The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-05-11
THE BACHELORS SUPPER
PARTY.


ing to drink but seltzer water"
Temperance, my dearfellow. Faulk-
is q temperance man."
ESQ it seems-temperate in pune
i sBYbsE. He asks his frissannd s for s,
and then doesn't keep the appoint
ment himself" and Frank Horton
kicked q huge yule log, which was
burning briskly by the fire, with some
Impotence, and then turned round once
more. and looked at a Widespread sup
per table, which was laid for five, point
ing with a sort of wave of contempt to
the five bottles of temperance drink on
the table-one for each guest, while at
the same time he made the observation,
who is the fifth? There are only four
of u.s.
Horton was a very young mantle
youngest Of the party /; but he was the
most fastidious ON the subject of eating
and drinking. The other two men
were as disappointed at Faulkner's be-
ing converted to the new principles a
b. was ; yet they could not help enjoy
ing his extreme discontinue. The four
men who, at Dick Faulkner's expense,
were to sup together on that especial
night had been thrown out of an invita-
ton to stay In q country house in the
n~eighborhood by the sudden illness of
Mr.. Dent, the host. Dick Faulkner
suggested that they should adjourn to
the hotel in q certain town about six
miles from the house In question, and
where he, being the richest, said he
would stand treat to his three friends.
Except the residents at the house
where they had intended to spend the
day, none of them had any acquaint-
ances in the neighborhood. 1t 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, turning q chair around
from the table and placing himself in
the very front of the fire" always &C.
centric, and I should not wonder if he
phys MS some deyilish trick before this
night is oven. He will not pay for our
suppers for nothing. He'll have some
change out of us, or I 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 a quarter past g.
half past-and no symptom of the host
Horizons patience was quite gone
That of the other two was fast ebbine
away, when suddenIythey were rendered
obliyious of the selfish cravings hunger
prompts by q shriek@a prolonged, fem
mine shrek.
Horton was inclined to be romantic.
and Immediately imagined that it was
uttered by some exquisitely fair damsel
In the very direst distress.
"To the rescue, my brothers |" he
cried, snatching up the poker, and
shouldering 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 dUunt courier emphasized his
search for the distressed maid by taking
a header down q flight of steps. He
picked himself up again without much
damage being done, but he lost the
poker.
The weary exploration of an almost
Roobuk0 was bl6 u0Ab N6ub-
r At the end of it, however, sharp
eyes detected q door with light peeping
through the chinks.
Toward this door Horton manfully
directed his steps, the two others hold
ing ON by his coat-tails. He was about to
force ingress into this room, when sud
denly the door was thrown open, and
Dick Faulkner appeared, with q face of
ghastly paleness in the bright light.
Have you seen q ghost ?" asked
Frank, merrily, but he received no
answer to his question. Dick Faulkner
escaped down the lengthy passage, up
the hight of steps into his own room,
CHEEKY with q large fire, its substantial
viands and its temperance drinks.
The three men he had left behindhim
searched In vain-there was no woman
to be seen anywhere. Who could have
uttered that screame Having satisfied
themselves on the point of there being
no N there, they prepared to return to
the deserted supper table. This time
Horton brought up the rear.
Arrived at the steps, he paused for a
second or two to grope for the poker,
nus giving the others a good start,
when q door he had not perceived in the
utter darkness opened about three inch
es, showing just a CLEAN Of light, and a
voice sid:
us he gomez Help me-help me to
get out of this dreadful placel"
Madam, / am your devoted slave,
and. if you mean Faulkner. he is"
Faulkner | !" and she 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 q woman's hand and the pres.
ence Of many flowers.
He, however, noted nothing excepI
the perfection of the whole. She her.
self, who stood before him, was, as he
would have expressed it, a siren-that
is, a beautiful woman, clad in a darl
velvet gown, with creamy lace about he,
throat and wrists. What she was doing
there he had no time to ask, for the LADY
repeated the word Faulkner" anC
then inquired hurriedly, almost excit
edly, If that were indeed his name.
Horton nodded his head In acquies
enc without speaking. Every sense
he possessed was at that moment merged
into sight, as he gazed at the unexpect
not, but had concentrated ali her powei
Of thought on the name of Faulkner.
"Have you known Mi. Faulkner
long ?" she asked.
"About two years." he answered
briefly, still too much taken up by gaz
ing to waste his energy in words.
"Two years only-then it all hap
pened before 2"
I'll What was it,. But Frank at that
particular moment did not feel any over
Whelming curiosity to ask.
"Is he . drunfard 2" was the LADY,
next question, abruptly put.
Frank thought of the five bottles o
settler, and shuddered. She evidently
miscopstrued his meaning. for. sinking