Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1881-02-16
From the New York Sunday Times.]
A BACHELORS SUPPER PARTY,

From the New York Sunday Times.]
A BACHELORS SUPPER PARTY.
"Oh! say, this is too bad Ask us
here on such night and give US nothing
to drink but settler water"
Temperance, my dear fellow. Faulk-
ner is temperance man.
$50 it seems-temperate in punctu-
atty as well as in other good things.
He asks his friends for eight and then
doesn't keep the appointment himself
and Frank Horton kicked a huge yule
log, which was burning briskly KY the
fire, with some impotence, and then
turned round once more, and looked at
a we'll spread supper table which was
laid for five, pointing with sort of wave
of contempt to the five bottles of tenn
perance drink on the table-one- for each
guest, while at the same time be made
the observation, "Who is the fifth !?
There are only four of us.
Horton was a very young nan-the
youngest of the party; but he was the
most fastidious on the subject of eating
and drinking. The other two men
laughed heartily. They were es dis
appointed at Faulkners being converted
to the new principles as II. was; yet
they could not help enjoying his intense
discontinue. The four men who, at
Dick Faulkner's expense, were to sup
together on that special night, had
been thrown out of an invitation to stay
at country house in the neighborhood
by the sudden illness of Mr.. Dent, the
host. Dick Faulkner suggested that
they should adjourn to hotel in GER
tain town about elk miles 1ron, tho
house in question, and where he, being
the richest, said he would stand treat 10
his three friends.
Except the residents at the house
where they had intended to spend the
day, none Of them had any acquaintances
in the neighborhood. It was, therefore,
the more remarkable that Mr.. Faulkner
should be absent at the very hour when
he had appointed to put the culinary
powers Of the hotel to the test.
Dick always was eccentric, " further
remarked Horton, turniuga chair around
from the table and placing himself in the
very front Of the 1iro-': always eccen-
tic, and I s1ould not wonder il he
plays us some evil trick before this
nig ht is over. He'll have some change
out of us, or am mistaken in my man.
$50 much the better; this isn't the
sort Of evening one wants to pass like
every other evening in the year,
Temperance drink " muttered Hor-
ton, with horror.
The clock struck & quarter past eight
MISUNDERSTANDING symptom OF the host.
Horizons patience was quite gone,
that Of the other two was fast ebbing
away, when suddenly they were rem
dered Obvious Of the selfish cravings
hunger prompts by a shriek-a pro-
longed, feminine shliek.
Horton was inclined to be romantic,
and Immediately imagined that it vas ut
tered by some fair damsel in the very
direst distress.
ITO the rescue, my brothers !" he
cried, snatching up the poker and shout
dering it forthwith.
And then, followed by the other two,
he proceeded into the passage, It was
dark. None Of the trio knew the geog-
raphy Of the house, but they tramped
on bravely in the direction Of the scream.
Before they had proceeded far the avuaat
courier emphasized his search for the
distressed maid by taking header down
flight of steps. He picked himself up
again without much damage being done,
but he lost the poker.
The weary exploration of IN almost
interminable passage was the next VEN
ture. At the end Of it, however, sharp
eyes detected a door with light peeping
through the chinks.
Toward this door Horton manfully d.
rected his steps, the two others han ing
on by his coat-tails. He Sas about to
force ingress into this room, when sud
denly the door was thrown open and
Dick Faulkner appeared, with face Of
CHASTITY paleness in the bright light.
"Have you seen ghost 2" asked
Frank, merrily, but he received no an.
swer to his question. Dick Faulkner
escaped down the lengthy passage, ur
the fight of steps into his own room,
CHEEKY with large fire, its substantial
viands, andits temperance drinks.
The three men he had left behind him
searched in vain-there was no woman
to be seen anywhere. Who could have
uttered that scream?- Having satisfied
themselves on the point of there being
no one there, they prepared to return tc
the deserted supper table. This time
Horton brought up the rear.
Arrived at the steps, he paused for 9
second or two, to grope for the poker,
thus giving the others a good start,
when door he had not perceived in the
utter darkness opened about three inches,
showing just a CLEAN of light, and q
voice said:
lis he gone? Help me-help me tc
get out of this dreadful placer
"Madam, am your devoted slave,
and, if you mean Faulkner, he is
"Faulkner I" and he threw the door
wide open, revealing to Horizons gaze 9
hotel sitting room of modest dimensions
but which had been rendered pretty in
detail by woman's hand and the pres.
ence of many flowers.
!, he, however, noted nothing, except
the perfection of the whole. She her.
self, who stood before him, was. as he
would have expressed it, siren-that is,
beautiful woman, clad in dark velvet
gown, with creamy lace about her throat
and wrists. What she was doing there
he had no time to ask, for the lady re.
peated the word !" Faulkner" and then
inquired hurriedly, almost excitedly, 4
that were indeed his name.