Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-10-30
When Betty
Came Home.
By C. b. LEWIS.
Copyrighted. 1905, by Associated
Literary Press.


The arrangement was satisfactor
all around. Mrs. Hardin, the widowe,
mother, accompanied by her daughte
Betty and maid, was to spend July an.
August at seashore resort. WI
Hardin, the son, and his college chum
Frank Archer, Were to keep bachelors
hall In the Long Island manor house.
The faithful old servant who ha,
acted as cook for many years pas
was willing to remain. to care for theI
wants and keep the house from bein.
turned into n stable. but she was glyei
two months eff with wages and told I,
make herself scarce.
All went well Mt home and at tn,
seashore for month. Then the tim,
was ripe for something TO happen, ant
something did happen. The mother
met with fall, Miss Betty lost tn,
only young man worth flirting with
and the maid came SO near beinl
drowned in the surf that she threat
ened to quit her job unless the family
retired to a safe distance from the
raging sea. -
Miss Betty wrote her brother VIII
that they would arrive home on a Ger
tain date, and the date was put far
enough ahead to enable the two camp
ers to get the dishes washed up and
their fish poles removed from the par
lor. But what Is the use OF writing
letters to brother who doesn't go &c
the postoface for mail? The letter ar
rived all right, but was not called for
Then. on the afternoon or the even.
Ing on which the family were to ar
rive home. VIII had to go up to Brook.
lyn on pressing business 1t was mid.
night before the young lady gave an
answer TO bis pressing question: and
Ii was two hours later before he
dropped OF q freight train at the coun.
try station half mile from home.
Archer was left TO fish the time
away. cook his own dinner and go To
bed Mt any hour that suited his con.
venience. That hour was 0 o'clock
and he had sixty minutes to get to
sleep when the family arrived. No
VIII appeared at the depot to meet
them, but fortunately they found q
conveyance, and fortunately Miss
Betty had carried her latchkey away
with her and could now make use OF II.
As the hour was late no time was
wasted looking sround-just enough to
be satisfied that brother Will wasn't In
his bed and that 1t would take two
robust women two weeks to put the
house In its former tidy shape. The
n nh
when Archer woke up. He was drea M
Ing that he had hooked fish Ave feet
long and was playing 1t, when he
found himself sitting up In bed with
his eyes wide open.
He felt that some noise had disturbed
him. There had been a great deal of
the Rallies" business In the country.
The chums had talked the matter over
and decided what was to be done In
case he invaded the house under their
guardIanship.
They were armed, and they were to
do their best to kill or capture him.
One chum and one revolver being alb
sent on this occasion made a differ
ence. but nevertheless the chum on
the spot prepared to die for his host.
Getting softly out OF bed and partly
dressing. he soon assured himself that
VIII had not yet returned. Just then
he distinctly heard a noise In the lower
part or the houso-the fall OF some
thing.
Rafies had effected an entrance and
Numbered over q chair. The student of
chemistry hesitated no longer. He
softly opened his door, and, with a
lamp In one hand and a revolver In the
other. he stepped out into the hall to
descend the stairs.
There had certainly been a noise
two noises I'm fact Neither and daugh-
ter occupied rooms at the front OF the
house. After sleeping for a couple of
hours the mother had awakened In a
nervous condition and called her
daughter. This was number one.
The daughter had answered. mixed
sleeping draft and knocked the
bottle on the stand to the floor. This
noise had brought young Archer from
lis room into the hall. and he was Just
In time 70 encounter Miss Betty as she
was returning to her own room.
Or course she was startled. or
course he was startled as well. They
were not ten feet apart, and as they
stood there staring at each other she
forgot that VIII was to have his chum
with him. and II went clean out of his
head that VIII had q mother and sister
anywhere on earth.
Some girls. under the circumstances
might not have been the first to re-
cover their wits Miss Betty was.
She motioned the young man down the
hall. and when he could back I'D no
farther she advanced quite close to
him and whispered:
Mother Is very nervous. and II she
knew you were In the house the shock
might kill her."
Yes" replied Archer in some won
herment.
There is some silver plate down
stairs, but I'm afraid it's not very
good. DO you take bric-a-brae? II SO,
there are few pieces In the parlor
worth your bother. Won't you please
step down and take what you want
and leave US alone up here?"
But. Miss-Miss'- stammered Arch
er. who hadn't yet got it through his
head that the family had returned un-
expectedly.
I'VE have two watches and three
diamond rings up here, but If You
must have them let me get them. Il
won't be gone more than a minute,
Ind I wish you would be very quiet
while I'm gone. l wouldn't have moth
70 rx. g..