The village was beginning to feel the first symptoms of its later boom as a summer resort.

A number of cottages had been built for people from Boston and New York and Chicago, and there was talk of a new hotel.

Also there was talk of several new stores, but Hamilton and Company were inclined to believe this merely talk and did not worry about it.

Their trade was unusually brisk and the demand for Mary-'Gusta's services as salesgirl interfered considerably with her duties as assistant housekeeper.
One fine, clear July morning she came up to the store early in order that the partners might go down to the house for breakfast.

They had gone and she had just finished placing on the counters and in other likely spots about the store sheets of sticky fly paper.