The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-07-01

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 beautiful figure.
That our bewilderment and astonish
ment increased when she also was pre-
sented to us as the Honorable Agatha
Wyckhoff may be easily understood.
The next one had light-brown hair
with gold lights in it and her eyes
We're golden hazel. AS she, too, was
introduced as the Honorable Wyckhoff
l 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 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-the
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 unruly brown curls somewhat
subdued, and looking very fetching in
| a costume of pink and white. | should
nave thought that these girls were
| American had l 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 | have omitted from my cate
CORY Agatha Fifth, the Agatha of the
hazel eyes. / will not now take time
to do justice to her many charms, but
shall do so later for reasons which will
soon appear. Mrs. Armistead's Sec
rotary, who came in late and slipped
into the seat at Mrs. Armistead's left,
completed the number of persons at
the table. She was quiet young woman
dressed in severely simple gown OF
gray and her hair, which was done
very plainly, was distinctly red in
color Mrs. Armistead introduced her
to us as her secretary, Miss Marsh.
Tie meal was we'll 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
levity and freedom from the conven
tionalities usually observed at a din
ner party, IN winch those girls In
dulged, was bit shocking to me, al
though 1t did not seem to disconcer,
Vincent In the least.
After dinner our adventure de
veloped its most astonishing feature
At the close of the meal the ladies
1
and smoke some exceptionally fine
cigars, but before she left the room
the secretary came over to us and in {
low tone told us that, when we hat
finished our smoke, Mrs. Armistead de
sired that we should join her in the
library to discuss business She-tht
secretary-would come for us, as W.
would not know the way
We were amazed. Business? Wha
business could we possibly have will
Mrs. Armistead? However, we tolt
the secretary that we would be happ,
to join her mistress in the library il
about 20 minutes, although. as l said
we hadn't the widest idea what W,
could possibly have to discuss Will
her.
When the secretary withdrew Vim
cent burst into flood of excited con
lecture. Are we in a girls boardin,
school, or lunatic asylum, or what :?
he demanded. Il don't know what t
make of it, If it's an asylum then In
distinctly for lunatics! They're tn
most attractive lot Eve ever seen, bu
If they're all sisters why didn't Pap
and Mamma Wyckhoff find differen
names for EN-? Six Agathas, and al
the honorable at that. It's absurd
But 1t doesn't seem to bother them
they call each other 'Ag. and 'Aggie
and Agatha just as if it were Rose
or Gwen, or Maud! What do you SUI
pose it all means? My heads in
whirl!"
Ny dear fellow" said, 81 have
presentiment that we shall find GU
what 1t all means when we join Mrs
Armistead in the library And W
did. AS have said, my intuitions Sc
dom fail me-
The library was a little room a
some distance from the dining hall. ]
was beautifully furnished, like the res
OF the house, and big fireplace too
up one side of the room. Before
was massive armchair, worn an
old, as If the barons of Wyckhoff 70
ages back had sat in it. On the larg
table were Some legal-looking paper!
Ill and as We ontorod Mrc A.,,;,.a.