Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-05
no end of fighting spirit, and as for m
my blood was up.

no end of fighting spirit, and as for me
my blood was up.
Break the lock- l suggested and
Hotcnkiss. standing at the side. out ot
smashing blow with the tongs. The SHOTS
ceased after a half dozen. and the door
was giving, slowly. One OF us on each
side of the door, we were ready for al
! most any kind of desperate resistance
AS it swung open Hotchkiss poised the
| tongs: ! stood, bent forward, my arm
drawn back for blow.
Nothing happened. A.
There was not sound. Finally, at the
risk of losing an eye which / justly value
1 peered around and into the room.
There was no desperate there-only a
fresh-faced, trembling Tipped servant, sit
ting on the edge of her bed, with a quilt
around her shoulders and the empty re-
volver at her feet
We were victorious. but no conquered
army ever beat such a retreat as ours
down the tower stairs and into tho
refuge of the living room. There with
the door closed, sprawled on the divan,
L went from one SpaSm of mirth into an
other, becoming sane at intervals and
suffering relapse again every time [ saw
HotchklSS' diSgruntled countenance He
was pacing the room, the tongs still in
his hand his mouth pursed with irrita-
ton. Finally he stopped in front of me
and compelled my attention.
When YOU have finished cackling." he
said. with dignity. IL wish to Justify my
position. DO YOU think the-er-young
woman upstairs put pair of number
eight boots to dry in the library last
night? Do you think she poured the
whisky out of that decanter?"
They have been known to do it," 1 put
in, but his eye silenced me.
Moreover, if she had been the person
Who peered at you over the gallery rail-
ing last night, don't you suppose, with
Observation-Disclosures disposition, she could
have filled YOU as full of lead as a win
dow weight?''
Il do 1 assented. 1T wasn't Alice-sii-
by-the-fire. l grant you that. Then who
was it -
Hotchkiss felt certain that it had been
Sullivan, but l was not so sure. Why
would he have crawled like thief into
his own house? Ii he had crossed the
park, as seemed probable. when We did.
he had not made any attempt to use the
knOcker. l gave it up finally, and made
an effort to conciliate the young woman
in the tower.
We had heard no sound since our spec
tacular entrance into her ROOM / was
distinctly uncomfortable, as, alone this
time, / climbed to the tower staircase.
Reasoning from before, she would prob
ably throw chair at me. l stopped at
the foot of the staircase and called.
Hello up there" l said. in as debon-
nair a manner az could summon. Good
morning Vie gent es bel ihnen?''
No reply.
Bon jour. mademoiselle." l tried again.
This time there was movement of some
sort from above. but nothing fell on me.
I've want To apologize for rOusing
you so-er-uneXpectedly this morning. :
] went on. THE fact is, we wanted TO
talk to You, and yOu-you We're hard TO
waken. We are travellers. lost in your
mountains. and We crave a breakfast
and an audience.
She came to the door then. | could feel
that she was investigating the top of my
head from above. rs Mr.. Sullivan with
you?" she asked. 1t was the first word
from her, and she was not sure of her
voice.
NO. We alone. If you will come
down and look at us you will find US two
perfectly harmless people, whose horse
curses OH him-departed without leave
last night and left us at your gate.
She relaxed somewhat then and came
down step or two. II was afraid
had killed somebody, she said. THE
housekeeper left yesterday, and the other