VOL. XXXIX.
Tutfs Pills
FOR TORPID LIVER.
A torpid Uver deranges the whole
system, and produces
SICK HEADACHE,
Dyspepsia, Costiveness, Rheu
matism, Sallow Skin and Pies.
Then la no better remedy for these
common diseases than DR. TUTT'S
UVER PILLS, as a trial wfil prove.
Tate Mo Substitute. •
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
X, S. COOK:,
Attorney-ist-Law,
GRAHAM, - - - - - N. C.
* Offlce Patterson Building
Beoond Floor.
DAMERTON & LONG
Atlorneys-at-Law
B. 8. W. DAM BltON. J. ADOLPH LONG
'Phone 180, 'Phone 1008
Piedmont Building, Holt-Nicholson Bldg.
Burlington, W.C. Oraham. N. 0.
m. WILL S. LOVG, JR.
.... DENTIST . . .
Graham . - - - North Caroline
OFFICE IH SIMMONS BUILDING
AOOB A. LONG J. ELMER LONG
LONG & LONG,
Attorneys and Counselors stL vt
GRAHAM, N. *\
JOHN H. VERNON
Attorney and Counselor-st-lAw
PONES—Offlce 05J Residence 331
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THE ALAMANCE GLEANER.
The Siege
of .the
Seven Suitors
By
MfcREDITH NICHOLSON
Cepjrriftt, 1910. by Maretitfc Nlcholtoa
CHAPTER IX.
Csollls's Silver lks*t* sail.
MISS
lu the ball without sxais*
and 1 entered tbe library to
find Cecilia slttlng-stans by
the Ore. Sbe pot aside a.book sbe bad
been reading and. seeing UMt tor aunt
had not followed me, asked at as
to my visit to the Inn.
"1 conveyed your message," I an
swered, "but you have seen Mr. Wig
gins since, unless I am greatly mis
taken."
"Yes; he called this afternoon. We
bad several callers at the tea hour. 1
had rather expected yon back."
"The fact Is," 1 replied, "tbat after
I bad taken luncheon at the Prescott
Arms I got lost among the hills, and
while in the act of robbing an apple
orchard 1 came most unexpectedly
upon your sister."
"Heieklflb!"
"The same. And. oddly eDongb, 1
had met ber before, though I didn't
realize It was she nntil the meeting In
the orchard. It was In* the Asolando
that I saw ber: sbe was at the cash
ier's wicket the afternoon I met yonr
aunt there."
"You have given me information,
Mr. Ames. I did not know tbat Heze
klah had ever been connected with the
Asolando."
"Ob, It was only tbst ons historic
day. Sbe says tbe plsce was unbear
able She Jarred tbe holiest chords of
the divine lyre by harsh comments on
tbe pre-Rnphaelite profile. One of the
devotees was so shocked tbst she drop
ped s plate or something snd, to put
It coarsely, Hezeklsh got tbe bounce."
tfj description of > Heseklab's brief
tenure of offlce ut the Asolsndo seem
ed to amuse Cecilia greatly.
"Tbere Is no one like my sister," sbe
said. "Tbere never was snd tbere
never will be any one half so charm
ing. Hezeklah Is sn original, who
breaks all tbe rules and yet always
sends the ball over tbe net. And it Is
because she Is so inexpressibly dear
and predotts tbat 1 am anxloos tbst
nothing shall ever burt her-nothing
msr tbo sweet, beantirul child spirit In
ber."
It was my turn to laugb now. Co
cilia's .manifestation of mntprnal solld
tude for Hezeklah seemed absurd* for
Hezeklah in ber way was older. Hese
klah bad raced with Diana and pluck
ed arrows from her girdle—she bad
beard Homer at tbe roadside singing
of Achilles' shield.
"Hezeklah is reasonably safe, I
should say, because sbe Is so amazing
ly swift of foot and eye and so nimble
of speech. She is not to be caught in
a net or tripped with a word."
"I suppose tbat Is so," remarked Ce
cilia soberly. "You tboagbt ber bsppy
when you met ber today? She did not
atrlke you as being a girl with a wound
In ber heart? Bbe wasn't particularly
sadr
"Not mors so tbsn son llgbt-on rip
pled water or tbe seng of tbe lark as
cending."
"Of course yon made no reference to
Mr. Wiggins? If.l bad imagined yon
would meet ber I should have"—
Sbe ended with an embarrassment
tbat I now understood, and I broke In
cheerfully. /
"We did mention him. She asked ms
If I bad ssen him, and it wss tbe
thought of him tbat evoked bar mer
riest laughter."
Sbe a book ber bead SBd.glalwd, tben
ber manner changed abruptly.
"You delivered myijnoaaacs to Mr.
Wlgglnsf
"1 did. He is bsdly out of aorta and
aeea nothing clearly. He Is very bitter
toward yonr sunt He thinks sbe baa
treated bim outrageously."
"Aunt Octavla has dons nothing of
tbe kind," sbe replied with spirit "Mr.
Wiggins has no right to apeak of Aunt
Octavla save In terms of kindness. If
ber wits sre sharper tbsn his, It is net
ber fault, tbst 1 can see. But there ers
matters here that 1 do not understand,
Mr. Amea. 1 trust yon, as mj sunt
evidently does, or 1 should not be talk
ing to yon ss I am, and I am moved to
ask a favor of you, a. favor of consid
erable weight in view of tbe fact that
you are a pro fees lon&l man, with,
doubtieea, many pressing calls spoo
font time.'*
1 bowed humbly before this eompH
ment My time bad been tightly sp
prslsed by Miss Octavla and again by
Wiggins. A lone telegram from my
assistant that reached me while 1 dress
sd for dinner had urged my lmrssdlsts
attendance upon my office. Some of
nfy bast clients, now ssopeoing their
bosses for tbe winter, wars In deeper
ate straits. But Octavla Hollisters do
not occur in tbe Hfe M every yoong
man. and both Cecilia and Hssaklsh
bsd taken strong bold npon my iasgl
nstton. Wiggins' pins* smong tbe drs
matls person ae wonld la Itself hsve
compelled my sympathetic sttantton,
and the nine silk bats tbat I bad seen
bobbing over the stile still danead be
fore my eyes.
"Miss Hoi lister." I said, "my tbne to
yours to command. My office to wall
organised, and 1 am sare tbat my aa
aletant la eqaal to any demands tbat
may be made upon Ma. Pray ffiato to
what manner I may eerreroe."
"I am going far. I know, Mr. Amea,
hot 1 beg that yon wtil not be In baste
to leave my annt'a bouse. Mm moat
bare been strongly prejudiced In yonr
flavor or ah* would not hsvejsksd
you' Here on so Hhort acquaintance. 1 i
am confident tbnt she lias no thought
of your lea ring. Sbe expressed . her
great liking for you at luncheon, and
I am »ore tbat sbe will Bee to It that
you do not lack for entertainment. I
assume tbat you must hare gathered
from what Mr. Wiggins told you of my
acquaintance with him the peculiar
plight ID which I am placed."
I bowed. .If sbe groped In the dark
and needed my help ID finding the
light I was not the man to desert her.
1 bad dropped my plumb line Into too
many dark chimneys not to feel the
fascination of myatery. As I express
ed again my entire willingness to abide
at Hopefield Manor as long as sbe
wished, the footman announced Mr.
Hartley Wiggins.
We bad. hardly exchanged greetings
before another man was announced,
and tben another. 1 should say tliat It
waa at Intervals of about three min
utes tbat the sedate servant appeared
In the curtained doorway and announc
ed a caller until nine bad been admit
ted My spirits soared high as the gen
tlemen from the Preecott Arms ap
peared one after the other. The ear
lier arrivals rose to greet the Intel
ones. and as they were all In evening
clothes I experienced, as when I bad
aeen the same gentlemen In their after
noon raiment crossing the stile, a sense
of something fantastic and eerie In
tbem. In the interest of brevity and
to avoid confusion, I tabulate them
here with a notation as to their real |
dence anji occupation, taking such data
from the notebook In which, at subse
quent dates, I set down the facts
which are the hatds'of this chronicle.
Hartley Wiggins, lawyer and farm
er, Hare and Tortoise club. New Ydrk.
Linnaeus B. Henderson, planter, Itoa
poke. Va.
Cecil Hugh, Lord Arrowood, no oc
cupation, Arrowood, Hants. England.
Daniel P. Ormsby, manufacturer of
knit goods, Qtica. N. Y.
8. Forrest Hume, lecturer on Scan
dinavian literature. Occidental univer
sity, Long Trail, Okln.
John Stewart Dick, pragmntlst. Oma
ha.' Neb.
Pendennia J. Arbuthnot banker and
horseman, Lexington. Ky.
Perclval B. Shailenberger, novelist
and small fruits, Sycamore. Ind.
George W. Oorse, capitalist. Red
lands, Cal.
We rose and stood in our several
places when a moment later Miss Oc
tavla entered. She greeted the suitors
graciously and then in her most charm
ing manner cnlled one after the other
to ait beside ber on a long dnvenport
the time apportioned being weighed
with nicety, so tbat none might feci
himself slighted or preferred. These
interviews consumed more than half
an hour, and the movement thus occa
sioned gave considerable animation to
the scene. '
It may seem ridiculous tbat nine
gentlemen thus paying court to a
young woman should call upon ber ;t
the same bour. but I must sny that the
gravity of tbe suitors and tbe enUre
sobriety of Cecilia did not affect me
humorously, nor did I feel at all out of
place In this strange company. I found
myself agreeably engaged for several
minutes In discussing Ibsen with tbe
Oklahoma professor, who proved to be
• delightful fellow. His experience of
life was apparently wide, and he told
me with an engaging frankness of bis
meeting with the Hollisters in .France
and of his pursuit of them over many
weary miles the previous summer. As
no one had elected hla courses In tbe
university at the beginning of the fall
term, he had been granted a leave of
absence, and this accounted for his
freedom to press his suit at Hope
field Manor at this sesson. He was a
big fellow, with clean cut foeture«
•nd bore himself with a manly deter
mination that I.found attractive.
He alone, I may say. of tbe nln«
men who had thna appeared In Mini
Octavia's library met roe In a cordis!
spirit Even Wiggins seemed nol
wholly pleased to find me there again
though be had asked me to remain
Tbe manner of the others expressed
disdain, suspicion or fierce hostility.
When the last man rose from tbi
davenport Miss Octavla called mi tc
her side. She seemed contrite at hav
ing neglected me during tbe day, but
assured me that later abe hoped' to
place an entire day at my disposal. Ai
we talked the nine suitors sat In s
semicircle about Cecilia, while tb
group listened to an anecdotal ex
change between Professor Hume ant!
Henderson, tbo Virginia planter. My
opinion of Cecilia HolMster as a girl
of high spirit, able to csrry off any sit
nation no matter bow difficult, rose tc
MW altitudes as 1 watched ber. 11
tbk strange wooing was not to ber Ilk
log sbe certainly made tbe beat of It
Bbe capped Henderson's best story
with a better one In negro dialect atu!
ao professional entertainer could bav«
Improved upon ber recital. As sbe fin
iahed we all Joined In tbe general
laugh, Lord Arrowood's guffaw boom
tag out a trifle boisterously, when Mist
Octavla quietly roee and excused ber
self. About five minutes later, when th»
company had plunged into another se
lies of anecdotes, 1 suddenly bees in i
conscious tbat tbe fireplace, neav w hick
I sat, bsd all at ones begun to ad
strangely. Much In tbe manner of lu
performance the previous night It ab
ruptly gasped and choked, tbe amokt
ballooned In S great swirl and then
poured out Into tbe room.
After my examination of tbe flues ID
tbe morning I had dismissed tbem
from my mind, and thia extraordinary
behavior of tbe library fireplace as
founded me. It Is not In reason that
a perfectly normal fireplace, built In
tbe most approved fashion and will)
chimneys tbst rise into ss clear as
ether aa October can bestow could act
se monstrously without the Interren
Uoo or some malign agency. We bail
discussed sll tbe possibilities tbe pte-i
vlous night and I wss sot snalooa to
hear further lay opinions. Tbe dim
pay's eoodoct wss snaoylng, tbe mors
so that to mr professional sense II
was InexpNeebie.
Lord Arrowood bsd retreated dt»
ereetly towsrd tbe door, snd tbe others
bad rlseo sad stood dose behind Ce
cilia, whose gats wss bent ratbsr ac
cvfft&cff Qpoo ID*.
A dark thought bsd crossed my mind.
As our eyes met I felt tbst sbe bad
read my aoepldons snd did not wholly
nisct tbem. Hood.™ was vs.lsnt.r,
GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1913
I
poking the logx. n-m lr une or two of
the other uien gave him the benefit ol |
their advice. 1 crossed the halt to the
drawing room, but uo one WHS there.
I went back to the billiard room, but
saw nothing of Miss Octavla. Ceclllu
hnd rung for the footman, aud 1 passed
him in the hall on Ills way to nnswer
her summons. I stopped him with an
inquiry on my Dim. but 1 could not ask
the question Even In my perplexity
as to tbe cause of the chimney's re
mnrkuble performances I did not so
far forget myself as to (ommunlcate
my suspicion to H servant.
"Nothing, Thomas," 1 said, and tbe
man passed ou.
It was possible, of course; thnt Miss
Octavlu knew more than she en red to
tell about the erratic ways of the li
brary chimney, or she might Indeed lie
the cuuse of Its vagaries. Sufficient
time find elapsed lifter retirement from
the library to allow her to gain Ibe
roof and clhp a stopper on the chim
ney pot. This did not. however, ac
count for the fact that on the previous
evening she' had iieen present In the
library when the same chimney bad
manifested a similar sulklness. I was
still pondering these things when I
beard loud laughter from the library
nnd on returning found the logs agalu
blazing In the fireplace, from which the
smoke rose demurely In tbe flue.
"This fireplace Is like a ge.veer, Mr
Ames." said Cecilia, "and spurts smoke
It regular intervals. As I remeriiher.
the clock on the stair was striking P
last night when tbe smoke poured out.
and there—lt Is striking 0 nowj"
Sbe tossed her head slightly, and this
was. I thought, in disdain of the sus
plclon tbat must sflll have shown Itself
a little stubbornly In my face.
I withdrew agnln In a few minutes
and followed the great chimney's
course iipwal-d. Miss Octavia's apart
ments were at the front of the bouse,
her sitting room windows lookliig out
upon the Italian garden. Her doors
were closed, but I kuew from my ex
amlnntlon In the morning that tlie flue
of her flreplnce tapped the chimney
that rose from the drawing room and
hnd nothing whatever,to do with ths
library chimney.
From the fourth floor I gained the
roof by the route followed on my In
spection of the house In the morning.
Tbe smoke from the library chimney
waa rising In the crisp, still nlr blithe
ly. 1 leaned upon the crenelatlona
and looked off across the hills, enjoy
ing the loveliness of the sky, In which
the pinneta throbbed superbly. There
was nothing to lie lenmed here, and 1
crept bock to the trap door through
which 1 had come, tnndu it fast and
continued on down to the library.
There somewhat to iny surprise I
found that in my absence nil but
Hume hail takeu their departure. Aa
1 paused Unseen in the doorway 1
caught words that were clearly not In
tended for my ear.
Ceclllu sat by the long table near the
flreplnce. liuuie stood.before ber. bis
arms folded.
"You uro kind. You do me great
honor, Professor Hume, but under no
circumstances can 1 become your
wife."
I retreated hastily* to the billiard
room, where I took n cue from the
rack nnd amused myself for iierhaps
fifteen minutes, wbeu, hearing the
outer door close and knowing that
Hume had departed with his congee.
I returned to the library.
Ceclllu sat where I had left her, and
at first glance I thought she was read
Ing. But sbe turned quickly ns 1
crossed the room. Sbe held lu ber
hand an oblong sliver trinket not Inrg
er than a card case. A short pencil
similar to those affixed to dance cardr
was attached to It by a slight cord,
and sbe had, I inferred, been making
a notation of some kind on a loaf of
tbe silver bound booklet. Even aftei
she bad looked up nnd smiled st me
her eyes songht tbe page before her.
Tben sbe closet! tbe covers and clasp
ed tbe prrtty toy in ber hand. As
though to divert my attention she re
curred at once to the chimney In a
vein of light Irony.
' "Yort see." she snld. "there Is smplt
reason for yuur remaining here. You
would hardly find ony whera else so In
terestfng a test of your professions!
powers as Hopefield Manor offers. Tb«
bouse Is hauuted beyond question, sqd
I can see l that you sre not a man tc
leave two defenseless women to the
mercy ut s gbost who drops down cblm
neys st wMI."
I suffered her chaff for several mln
utes. then I anVwl point blank: ,
"Pardon lue. tut hnve you tbe slight
est Iden Unit Mis* Octavla Is behind
, tbW? It Is not iMMsiltle that she war
rcs|K>us|ble last night Hut sjie was
not on this floor nwhlle sito when th
S moke |on red lu here. I should 1*
glad to Itctu* yonr opinion."'
"1 sow that >OII suspected lier befort
you left the ruwm, .Mr. Ames, aud I
must nay Unit the Idea Is In no wa)
creditable tn ytji. If you entertain such
a suspicion you niu»t supply s motive
Slid Just tt'bht notlve would you sttrib
ute to my Annt Octavla In tbls in
stance?"
Her Pine snd manner piqued ins or I
abould nut have nnswered ss I did.
"II Is'inssllile." I said, "tbat some ol
these gentlemen who entile here tonight
were nol to tier liking, nnd It msy have
oeenrred to, her to art rid of them by
tbs obviously »u- ensful method Of
smoking them out."
Site rose, still clasping Hie IItI Is all
vsr backed is»tel«*ik, and looked me
over Willi auitinemeirt In her face snd
sye* - v
"You are aitmml 100 Ingenious, Mr.
Ames. I hope thai by breakfast time
yon will have sums more plausible so
lotion of Hie problem. Hood night"
And ao. tightly clasping tbe little
book, sbe left the room. I followed
ber to the door, and at lbs turn of the
atalr abe gauced down snd nodded
Her tacs ss It bong shove me for sn
instsnt seemed transfigured wltb bap
pineac.
CHAPTER X.
I Meet a Playful Oheet
IT was not yet 10 o'clock, snd I wss
dlsmsyed st tbe thought of being
left to my own devices In tbls big
country bouse, st sn bour when
tbe talk st tbe llare sod Tortoise mm
ally becsnie worth while. I ssl dowv
anil liegnn to turn over the iwrludlcil,
on lis* library fable, but I was in n.
mood for rending.
.'muarawf Hnd offered to*
drink, but tbe thought oi drinking
aloue did uot upiteal to me. i re|ielled
the suggestion coldly. biU after I had
dropiied my eyea to the English review
I had taken up 1 wns conscious thut he
stood his ground. *
"Beg pardon, sir."
"Welir
"Hit's a blr bod about (he chimney,
sir."
The professional man In me waa at
3iice alert. The chimney's conduct va*
inexplicable enough, but I was In nu
humor to brook the theories of u stupid
eervunt. "HUM, he might know some
thing, so I nodded for him to go on.
lie glanced over Ids shoulder and
cauie a step nearer.
"They sny lu the village, sir, that the
°ouse Is 'Bunted."
"Who say It. James?"
"The-liveryman told the coachman,
and tbe 'ousemnid got hit from a seam
(tress. Hit's werry queer, sir."
"Rubbish. Jumes. I'm amazed that
t person of your station should listen
to a liveryman's gossip. There's the
chimney, It's working perfectly. Some
shift of nlr curreuts causes It to puff
a little smoke Into this room occasion
ally, but those things are not related
to the sti|ieruatnrnl. We'll find some
way of correcting It In a day or two."
"Werry good. sir. But begging pnr
ion, the rbhoney hain't hall. lilt
walks, If 1 mity so hexpress hit."
"Walks?" I exclaimed, sitting up and
throwing down my review. "What
walks V"
"You 'ear hit, sir, bin the walls. Hit
goes right through the solid brick
most huuacconntable."
"You hear a mouse In tbe walls and
think It's a ghost! .But you forget
James, that this is a new bouse, only
-a year or su old. and spooks don't fre
quent such places. If It were an old
placo It might be possible that the
croaking of floors and tbe settling of
■ walls would cause uneasiness in nerv
ous [>eople. The gbost tradition usual
ly rests on some ugly fact But here
nothing of Ibe kind Is present."
"Hit was one of 'is majesty's horffl.
cers. sir," be answered hoarsely.
It flashed over me tbat tbls big sfbl-
Id fellow was out of bis head; but,
ssne or mad lie was clearly greatly dis
turbed. It was best, I thought, on
either hypothesis to speak to him per
emptorily, and I rose, the better to
deal with tbe situation.
"What nonsense Is tbls you have In
jour bead? You're ID tbe United
if
pi
Tbty ee y In the villa##, tlr, that Ilia
'MM I* 'aunUd."
Stale*, and there areu'l nny inajenty'i
aoldler* to ileal with. Vuu forget that
you're not In Kuglund BOW."
"But tlila 'ere country UNCI! to foe
Hengllab, you may recoil. air. The
atory the roiichmau vol bin the village
goea bock to the hold times, 'air, when
the colonic* wua bio rebellion. If I inny
ao roll lilt, air. and 'la ranjeaty'a troop*
wan pattlu' down the rebellion bin
theae |>nrtx. Home American rebela
diluted a llrltlab ao Idler froni bovor
nenr White I'lntna.to tbeae 'ere wood*
aa they wa* then, and tliey 'aoged 'lm.
air, -right where tbla 'ere ouae atanda.
If I may luuhe ao free."
"You'd I letter go to bed. Jamee. And
don't encourage talk among tbe other
•errant* about tlila glio»t I know
aotnel hlng alwut tbe building of botutea.
and I'll give theae walbha good looking
over. tiood night."
1 mode myiMtir comfortable for an
hour, aiiMiklng u clgnr over an article
on KnglUli |Miltlm. mid while I read e
big log tilocldly burned Itaelf lo **be»
I found tbe awltcb and nunpiied out
the library light*. When I hnd galneo
tbe aerond lloor I turned off llie llgbt>
In tbe bull below. and, aa I lowkel
down tbe troll to make aure I hail
turned tbe right key, the third llooi
light* Hiiddenly died and I waa left lii
darkueaa. Tbla waa tbe leaot bit dla
concerting. I wna quit# aure that Iht
upper llgbta hud remained burning
brightly after (he darkening of tfo.
lower luill. mt th.it It waa hardly po»
alble tbai the one awltcb hnd rut ofl
both llgbta
Standing by the rail that guarded ttu
well. I |ieered upward, thinking thai
aotne one above me waa manipulating
another awltrb. font Hie alienee waa n»
complete aa tbe blackneaa. I »»
about to torn from tbe rail to tbe well
lo And the awltrb. font at tbla moment
my fare waa allll lifted In tbe In
teqtnrm with wblrb I .waa llatenlng
aometblug foruahed my cbeek—aome
tiling aoft of touch and awlft of more
incut Aa I gripiied tbe rail I felt Ihl*
touch oin-e. twli-e. thrice. Then my
band aougbt tbe wall madly, and with
aolmd an aim that It waa quite a min
ute before I found tbe awltcb plate
and anapped all tbe keya. Tbe atalr
and the balla above and foe low me
eprang Into being again, and I atood
blinking atupldly upward.
Though I waa In a modern bonae
thoroughly lighted by electricity I can
not deny that tbla Incident, following
ao quickly upon the butler'* atory, oc
caafoned a inoment'a acute hair ralelng.
accompanied by aa uncomfortabU
tremor of tbe legs. Aa already hinted
1 lay ao claim to (rent ralor. Aa fur
ghoata I am half perannded of thel
enthtfoii of tin in lot. always f«*-i thai
Shakespeare is as safe a guide in stten
matters ns lhe destructive sclent! he
critic*.
There were various plausible expla
nations ol llie failure of the lights
Some swlt'h Ihnt I lll not know of.
perhaps in the third Hoor liall. mlKht
Lave Isvn turned. or t|Hiwer house
In the village might Inn,. liecn shift
ing dynamos. Either solution of the
riddle was cn*dilde. lint the giiomlj
touch on my fiict aid not lie ac
counted fin *i tvntllly .. I.caving tlw
lights on I rout limed in tin- third
floor and examined the swiK-h and
sought In other tvuys to explain these
phenomena My composure returned
more slowly lh;in I «*llre to inufess.
and I think It was pmhnbly In my
mind that the ghost of King tieorge's.
dead soldier might lie lying In wait for
me, but I saw and heard nothing. Tbe
doors of the unused chambers on the
third floor were closed, and I did not
feel Justified lu trying . tbem. The
servants were housed on this floor at
rear of the house, nnd a door that
cut off their quarters proved on ex
amination to lie tightly locked.
The fourth floor wns ouly a half sto
ry, used for storage purposes. The
roof wns gained., 1 recalled, by an iron
ladder nnd a hatchway In a trunk
room, i ran down to my room and
found a candle, to lie urmed against
any further fickleness of tbe lights,
and set out for the fourth floor. I had
changed my coal anil with a couple of
candles and a box of matches started
for the roof. My courage bad risen
now. nnd I was ready for any further
adventure that the idght might hold
for tne. Miss (lolllster and Cecilia
were lioth lu their rooms, presumably
asleep. The servants doubtless bad
their doors burred against ghostly vis
itors, and (lie house was mine to ex
plore as I pleased.
1 think I was humming slightly as I
mounted the stair, which, in keeping
with the general luxurlousuess that
characterized the furnishing of the
house, was thickly carpeted eve|| to
the fourth floor. I was slipping my
hund along the rail and mounting, I
dare say, n little Jauntily ns I screwed
my courage to an unfamiliar notch
wbeu suddenly, midway of the first
half and Just lie fore I reached the
turn where the stair broke, the lights
failed agnln with startling abruptness.
This was carrying the Joke pretty fur,
and'instantly 1 chipped my band to,
my pocket for the box of safety
matches, dug It out and then in my
haste dropped the lid essential to Igni
tion aud stooped to llnd It.
The atalr had narrowed on this
flight, and as 1 sought with futile
eagerness to regain the IMIX lid 1 could
have'sworn tbnt some one passed me.
Still half stooping. I stretched out my
arms nnd jlusped empty air. and so
suddenly hud I thrown myself for
ward that I lost iny halnnce and roll
ed dowuwnrd the space of half a
dozen treads In-fore I recovered my
self. I wns badly scared nnd hardly
less angry lit having missed through
my own clumsiness the Joy of grap
pling with the gbost of one of King
Oeorge's soldiers. Itut tbe matches
having been lost In the pilch darkness
of the stair, I could get my bearings
again ouly by clinging to the stair rail
until I found the second floor switch.
I should say that two full minutes hnd
psssed between the loss of tbe matches
ind my flashing on of the lamps.
From top to bottom tbe lights shone
brightly. Itut no one wns visible, and
1 beard no sound In any part of tbe
bouse.
Ad I began In analyze my sensation*
during tlie temporary eclipse of tlir
lights I wan conscious of two things.
The IH'IIIK. liuinwu or other, that had
panned me had been light of step and
fleet of motion. There-hud been some
tiring iinennny in tile yase and apeed
of that paielng, t *m without eon
Tletlon as to lor direction, whether up
or down, thonich I Inclined to the for
nier notion for the reason that the em
ploynient of H concealed switch alsive
seemed the more reasonable arKiiment.
And a fnlnt. an almost Imperceptible
•cent, an of a flower, had seemed to
lie a part of thu passing. Mine la a
sensitive nostril. and I wa« confldeut
(hat It did not betray me In Mil*.
I gathered up my matches uuil start
ed again for the roof. The trunk ruom
door o|iened readily, a* on my morn
big Inspection of the chimney pots
but as I glanced up I saw that the
hatch was often. Through the apcr
I Stood With Head and Should*™
Thrust Through the Opening,
tore ahone the brat-ens, a square ol
atari and bright with ttie moon's ru
lis nee. I'oclirtlng my matches. 1 ran
•Unblj up tlte ladder.
1 had been surprised to And the hatch
»pen, but |t Is nut too much to say
that 1 was greatly astonished by what
Lsaw on the moon flooded roof. There,
midway of a flat area thai lay between
the two lurrer chimney puts, two per
sons were Inteutly engaged, not la
ghostly promenading or iiosturlug or
•veil la audible conversation, but In •
spirited boot with folia. I stood with'
head and shoulders thrust through the
opening, staring at thla unusual spec
tnc-te and iwi «»•» »«i» that nf'er w
eyes were tricking me.
"Tonche!"
It wns a woman's voice, faint from
breuthlrastmss. Khe threw off. -hei
mask and dropped her foil and with
a moat Immnn and feminine gesture
put up Uer band* to adjjst her liair.
It was CA-llln Holllater In a abort skirt
and fencing coat!
Her opponent was a man. and a« be,
too. flung off Ills musk I saw that be
wax a gentleuiuu of .rear*. I waa about
to withdraw when the stranger swung
round iiml saw me. Ills sudden ex
clamation rnuHed the Ktrl lo turn, and
ns H reiiHiiiuilile frankness has always
seemed lo tuu essential to 11 nice discre
tion Urrawled out ou the roof.
"I beg your pardon. Miss Holllster,
but If I bad known you were here 1
should not have Intruded. Tbo vaga
ries of the library-chimney have been
on my mind. 11 rid 1 Wiis about lo have
another peep Into yonder |K>t"
She stood nt hpr ease, with one hand
ranting lightly against the Inexplicable
chimney In question and still some
what siient froiii her exercise.
"Father." she wild, turning lo the
stranger who stood uear. "this la Mr.
Ames, who Is Aunt Octurla's guest."
The light "of the gibbous moon en
abled to„dlscern pretty clearly the form
and feainres of Mr. Hansford Hollls
ter. Atid I Hud. In looking over my
notes, that I accented as a matter of
course the slngiilnr meeting wltb my
hostess' brother, i bud grown so used
to the ways of the llolllsters 1 already
knew that the meeting with another
member of the family at II o'clock at
night on the roof of tliUPremarkable
house gave me no great shock of sur
prise. He was tall, slender and dark,
with line eyes that suggested Cecilia's.
Ills clo.se trimmed Ijeard waa slightly
gray, but be bore himself erect, and I
had already seeu that he was alert of
arm and eye and nimble of foot.
"Father and I have fenced together
for years," said Cecilia. "My sister
Ilczcklah does not care for the sport.
As you have already seen that my
Aunt Octnvla is an unusual woman,
given to many whims, I will not deny
to you that at present my father is
persona lion grata In this bouse. I beg
to asrure you thai nothing* to bta dis
credit of mine has contributed to that
situation, nor can our,.meeting here to
night 1)0 construct). as detrimental to
bim or to me. Ih meeting my father
In this tvay I have In a aense broken
faith with my Aunt Octavla, but I as
sure you, Mr. Ames, that It Is only the
natural affection for a daughter that
led my father to seek me here in this
clandestine fashion." *
Cecilia had spoken steadily, but her
voice broke hs she concluded, and she
walked quickly toward the hatchway.
Her father xtep|ied before me to give
her his hand through the opening.
I withdrew to the edge of the roof
while a few words passed between
them that seemed to l>e on tils part no
expostulation nnd on hers an earnest
denial and (ilea. He passed her the
foils and masks, nnd she vanished,
wboreu|>on he nddressed himself to me.
"I had learned from both my daugh
ters of your presence In my sister's
house, and I had expected to meet yon
sooner or later. This Is a strange busi
ness, a strange business."
Ho had drawn out a pipe, which he
Oiled and lighted dexterously. The
flaino of bis match gave me better ac
quaintance with bis face. He leaned
against the serrated roof guard wltb
the greatest 'composure and drew bis
pipe to a glow. 1 had not forgotten my
encounter with the ghost on the atalr,
and as I waited for him to speak 1 was
trying to identify him wltb the mys
terious agency that had tampered with
tbo llg|its and passed so ghostly a baud
across my Rice In the stair well. I
could hardly say that there had not
been time for either Rassford Holllster
or his daughter to have reached the
roof after my experiences on tho stair,
ami yet they had been engaged so earn
estly at the moment of mj appearance
at the hatchway that It was improba
ble that cither could have played ghost
and flown to the roof before I reached
It. And. eliminating tho ghost attogetb
er, I had yet U> learn how linssford
Holllster had gained entrance to the
house. It seemed bent to drop specula
tions und wait for him to declare hlin-
Mir.
(to as cmmnuso.)
Bepls, the brown which Is used so
much In picture coloring. Is secured
from the cuttlefish. lielnic tho fluid thni
It emits for the |iur|s«e of muddyln*
the wstnr when It Is attacked.
"Hlomire egg* are sick" Is the phrase
used by the Packer to descrilie the enn
sltnnttnn a short time since. It might
have added (hat tho fellows who own
the cold storage eggs are ■ "good deal
sicker."
One of the chief diversions In the vi
cinity of Maiden Hock, Wis., Is rabbit
hunting. The other day n group of
inen chose sides and hunted for two
bours. The winners bagged slxty
s*vcu rabbits and the losers flfty-two.
'.e _____________
If the barrel of spples Is not being
conaumed at a rapid rate and they are
not a long keeping variety It Is a good
idea to go over the barrel occasionally
and see that those npi les showing de
cayed spots are removed for. Immedi
ate use.
When the thermometer is shuddering
around 20 below zero the human dot*
pretty well if be keejis the bouse tires
stoked so as to prevent the water pipes
awl plants from freezing and keep*
himself fed so as to generate tbe bodily
bent need en to make such weather en
durable. ,
Exercise Is a good thing, bat It is
possible to get too much of It, as I*
true In the esse of a number of othei
very good things. Sometimes boys,
and more often girls, who are of a frail
tod uervous makeup suffer sefious In
Jury in participating In those sporti
that are really a tax on strong constl
tsUoaa.
In many sections of England tbe gqal
seems to be taking a place as the poor
man's cow. Good milk animals may
be got for sls, and one of them can
lire in any place where a big dog car
live. Almost any city back yard will
serve as ti tm«Hu»
NO. 11
"i
Madam, Read McCaffg
The Fashion Authority
Masasin. that is addlns to tlx kspp£ I
—' "J WfUU«ejr ml 1.100,000 I
»»■■■ sack swath.
Kach law U brimful of hshkms. finer- I
work. IntereJtlnu sliort aortas, and srorss
of labor-Bavins and mousy-saving Ideas
f;>r woman. Thero ar« mot* Uian 40 of
the newest designs of lha calabmUd ■ ,-JSS
McCALt. PATTERNS In each Ima*. ■
lUtUJA PATTERNS ara Simons for
rtrla, at, nimpllHiy and economy, only . /
10 and U cent* each.
Tha pnUMun of MrCAIX*S wttl mend
thousand. O. ~..,Mva uln in me casus* ,9
monUls In ordar lo k«rp MrCA LL'B head
and shoulders als>v* all other woman's *
Howartr, M
MeCAIX B Is only sue a year; [xnlllvsly
wortii 91.00.
TgftWff Solft Any 0— McfaH Paf.™
is , w q '»r or
TO BtOUl OWIMItT. 23« »■• J7* ft, fcf Tsti
NOTE—A«k lor ■ free copy *> McCAI.I.'S wonder.
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