“No. My name is Granger—Charles Granger, and I’m stopping in an old log
cabin about two miles from the hotel. How’s the fishing over this way?”
“Pretty good, I reckon. We’ve tried it only once, but we had good luck.
You see we got here last night barely soon enough to make camp.”
“I didn’t think you’d been here long,” said Granger, “for if you had I’d
been likely to have seen you before. How long do you plan to stay?”
“A week or so; perhaps two; if everything goes all right. My name is
Grant. Won’t you come up and meet the rest of the fellows?”
“Sure,” beamed Granger; “I’d like to.”
He followed Rod, who presented him to the others. Apparently he was a
languid sort of a chap with a dreamy eye, and, for all of his seeming
frankness, it was not long before the boys fancied they could perceive
something mysterious in his manner. He told them he was occupying the
old log cabin quite alone, his doctor having advised him to spend as
much of the summer as possible in the open air. Nevertheless, although
he was somewhat slender of build, he did not have the appearance of a
person in poor health. Springer, seeking to draw him out, soon
discovered that he knew very little about fishing and fishing tackle.
“Oh, I’m a greenhorn,” laughed Granger; “but I enjoy the sport just the
same. It’s about all I have to do besides read, and a man gets tired of
reading after a while. I have amused myself, however, by picking up some
information concerning the legends hereabouts. You know this is really a
most romantic spot, as well as one of the prettiest sheets of water to
be found in all New England. If people looking for a summer’s outing
just knew about it, they’d pack the Cliff House over there until it
would be necessary to build an addition.”
“The lake would soon be spoiled if rusticators overran it,” was Grant’s
opinion.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” retorted the visitor. “In one way,
perhaps you’re right, but it would mean tremendous business and a lot of
money for the hotel people. They took a big chance when they put up that
house over there and sunk so much money in it. You see there’s a certain
disadvantage in the fact that they’re so far from the nearest railroad
point, although to many people that would seem like an advantage. The
first two years they lost money hand over fist, although they advertised
extensively in the regular manner. This is the first season that they
have really done a fair sort of business, and I understand the business
is increasing.”
“You sus-seem to be interested in the hotel,” said Springer.
“Oh, not at all, not at all,” returned Granger. “I’m simply telling you
what I’ve heard, and it’s by the way of gossip, you know. We must have
something to talk about.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account