Pocahontas star herald., 1908-08-21

tne nuge drawing room were lifted to
oulillt us, we saw at least 20 girls
ranging In age from 18 TO 23, standing
OF sitting around the room in attitudes
vi expectancy | found out later that
tnere were really only six of them, but,
al the time, there looked to be 20.
Ihey were all pretty, all wore evening
dress, and all were talking at once
out as Vincent and l entered they
stopped and Mrs. Armistead came for
ward and presented us to the three
girls We had not yet seen.
The first of the new three, Agatha
fourth, as Vincent and | called her
later, was tall and very fair, with won
derful blue eyes and a beautiful figure.
That our bewilderment and astonish-
ment Increased when she also was pre-
sented to us as the Honorable Agatha
WyclIhof may be easily understood.
Inc next one had light-brown hair
with gold lights in it and her eyes
were a golden hazel AS she, too, was
introduced as the Honorable Wyckhoff
| bowed mechanically, as did Vincent,
not daring to trust myself to utter a
word or repeat the name Then, turn,
ing from Agatha Fifth, we met the
Honorable Agatha Sixth and last, and
| thought she was the prettiest of all.
Delicate and small she was, but every
inch an aristocrat from her small
charming head to her dainty little feet
Her eyes were dark brown, her com.
plexion clear olive, and her hair
straight and soft and Jet black. took
to her at once, though l thought she
looked rather sarcastic.
The introductions over we went in
to dinner, and such a meal as that
was! At one end of the table sat
Mrs. Armistead. while sat at the 9th
er. Agatha First sat on Mrs. Armi-
stead's right. next to her sat Vincent,
and next to him, Agatha Fourth n
tall. fair-haired beauty | have de-
scribed them at length so that it is
not difficult to keep them apart. Next
to her, on my left, sat the plump little
girl with the blue eyes, Agatha Third.
Then on my right-oh, fortunate me!
sat my little lady aristocrat, Agatha
Sixth, and next to her Agatha Second,
her urruly brown curls somewhat
subdued, and looking very fetching in
a costume of pink and white | should
have thought that these girls were
American had ! not had reason to be
lieve that they were English; there
was that breezy simplicity and becom-
ingness about their gowns which
seems to be distinctly American.
But ] nave omitted from my cate
CORY Agatha Fifth. the Agatha of the
hazel eyes. wiz not now take time
to do tistioe to her many charms, but
shall do so later for reasons which viii
soon appear Mrs. Arnistead's sec
retarV, who came In late and slipped
into the seat at Mrs. Arnnstead's left,
completed the number of persons at
the table. She was a quiet young woman
dressed in a severely simple gown OF
gray. and her hair, wtioh was done
very plainly, was distinctly red In
color. Mrs Arm&stead introduced her
to us as her secretary, Miss Marsh.
The meal was well cooked and beau
tifully served. and by the time the
salad course arrived Vincent and had
lost much of our constraint and self
consciousness and were talking and
laughing with the best of them. The
Ievity and freedom from the conven-
tionalities usually observed at din.
ner party, gin which those girls In
dulged, was a bit shocking to me, al
though it did not seem to disconcert
Vincent in the least.
After dinner our adventure de-
yeloped It's most astonishing feature.
At the ,close of the meal the ladies
arose, and we were invited TO remain
and smoke some exceptionally fine
cigars. but before she left the room
the secretary came over to us and in a
low tone told us that when we had
finished our smoke, Mrs Armistead de
sired that we should join her in the
library to discuss business, She-the
, secretary-would come for u.s. as we
would not know the way.
We we're amazed. Business? What
business could we possibly have with
Mrs. Armistead? However We told
the secretary that we would be happy
TO ioin her mistress In the library in
about 20 minutes, although, as | said,
we hadn't the widest idea what we
could possibly have to discuss with
her.
When the secretary withdrew Vim.
cent burst into flood Of excited con-
lecture. Are we In 4 girls boarding
school. or lunatic asylum, or what?"
he demanded. q don't know what to
make of it. II it's an asylum then I'm
distinctly for lunatics They're the
most attractive lot I've ever seen, but
II they're all sisters why didn't Papa
and Mamma Wyckhof find different
names for EN-? Six Agathas, and all
the honorable at that! It's absurd
Put II doesn't seem to bother them;
thew call each other 'Ag, and 'Aggie,
and Agatha just as If 1t were Rose,
or Gwen. or Maud What do you sup.
nose it all means? Ny heads in
whirl"
"My dear fellow" said, II have a
nresentiment that we shall find out
what il all means when we join Mrs.