The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-03-11

ed cheerfully, Here we are, sir" Al
the last curve of the driveway the
trees seemed suddenly 10 open, aud
there sprang into view he low rooted
many windowed. much nVuirged "cOt.
tage," with its porte-cochere servants
annex. glass rooted cuuserNHtOueS and
deep verandas
"Show you through the house first,
sir?" suggested Timmins.
Might as we'll"
Mr.. Devine was lighting a black ci.
gar This accomplished, he followed
Timmins into the darkened vista of
hall and through the large rooms AS
Bulkins had assured him, the place
was fully furnished. There were
chairs, tables, rugs, books, pictures,
even freshly cut flowers In the vases
upstairs now, sir?"
"0h, / guess the upstairs II keep.
Let's have look at the stable"
Inside of half an hour the Cherub
was smoking lonesomely on the front
veranda, trying to summon a sense of
ownership which it seemed to him i'm
possible that he could ever achieve
Usually man much given to ST
lence, even among his intimates, Mr..
Devine now felt that he wanted to
ak. The stiffness was oppressive. So
this was what it was like to own
country place. was it?
"Fine thing. the country solilo-
quized Mr.. Devine. 81 could spend
just about week here-and then die
of it."
He walked into the library. AS he
did SO he heard a mufIled exclamation
and caught glimpse of a skirt whisk-
ing through a door An easy chair
pulled up before an open bookcase
caught his eye
Hello! l wonder who that was?'
He found push button on the jamb.
He put his thumb on it and waited.
Did you ring, sirT' asked Sc
pulchral voice behind him.
Mr.. Devine jumped and turned to
see solemn faced butler.
"Who else would ring if l didnt?"
demanded the Cherub.
mo one, sir"
"Sure about that are you?"
"Quite sure, SIR
well I'm not. Some one Just skip
ped out of this room as | came in.
Who was itT'
Likely one Of the maids, sir
"Do the maids have the run of the
bookcase, eh? she was sitting here"
Might have been the 'ousekeeper.
sir-Mrs. Timmins, sir"
she's reader. is she? Well, tell
her not to be so skittish next time.
1t gives me the fidgets"
The man had retreated as silently
and abruptly as he had come.
wonder if they're all that kind
commented the Cherub. Guess III
have to hang sleighbells on 'em if |
want to dodge a case of nerves."
Dropping into the easy chair, he be-
gan reading the titles on the backs of
the volumes before him. So all these
books were his, were they? Well, that
was odd. Some day he might want to
do little reading. He had always
meant to, but
Something white on the floor be-
tween the chair and the wall caught
his eye. He stopped and picked up
handkerchief. 1t was a dainty affair,
mostly lace, and there was an initial
in the corner, an embroidered V with
some sort of little pointed crown
above it.
"H-m-m!" said the Cherub. "V can't
stand for Timmins."
Having made this subtle deduction.
he pocketed the handkerchief and
started to look for the factotum who
was caretaker and superintendent and
whose wife was the housekeeper.
"Timmins," said Mr. Devine, what
sized force are we carrying?"
BEG pardon, sir, but Timmins
caught himself abruptly. "Oh, you
mean how many in help? Only five
now, sir, outside of me and Mrs. Tim
Minis"
Five, eh-and two are seven? Let's
see the payroll, will you?"
Timmins produced an account book
In which We're entered names, dates
and amounts. Mr.. Devine glanced
hastily through the list.
"None of 'em seem to have a V in
! their Names" suggested the Cherub.
y v, SlT lliululuS Dlduk look
was wholly convincing.
Maybe you never heard OF any one
whose name began with a V, Tim
minsY"
"Oh, yes, sir There was the Vena-
bles, sir, as used to visit here, and
Volkenberg, who was one OF the gar
deners."
THAT all?"
There might be others, sir, If
could lay my tongue to-
Don't strain your memory, Tim
Minis Ii doesn't matter"
Yet when he had returned to the We
randa to resume his contemplation Of
the viyidly green lawn, over which
the tree shadows were now lengthen-
ing, he could not rid himself of the
notion that somewhere about this big
house, of which he was trying to con
vince himself that he was the owner,
was a person who had not thus far