Evening star., 1911-01-10
CHAPTER XI.-Continued.

1 SoA400 eS@o0 SeSs
| 1 rose and bowed coldly in dismissal:
but the trio stood their ground stub
| bornly.
II tell you. sir, our organization is
complete!" declared Dick. I'VE signed a
gentleman's agreement only last night
for the express purpose of excluding you.
and you cannot enter as a competitor.
You are only an outsider. and we don't
intend to have you interfering with our
| affairs"
by the pink left ear Of Venus"
blurted, 'is it a trust?''
"You put 1t coarsely. Mr.. Ames. but
| "A suitors' trust? Then il 1 read the
newspapers correctly your organization
| tion of the antitrust law. But may
inquire why, II you have perfected a COM
bination of Miss HOLSTERS suitOrs,
found Lord Arrowood this morning sit
in the greatest detection. Can it be pos
sible that an insurgent has crept into
your organization and incurred the dis
pleasure Of the regulars"
| I'VE ruled him out, Shallenberger
burst forth, because he was q foreigner
and not entitled to a place among free
born Americans! That is one reason
and for another, the colors of his hall
hose were an offense to me. personally"
And for another reason" interposed
/
to pay his board at the Prescott Arms
For this just cause the landlord elected
him shortly after breakfast this morn.
ing"
lute!" / returned. mo trust of suitors
is stronger than its weakest link. BY the
bloody footprints of our forefathers on
| the SHOWS Of Valley Forge. 1 stand for
the right Of the American girl to choose
where she will. You may perch on the
| hills a hnnf Hnnofo1d MQ and hoSfoOc
Cecilia Hollister till the end of time. bu,
my hand is raised against your unright-
eous compact. and l am in the fight to
| stayi Go back to the Prescott Arms
gentlemen, and assure your associates in
this hideous compact of my most distin-
guished consideration and tell them to &c
| to the devil
call upon Washington lady who had
been making life q burden to my assist
ant. and on coming out into 5th avenue
shortly after 1, bethought me of the
Asolando tearoom. My interview with the
| committee OF the SuitOrs had driven from
my mind practically every consideration
and every interest not centered in Hope
field Manor. My thoughts turned CRATE.
fully to the Asolando. where only a few
days ago l had been precipftated into the
| StrangeSt adventures my eventleSs life
had known.
A strange face was visible at the cash.
ier's desk as I entered the tearoom.
passed on. finding the place quite full
seventh table from the right was unoccu
pied. and / hastily appropriated it. A
waitress appeared promptly, murmuring
There no birds in last years nest
and recommended a LOcker-LampsoI
sandwich. whose contents the girl tOll
wholly palatable. AS 1 drank my tes
and ate the sandwich 1 surveyed thu
:, decorated menu card with interest, anC
found pleasurable excitement in discov
ering an item directing attention t.
pickles a la Hezekiah. L. cents" TIL,
delightful Hezekiah must then have i'm
pressed herself upon the deus ex machine
) of the Asolando on her brief day there
thus to have won this recognition. Ant
further on l noted, among the desserts
and satisfaction. Miss HOLSTERS niece:
were among ten thousand young women
and it was quite believable that theil
brief tenure Of Office in the tearoom had
fixed them permanently in the heart OF
the unknown proprietor.
The girl at the cash desk was reading
her head bent as demurely as HeZekiah's
had been on that memorable afternoon
file. ! tried to fancy Cecilia in cap and
apron serving these tables. but my imag-
ination was not equal to the task.
| Cecilia occupied my mind now. The
visit of the furious suitors to my Office
had stirred in me thoughts and aSpira-
tions that had never known harbOrage
in my breast before. The presumption
Of those fellows had exceeded anything
l had known in my contact with human
kind and instead Of frightening me away
from Hopefeld Manor they had called my
own attention to the strategic importance
of my present position as q guest in Miss
Octavias house. Here was a siege OF
suitors- indeed; but 1 was resolved to
/ lrnt tIn ,Pv ,c
barricade.
! AS these thoughts ran through my
mind / was finishing my Peche Cecilie
| q spurn all sweets ordinarily, when
became interested in the unusual conduct
of young woman who had entered the
front door briskly and walked with a
businesslike air to the cashiers desk. The
girl within the wicket rose promptly.
opened the screef. and, without parley
of any sort, emptied the contents of her
nod and a smile and moments careless
| survey of the room, the girl departed
swinging the reticule in her hand A
long roll she carried under her arm con-
| f1rmed my Identification. 1t was Miss
Octavia HOLSTERS Swedish maid, and
the roll, beyond peradventure. contained
the plans she had obtained at Pepperton S
Office.
The girl was well featured, neat OF
figure and becomingly gowned, and as l
watched her leave the shop the lightness
OF her step, something smooth and flow
| ing in her movements, interested me- /
did not know what business she had to
| be robbing the Asolando money drawer,
but it was altogether possible that she
was the Hopefield ghost!
On the whole, when I had finally torn
myself away from my assistant-who
made no attempt to conceal his doubts as
to my sanity-and had settled myself in
the ala express with the afternoon pa
pers. l was fully satisfied with the days
| adventures.