New-York tribune., 1901-06-09

tiilS Houlnlnl lDulSCretlOn. But come, we are
wandering from our moutons and the pasture
land- Our problem now is a One-sided love af-
fair, in which Fred Norman is heart broken,
while YOU scathess. Had il been otherwise.
snouid never have been consulted, am sure.
Mr. Spencer. how clever of you to-
Let us confine ourselves TO facts please Miss
Ashton. and do remember that the property is
thiee thousand acres in ring fence.
Oh bother the acres Well MIR Norman
wants me To let him know by what train am
going back 10 town on Wednesday, Now, dp
YOU think he would be-I mean if did, should
l te-- You see. no girl in these days likes 10
be thought absurdly prudish, does She
Let ne put ii To YOU in this way. Miss Ash
ton. We VIII agree that you don't particularly
care for Fred Norman. Somewhere. lurking in
ideal Let me suggest perhaps. a hero with
raven locks and a sweeping mUstache. who
bites his neither Lip. and PAGES the apartment
with long, irregular strides"
Please, do be serious Mir. Spencer"
We'll, now. will really he quite serious. Miss
Ashton Suppose some day that you meet this
ldeai or some other ideal. would you quite like
Ia tell him that you wrote 10 young Norman
about your train?-aS the strong probability is
that. if you do he will be your fellow traveller
Thank you very much. Mr.. Spencer. You can
be So nice, when you like. l am going in now
Ia make myself pretty for lunch. l wonder
where the others have been all the morning"
IL was more than an hour past midnight the
men of the party staying at Winners Court
were still lOunging in the smoking room. There
Is an entirely baSeieSS 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
nightly. 70 is a superstition that will never
die, though ii is proved To he an absolute falaCy
in hundreds of houses night after night The
flow OF talk had gradually died away into spas
modic inanities, when the signal was given for
abrupt departure hy the remark: Il wonder
whether any Of You men remember that Ted
setter of mine called Victor The dr"wsieSt
"f smokers jumDrd I" HIS feet with miraculous
prnnpttude. and made dash Tor the hall
The tTearlncss and ElarinS imppSs. .biiitY of the
after midnight doc story are beyond human
endurance. FISHING exploits 50 Emulate healthy
imaginative n AIRY. lut dag stories are funervai
Thr yecrning Tor hei WAS universal
Ther" are TWO or three Iittl" details which are
never omitted al the adjournment - the sInpk-
ing room parliament. The first thing is fl
every one L. EXPRESS his surprise. in an almost
injured tone. al the laten"Ss ~ The hour. and
heaVyWoirht men creak about on cXasperat-
!nsly noisy trt p" and cEchaage hoarse shouts
4 good night with one another in what they
fondly imagine t. De subiued whisper As
these intcrt sting ceremonies Were being per
formed with al due punctIlio. some ole noticed
a strong smell = burning wood. indeed. II was
So strong that he actually ventuIed To break in
upon IN" h"pjS II good night around him L.
d:aN attention To- II
You may het your life. Spencer. my boy. that
this old h2rTack f yours is IN fire. You had
better rouse the The servants and gct the women
folk downstairs quietly
Don't be an ass Ted. il is no use frightening
the ladies out ~ their iiVcs-perhapS for nothing
II is probably only something smould-ring IN
the f:tcheL. thrr" can haze been no other fires
lighted in this weather Let seq where We
are rrsL Come along. You boys IN show YOU
th,- way"
When the smI liking room party invaded tht
sacred precincts of the kitchen there 10
longer room cor doubt about the fire. The roar
of the flames could be heard i'm the enormous
cavern IL thu old fashioned chimney. and a
brilliant red light shone upon the heart hstOne
and the kitchen floor As, IN" ir" brigade re-
ports 81 quantity phrase it, the kitchen chimney
well alight."
cut over 10 the stables. Charlie. will you. ana
get them - saddle QuiCkstcp for YOU. ani hurry
into Lilfield hard you can go. The fire
engine is al the Town Hall They may perhaps
turn out little quicker for You than they
would for groom. and you needn't mind knock
ing the horse up; il can't be helped. Send the
men from the stables over here they
have saddled your horse"
Come along, you men. we can do 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