The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-03-31
CHAPTER V. (Continued.)

mo one would think that. Bella
soothed her. Everybody knows you
Ioathe him-Jim. too" She looked at
me over the edge of her cup.
''Pll 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 a kitchen in all my life. Well.
lead the way, Kit. l suppose they are
deep in Bridge, or roulette. or some.
thing"
She was fixing her veil, and l saw
| would have to tell her Personally,
| would much rather have told her
the house was on fire.
Wait minute, Bella l said You
see. something queer has happened.
You know this is the anniversary
well, you know what it is-and Jim
was awfully glum. So we thought
we would come"
What are you driving at?" she de-
manded You are sea-green, Kit.
What's the matter? You needn't
think l mind because Jim has a tolli-
fication to celebrate his divorce"
TIT was Takahiro--in the am
bulance," blurted Smallpox. We
Bella. we are shut In, Quarantined.
She didn't faint. She Just sat
down and stared at me. and | stared
back at her. Then a miserable alarm
clock on the table suddenly went off
like an explosion. and Bella began to
laugh | knew what that was-hys-
terra. She always had attacks like
that when things went wrong | was
quite despairing by that time;
hoped they would all hear her and
come downstairs and take her up and
put her to bed like Christian. so
she could giggle her soul out But
after a bit she quieted down and be-
gan to cry softly. and I knew the
worst was over l gave her a shake,
and she was so angry that she got
over 1t altogether.
Kit, you are horrid," she choked.
Don't you see what position l am
in? / am not going upstairs to face
Anne and the rest of them. You can
isn't there a window you could get
through" l asked desperately. Lock
ing the door doesn't shut up a whole
house"
Bella's courage revived at that. and
she said yes, there were windows.
plenty of them, only she didn't see
how she could get out. And l said
she would have to get out, because
was playing Bella in the performance,
and | didn't care to have an under
study Then the situation dawned
on her, and she sat down and laughed
herself weak in the knees. OF course
she wanted to stay, then, and see the
fun out. But l was firm; she would
have to go. and told her So Things
were complicated enough without her
Well, we looked funny, no doubt
Bella in a Russian pony automobile
coat over the black satin she had
worn at the Cleveland's dinner, and |
In cream lace. the skirt gathered up
from the kitchen floor, with Bella's
ermine pelerine around my bare shoul-
ders, and dishes and overturned chairs
everywhere.
Bella knew more about the lower re-
gions Of her ex-home than | would
have thought She opened a door in
corner and led the way through a
narrow hall past the refrigerating
room, to a huge, cemented cellar.
with a furnace in the center. and a
half electric lights making it
really brilliant.
Get chair" Bella said over her
shoulder excitedly. Il can get out
easily here. through the coal hole.
Imagine my
But 1t was my turn to grip Bella.
From behind the furnace were coming
the most terrible sounds, rasping
noises that fairly frayed the silk Of
my nerves. We stood petrifed for an
instant Then Bella laughed. They
sre 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 asleeps there. Only. it
was not one of the servants; it was
por,ly policeman, with a newspa-
per and an empty plate on the floor
on one side, and q champagne. bottle
Oh the other. lie had slid down in his
chair. with has chin on his brass but
tons, and his helmet had rolled a
dozen feet away Bella had to clap
her mouth.
Fairly caught" she whispered
"Sartor Resartus, the arresteT ar
rested Oh, Jim and his fawless serv-
ice"
But after we got over our surprise,
We cav the situation was serious The
rgts smsn was threatening to awaken.