"
"What do you know about it?" demanded the officer of the law.
The philosopher grinned. "Oh, they most of them smoke or chew, the same
as your cops. Vodell himself smokes your brand. Have one on me chief."
CHAPTER V
ADAM WARD'S ESTATE
In spite of that smile of mingled admiration, contempt and envy, with
which the people always accompanied any mention of Adam Ward,
Millsburgh took no little pride in the dominant Mill owner's
achievements. In particular, was the Ward home, most pretentious of all
the imposing estates on the hillside, an object of never-failing
interest and conversational speculation. "Adam Ward's castle," the
people called it, smiling. And no visiting stranger of any importance
whatever could escape being driven past that glaring architectural
monstrosity which stood so boldly on its most conspicuous hillside
elevation and proclaimed so defiantly to all the world its owner's
material prosperity.
But the sight-seers always viewed the "castle" and the "palatial
grounds" (the Millsburgh _Clarion_, in a special Sunday article for
which Adam paid, so described the place) through a strong, ornamental
iron fence, with a more than ornamental gate guarded by massive stone
columns. Only when the visiting strangers were of sufficient importance
in the owner's eyes were they permitted to pass the conspicuous PRIVATE
PROPERTY, NO ADMITTANCE sign at the entrance.
Pages:
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72