Carletons. 
 When he left, after accepting an in- 
 vitation to an informal bridge party 
 arranged for that evening, Mr. Carle- 
 ton walked down to the post-office 
 with him, and Jim promptly relieved 
 himself of his secret on the way. 
 
 But the old gentleman cut short 
 his explanation. 
 
 "I know, Ingram," he said. "Susie 
 heard the story from some of her girl 
 friends, and it has pleased us to know 
 you are able to enjoy a brief relaxa- 
 tion from your tedious and confining 
 work. But did you not once tell me 
 that you are a Cornell man?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Could n't you find a better open- 
 ing than a clerkship?" 
 
 "Not at first, Mr. Carleton. I 
 was n't prepared for a profession, you 
 see, and I have discovered that people 
 
92 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 are suspicious of the ability of boys 
 fresh from college." 
 
 "How much longer does your vaca- 
 tion last?" 
 
 "Until next Monday. Three days 
 more, sir." 
 
 "And then you go back to work 4 ?" 
 "Rested and refreshed, sir." 
 "Let us sit down a moment." They 
 had come to a bench, and after they 
 were seated Jim suddenly resolved to 
 tell the kindly old gentleman all his 
 story. He respected Mr. Carletori 
 very highly, not because he had 
 achieved enormous financial success 
 but because that success had not de- 
 stroyed his generous consideration for 
 others less fortunate. So he related 
 his history briefly but fully, and 
 when he had finished the elder man 
 said: 
 
 "I think you have been inconsider- 
 ate in dealing with your father, my 
 boy. I remember to have met him on 
 several occasions, and he impressed 
 
Found Out 93 
 
 me as being an excellent business man 
 and a genial, gpod-natured fellow, as 
 well. But think how much unhappi- 
 ness your defection must have caused 
 him." 
 
 For once Jim was crestfallen, and 
 seeing that his words had made an im- 
 pression upon the young man Mr. 
 Carleton forebore further reproof and 
 rose to resume his walk. He spoke 
 pleasantly of other matters, however, 
 and when they parted at the post-of- 
 fice Jim felt that the old gentleman 
 was still his friend. 
 
 He attended the card party that 
 evening and had a good time. Tama- 
 waca society is made up of many lit- 
 tle cliques, as indeed is society every- 
 where, certain people being attracted 
 to one another through congeniality 
 or former association. So it happened 
 that the Carleton clique was one 
 somewhat exclusive and removed 
 from those to which Jim had formerly 
 been introduced, and he met with no 
 
94 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 humiliating slights. Susie treated 
 him exactly as she had before Katie 
 Glaston's unfortunate arrival, and 
 made him grateful by neither over- 
 doing her cordiality nor referring to 
 his humble condition in life. It was 
 a friendly atmosphere, and put him 
 entirely at his ease. 
 
 The three final days of Jim's vaca- 
 tion were as merry and satisfactory as 
 the first week had been, and Susie's 
 charming personality grew upon him 
 steadily, so that he had no reason to 
 regret the companionship of Clara or 
 her particular group of friends. 
 
 The heiress, for her part, was 
 amazed that Susie did not promptly 
 cut "the clerk's" acquaintance. 
 "But," she remarked to Mary and 
 Betty, "the poor thing may not be 
 much herself, and is glad to associate 
 with anything masculine. Some folks, 
 you know, dear, have no occasion to 
 be particular." 
 
 Jim had intended to leave on Sun- 
 
Found Out 95 
 
 day's boat for Chicago, that he might 
 be at work on Monday morning. But 
 Saturday afternoon he received an 
 astonishing telegram from his chief, 
 Mr. D. B. Glaston. It read: "Your 
 services will be no longer required/' 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE MEETING. 
 
 It did not take Jarrod long to de- 
 cide that there were no grounds for 
 Wilder 5 s claim that the streets and 
 parks at Tamawaca were in his con- 
 trol. On the contrary they belonged 
 entirely to the cottage and lot owners, 
 neither Easton nor Wilder having 
 any more legal rights thereto than the 
 most insignificant cottager. 
 
 They had usurped rights, however, 
 of the most extraordinary character. 
 In the public parks, originally re- 
 served in the recorded plats, the part- 
 ners had selected the best building lo- 
 cations and erected cottages upon 
 them, which were rented at good fig- 
 ures. They had also sold many "lots" 
 that were nothing less than public 
 property to innocent or ignorant pur- 
 chasers, who had in some instances 
 built expensive houses upon them, re- 
 96 
 
The Meeting 97 
 
 lying confidently for protection upon 
 the guarantee deeds Easton or Wil- 
 der had given them. 
 
 This wholesale disregard of peo- 
 ple's rights had been going on for 
 years long before the present own- 
 ers had bought Tamawaca. From his 
 observations Jarrod concluded that 
 the former owners, of whom there had 
 been several sets or combinations, had 
 all come to a realization that their 
 vandalism had rendered their posi- 
 tions unsafe, for which reason they 
 had presently shifted the burden to 
 the shoulders of their successors, who 
 now were Easton and Wilder. Per- 
 haps these two men, because their pre- 
 decessors had with impunity occupied 
 public lands, had become more care- 
 less or more grasping than any of the 
 others, for their usurpations were on 
 a larger scale. Easton, for example, 
 had impudently placed a cottage di- 
 rectly in a public street, disregarding 
 all rights and protests. 
 
g8 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 One day, during his rambles, Jar- 
 rod came upon a fine cottage perched 
 high on the hill overlooking the bay. 
 On the porch was seated an old gent- 
 leman whom the lawyer recognized 
 as Colonel Kerry. 
 
 "Come up and sit down," called 
 the colonel, hospitably. 
 
 So Jarrod sat down to rest. 
 
 "I'm glad to learn you're a new 
 resident," said Kerry. "You have 
 bought Lake View, I understand." 
 
 "Yes," acknowledged Jarrod. 
 "There was nothing to rent, so I had 
 Co buy a cottage or go elsewhere." 
 
 The colonel smiled. 
 
 "Plenty of places to rent," he ob- 
 served. 
 
 "Wilder said not." 
 
 "He may have said so. See that cot- 
 tage across the way? It's a very nice 
 place ; belongs to Grant of St. Louis ; 
 has been for rent all this spring." 
 
 "Oh. Wilder said it was rented. 
 I tried to get it, you know." ^ 
 
^fhe Meeting 99 
 
 Again the colonel smiled, and his 
 smile was the sardonic kind that is 
 sometimes exasperating. 
 
 " Wilder wanted to sell Lake 
 View," he exclaimed; "but he's been 
 holding the place for seventeen hund- 
 red and fifty, which is more than it's 
 worth. Perhaps you whittled the 
 price down to where it belonged." 
 
 Jarrod did not reply. He felt 
 rather uncomfortable under the co- 
 lonel's shrewd glance. 
 
 "Tamawaca's a beautiful place," 
 said he, glancing over the wonderful 
 scene spread out before him a scene 
 with few rivals in America. Framed 
 by the foliage of the near-by trees, 
 Tamawaca Pool lay a hundred feet be- 
 low him, its silver bosom dotted here 
 and there with sailing craft, launches, 
 or pudgy ferry-boats speeding on their 
 way, while the opposite shore was 
 lined with pretty cottages nestled in 
 shady groves. 
 
 you like it, sir," said the 
 
ioo ^famawaca Folks 
 
 colonel, following his gaze. "I'm fond 
 of the place myself." 
 
 "But your public affairs are in a 
 terrible condition, Colonel Kerry." 
 
 "I agree with you." 
 
 "Why don't the people rise up, and 
 demand their rights?" enquired Jar- 
 rod, curiously. 
 
 "Simply because they 're here for 
 rest and enjoyment, and not to get 
 mixed up in law-suits and conten- 
 tions." 
 
 "But their vested rights are being 
 disregarded." 
 
 "To be sure. That is no secret, sir. 
 But our cottage owners are mostly 
 business men who come here each year 
 for two or three months of rest and 
 relaxation, and conditions which they 
 would fight bitterly at home they here 
 tamely submit to, rather than risk in- 
 volving their vacations in turmoil 
 and trouble. That's human nature, 
 Mr. Jarrod." 
 
 "Perhaps so," said Jarrod, doubt- 
 
Meeting 101 
 
 fully. To him a fight was recrea- 
 tion, but others might feel differently 
 about it. 
 
 "And it's the salvation of Easton 
 and Wilder," continued the colonel. 
 "As long as people can enjoy the 
 sweet, fresh air, the grateful bathing, 
 the fishing and boating and other 
 recreations, they won't bother about 
 their rights. I feel that way myself. 
 No man knows better than I how our 
 people have been despoiled, for I've 
 been here many years and at one time 
 owned an interest in the place myself. 
 But others know the truth as well as 
 I do, and if my neighbors prefer to 
 submit, surely I am not called upon 
 to fight their battles for them." 
 
 "Why did you sell out your inter- 
 est?" asked Jarrod. 
 
 The colonel held a scrap of paper 
 in his hands. He carefully twisted 
 it between his fingers into a neat 
 spiral before he replied. 
 
 "There are two ways to make 
 
102 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 money," said he, finally. "I favored 
 one way and my partners the other. 
 So I quit the business." 
 
 Jarrod sat silent for a time. Then 
 he asked: 
 
 "Does your Cottagers' Association 
 amount to anything?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then why does it exist?" 
 
 "To save Wilder and Easton from 
 the danger of a more serious organiza- 
 tion. They encourage it. Once a year 
 the cottagers meet and talk things 
 over, and rail at their oppressors and 
 become very indignant. Then they 
 go home with the idea they've per- 
 formed their full duty. Those meet- 
 ings are good fun, Mr. Jarrod. Wil- 
 der always attends them and wel- 
 comes every cottager as cordially as if 
 he were giving a party. Then he sits 
 in a front seat and laughs heartily at 
 the rabid attacks upon himself and his 
 partner. The next annual meeting is 
 tomorrow night. I advise you to go." 
 
"The Meeting 103 
 
 "I intend to," said Jarrod. "By 
 the way, how do Wilder and Easton 
 agree with each other?" 
 
 "Not at all. They constantly quar- 
 rel over one thing or another. Wilder 
 resents the fact that old man Easton 
 is pocketing two-thirds of the profits, 
 while Easton resents Wilder's habit 
 of laying every unpopular act to his 
 partner, who is therefore bitterly 
 hated while Wilder is considered by 
 many a good fellow. Each would be 
 glad to get rid of the other, if that 
 w^re possible, but neither wants to be 
 got rid of." 
 
 "Outside of their business pecu- 
 liarities/' continued the colonel, "both 
 these men possess many good qual- 
 ities. I don't want to give you a 
 wrong impression of them. Wilder 
 is really kind and accommodating. It 
 is his nature to want to please people 
 and to stand well in popular opinion. 
 Easton honestly believes that he is a 
 
1O4 c fama^vaca Folks 
 
 Christian gentleman, arid he is said to 
 be a good father and husband. But in 
 their dealings with the cottagers these 
 partners have contracted a sort of 
 moral color-blindness; they can't dis- 
 tinguish their own rights from those 
 of others." 
 
 "I believe I understand you. Good 
 morning, Colonel." 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Jarrod." 
 
 Saturday evening Jarrod attended 
 the meeting. It was held in a big, 
 shedlike structure in the woods called 
 the " Auditorium," where divine ser- 
 vices were held on Sundays. All 
 Tamawaca was there, for the men took 
 their wives to enjoy the "fun." It 
 was the only occasion during the 
 whole year when the cottagers got to- 
 gether, and here they were accustomed 
 to frankly air their grievances and 
 then go home and forget them. 
 
 On the platform sat a dignified, 
 pleasant faced old gentleman who 
 nodded courteously to each arrival. 
 
"The Meeting 105 
 
 At the secretary's desk was a little 
 man intently perusing a newspaper. 
 
 When all had assembled the chair- 
 man arose and rapped gently upon the 
 rostrum. 
 
 'The meeting will please come to 
 order," he said, and a sudden hush 
 fell upon the place. 
 
 "I believe the first thing in order is 
 for the secretary to read the minutes 
 of the last meeting." 
 
 The secretary glanced over his pa- 
 per. 
 
 "I've mislaid 'em somewhere," he 
 said; "but they don't amount to any- 
 thing, anyhow." 
 
 The chairman looked reproachful 
 when the meeting joyously applauded 
 this announcement. 
 
 "Ahem!" he said. "Are there any 
 remarks?" 
 
 A tall, thin man rose from the 
 benches and cleared his throat. In- 
 stantly every eye was upon him. 
 Someone beside Jarrod laughed, and 
 
io6 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 the lawyer turned around to find 
 Geoge B. Still seated there. 
 
 "La dies and gen tie men!" 
 began the orator. "We are gathered 
 together this evening to ah to 
 meet one another. The er reason 
 we are so ah so gathered together 
 in one meeting is to er consider 
 why we should be er should be 
 brought in contact one with another 
 for the public welfare of Tamawaca 
 this gathering!" 
 
 As he paused impressively Geo. B. 
 murmured: "Gather up the sands 
 from the s e a sho o r e!" 
 
 "I take it," continued the speaker, 
 raising his voice aggressively, "that 
 we are met here with a purpose ; I may 
 say er an object in here gathering 
 together. It is my earnest wish, ladies 
 and gentlemen, that this er pur- 
 pose may be fulfilled !" 
 
 He sat down amid a round of ap- 
 plause, mainly bestowed because he 
 sat down. But he held himself erect 
 
^ he Meeting 107 
 
 and did n't lean against the back of 
 the bench for a good five minutes. 
 
 "I call for the reports of the com- 
 mittees," announced the chairman. 
 
 A man arose and said : 
 
 "The committee on water begs to 
 report that it has had the water ana- 
 lyzed by a competent chemist and 
 found the said water perfectly pure." 
 
 Here a gentleman with a ruddy 
 face jumped up and asked: 
 
 "Is the committee referring to the 
 bathing water?" 
 
 "I refer to the drinking water," said 
 the committee. 
 
 "Ah," ejaculated the red-faced 
 man, a total lack of interest in his 
 tone. 
 
 Little Stakes jumped up. 
 
 "I want to know why the electric 
 lights go out every night at ten 
 o'clock," he shouted, excitedly. "I 
 want to know why we pay " 
 
 "Look here you're out of order!" 
 cried the chairman, 
 
io8 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 "So are the lights!" yelled Stakes; 
 but he sat down. 
 
 "I call for the report of the com- 
 mittee on lights," continued the chair- 
 man, in deference to the protest. 
 
 There was an intense silence. 
 
 "The committee on lights will 
 please report," said the chairman, 
 looking closely at Geo. B. Still. 
 
 The little fat man slowly arose. 
 
 "Am I the committee on lights?" he 
 enquired. 
 
 "You are, sir." 
 
 "Are you sure?" 
 
 "Perfectly sure, Mr. Still. I remem- 
 ber Mr. Bennett nominated you and 
 there were several seconds." 
 
 "Oh. The minutes being lost, I 
 supposed the seconds were lost, too." 
 
 "You were mistaken, Mr. Still." 
 
 "Well, the committee on lights, 
 Mr. Chairman and ladies and gentle- 
 men, finds that we are such good livers 
 we have n't the gall to make a re- 
 
The Meeting 109 
 
 port." And Mr. Still subsided slowly 
 into his seat. 
 
 "Just like a lady's gown," said a 
 wag, jocosely: "en traile." 
 
 "I'd like to know," roared a man on 
 the back row of benches, "if the street 
 lights burn till twelve o'clock." 
 
 "Can't say," replied Geo. B. "I 
 don't sit up to watch 'em." 
 
 "I move the report of the committee 
 on lights and livers be accepted," said 
 the wag. 
 
 The chairman gravely put the mo- 
 tion and it carried. 
 
 "How about the treasurer's re- 
 port?" asked some one. "Did the 
 secretary mislay that, too?" 
 
 The secretary glared at the speaker. 
 Then he laid aside his newspaper, 
 took an old envelope from his pocket, 
 and read a memorandum evidently 
 penciled upon the back of it. 
 
 "Total receipts," said he, "one dol- 
 lar and eighty-nine cents. Total ex- 
 penditures, two cents. Total cash bal- 
 
no tfamawaca Folks 
 
 ance on hand, one dollar and eighty- 
 seven cents. Respectfully submit- 
 ted/' 
 
 "What shall we do with the re- 
 port?" asked the chairman. 
 
 "I want to know where that two 
 cents went to," cried Mr. Calker, the 
 energetic gentleman on the back 
 bench. "I demand an itemized re- 
 port!" 
 
 The secretary and treasurer swore 
 under his breath or almost under his 
 breath, while the audience laughed. 
 
 "The two cents in question," he 
 shouted, angrily, "was expended for 
 one postage stamp issued by the 
 United States of Amelic, on which 
 there was no rebate; and the stamp 
 was thereafter attached to a letter to 
 MrC Calker asking him to pay up his 
 back dues to this Association which 
 letter was absolutely disregarded." 
 
 "Then that* expenditure was a mis- 
 appropriation of public funds," said 
 Mr. Calker, in a satisfied tone. 
 
tfhe Meeting 1 1 1 
 
 "Move the treasurer's apology be 
 accepted," said a voice. 
 
 "Move we adjourn," said another 
 voice. 
 
 "Wait wait!" cried the chairman. 
 "We must elect our officers for the 
 coming year." 
 
 "Move the same officers be con- 
 tinued," said the last speaker. 
 
 "Second the emotion," said the tall 
 man. 
 
 It was carried, unanimously but 
 without emotion. 
 
 Then Jarrod arose to his feet, to the 
 evident surprise of the assemblage. 
 
 "Mr. President and ladies and 
 gentlemen," he began, in his rich, res- 
 onant voice. 
 
 The president bowed. 
 
 "Mr. er er" 
 
 "Jarrod." 
 
 "Mr. Jarrod has the floor." 
 
 "I am a newcomer here," said Jar- 
 rod, "and have recently bought the 
 cottage known as 'Lake View/ With 
 
112 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 that property I acquired an equity in 
 all the parks and highways of Tama- 
 waca; but I find that some one has 
 usurped portions of those parks and 
 highways and erected cottages and 
 other buildings upon them. Those 
 buildings must be removed, and the 
 public lands be restored to the public. 
 I move you that your president be in- 
 structed to appoint a committee of 
 five cottage owners, who will be au- 
 thorized to take any necessary legal 
 steps to enforce the removal of all 
 buildings now upon public grounds, 
 and the restoration of all public lands 
 illegally sold and deeded to individ- 
 uals." 
 
 Had a bomb been exploded in their 
 midst the cottagers could not have 
 been more astonished. They gaped at 
 Jarrod in open-mouthed amazement, 
 and were silent as bridge players 
 struggling for the odd. 
 
 "Second the emotion," suddenly 
 yelled Geo. B. 
 
T 'he Meeting 113 
 
 The chairman wiped his brow and 
 looked worried. He repeated the mo- 
 tion and asked for remarks. No one 
 responded. Then he put the motion 
 to vote, and the people shouted 
 "Aye!" with an enthusiasm the old 
 Auditorium had never heard before. 
 For dimly they realized that at last a 
 leader had come among them, and pro- 
 posed to do the thing they should have 
 done themselves years before. 
 
 "I appoint on this committee," said 
 the chairman, "Mr. Jarrod; Colonel 
 Kerry; Judge Toodles; Mr. Wright 
 and Mr. Teekey." 
 
 "Move we adjourn!" cried a voice. 
 
 This time the motion carried, and 
 the meeting adjourned. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SOMETHING DOING. 
 
 Wilder could n't sleep that night. 
 
 ''Something queer happened at the 
 meeting," he told Nora. "I can't un- 
 derstand exactly what it means, just 
 yet; but I'll find out before I need an- 
 other shave." 
 
 So on Sunday afternoon he walked 
 up to Lake View and interviewed Mr. 
 Jarrod as follows : 
 
 "Tell me, dear boy, what's the 
 joke? It was awfully funny, and I 
 laughed as much as anybody. But 
 what's your idea? Just to guy the peo- 
 ple?" 
 
 "My idea," said Jarrod, calmly, "is 
 to sue you and Easton in the courts 
 and make you vacate wherever you've 
 taken possession of public property." 
 
 "What! Sue me!" 
 
 "Exactly; you and Easton." 
 114 
 
Something Doing 115 
 
 Wilder's merry face grew thought- 
 ful. 
 
 "Do you mean it?" he asked, a bit 
 uneasily. 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 Wilder thought again. Then he 
 laughed. 
 
 "Why, it would ruin old Easton," 
 he remarked, cheerfully; "ruin him en- 
 tirely. But he deserves it. I'd like 
 to see his face when he has to give up ! 
 It's what he's always been afraid of 
 that people would some day wake up 
 and make it hot for him." 
 
 "How about yourself?" asked Jar- 
 rod. 
 
 "Oh, it would ruin me, too, if you 
 carried out the plan," admitted Wil- 
 der. "But you won't carry it out." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Because you can do better." 
 
 "In what way?" 
 
 "See here, Mr. Jarrod," drawing his 
 chair closer; "I take it we're friends, 
 and can talk this over confidentially. 
 
n6 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 What Tamawaca needs ain't to get 
 back the few lots we've built on, but 
 to improve what there is left. We 
 need new walks and driveways and a 
 lot of public improvements. We need 
 to clear up the rubbish and make 
 things look decent. We need a new 
 hotel, and a lot of other things to 
 please the people and make 'em hap- 
 pier and more comfortable." 
 
 "That's true," said Jarrod. "But 
 why, as one of the owners of Maca- 
 awa, have n't you attended to these 
 things?' 
 
 "Me? How could I? I've only got a 
 third interest, and the man don't live 
 that can wring a nickel out of Easton 
 for public improvements. I've quar- 
 relled with him and fought with him 
 for years to try to get something done ; 
 but he just won't. Says he has n't got 
 the money; and perhaps that's true, 
 for we lose money here every year." 
 
 "Oh, you do, eh?' 
 
 "Of course. Everything the com- 
 
Something Doing 117 
 
 pany owns is run at a loss electric 
 light plant, water works, ferries, ho- 
 tel, boat liveries everything! By 
 hard work Nora and I manage to make 
 a bare living from our little mercan- 
 tile enterprises and the cottages we 
 own and rent just a bare living. But 
 the company property is a dead one. 
 If things were kept up better we might 
 sell some more lots, and get more peo- 
 ple here, and so make a little money; 
 but Easton don't see it that way." 
 
 "How does he see it?" 
 
 "Why, he just wants to putter 
 'round and lose money. I've tried to 
 buy him up, so as to make something 
 of the place myself; but he won't sell. 
 That is, he would n't sell before this. 
 But I imagine he would now." 
 
 "Because if we sue him he will lose 
 it all?" 
 
 "You've hit the nail on the head! 
 Listen, dear boy : you take your com- 
 mittee to Easton tomorrow and 
 threaten to sue him if he won't sell 
 
n8 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 out for say, er thirty thousand dol- 
 lars. That's all the property's worth. 
 He'll sell, or my name ain't Wilder. 
 Get an option to purchase within thir- 
 ty days." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 Wilder turned half around and 
 gave a solemn wink. 
 
 "Then if the cottagers can't raise 
 the money, I'll raise it for 'em!" 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Jarrod. "I 
 think they'll raise it." 
 
 "And I think they won't," returned 
 Wilder, smiling sweetly. "They're a 
 bunch of oysters. Whenever I try to 
 raise a few hundreds by subscription 
 to build a new walk, they throw me 
 down." 
 
 "Because it is your property," sug- 
 gested Jarrod. "You and Easton owe 
 a duty to the cottagers to keep the 
 walks in repair at your own expense." 
 
 "Well, it'll all be different if we 
 can get the old man to sell out." 
 
Something Doing 119 
 
 "Will you assist us?" asked the 
 lawyer. 
 
 "Sure thing. I'll agree to take ten 
 thousand for my third, although it 
 cost me a good deal more years ago. 
 That'll leave twenty thousand for 
 Easton's share, and it's all he deserves. 
 But never mind the details. You just 
 get that option for thirty thousand, 
 and the game's won." 
 
 "I'll try," promised Jarrod. 
 
 Nora saw that her better half wore 
 a broad smile when he returned to her. 
 
 "What's the result, presh?" she 
 asked the endearing term being a 
 contraction of "precious." 
 
 "The result has n't happened yet," 
 he answered, evasively; "but when it 
 does my dream will come true, little 
 wife, and I'll own Tamawaca." 
 
 "That's nice," she replied. Then, 
 as he turned toward the door: "Are 
 you going out again?" 
 
 "Why, I promised Nancy Todd 
 that I'd stay with her father while she 
 
12O ^amawaca Folks 
 
 went to Kochton on an errand," he 
 said, resuming his usual cheery man- 
 ner. "Old Todd's all crippled up 
 with rheumatism and helpless as an 
 infant in arms. Nancy has n't any 
 one to leave him with, so I told her I'd 
 look after the old man myself." 
 
 "I'm glad you did, presh," said the 
 little woman, earnestly. "It'll do 
 Nancy a world of good to get away 
 from him for a time. She's all used 
 up with the nursing and worry. And 
 while you're over at Todd's I'll drop 
 in and see poor Mrs. Jones, who is sick 
 in bed and needs cheering up. We'll 
 both be back by supper-time, I guess." 
 
 That was the way with the Wil- 
 ders. Sharks in business and the 
 tenderest and sweetest of all human- 
 ity when anyone needed a helping 
 hand. 
 
 I once heard an irascible old cot- 
 tager exclaim: "Damn the Wilders' 
 scheming heads!" And then, after a 
 pause: "But God bless their kindly 
 
Something Doing 121 
 
 hearts!" It was the epitome of their 
 characters, expressed in a nutshell. 
 How we all swore at them yet how 
 we loved them ! 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DEVELOPING THE NEGATIVE. 
 
 Jarrod got his Committee of Five 
 together and looked them over. As 
 might be expected they were a queer- 
 ly assorted lot and promised to be dif- 
 ficult to manage. 
 
 The promise was fulfilled during 
 the several meetings of the committee 
 that were quietly held on back 
 porches. Colonel Kerry was the one 
 tower of strength; but a man used to 
 managing thousands of miners and 
 keeping them in order was not likely 
 to be easily managed himself. Kerry 
 was odd as Dick's hat band and 
 had little to say at the meetings. 
 He read Jarrod's purpose clearly, 
 and endorsed it; but the old fel- 
 low could n't stand the arguments 
 and wandering suggestions of his 
 fellow members on the committee. 
 While he listened he tore a fragment 
 
 122 
 
Developing the Negative 123 
 
 from an old letter or newspaper 
 and rolled it with infinite care 
 and skill into the inevitable spiral, 
 shaping the thing between his fingers 
 as carefully as if it were something 
 precious. But if anything occurred to 
 annoy him he promptly destroyed the 
 spiral, put on his hat, and walked 
 home without a word. Then Jarrod 
 had to go after him and urge and ex- 
 plain until Kerry consented to come 
 back to the meeting. 
 
 The members of the committee 
 were all prominent men. If Kerry 
 could have cursed them freely every- 
 thing would have been harmonious 
 as far as he was concerned. As he 
 could n't swear his only recourse was 
 to quit and go home. 
 
 The author fellow, Mr. Wright, 
 was another hard proposition. He 
 was stubborn, loud-mouthed and pig- 
 headed, and wanted to carry every- 
 thing with a high hand, the way they 
 do in novels. He had about as much 
 
124 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 diplomacy as a cannon-ball, and his 
 fellow members had to sit on him 
 twice a minute to keep him from spoil- 
 ing everything. Judge Toodles knew 
 a heap of law but was sure to get 
 tangled in its intricacies, and when he 
 tried to unravel himself was nearly as 
 lucid and logical as a straw in a cock- 
 tail. Teekey was an unknown quan- 
 tity. He owned a fine cottage built 
 on public property, and although he 
 had originally been an "innocent pur- 
 chaser" his doubtful title so worried 
 him that he was accustomed to obtain 
 from Wilder and Easton a new deed 
 about once a year, and each deed he 
 filed gave him a little more public 
 land. He was reputed a wealthy and 
 eminently respectable gentleman, 
 and the chances of his fighting on the 
 side of the cottagers and jeopardizing 
 his own property to assert the prin- 
 ciples of right and justice were con- 
 sidered good but not gilt-edged. 
 With this ill-assorted material Jar- 
 
Developing the Negative 125 
 
 rod labored until he molded it into 
 shape. For it must be admitted that 
 in the end the members of the com- 
 mittee stood shoulder to shoulder and 
 did their full duty by the cottagers 
 who had appointed them. By these 
 five Tamawaca was redeemed and its 
 incubi unseated. 
 
 Meantime Jarrod had reluctantly 
 indulged in several interviews with 
 old Easton. This man was a most pe- 
 culiar character. He loved to sing 
 hymns and made an excellent exhor- 
 tation at any religious gathering. In- 
 deed, one milk-fed preacher who lived 
 on the hill was openly jealous of his 
 evangelistic abilities. But the miserly 
 instinct was predominant in Easton's 
 nature and, as Wilder expressed it, he 
 could "squeeze a cent till it hollered." 
 It was this characteristic that sub- 
 verted all the good in his nature and 
 made him universally detested. Wil- 
 der, his partner, pursued his system 
 of graft with the grace and cheeriness 
 
126 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 of a modern Dick Turpin. Wilder 
 was open-handed and charitable, gen- 
 erous on occasion, always hospitable, 
 and more crafty than roguish. Easton 
 was deliberate and calculating in his 
 extortions and, like the ostrich who 
 hides his head in the sand to escape 
 observation, fondly imagined that no 
 one suspected his persistent brigand- 
 age. He derived a fat income from 
 the necessities of the cottagers but 
 pleaded poverty as an excuse for not 
 doing his duty by them. His methods 
 were sly and stealthy and he looked 
 grieved and hurt if any exasperated 
 cottager frankly called him a damned 
 scoundrel. 
 
 Jarrod forced himself to cultivate 
 Eas ton's society in order to study the 
 man, for the elder partner's mild blue 
 eyes and innocent expression puzzled 
 him at first. Easton, for his part, con- 
 sidered Jarrod an impertinent med- 
 dler, but resolved to use him as an in- 
 
Developing the Negative 127 
 
 strument to carry out a pet scheme he 
 had for dispossessing Wilder. 
 
 "With Wilder' s interest out of the 
 way," he would observe, "everything 
 would be well at lovely Tamawaca. 
 If I were the sole proprietor here the 
 cottagers would soon find out how 
 dearly I love them. Wilder obstructs 
 all my generous plans to improve con- 
 ditions, and I'd like to buy him out." 
 
 "Why don't you?" enquired Jar- 
 rod. 
 
 "He won't sell to me," was the re- 
 ply. "But perhaps we can fool him." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "I'll explain in confidence. You 
 buy out his interest. Tell him you'll 
 make it very uncomfortable for him 
 if he refuses to sell. See? I'll furnish 
 the money, and afterward you can 
 turn the whole thing over to me." 
 "Would that be fair and honor- 
 able?" asked Jarrod, gravely. 
 
 "Would I propose it, otherwise?" 
 returned Easton, as if surprised at the 
 
128 ^amawaca Folks 
 
 question. "Mr. Jarrod, my feet are in 
 the straight and narrow way, and I 
 will not diverge from the path of rec- 
 titude. But if in that path appears a 
 snake, I am surely justified in scotch- 
 ing it. You buy out Wilder, as I said, 
 and then I'll buy you out. Nothing 
 dishonest in that eh?" 
 
 'Til think it over," said the lawyer. 
 "I may decide to buy you both out." 
 
 "Of course. As a blind. But only 
 as a blind, you understand." 
 
 "I don't understand everything 
 just now, Mr. Easton. I must give 
 the matter some careful thought." 
 
 During several similar conversa- 
 tions, however, Jarrod came to know 
 his man intimately, and as his knowl- 
 edge grew his respect for the "Father 
 of Tamawaca" decreased. Neither 
 Easton nor Wilder believed the cot- 
 tagers would ever assert their rights, 
 and therefore each was scheming des- 
 perately to oust his partner and get 
 the control in his own hands. 
 
Developing the Negative 129 
 
 Finally Jarrod decided the time 
 had arrived to act. He got together 
 his committee of five, explained to 
 them his plans, and received the as- 
 surance of their loyal support. Then, 
 a meeting being arranged, they called 
 in a body upon Easton at his office 
 and frankly stated that the partners 
 must sell out to the cottagers all their 
 interests at Tamawaca or prepare to 
 stand a law suit for the recovery of 
 the public lands illegally sold and oc- 
 cupied by them. 
 
 Perhaps Easton imagined that Jar- 
 rod had taken his cue and was acting 
 upon it. He tried to restrain a smile 
 of triumph in order to listen gravely 
 to the proposition. 
 
 Wilder sat in a corner and hugged 
 himself gleefully. The old man was 
 "up against it" at last, and Wilder 
 was responsible for forcing him to 
 "face the music" at least that was 
 Wilder's belief. 
 
 Jarrod, in behalf of the cottagers, 
 
130 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 began the interview by calmly stating 
 their case. They had been robbed of 
 certain public lands that belong to 
 them in legal equity, and the partners 
 had not only sold these lands to them- 
 selves, individually, and built cot- 
 tages and public buildings upon 
 them, but had conveyed many of these 
 lands to others, giving them warranty 
 deeds in lieu of clear titles. If the 
 matter was brought to the attention of 
 the courts Easton and Wilder would 
 be obliged to make these warrants 
 good; in which case, so extensive had 
 been the fraudulent sales, such an or- 
 der from the court would involve the 
 partners in financial ruin. 
 
 However, it was not the desire of 
 the cottagers to ruin their oppressors. 
 They much preferred to buy out their 
 holdings at Tamawaca, and be rid of 
 them forever. Therefore they offered 
 thirty thousand dollars for the prop- 
 erty, assuming in addition to the pur- 
 
Developing the Negative 131 
 
 chase price some six or eight thou- 
 sands of standing indebtenness. 
 
 Jarrod might be carying out "the 
 blind," but something in his manner 
 as he made this clear and uncontro- 
 vertible statement disturbed Easton's 
 equanimity and rendered him suspi- 
 cious that the lawyer had not properly 
 swallowed the bait that had been 
 dangled before him. But in this junc- 
 ture he could think of no way to 
 escape. Whichever way he looked he 
 encountered the cold eyes of the de- 
 termined and resentful committee of 
 five, and to delay his answer until he 
 could sound Jarrod was impossible. 
 Moreover, Wilder, who acted his part 
 admirably, seemed to Easton to have 
 tumbled blindly into his trap. The 
 junior partner declared that he was 
 willing to dispose of his one-third in- 
 terest for ten thousand dollars, and 
 the fear that he might retract this of- 
 fer led Easton to close with the prop- 
 osition made him by the cottagers. 
 
132 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 At the worst he could wiggle out of it 
 in some way, he believed; so the one 
 thing to do was to nail Wilder on the 
 spot. 
 
 The final result of this serio-comic 
 interview was that Wilder and Eas- 
 ton both signed an option in favor of 
 Jarrod as trustee for the cottagers, 
 agreeing to sell the entire real and 
 personal property in which they were 
 jointly interested for thirty thousand 
 dollars, at any time within thirty days 
 following that date. 
 
 When the option was signed and in 
 his pocket Jarrod felt that his purpose 
 was accomplished. His committee had 
 redeemed this beautiful summer re- 
 sort from all speculative evils, ensur- 
 ing its future control to the cottagers 
 themselves, whose best interests 
 would now be conserved. 
 
 It was indeed a great triumph, and 
 the Committee of Five solemn!}' shook 
 hands with one another and went 
 
Developing the Negative 133 
 
 home to tell their wives and neighbors 
 of their success. 
 
 Wilder, in the seclusion of his own 
 home, danced a jig of jubilation. 
 
 "They've got the option," he said 
 to Nora, "but they've got no money. 
 I'll furnish the money to take up the 
 option and the deed is done!" 
 
 "Will they give you the option?" 
 asked Nora. 
 
 "Why not? Somebody's got to 
 make the bluff good, and I'm the only 
 one that can afford to. What do these 
 folks want of a summer resort? They 
 could n't run it properly for five min- 
 utes. And Easton's the man they 
 hate, because he's always stood in the 
 way of public improvements. Wil- 
 der' s their friend eh? and they'll 
 all be glad when he's the whole 
 thing." 
 
 Easton was a bit less sanguine. 
 "The situation," he told his better 
 half, "is not as clear as I wish it was. 
 But I've never yet failed to get my 
 
i,34 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 way with the cottagers, and a little 
 diplomacy ought to enable me to win 
 this time. My only fear is that Jar- 
 rod may not be honest." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 JIM GETS A RAISE. 
 
 Jim opened the fatal telegram in 
 the post-office, and his face must have 
 been a study; for Jarrod, who was ob- 
 serving it from a distance, became in- 
 terested and at once approached his 
 young friend. 
 
 "No bad news, I hope, Jim?' 
 
 The boy laughed and held out the 
 telegram. 
 
 "Just a kick in the dark, Mr. Jar- 
 rod, and it only hurts because it was 
 so unexpected. I've been a model 
 clerk, you know, and now that I've 
 just spent my surplus capital on a va- 
 cation, I'm granted another and 
 longer one, without pay. Well," with 
 an involuntary sigh, "there are other 
 clerkships, of course, and I'll probably 
 get one. But you've no idea, sir, how 
 much labor it takes to find a job at 
 
136 T'amawaca Folks 
 
 twelve a week especially in the sum- 
 
 mer season.' 
 
 "Jim," said Jarrod, thoughtfully, 
 "this is a bit of good luck, if judged 
 from my own selfish viewpoint. I need 
 some one very badly, to help me clear 
 up a lot of accumulated work. Would 
 vou mind being my clerk for a few 
 weeks?" 
 
 Jim's face was beaming. 
 
 "Do you really mean it, Mr. Jar- 
 rod? Can I be of use to you?" 
 
 "Indeed you can, my boy. You'll 
 have to stay at Tamawaca, but as a 
 worker instead of a drone. Can you 
 run a typewriter?" 
 
 cc Yes; I used one at college for a 
 couple of years, and got to be fairly 
 expert. But I know nothing of short- 
 hand." 
 
 "That is n't necessary. I shall re- 
 quire your services every forenoon, 
 but you may have the afternoons to 
 yourself. I'll give you twenty dollars 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 137 
 
 a week and pay your board at the ho- 
 tel." 
 
 "Is n't that too much, Mr. Jarrod?' 
 
 "Not for the work you must do. 
 Any intelligent man would cost me 
 that much, and I will need you but a 
 couple of months until I go home." 
 
 "Very good, sir. I'll do my best to 
 please you." 
 
 "Then you're my secretary. Come 
 around to my cottage at nine o'clock 
 Monday morning." 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Jarrod." 
 
 That evening Jim told Susie he 
 would not have to bid her good-bye, 
 as they had expected, for he had been 
 discharged as a dry-goods clerk and 
 employed as a private secretary, which 
 was a distinct advance in his fortunes. 
 
 Susie listened gravely, but was evi- 
 dently much pleased. 
 
 "The girls told me yesterday," she 
 said, "that Katie had written her 
 father and asked him to discharge 
 you, because you had been impudent 
 
138 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 enough to become acquainted with the 
 exclusive young ladies of Tamawaca 
 under false pretenses." 
 
 "But I did n't, Susie! I met them 
 through your accident, and they never 
 asked me how I earned a living." 
 
 "I know; but they forget that. They 
 say you imposed upon them by assum- 
 ing that you are a gentleman." 
 
 Jim laughed merrily. 
 
 "Where do you draw the line, 
 Susie, between a gentleman and and 
 what's the other thing? an unde- 
 sirable acquaintance?" 
 
 "Perhaps so. I don't draw the line, 
 myself, so you must ask the girls to ex- 
 plain. Perhaps, now that you've be- 
 come the private secretary of a famous 
 lawyer, you will be cultivated instead 
 of being snubbed. But I'm not sure 
 of that." 
 
 Jim started work Monday morning 
 and found his task no sinecure. Jar- 
 rod had a lot of correspondence to an- 
 swer and a good many papers to be 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 139 
 
 copied. Also there was an inventory 
 to be made of the property covered by 
 the option given by Easton and Wil- 
 der, and their books to be gone over. 
 But Jim was both industrious and in- 
 telligent, and seemed to "fit the job" 
 very well indeed. 
 
 Katie Glaston's triumph was brief. 
 She had actually boosted Jim several 
 pegs on the road to fortune, and when 
 the girl discovered this she was so pro- 
 voked that she left Tamawaca and 
 went to visit friends at Spring Lake. 
 
 The other girls began to be properly 
 ashamed of themselves, although the 
 heiress refused to alter her opinion 
 that "a poor young man had no busi- 
 ness at a summer resort." 
 
 Gladys and Betty began nodding 
 to Jim as he passed by, and although 
 he returned the salutations with 
 graceful politeness he never stopped 
 or attempted to resume the old 
 friendly relations. He had grown 
 wonderfully fond of plain little 
 
140 tfamaivaca Folks 
 
 Susie, who had remained his faithful 
 adherent, and her society seemed just 
 now fully sufficient to satisfy all his 
 needs. He even took her to some of 
 the dances, and found her a much 
 more satisfactory partner than on 
 that first evening when he met her 
 and tested her accomplishments as a 
 Terpsichore. She was still a bit awk- 
 ward, but the little speeches they 
 whispered to each other made them 
 forget they were dancing until the 
 music stopped and reminded them of 
 the fact. The heiress had a new beau 
 a bulky blond named Neddie Rop- 
 er who was reputed a social lion and 
 a railway magnate, although it after- 
 ward transpired he worked in the 
 Pullman shops. Therefore Clara pos- 
 itively ignored "that Smith girl and 
 her dry-goods clerk," who ought to 
 have felt properly humiliated, but 
 did n't. 
 
 Wilder came to Jarrod in a day or 
 so and said: 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 141 
 
 "Well, dear boy, I've got the cold 
 cash in hand to take up that option; 
 so if you'll turn it over to me I'll set- 
 tle the matter in a jiffy." 
 
 "In what way?" asked Jarrod. 
 
 "Why, I'll pay Easton his twenty 
 thousand and let him go. And then 
 I'll begin an era of public improve- 
 ments, and try to induce the cottagers 
 to fix things up a bit." 
 
 "I can't let you have the option," 
 replied Jarrod. "It was given to me 
 as trustee for the cottagers, and be- 
 longs to them." 
 
 "Have they got thirty thousand 
 dollars to take it up?' 
 
 "No; not yet." 
 
 "And they never will have it," de- 
 clared Wilder. "Your cottagers are 
 a lot of corn-cobs, and you could n't 
 squeeze any juice out of them with a 
 cider-press." 
 
 "I'm not sure of that," returned 
 Jarrod, smiling. "Anyhow, the op- 
 tion is theirs to accept or reject, and 
 
142 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 I've called a meeting for Saturday 
 night to find out what they wish 
 to do." 
 
 That worried Wilder a little until 
 he reflected that the cottagers' meet- 
 ings were all "hot air and soap-bub- 
 bles." They could n't raise thirty 
 thousand dollars for Tamawaca in 
 thirty years, and sooner or later the 
 option would be turned over to him 
 as a matter of course. 
 
 Meantime old man Easton had 
 been quietly observant of the situa- 
 tion, and after the meeting of the cot- 
 tagers was announced his suspicions 
 that Jarrod was "not honest" took 
 definite form and threw him into a 
 condition bordering upon nervous 
 prostration. He made a bee-line for 
 the lawyer's cottage, and found Jar- 
 rod sunning himself on the front 
 porch. 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Jarrod," he 
 began, cordially. 
 
 Jarrod nodded, but did not ask his 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 143 
 
 visitor to be seated. He had just been 
 going through the books of the part- 
 ners and had discovered things that 
 to his mind rendered social inter- 
 course with a man like Easton impos- 
 sible. 
 
 "I've called around to get that op- 
 tion," remarked the old man, seating 
 himself upon the porch railing. 
 
 "What option?' 
 
 "The one I gave you so as to fool 
 Wilder. You know what I mean," 
 with an attempt at a jocose laugh 
 which ended in an hysterical gurgle. 
 
 "Do you refer to the option you 
 granted to me, as trustee for the cot- 
 tagers of Tamawaca?" asked the law- 
 yer, coldly. 
 
 "Why why that was only a 
 bluff, you know. I gave you the op-> 
 tion so as to buy out Wilder. You 
 know that well enough." 
 
 Jarrod shook his head. 
 
 "The option belongs to the cot- 
 
144 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 tagers," he said. "You can't have it, 
 Mr. Easton." 
 
 "What! Can't have the option!" 
 His voice expressed both astonish- 
 ment and reproach. 
 
 "By no means." 
 
 "I I'm afraid I'm going to to 
 faint!" gasped Easton in a wailing 
 voice, as he fanned himself with his 
 hat. 
 
 "I would n't," remarked the law- 
 yer. 
 
 "But I Oh, this is terrible ter- 
 rible!" gasped the old man, piteously. 
 "If I don't get that option, Mr. 
 Jarrod, I shall be ruined utterly 
 ruined!" 
 
 His frail body swayed from side to 
 side, and with eyes half shut he 
 watched the effect of his misery upon 
 the stern faced man seated before 
 him. 
 
 "Quite likely," said Jarrod, yawn- 
 ing. 
 
 "Ruined ruined! At my age to 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 145 
 
 face the poor-house! Oh, my poor 
 family oh, oh, oh !" 
 
 He leaned backward, threw up his 
 arms and fell over the rail of the 
 porch to lie motionless on the soft 
 sand beneath. 
 
 Jarrod laughed. After a minute or 
 so of silence he said calmly: 
 
 "There's a red spider crawling up 
 your left pant-leg." 
 
 Easton sat up and with a nervous 
 motion shook the bottoms of his 
 trousers. Then he glanced at his per- 
 secutor, who was just now gazing re- 
 flectively over the smooth waters of 
 
 j 
 
 the lake, which showed between the 
 foliage of the trees. 
 
 "Sir," said the old man, in a voice 
 trembling with emotion, as he dusted 
 the sand from his clothes and once 
 more mounted the steps of the porch, 
 "you are a cold-blooded brute!" 
 
 "I know," acknowledged Jarrod. 
 "But I'm not as bad as I used to be. 
 Ask my wife. She'll tell you I have 
 
146 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 n't knocked her down and stamped on 
 her in over a month." 
 
 Easton sighed. He must change 
 his tactics, evidently. 
 
 "I take it," he remarked, in a 
 mournful voice, "that this is a busi- 
 ness matter." 
 
 "You should have taken it that 
 way before," said Jarrod. 
 
 Easton brightened. 
 
 "Of course," he rejoined. "How 
 careless of me ! But now, I trust, we 
 understand each other. How much, 
 Mr. Jarrod?" 
 
 "Eh?" 
 
 Easton glanced furtively around 
 to assure himself there were no listen- 
 ers. 
 
 "How much will you take to de- 
 liver to me that paper the option I 
 gave you the other day?" 
 
 "Sir!" 
 
 "That's all right. Get as indignant 
 as you like, Mr. Jarrod. I admire you 
 for it. But just state your figure and 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 147 
 
 I'll write you a check." He took out 
 a check-book, and began to unscrew 
 his fountain-pen. "Every man has 
 his price, of course; but I know you 
 won't rob me, Mr. Jarrod. You'll be 
 reasonable, because I'm an old man 
 and can't afford to " 
 
 A door slammed and he looked up 
 startled. The porch was empty save 
 for his own astonished person, and 
 after waiting five or ten minutes for 
 the lawyer to return Easton slowly 
 slid his check-book into his pocket and 
 tottered home with feeble, uncertain 
 steps. 
 
 After that interview Jarrod seemed 
 different, even to his friends. His 
 jaw was set and his eyes had a steely 
 gleam in them that boded no good to 
 any who might interfere with his pur- 
 poses. Never before, even in those 
 wild days when he strove to control 
 the Crosbys, had he felt so humiliated 
 and humbled in his own estimation, 
 and his one desire was to have done 
 
148 Tatnawaca Folks 
 
 with this miserable business as soon 
 as possible. 
 
 The cottagers' meeting was a sur- 
 prise not only to Wilder, who took 
 pains to be present and had pains be- 
 cause of it, but to the participants 
 themselves. Jarrod's report of what 
 had been accomplished set them wild 
 with enthusiasm, and when they real- 
 ized that their committee had faith- 
 fully served their interests and found 
 a way to release them from the bond- 
 age of Easton and Wilder, they 
 promptly awoke from their customary 
 lethargy and voted to take up the 
 option. Every person present agreed 
 to subscribe for stock in a new 
 company composed exclusively of 
 cottagers, which would thereafter 
 own and control Tamawaca and oper- 
 ate the public utilities without profit 
 and for the benefit of the community 
 as a whole. 
 
 "But," said Wilder to Jarrod, next 
 day, "you can't issue stock until you 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 149 
 
 have the property, and you have no 
 way to raise the thirty thousand to 
 get the property. Why not turn the 
 option over to me without any more 
 fooling?" 
 
 "Wait," replied the lawyer, smil- 
 ing. He did not resent Wilder' s 
 eagerness to get the option, because 
 he was frank and straightforward in 
 his methods. But his one word was 
 so far from encouraging that Wilder 
 looked at him and shuddered involun- 
 tarily. Never in his experience had 
 he encountered a man like this, who 
 did n't know when he was beaten and 
 could n't be cajoled or bulldozed. 
 From that moment his fears grew, un- 
 til he was forced to realize that in 
 carrying out his clever scheme to oust 
 his partner he had also ousted himself 
 from a peculiarly profitable business 
 enterprise. 
 
 Wilder was right in his statement 
 that it had always been impossible to 
 induce the cottagers to put any money 
 
150 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 into public improvements; yet that 
 was because they realized they were 
 asked to pay for things that Easton 
 and Wilder shouLd/have done at their 
 own expense. But conditions had 
 now changed. Jarrod could have had 
 a hundred thousand dollars as easily 
 as the thirty required to take up the 
 option. A dozen stood ready to ad- 
 vance the money, but the lawyer se- 
 lected three of the most public spir- 
 ited and liberal of the cottagers, and 
 made them popular by letting them 
 advance ten thousand each. The op- 
 tion was taken up, because neither 
 Easton nor Wilder could find a way 
 to legally withdraw from its terms, 
 and the transfer was consummated, 
 all the property being formally deed- 
 ed to the newly incorporated Tama- 
 waca Association. 
 
 Thus ended one of the most amus- 
 ing financial intrigues on record. The 
 amount involved was insignificant; 
 Tamawaca itself is almost unknown 
 
Jim Gets a Raise 15 1 
 
 in the great world. Yet the three- 
 cornered game was as carefully 
 planned and played as any of the 
 campaigns of Napoleon, and it was 
 won because each of the partners con- 
 spired against the other and was final- 
 ly content to be a loser by the deal as 
 long as he could cause annoyance to 
 his enemy. Never, in all probability, 
 could the cottagers in any other way 
 have been able to secure control of 
 the beautiful resort where they had 
 built their summer homes. 
 
 As for Jarrod, he hid to escape con- 
 gratulations that were showered upon 
 him from every side, and in the se- 
 clusion of his side porch breathed a 
 sigh of relief. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 ROUGH-HOUSING. 
 
 Jim speedily found himself upon 
 friendly terms with all the "resorters" 
 at Tamawaca. He worked for Jarrod 
 mornings and in the afternoons and 
 evenings enjoyed himself thoroughly. 
 When "Ragatta Week" arrived the 
 week of the Yacht Club boat races, 
 when the four yachtsmen competed 
 for the prizes that were donated by 
 the liberal merchants of Kochton and 
 Grand Rapids, and divided the spoils 
 amicably during that week Jim 
 helped to get up the annual "Vene- 
 tian Evening," the one really famous 
 attraction of the year. 
 
 On this occasion the entire bay was 
 enclosed with lines of gorgeous Jap- 
 anese lanterns placed in artistic de- 
 signs along the shore. The Yacht 
 Club, the hotels at Iroquois Bay and 
 Tamacawa and all the buildings 
 152 
 
Rough-Housing 153 
 
 facing the bay were elaborately dec- 
 orated with bunting and lanterns, 
 while the sail-boats anchored upon the 
 mirror-like surface of the water dis- 
 played a like splendor. Bands played 
 on the ferry-boats, bonfires on the 
 neighboring heights glared and twin- 
 kled, many launches brilliant with 
 colored lights moved slowly over the 
 bay, while rockets and roman candles 
 sent their spluttering displays into 
 the dim sky overhead. All the world 
 was there to see the sight and the pop- 
 corn and peanut men reaped a harvest. 
 
 It has been seriously asserted that 
 Venice in its palmiest days has never 
 been able to compete with Tamawaca 
 on "Venetian Evening." 
 
 During the delightful August 
 weather social functions at the resort 
 reached their acme of enjoyment and 
 followed one another as thickly as the 
 fleeting hours would permit. In some 
 circles these affairs were conducted 
 with much solemn propriety; but 
 
154 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 many folks who suffered under the 
 imperious exactions of "good form" 
 during the rest of the year revolted 
 from its tyranny while on their sum- 
 mer vacations, and loved to be merry 
 and informal. They were gathered 
 from many cities of the South, East, 
 North and West, and here thrown to- 
 gether in a motley throng whose ante- 
 cedents and established social posi- 
 tions at home it would be both diffi- 
 cult and useless to determine. So 
 certain congenial circles were formed 
 with the prime object of "having a 
 good time," and they undoubtedly 
 succeeded in their aim. 
 
 Jim, who before he quarrelled with 
 his father had been accustomed to 
 mingle with the 400 of old St. Louis, 
 was greatly amused at some of these 
 entertainments, many of which he at- 
 tended with demure little Susie. 
 
 Rivers, a jolly fellow who owned 
 a lake front cottage one of the titles 
 to distinction at Tamawaca organ- 
 
Rough-Housing 155 
 
 ized a "surprise party" on George B. 
 Still (another lake-fronter) one eve- 
 ning. A band of some twenty people 
 assembled at the cottage of a neigh- 
 bor, all carrying baskets laden with 
 frosted bricks in place of cake, beer- 
 bottles filled with clear spring water 
 but still bearing Budweiser labels, 
 mud-pies with nicely browned crusts, 
 turnips fried to resemble Saratoga 
 chips and other preposterous dona- 
 tions of a similar character. 
 
 Then they stole silently to George's 
 cottage, and when he opened the door 
 in answer to their timid knock bui-t 
 into a sudden flood of merriment that 
 never subsided until after midnight. 
 
 The Stills were as pleased as could 
 be, but no one paid much attention 
 to them. Somebody thumped the 
 piano while everybody else danced a 
 two-step regardless of interfering toes 
 or furniture. 
 
 Little Drybug, a dapper man who 
 weighed about seventy-six pounds 
 
156 c fama^vaca Folks 
 
 but didn't look so heavy, cavorted 
 with blushing Mrs. Still who weighed 
 something less than three hundred 
 but not much and nearly committed 
 suicide in the attempt. Commodore 
 Diller danced with Grandma Jones, 
 a rosy-cheeked antiquity who blushed 
 as charmingly as a girl of sixteen, and 
 the general mix-up was about as 
 laughable as could well be. 
 
 In the breathless pause that pres- 
 ently ensued as a matter of course, 
 Mr. Idowno, a solemn faced gentle- 
 man who had attended the party with 
 his smiling, chubby wife but could not 
 dance a single caper, protested in an 
 audible tone that it was time he must 
 be going. "I have to work for a liv- 
 ing, you know," explained this indi- 
 vidual, who was director in several 
 banks and controlled a number of 
 business enterprises and could not get 
 them off his mind. 
 
 But the company laughed him to 
 scorn ancl decided to play "five hun- 
 
Rough-Housing 157 
 
 dred" for a series of prizes that had 
 not been provided in advance, and 
 were therefore invisible. 
 
 So the self-invited guests rigged up 
 card tables and chose partners and 
 fought and quarreled for points until 
 Mrs. Rivers rung a gong and invited 
 all to supper. 
 
 Then they jumped up and trooped 
 into an adjoining room, where the 
 frosted bricks and mud pies had been 
 spread for a banquet; and although 
 George B. accepted his donations 
 with good humor the guests began to 
 wonder if the joke was not on them- 
 selves, after all, since their jolly exer- 
 tions had created a demand in their 
 interiors for real food. 
 
 "Well, I must be going," said the 
 solemn Idowno. "I have to work 
 for- 
 
 "This way, please!" called Mrs. 
 Still, cheerily, and threw open anoth- 
 er door, disclosing an enticing array 
 
158 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 of provender that caused a stampede 
 in that direction. 
 
 "How on earth did you happen to 
 have all this on hand?" Susie en- 
 quired of Mrs. Still, as she and Jim 
 squeezed themselves into a corner. 
 "Did n't Mrs. Rivers keep her sur- 
 prise party a secret?" 
 
 "Of course, as secret as she can keep 
 anything," answered the laughing 
 hostess; "but I had an intuition 
 there' d be a lot of hungry folks here 
 tonight, so we've been busy all day 
 getting ready for them." 
 
 After the supper, which consumed 
 two hours in being consumed, Mr. 
 Idowno once more claimed he must be 
 going; but the guests rose up and 
 loudly demanded the prizes they had 
 won at cards. From the size of the 
 hubbub it appeared that nearly every 
 one present was entitled to a prize. 
 
 For once the Stills were non- 
 plussed. They really had n't thought 
 of "prizes" for their surprise party, 
 
Rough-Housing 159 
 
 and hesitated what to say or do. But 
 their guests settled the matter in their 
 own way. 
 
 Mr. Iward took possession of a Jap- 
 anese screen; Mrs. Rivers grabbed a 
 mantel ornament; Mrs. Jarrod seized 
 upon an antique candlestick she had 
 long coveted and plump Mrs. Diller 
 grabbed a picture off the wall. Mrs. 
 Purspyre found a Bible and appropri- 
 ated it because she had always had a 
 curiosity to read it. Mr. Bowsir 
 espied a paper-cutter of ivory, which 
 he secured after a struggle with 
 George B., who wanted it himself, 
 while Katherine Pance swiped an em- 
 broidered cover from the center-table 
 and Mr. Connover took the table it- 
 self. 
 
 And so, amid screams and laughter, 
 the pretty room was despoiled of its 
 treasures, for the Stills were greatly 
 outnumbered by their guests and pow- 
 erless to protect their property. 
 
 As the heavily laden company 
 
160 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 trooped away down the walk, singing 
 as blithely as the forty thieves might 
 have done, Mr. Wright, the author- 
 man, who had really won a prize but 
 found the place stripped when he re- 
 turned from the dining-room (where 
 he had been to hunt for one last sand- 
 wich) gave a sigh and lifted the front 
 door from its hinges, carrying it home 
 with many protests that "it was just 
 about as useful as any prize he had 
 won that year." 
 
 And so ended the "surprise party," 
 but little Minnie Still said confiden- 
 tially to her chum next day : 
 
 "We had a rough-house at our cot- 
 tage last night, and they behaved just 
 dreadful! Why, if we young folks 
 ever acted the way those old married 
 people did, my mother would send me 
 back to Quincy in double-quick time." 
 
 Such commentaries by children 
 upon their elders are doubly sad when 
 they happen to be true. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MRS. HERRINGFORD'S PARTY. 
 
 "Jim," said Colonel Kerry, meet- 
 ing the young man at the post-office, 
 "that cottage of Grant's, up near 
 mine, has been rented at last. The* 
 parties took possession today." 
 
 "Who got it, Colonel?" 
 
 "One of the big millionaires of St. 
 Louis, they say; and he's arrived with 
 his wife and daughters and a whole 
 gang of servants. Jarrod says he's a 
 capital fellow, but did n't mention 
 the size of the capital. Money won't 
 buy health, Jim, and the poor Midas 
 is an invalid and came here to try tq 
 brace up." 
 
 Jim was white and staring. 
 
 "You you did n't hear the name, 
 Colonel?" 
 
 "Why, yes; it's Everton." 
 
 The young man gave a low, solemn 
 whistle and walked away with a 
 161 
 
162 T'amawaca Folks 
 
 guilty and disturbed demeanor, while 
 the colonel favored a group that had 
 overheard his remarks with further 
 particulars concerning the new ar- 
 rival. 
 
 There was considerable excitement 
 in quiet Tamawaca over the advent 
 of the Evertons; for while the resort 
 boasted several families of great 
 wealth, none was so marvelously rich 
 or of such conspicuous note as the well 
 known patent medicine man who had 
 won mountains of gold by the sale of 
 his remedies. And when it was un- 
 derstood his own poor health had 
 brought him to this place to seek re- 
 lief the folks were really shocked, and 
 George B. Still declared he would 
 send the poor man a bottle of "Ever- 
 ton's Magic Healer' 5 and ask him to 
 read the printed testimonials. The 
 affair was a nine days' gossip because 
 the people had for the time exhausted 
 the subject of Easton & Wilder and 
 craved excitement. 
 
Mrs. Herring ford's Party 163 
 
 When Jim went to Susie with a 
 hanging head and told her his father 
 had come to the very place where he 
 had himself taken refuge, the girl 
 counselled with him seriously, and ad- 
 vised him not to run away but rather 
 to meet his family frankly and if pos- 
 sible resume friendly relations with 
 them. 
 
 "The only thing that Mr. Carle ton 
 urges against our engagement," she 
 said, "is that you have not treated 
 your parents fairly in this matter. 
 And your poor father is ill, they say, 
 and must be unhappy over the deser- 
 tion of his only son. How do you 
 feel about it, Jim"?" 
 
 "Why, I have n't looked at the 
 matter in that light before, Susie/' he 
 replied. "But I'll think it over and 
 try to do what is right. What do we 
 do this evening?" 
 
 "We're invited to Mrs. Herring- 
 ford's party, and I'm curious to go 
 and see what it will be like. The old 
 
164 T^amawaca Folks 
 
 lady is the mother of Mrs. Drybug 
 you remember the Drybugs, don't 
 you? Both the little dears weigh 
 about as much as a healthy schoolboy, 
 and they remind one of ants because 
 they're so busy and you have to be 
 careful not to step on them." 
 
 "I remember. If Mrs. Herringford 
 is the mother of the Drybugs she 
 ought to be able to do stunts." 
 
 "Well, let's go." 
 
 So they went, as curious as every 
 one else who had been invited, and 
 were glad they did not miss the show. 
 
 The oldest inhabitant could not re- 
 member when Mrs. Herringford had 
 ever entertained before. At the Yacht 
 Club card parties she was always in evi- 
 dence, and the little lady played such 
 an earnest, strenuous game that the 
 men rather avoided being her partners. 
 Once George B. Still, being caught, 
 "bid" with such desperate reckless- 
 ness that he set back poor Mrs. Her- 
 ringford far enough to ruin her game, 
 
Mrs. Herring ford's Party 165 
 
 and she went home broken-hearted. 
 But usually she glared at her partner 
 so fiercely that he played with un- 
 usual care and made the game a busi- 
 ness and not a diversion. Every one 
 liked her, when she was at some other 
 card table. 
 
 Tonight the lady wished to repay 
 all her social obligations in a bunch 
 by giving a party at her cottage. Be- 
 ing rather nervous, she asked Mrs. 
 McCoy and the Widow Marsh to as- 
 sist her to receive. Mrs. McCoy was 
 a sweet little woman who was every 
 body's friend and therefore could re- 
 fuse Mrs. Herringford nothing that 
 might please her, while the Widow 
 Marsh was possessed of such grace 
 and beauty that she charmed every 
 male heart in spite of her modest 
 ways and made the women with hus- 
 bands nervous whenever she was 
 around. 
 
 With two such drawing cards the 
 Herringford party could scarcely fail 
 
166 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 of success, yet as the guests slowly ar- 
 rived the atmosphere of gloom that 
 hung over the place was hard to dissi- 
 pate. Mr. Idowno, one of the first 
 comers, began to look at his watch and 
 suggest that it was time to go, as "he 
 had to work for a living;" but the 
 Widow Marsh suspected his intention 
 and made him forget his worries by 
 sitting at his side and telling him how 
 young he was growing. 
 
 The invited guests were so slow to 
 arrive that some never came at all, 
 but bye and bye there were enough 
 to start the card playing, and then the 
 hostess made them a clever speech. 
 
 "I have n't any prizes for the win- 
 ners," she announced, "because I 
 want a very harmonious gathering 
 here tonight and prizes always result 
 in disappointment, malice and envy. 
 Besides, they're getting expensive. 
 But I hope you'll all play in a friend- 
 ly spirit for the honor of winning, and 
 that you'll have a real good time." 
 
Mrs. Herring ford's Party 167 
 
 Instead of applauding this speech, 
 Mr. Idowno looked at his watch, but 
 his wife pinched him and made him 
 put it away and take a seat at one of 
 the card tables. 
 
 It is impossible to repress Tama- 
 waca folks when they are out for a 
 good time which is the only reason 
 they are ever out. "These people," 
 whispered Lucy Kerry to her neigh- 
 bor, "would enjoy themselves at a 
 funeral." "True," was the reply; 
 "especially if they could pick the 
 corpse." 
 
 To relieve any chill in the tempera- 
 ture they at once began to laugh and 
 joke with one another, while Mrs. 
 McCoy and the Widow Marsh flut- 
 tered around to see that all were prop- 
 erly paired and the cards were right- 
 ly sorted. The game began with as 
 much energy as a lack of prizes would 
 warrant, but no effort could make it 
 a whirlwind of joy, so presently they 
 gave up the cards and played blind- 
 
168 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 man's bluff and puss-in-the-corner. 
 Mrs. Herringford was worried to 
 death lest some one should catch her 
 and kiss her, but no man was so un- 
 gentlemanly. 
 
 Although these youthful frolics 
 served to while away the front of the 
 evening, there was no temptation to 
 linger very late, so when Mr. Stakes 
 suggested that they all "go home and 
 have a good time" the party was on 
 the verge of breaking up. 
 
 "Wait wait!" cried Mrs. Her- 
 ringford. "We're going to have re- 
 freshments." 
 
 Being cowed by wonder and made 
 curious by the unexpected revelation, 
 they waited. 
 
 The hostess disappeared into the 
 kitchen. 
 
 "It hardly seems possible," mur- 
 mured Mrs. Purspyre, "but truth is 
 stranger than Mrs. Herringford. We 
 shall see what we shall see. Her gro- 
 cery bill was twenty-eight cents last 
 
Mrs. Herring ford's Party 169 
 
 week, and she is said to have half a 
 million in government f our-per-cents. 
 Perhaps she's going to open her heart, 
 to prove she's alive and not a resusci- 
 tated Egyptian mummy, as Mr. 
 Wright claims she is. Let's wait." 
 
 They waited, and waited so long 
 that the Widow Marsh and Mrs. Mc- 
 Coy had hard work to prevent a stam- 
 pede through the front door. But 
 finally the hostess appeared, bearing 
 two plates and radiant with the joy 
 of generous hospitality. 
 
 "Run, Lucy and Grace and Ada 
 and Mary," she called, "and help me 
 bring in the plates. The refreshments 
 are all ready!" 
 
 They ran and brought in the plates. 
 Upon each one was placed with 
 dainty care one soda cracker, one 
 withered ginger-snap and one puffy 
 cracknel. The guests took the "re- 
 freshments" in dismal silence and be- 
 ban to gnaw. 
 
 "But there's no plate for you, my 
 
i jo ^famawaca Folks 
 
 dear," said Mrs. McCoy to the host- 
 ess, in a solicitous tone. 
 
 "Never mind," returned the little 
 lady, cheerfully; "I ain't hungry, so 
 I guess I can wait till breakfast." 
 
 Mrs. Purspyre choked on the puffy 
 cracknel and was saved to the world 
 by a glass of water. Mrs. Herring- 
 ford thoughtfully brought water for 
 them all. 
 
 "You'll find it nice and fresh," she 
 said, with pardonable pride, as she 
 poured the precious fluid with a lavish 
 hand. 
 
 "Then it's different from this gin- 
 ger-snap," remarked Mr. Wogie, 
 nursing a jarred tooth. 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen!" an- 
 nounced Mr. Sherlock, getting upon 
 his feet and waving one arm. "Let 
 us thank Mrs. Herringford for her 
 kind entertainment, which will be a 
 red letter event in our calendar of glo- 
 rious memories. This dissipation is un- 
 usual with us all, but I hope in no case 
 
Mrs. Herring ford's Party 171 
 
 will it prove fatal. Once in a while 
 it is good for stagnant humanity to 
 indulge in high life and cracknels " 
 
 "Bravo!" shouted one of the Nay- 
 lor girls, who had pocketed her re- 
 freshments to carry home as a souve- 
 nir. 
 
 "Therefore," concluded the orator, 
 "let us leave the glamour and bewild- 
 ering gaiety of these festivities and 
 seek a more common-place seclusion. 
 Let us thank Mrs. Herringford once 
 again and go home." 
 
 "Bravo!" yelled Idowno, jumping 
 up, and instantly the meeting ad- 
 journed. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 RECONCILIATION. 
 
 "Mr. Jarrod," said Jim when he 
 went to work next morning, "father's 
 here." 
 
 "I've just been to call upon him," 
 returned the lawyer, looking steadily 
 at the young man; "but you have n't." 
 
 Jim flushed. 
 
 "Does he know I'm here?" he 
 asked, hesitatingly. 
 
 "I told him. He did n't know it 
 until then. Your mother and Nellie 
 and May are all delighted and eager 
 to see you." 
 
 "And father?" 
 
 "He did not express himself as glad 
 or sorry. You've offended him deep- 
 ly, Jim." 
 
 The boy thrust his hands into his 
 pockets and looked thoughtful. 
 
 "I'd like to see mother," he said, 
 musingly. "She's as tender and sweet 
 172 
 
Reconciliation 1 73 
 
 as any mother can be, Mr. Jarrod; but 
 the poor dear is entirely under my fa- 
 ther's thumb, and even his frown ter- 
 rifies her." 
 
 "Hm," said the lawyer. "I thought 
 that kind of wives became extinct 
 years ago." 
 
 "Mother's the old-fashioned sort, 
 sir. And the girls are all right, in 
 their way for sisters. But dad has 
 a dreadful temper, and when he gets 
 on his high horse all I can do is to jaw 
 back." 
 
 "No two in a family should try to 
 ride the high horse at the same time," 
 observed Jarrod; "and /you must re- 
 member that the head of the house 
 controls the stables. He's sick, Jim, 
 and his pain makes him crabbed. 
 Why not try to bear with him, and be 
 friendly?" 
 
 "That's what Susie says. Perhaps 
 I really ought to go up to the cottage 
 and call." 
 
174 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 There's no question about it. Go 
 
 now." 
 
 Jim hesitated. 
 
 "I said I'd never darken his doors 
 again, you know," he intimated, 
 weakly. 
 
 "These are not his doors. It's 
 Grant's cottage." 
 
 "So it is. Well, I'll go." 
 
 He pulled his hat down over his 
 ears desperately, buttoned his coat in 
 spite of the heat, and with tense 
 muscles but trembling lips marched 
 up the hill to the Grant cottage. 
 
 Before he could knock the door flew 
 open and he was in his mother's arms. 
 The poor lady was sobbing with joy, 
 and led her errant son into the room 
 where his father sat propped with 
 cushions in an easy chair. 
 
 ."Here's Jim!" she said, trembling 
 with uncertainty and a well founded 
 fear of the interview to follow. 
 
 Mr. Everton looked at his boy and 
 nodded. 
 
Reconciliation \ 75 
 
 "Sit down, Jim," he said. The tone 
 was not harsh, but lacked cordiality. 
 
 Jim sat down. 
 
 "How are you, sir?" 
 
 "Pretty bad. I don't seem to find 
 any relief." 
 
 Once Jim had wickedly suggested 
 that he take his own rheumatism cure ; 
 but the remark had led to all their 
 trouble, so he twirled his hat and 
 answered perfunctorily : 
 
 "I'm sorry, sir." 
 
 Such mildness of demeanor ought 
 to have placated the father. But Ev- 
 erton was eyeing his son suspiciously. 
 
 "They tell me you're working. A 
 lawyer's clerk." 
 
 "I'm Mr. Jarrod's private secre- 
 tary, sir." 
 
 "Huh! Good job for a college 
 man, is n't it? Nice investment I 
 made when I sent you to Cornell." 
 
 Jim wondered what he would say 
 if he knew he had until recently been 
 a dry-goods clerk. 
 
176 Tamawaca Folks 
 
 "Have n't you had about enough of 
 this two-penny folly 4 ?" demanded his 
 father, more harshly. 
 
 "Oh, I've discovered that I can earn 
 my own living," said the boy, flush- 
 ing. , 
 
 "That is n't the point. I reared 
 you with the expectation that you 
 would be of some use to me when I 
 grew old and feeble. That time has 
 arrived. I need you to help look 
 after the business. Look here : do you 
 owe nothing to me?" 
 
 Jim examined the pattern on the 
 rug. 
 
 "Just as much as I owe myself, sir. 
 Surely not more." 
 
 "Then pay your obligation to me 
 first, and you can do as you please 
 afterward." 
 
 "All right. That's fair." 
 
 His mother, who sat beside him si- 
 lently holding his hand, hugged him 
 again, and even Mr. Everton seemed 
 pleased by the frank answer. 
 
Reconciliation 1 77 
 
 "You jeered at the business once, 
 and called it a a fake!" resumed the 
 elder man, somewhat bitterly; "but 
 it's nothing of the sort. Every one of 
 the Evgrton Remedies is prepared ac- 
 cording to the formula of a skillful 
 physician, and they've helped lots of 
 suffering people. Is not my name 
 highly respected? Answer me!" 
 
 "I think it is." 
 
 "Very well. You shall be my as- 
 sistant and have an interest in the 
 business. I'll allow you ten thousand 
 a year." 
 
 "Good!" said Jim, brightening sud- 
 denly. "Then I can get married." 
 
 "Oh, Jim!" cried his mother. 
 
 "To whom, sir?" asked his father. 
 
 "Why, to Susie. Perhaps you have 
 n't heard of her. She's a girl I met 
 at Tamawaca." 
 
 "What's her other name?" 
 
 "Smith. Susie Smith," dwelling 
 on it lovingly. 
 
 "Smith! Well, who is she?" 
 
178 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 "The sweetest girl in all the world, 
 
 sir. 33 
 
 "Bah! Who are her people 4 ? 
 Where does she come from?" 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
 "Nonsense." 
 
 "I have n't asked about her family. 
 Why should I, when she's all right 
 herself? She's stopping with Mr. 
 Carleton W. E. Carleton, the rail- 
 way contractor. He says he knows 
 you." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "Susie lives in New York, I think, 
 or some Eastern city. Her mother is 
 dead but her father is still on deck 
 I'm positive of that, for she often 
 speaks of him." 
 
 "What does he do?" 
 
 "Can't imagine, I'm sure." 
 
 "Jim, you're a fool a doddering 
 imbecile!" 
 
 "All right." 
 
 "Oh, Henry please don't quar- 
 
Reconciliation 1 79 
 
 rel!" exclaimed Mrs. Everton, begin- 
 ning to weep anew. 
 
 But the invalid was suffering 
 twinges and would not be stayed. 
 
 "You'll have to give up that girl 
 for good and all," he roared. "Susie 
 Smith! Some cheap stenographer or 
 a paid companion to Mrs. Carleton, 
 I suppose. Some designing hussy 
 who thinks you'll have money, and 
 wants to get her clutches on it. Susie 
 Smith! For heaven's sake, Jim, why 
 can't you have a little sense?" 
 
 Jim got up, slowly and with a white 
 face. 
 
 "Father, I don't know much about 
 Susie except that I love her and mean 
 to marry her. And I won't have you 
 sneer at her, even if you are ill and 
 bad tempered. You have no reason 
 to say a word against her." 
 
 "Smith!" 
 
 "I know," a smile creeping over his 
 face to soften its fierceness; "but I'll 
 
180 ^famawaca Folks 
 
 change that name, pretty soon. Susie 
 Everton is n't so bad, is it?" 
 
 "Give her up, Jim. Don't let her 
 come between us." 
 
 "She's there, Dad, and you, can't 
 thrust her away." 
 
 "Give her up." 
 
 "I won't!" 
 
 Mrs. Everton was sobbing softly. 
 The invalid turned on his cushions 
 with a sigh. But his jaws were closed 
 tight and his brow bent to a frown. 
 Jim had quite regained his composure. 
 
 "I hope you'll soon get better, sir," 
 he remarked. "I shall be in Tama- 
 waca for some weeks yet, and if I can 
 be of any help in any way, let me 
 know. Good bye, mother." 
 
 As he turned to go the door burst 
 open and Nellie and May dashed in 
 and threw themselves upon their 
 brother with glad cries and smother- 
 ing kisses. They were bright, pretty 
 girls, and Jim loved them and was 
 proud of them. 
 
Reconciliation 181 
 
 "Is it all made up, Jim?" asked 
 Nell, anxiously. 
 
 "Not quite, little sister," smiling 
 at her. 
 
 "Oh, but it must be ! It's all wrong, 
 dear, for us to be separated this way. 
 Tell him so, father!" turning appeal- 
 ingly to the invalid. 
 
 "He refused my overtures," said 
 Mr. Everton, testily. 
 
 ^"Oh, no!" laughed Jim; "he re- 
 fused my sweetheart." 
 
 The girls clapped their hands glee- 
 fully. 
 
 "We've heard all about it, in the 
 town," said one. "Oh, Jim, you lucky 
 boy!" 
 
 "And whom do you think it is, 
 Dad?" asked the other eagerly, as she 
 seated herself beside her father's 
 chair. 
 
 "I don't know; and Jim don't 
 know." 
 
 "But we know ! She's an old friend 
 of ours. We knew her at Wellesley, 
 
182 tfamawaca Folks 
 
 and we've just called upon her and 
 kissed her and hugged her for 
 old times' sake. Father, it's Susie 
 Smith!" 
 
 4 'Smith!" with a snort of contempt. 
 
 'The only, only child of the great 
 Agamemnon Smith, the richest Stand- 
 ard Oil magnate after Rockefeller 
 himself!" 
 
 Jim fell into a chair and stared at 
 his father. His father stared at him. 
 
 "And that is n't all," said May, 
 gushingly. "Susie's as lovely as she 
 is rich the sweetest, cutest, brightest 
 and cunningest little thing that ever 
 lived." 
 
 "To think that Susie Smith will be 
 our sister!" cried Nell, clasping her 
 hands ecstatically. 
 
 "And and Jim can change that 
 name of Smith, you know," faltered 
 poor Mrs. Everton, glancing at her 
 husband nervously. 
 
 The invalid roused himself and 
 looked up with a smile. 
 
Reconciliation 183 
 
 "So he can," he observed, drily. 
 "Hang up your hat, Jim, and let's 
 talk it over." 
 
 Jim hung up his hat. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 OF COURSE. 
 
 Things settled into easy grooves at 
 Tamawaca. 
 
 Now that Wilder was no longer a 
 public autocrat people accepted him 
 in his new role as an humble member 
 of the community, according him the 
 consideration due any well behaved 
 cottager. Easton kept out of the way 
 for a time, and gradually folks forgot 
 him and regained their accustomed 
 cheerfulness. He had been a thorn in 
 their sides, but the wound soon healed 
 when the thorn was removed. Few 
 of us care to remember unpleasant 
 things, and communities are more gen- 
 erous than we are inclined to give 
 them the credit for being. 
 
 The "New Tamawaca" began to 
 
 arouse the interest of the cottagers, 
 
 who threw themselves heart and soul 
 
 into its regeneration. Things were 
 
 184 
 
Of Course 185 
 
 done for the first time in the history 
 of the place, and done with a will and 
 enthusiasm that accomplished won- 
 ders in a brief period. Miles of ce- 
 ment walks were laid through the 
 woods, and a broad thoroughfare now 
 extends the length of the lake front,, 
 where once it was dangerous to travel 
 on foot. To the visitor it is the chief 
 charm of the place. There are new 
 public buildings, too, and the little 
 parks that were formerly dumps for 
 refuse are made sweet and enticing 
 with shrubs and flowers. 
 
 Because of all this, and the era of 
 prosperity that has dawned upon it, 
 Tamawaca is growing steadily and 
 many pretty cottages are springing up 
 on the vacant lots. One of the most 
 attractive of these is owned by Jim 
 and Susie, who have ample reason to 
 be fond of the delightful resort where 
 they had the good fortune to first 
 meet. 
 
'** 
 
WAR 11 1971 6 3 
 
 W520945