The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-17

wretched farce about seeing Takahiro!
Or II I had only run TO the basement
the moment the house was quarantined,
and got her out the areaway or the coal
hole. And now time was flying. and
Aunt Selma had me by the arm, and
any moment I expected Bella to pounee
on us through the doorway and the
! whole situation to explode with a bang.
1t was after IL before they were ration
al enough to discuss ways and means,
and of course, the first thing suggested
was that we all adjourn below stairs
and clean up after dinner. I could have
slain Max Reed for the notion. and the
Mercer girls for taking him up.
''Of course we will, they said in
duet What a lark And they actually
began TO pin up their dinner gowns. It
was Jim who stopped that
ooh, look here. you people" he OBJ
jected, TN not going to let you do that.
Wen get some servants In tomorrow.
I'll go down and put out the lights. There
will be enough clean dishes for break
fast"
| It was lucky for me that they started q
new discussion then and there about who
would get the breakfast. In the midst
OF the excitement I slipped away 10 carry
the news to Bella. She was where I had
left her. and she had made herself
cup Of tea, and was very much at home,
which was natural.
do you know" she said onlinously.
that you have been away for two hours:
and that have gone through agOnies Of
nervousness Ser fear Jim Wilson would
come down end think came here to
SEQ him?"
mo one would think that Bella"
/
| loathe him-Jlm, too" She looked az me
over the edge of her cup.
'I'll run along now" she said, since
Takahiro isn't here. And II Jim has any
sense at all, he will clear out every maid
| In the house. never saw such kiteh-
en- in all my life. Well. lead the way.
Kit / suppose they are deep IN bridge,
or roulette. or something P"
| She was fixing her veil, and saw
would have to tell her. Personally,
would much rather have told her the
/ house was on fire.
Walt a minute. Bella I said. you
/ see. something queer has happened. You
| know this is the anniversary-well, you
know what II Island Jim was awful!y
glum. So we thought we would come
What are you driving st7'' she de-
manded You are sea-green, Kit.
1
mind because Jim has a jollihcatlon TO
celebrate his divorce"
Tit was Takahiro--in the ambu-
lance" I blurted. Smallpox. We-BeIla,
we are shut IN. guaranteed"
She didn't faint. She just sat down and
/ stared at me. and 7 stared back at her.
Then a miserable alarm clock on the
table suddenly went of like en- explo-
/ sion, and Bella begn TO laugh. I knew
what that was-hysteria. She always
1 had attacks Ike that when things went
wrong l was quite despairing by that
/ time; 7 hoped they would All hear her
and come down stairs and take her up
and put her 70 bed ike a Christian, so
i she could giggle her soul out But after
a bit she Quieted down and began TO cry
softly. and I knew the worst was over.
gave her a shake. and she was so
angry that she got over It altogether.
Kit. you are horrid." she choked.
| Don't you see what position I am in?
I am not going upstairs 70 face Anne
+, and the rest of them. You can just put
me in the coal cellar
Isn't there a window you could get
| through / asked desperately. Lock
/ ing the door doesn't shut up a whole
house."
| Beila's courage revived at that, and
she said yes, there were windows. plenty
of them, only she didn't see how she
could get cut. And l said she would
have to get out, because I was playing
Bella In the performance, and I didn'
care 70 have an undeUstudy. Then the
situation dawned on her. and she sat
down and laughed herself weak in the
knees. OF course shs wanted to stay,
then, and see the fun out. But I was
Arm; she would have to go, and I told
her So Things were complicated enough
without her
| Well. we looked funny, no doubt. Bella
in Russian pony automobile coat over
the black satin she had worn at the
Cleveland's dinner. and 1 in cream lace.
the skirt gathered up from the kitchen
floor, with Bellas ermsne pelerine around
my bare shoulders, ana dishes and over
turned chairs everywhere.
Bella knew more about the lower re-
gions of her ex-home IMAM / would have
| thought. She opened coor in a corner
and led the way through a narrow hall
past the refrigerating room, to a huge,
cenented cellar, with a furnace in the
| center, and a half dozen electric lights
making 1t really brillianx.
Get chair Bella said over her
shoulder. excitediy. 7 can get out cas-
lily here. through the coal hole. Imag-
Inc my"
But it was my turn to grin Bella. From
behind the furnace were ng the most
terrible sounds. raspinG noises that fairly
frayed the silk of my nerves. We stood
petrified for an instant Then Bella
laughed. They are not all gone she
said carefully. ''Some one Is asleep
there
We tiptoed to where we could see
around the furnace, and sure enough,
some one was asleep there. Only, 1t was
not one of the Servants: 1t was a pOrtly
policeman. with a newspaper and an
! empty plate on the floor on one side,
and a champagne bottle on the other.
He had slid down in mis- chair, with his
chin on his brass buttons. and his he'll
met had rolled a dozen feet away. Bella
had TO clap her hand over ner mouth.
Fairly caught" she whispered. ''Sar-
tor Resartus. the arrester arrested. Oh
Jim and his fiawless servfce!"
But after we got over our surprise, we
saw the situation was SERIOUS. The po-
liceman was threatening 10 awaken.
Once he stopped snoring TO yawn noisily,
and we beat a hasty retreat. Bella
switched off the lights In a hurry and
locked the door behind us. We hardly
breathed until we were back in the
kitchen again. and everything quiet. And
then Jimmy called my name from Ut
above somewhere.
81 am going to can him down, Bella y
said firmly Let him help you out
I'm sure I don't see why 1 should have
ali this when the two of yau--
''Oh. no. mol Surely. Kit. you wouidn.'
be so crueli' she whispered pleadingly
You know what he would think. He
oh, Kit, let them all get settled for tbs
night, and then come Gown, Ike dear
and help me out. ] know loads Of ways
honestly l Co."
IF leave you here debated, "whai
about the policeman
Never mind him -franrcaiIy. Tbs
tenl There's Jim up In the pantry. Run
for the sake Of heaven!'
Sol ran. At the top Of the stairs
met Jimmy, very cruInpled as to shlri