The Road to Dumbiedykes 



portionately with the distance traveled. 

 We wound up with a summer in 

 Europe. Finally Billy threatened to 

 break down under the strain of this sort 

 of thing, and we viewed with equal 

 alarm the thought of another summer 

 in the "stuffy" city house or an outing 

 at so-called resorts at home or abroad. 

 It was at this juncture that I walked 

 one day in the early spring through 

 the edge of the Midlothian oaks, and 

 that was the beginning of the end of 

 one family's vacation troubles. 



I took title to a wooded knoll that 

 looked out upon a wide expanse of 

 verdure, with nothing to impede the 

 sweep of the prevailing southwest 

 summer breeze, or mar the beauty of 

 the sunset. We let the contract for 

 a cottage-bungalow and barn, and 

 ninety days later took possession. 

 That was the third of August, and this 

 is what straightway happened. 



The first night in the country no- 

 body could go to sleep; it was so 



[56] 



