Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-25
: THE SIEGE OF THE SEVEN SUITORS
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON.
too,,ass, 1910 BY Meredith All R,eas Reserved,

night or lose out forever. No: not . word
Of explanation; you've got to take my
word for It,"
"I'n be the goat; 60 ahead. but build a
fire under Virgins; can't stay here for
ever
Pepperton's engagement smoothed out
one wrinkle. and felt sure that I could
trust him as an ally. The groom was
holding my horse In the porte-cochere,
and mounted and rode away to the
Prescott Arms.
found Ormsby. Shallenberser. Arbuth-
not. Henderson. Hume and Gorse glumly
sitting In q semi-circle before the hall
fireplace. Deepest gloom pervaded the
inn. 1 have rarely seen melancholy SO
darkly stamped upon the human counter
ance. They turned indifferently and
glared as they recognized me. Shallen-
berger alone rose and greeted me.
II hope there is no bad news, he said
chokingly.
Bad news?'
81 mean Miss Hollister-Miss Cecilia.
We were all deeply grieved last night
to hear Of her sudden fitness: there's al
ways something so terrible in the very
name Of diphtheria.'
Ny wits had been SO sharpened by my
late adventures that 1 readily accounted
for these false tidings. Dick was absent:
Dick alone would have been equal TO this
ors away from Hopefeld. The despair In
those faces taxed my gravity severely.
ut is extremely sad, but the first dag
nosis was erroneous" l answered. Il
think it more likely to prove to be chick
en-pox when the truth IL known"
Not diphtheria?''
mo Immediate danger Of diphtheria, I
assure YOU" l replied: though OF course,
with winter coming on and all that, one
must be prepared for the worst
While he repeated this to the others, !
sought the clerk. who promptly handed
me a note which Virgins had left late
the previous afternoon, to be delivered In
case I called. He had gone to spend a
day or two with Orton. the playwright.
who was at his country house. in the hills
piece, in which friend of Hartley's was
to star. I gained the telephone booth in
one jump. and in five minutes / was
bawling wildly into Orton's ear. I had
known him well in the Hare and Tor
toise, and he answered my demand for
virgins with the heart-breaking news
that Hartley had ridden OF with some
other guests in the flouse-Orton didn't
know where.
II threw them out: I've got to rewrite
my third act: don't care whether they
ever come back" doomed Orton's voice.
IF you don't send Virgins back to me
at Hopeield As fast as he can get there.
my third act is ruined
Tell Virgins to come back on the
end any minute"
.In be glad to get rid OF him." snapped
Orion, in the harried tone OF q man
whose third act has wilted in rehearsal.
AS I came perspiring out OF the tele.
phone booth 1 found the suitors engaged
in eager but subdued debate by the
hearth. They could hardly have heard
my bleatings over the telephone, but they
were greatly concerned about something
Shallenherger, who was apparently the
only one willing to approach me. followed
me to the veranda-
Those fellows in there don't under
stand this. Dick told us all last night
after we had called at the house and beer
refused admittance, that Miss Cecilia wal
i'll with diphtherta- I remember that Il
our cards to the footman. It was quite
singular. you know. our being turnet
away, unless something had been wrong.
bowed gravely. They had been turnet
away for the very simple reason that
after unearthing Adoniram Caldwelfs ef
Miss Octavia had not cared to be troubled
with suitors. The naughty NebraskaT
had drawn upon his Imagination for the
rest.
ago that Miss HOLSTERS malady IL not
diphtherfa. but chicken-pox?' ShalIenber-
ger persisted with almost laughable trepi.
dalton. These gentlemen, l regret to
say, go so far as to doubt your word.
THAT, Mr.. Shallenberser, IL their privi-
lege. But II seems to me that when
merely tried to mitigate the terrible news
impaired by Dick. you are rank ingrates
for questioning my far less doubtful story
Anything between you gentlemen and MT
Dick Is, OF course. none OF my AFFAIR, fol
whether considered as . set, group OF
bunch, I am done with the whole lot OF
you. FAREWELL
(To be continued tomorrow.)