Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-08-21
THE BACHELORS SUPPER
PARTY,

u
ooh / say, this is too bad. Ask MS
here on such a night, and give us moth
ing to drink but settler water"
Temperance, my dear fellow. Faulk-
ner is a temperance man..
80 1t seems-temperate in pune
tuality rs we'll as in other good
things. He asks his friends for 8,
and then doesn't keep the appoint
ment himself" and Frank Horton
kicked a 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 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 MS.
Horton was very young man-the
youngest Of the party but he was the
most fastldlous on the subject of eating
and drinking. The other two men
were us disappointed at Faulkner's be-
ing converted to the new principles as
III. was yet they could not help enjoy
ing his extreme discontinue. The four
men who, at Dick Faulkncr's expense,
We're to sup together on that especial
night had been thrown ont of an invita-
ton to stay in country house in the
neighborhood by the sudden illness of
Mr.. Dent, the host Dick Faulkner
suggested that they should adjourn to
the hotel in n 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,
elefore, 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 n chair around
from the table and placing himself in
the very front of the fire" always &C.
centric, and L should not wonder if he
plays us some devilish trick before this
night is over. He will net pay for our
suppers for nothing. 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 muttercd Hor-
ton, with horror.
The clock struck n quarter past s.
half past-and no symptom of the host.
Horizons patience was quite gone,
that Of the other two was fast ebbing
away, when suddenlythey were rendered
obliyous of the selfish cravings hunger
prompts by il shriek-a prolonged, fem
mime Shrek
and Immediately imagined that it was
uttered by some eXlulsltely fair damsel
i'll the very djrest distress.
"po the rescue, my brothers !" he
cried, snatching mp the poker, and
shouldering it forthwith.
And then, followed by the other two,
he proceeded into the passage. 1t 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 drdat couTTicr emphasized his
search for the distressed maid by taking
a header down a flight of steps. He
picked himself mp again without much
damage being done, but he lost the
poker.
The weary exploration of an almost
Intermlnable passage was the next vent
IRE At the end of i, however, sharp
eyes detected 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 tais room, when sud
denly the door was thrown open, and
Dick Faulkner appeared, with face of
VASTLY paleness IN the bright light.
" Have yon seen a ghost p asked
Frank, merrily, but he received no
answer to his question. Dick Faulkner
escaped down the lengthy passage, up
the flight OF steps into his own room,
CHEEKY with large fire, its substantial
viands and its Temperance drinks.
The three men he had holt behind him
searched in vain-thcre was no woman
to he seen anywhere. Who could have
uttered that scream? Having satisfied
themselves ON the point Of there being
no one there, they prepared to return to
the deserted supper table This time
Horton brought mp the rear.
Arrived ut the steps, he paused for a
second or two to grope for the poker,
thus giving the others good start,
when door he had not perceived in the
utter darkness opened about three inch
es. showing Just a CLEAN of light, and a
voice said
Is he gone? Help me-help me to
get out ii this dreadful place
Madam, L am your devoted slave,
and. if you mean Faulkner he is
Faulkner /" and she threw the door
wide open, revealing to Horizons gaze a
hotel sitting room of modest dimensions,
but which had been rendered pretty in
detail by n 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 eXpres sed it, n siren-that
is, a beautiful woman, clad in dark
velvet gown, with creamy lace about her
throat and wrists. What she was doing
there he hsd no time to ask, for the lady
repeated the word "Faulkner," and
then inquired hurriedly, almost excit-
edly, if that were indeed his name.
Horton nodded his head in acquies-
cence without speaking Every sense
he possessed was at that moment merged
into sight, rs he gazed at the unexpect-
ed vision. She, meanwhile, needed him
not, but had concentrated all her power
of thought on the name of Faulkner.
"Have You known Mr.. 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
It'll What was it But Frank at that
particular moment did not feel any over
whelming curiosity to ask.
sis be drunkard q was the lady
next question, abruptly put
Frank thought of the five bottles o
settler. and shuddered. She evidentl,