Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-04

cused herself. About five minutes later.
when the company had plunged into an
other series of anecdotes, ! suddenly be-
came conscious that the fireplace, near
which sat, had all at once begun to act
strangely. Much in the manner of its
performance the previous night, it alb
ruptly gasped and choked: the smoke bal
looned i'm a great swirl and then poured
! out into the room.
| After my examination of the flues in
the morning / had dismissed them from
my mind. and this extraordinary behavior
| of the library fireplace astounded me. 1t
IS not In reason that perfectly normal
fireplace. built in the most approved
fashion. and with chimneys that rise into
as clear an ether as October can be-
stow. could act so monstrously without
the Intervention of some malign agency.
We had discussed all the possibilities the
previous night. and 1 was not anxious to
hear further lay opinions The chimney's
conduct was annoying. the more so that
10 my professional sense it was ineN-
plicabe
Lord ArrOwood had retreated discreetly
toward the door. and the others had risen
and stood close behind Cecilia whose gaze
was bent rather accusingly upon me.
a dark thought had crossed my mind.
AS our eyes met | felt that she had read
my suspicious and did not wholly reject
them Henderson was valiantly poking
the logs. while one or two of the other
men gave him the benefit of their ad-
NiNe- NioSSeu tne nail 10 tne craving
room. but no one was there. went
back to the billiard room. but saw moth
ing of Miss Octavia. Cecilia had rung
for the foOtman, and l passed him in
the nall on Ills way TO answer her sum-
mons l stopped him with an inquiry on
my lips, but 1 could not ask the gues-
ton: even in my perpieXity as to the
cause of the chimney'S remarkable per-
formances 1 did not so far forget myself
as 10 communicate my suspicion to a
servant
Nothing. Thomas" I said, and the
man passed on.
1t was possible. of course. that Miss Oc-
tavia knew more than she cared to tell
about the cratic ways of the library
chimney, or she might. indeed. be the
cause of its vagaries. Sufficient time had
elapsed after her retirement from the
library to allow her to gain the roof and
clap stopper on the chimney pot. This
did not, however, account for the fact
that on the previous evening she had been
present in the library when the same
chimney had manifested a similar sulki-
ness l was still bordering these things
when l heard loud laughter from the
library, and on returning found the logs
again blazing in the fireplace, from which
the smoke rose demurely in the f1ue.
Ihis fireplace is like geyser. Mr..
Ames." said Cecilia. land spurts smoke
clock on the stair was striking nine last
night when the smoke poured out, and
there-it is striking nine now
She tossed her head slightly, and this
was. thought. i'm disdain of the suspicion
that must still have shown itself a little
stubhornly in my face.
l withdrew again in a few minutes and
followed the great chimney's course up
ward. Miss Octavia's apartments were
at the front of the house, her sitting
room windows looking out upon the Ital-
Ian garden. Her doors were closed, but
knew from examination in the morning
that the flue OF her fireplace tapped the
chimney that rose from the drawing
room, and had nothing whatever to do
with the library chimney.
From the fourth floor gained the roof,
by the route followed on my inspection
Of the house in the morning. The smoke
from the library chimney was rising in
the crisp. still air blithely. 1 leaned upon
the crenelations and looked Off across the
hills. enjoying the loneliness of the sky,
In which the planets throbbed superbly
There was nothing to be learned here
and l crept back to the trapdoor through
which had come, made 1t fast and con-
tinued on down to the library.
Go be continued tomorrow