Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-06

other ideai would you quite like to tell him that you wrote to young Norman about your train-as the strong probability is that, if you do, he win be your fellow traveller"
 .ssThank you very much. Mir. Spen- cer. You can be so nice, when you like. Lam going in. now to make my self pretty for mnch. wonder where the others have been all the morn ing"
 It was more than an hour past mid- night; the men of the party staying at Winners court were still lounging in the smoking room. There is an entirely baseless superstition among all men in all country houses that their combined conversational powers are equal to the task of keeping each other amused for three hours or so nightly. It is superstition that will never die, though it is proved to be an absolute fallacy in hun dreds of houses night after night. The flow of talk had gradually died away into spasmodic inanities, when the signal was given for abrupt de- parture by the remark: 'sI wonder whether any of you remember that red setter of mine called Victor? ? z The drowsiest of smokers jumped to his feet with miraculous promptitude and made dash for the hall. The dreariness and glaring impossibility of the after-midnight dog story are beyond human endurance. Fishing exploits stimulate healthy imaginative rivalry, but dog stories are funeral. The yearning for bed was universal.
 There are two or three little details which are never omitted at the ad- journment of the smoking room par liament. The first thing is for every one to express his surprise, in an al- most injured tone, at the lateness of the hour; and then, in deference to the sleeping household, heavyweight men creak about on exasperatingly noisy tiptoe and exchange hoarse shouts of goodnight with one an- other in what they fondly imagine to be a subiued whisper. As these in teresting ceremonies were being per formed with all due punctilio, some one noticed a strong smell of burn ing wood, indeed, it was so strong that he actually ventured to break in upon the hoots of goodnight around him to draw attention to it.
 "You may bet your life, Spencer, my boy, that this old barrack of yours servants, and get the womenfolk down stairs quietly"
 Don't be an ass, Ted, it is no use frightening the ladies out of their lives-perhaps for nothing. It's prob ably only something smouldering in the kitchen, there can have been no other fires lighted in this weather. Let us see where we are first. Come along, boys, I'll show you the way"
 When the smoking room party in- vaded the sacred precincts of the kitchen there was no longer room for doubt about the fire. The roar of the cavern of the old-fashioned chimney, and brilliant red light shone upon the hearthstone and the kitchen floor. "Cut over to the stables, Charlie, will you, and get them to saddle Quickstep for you, and hurry into Lilfield as hard as you can go. The fire engine is at the town hall. They may perhaps turn out a little quick CT for you than they. would for a groom, and you needn't mind knock ing the horse up; it can't be helped. Send the men from the stables over here as soon as they have saddled your horse."
 "Come along, you men. we can do 1 nothing down here. I'll take you up on the roof by the back stairs. Come up as quickly as you can. We had better get the blankets out of the spare rooms and try to stifie the chim- ney. There are some waterjugs in that pantry, they'll be useful"
 2 All efforts to extinguish the fire were, however, in vain; the most that could be done was to check it's spread ing from the west wing of the house by keeping up as constant cascade of water as possible with stable buck cts upon the rooms adjoining the out break. The fire, however, continued to extend it's borders in all directions, as the now white-hot brickwork of the. chimney conymunicated destruc- tion to the panelhg of all the rooms 1 that surrounded its glowing shaft.
 The noise of Gese proceedings had in the mean time reused the whole house. Amy Akhton had hurried into a peignor and pair of slippers, and was just hesitating at her door before making dash over to her aunt's bed room for consolation and advice, when Spencer, begrimed with smoke rushed along the corridor. Confronted by sudden temptation, human nature is but weak. This glorious and un- looked-for opportunity of holding in his arms, for just five short minutes, this most tempting and tantalizing of girls was too much for him. He knew that, to her, he was merely a middle-aged fogy; in few months she would probably marry Fred Nor man or some other young cub. His house might burn to cinders for all that he cared, but the wild intoxica- | ton of having her in his arms for those few minutes, he resolved should be his. With resolute man, to think | is to act. He hurried toward her.
 "There is not minute to be lost Miss Ashton; trust yourself entirely | to me-" With these words he lifted her boldly from the ground. Amy | Ashton had no time to think; her arm