Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-20
CHAPTER XVII.-Continued.

CHAPTER XVII.-Continued.
Yes. but it didn't save the umbrella
man; he died anyhow, or maybe his pies
| killed him. Papa was so curious about
/ it that he took me with him one night.
just before Aunt Octavia moved here. and
he and I found the rooms and the stair
and the secret spring by which. If you
know just where to poke the wall in the
| fourth-f1oor hall, YOU can disappear as
| mysteriously as you please
But how on earth did you darken the
halls so easily? You nearly gave the
heart disease doing that
"Oh, that was a mere matter Of a
young lady i'm haste. When found how
| easily | could pass You on the stair it
| became a fascinating game, and 1t was
no end of fun to see just how long 1t
| would take you to catch me.
II wish, Hezekial. that you would stay
caught!
BE very, very careful sir! We're talking
business now There's another ordeal for
you before you dare become sentimental"
| Then hasten: let us be after 1t.
| Things are in serious predicament,
l can tell you. / was frightened when l
looked into that notebook didn't like to
do that, but ] had to assist Providence
quietus.".
"Then why don't they clear out and
stop their nonsense?"
'Oh. it's their pride, I suppose. and
every man probably thinks that when
| Cecilia has seen a little more Of him in
particular. in contrast with the others,
he will win her favor They're afraid of
one another. those men: that's the rea-
son they've been herding together close
since that first day you came. Mr.. Wig
gins was taking it for granted. that he
was the whole thing-just like the mani
and those others forced him to join in
some sort of arrangement by which they
were to hang together. These calls in a
bunch came from that. as though any
one of them wouldn't take advantage OF
the others If he saw a chance! Some of
this l got from Wiggy himself, the rest
/ / just guessed
But you may not know that they sent
a delegation after me into town to warn
me off the grass.
| That was Mr.. Dick He never saw me
| when Cecilia was around. And he was
terribly snippy sometimes and supercili-
Gus, but I'm going to get even with him.
six" she concluded. with the manner OF
d queen who, about to give her chief exc
cutioner his orders for the day. glances
calmly over the list of victims.
That's q good idea; Dick is insuffer-
able: hope you haven't counted wrong.
las we were saying about the note
book she resumed, 1.-The fifth man has
already been respectfully declined. The
dates OF tne proposals are written III the
notebook; so I learned from the book that
Mr.. Ormsby, MIR. Arbuthnot and Mr..
IGorse had proposed on the steamer. Pro-.
Hume. as you know. tried his luck at
Hopefeld, and Lord Arrowood must have
stopped Cecilia as she was riding to the
station on my bicycle yesterday morn
ing. His goose is cooked
His goOseberry pie was cooked, but
took 1t away from him. No pie sacred
to Hezekiah can be confiscated by an
iv,dfo 1nr-1 1Dy,Ur
ent health and spirits. It's the close
season for lords in Westminster county;
potted the last one. BY the way. lie
thought YOU were a real ghost when you
He stopped to tell papa goodbye and
spoke very highly Of you: papa and you
are the only gentlemen he met in Amer
lea. But now We come to Mr.. Virgins
We do land why I'm the name of all
THAT is beautiful and good hasn't he tried
his luck?
Because. knowing Ceciiias admiration
for him." replied Hezekiah, demurely. Il
have kept him SO diverted that he hasn't
been able to bring himself to the
scratch
She examined the palm Of her hand
critically to allow me time to grasp this.
You didn't want him to blunder in as
the hrst. fourth or sixth man?"
Hezekiah graveiy nodded her pretty
head.
And while you were engaged in this
sisterly labor. Cecilia has been afraid
that you were seriously interested in
him.
THAT is like Cecilia She's fine and
wouldn't cause me trouble for anything, .
and there was no doubt of Hezekiah' S
sincerity.
But now that l see the light and UNI
derstand all this, how can we make sure
that Wiggy will be on the spot at the
right moment? While we sit here he may
be the sixth man. There's my friend
the eminent thinker from Nebraska, he's
likely to kneel before Cecilia at any mo-
ment, and Henderson and ShallenbergeI
are not asleep.
That's all true, and you've got to fix
it,"
You're leaving the fate Of Virgins and
your sister in my hands? That's heavy
responsibility. Hezekiah. l might take
care of Wiggy by asking Cecilia to marry
me, being careful to have him appear
johnny -on-the-spot when had been duly
declined
..JIm, / shouldn't take any chances il
at an imaginary bird in tree top, "for
il you had counted wrong and were really
the seventh man, she would have to ac-
cept yOu!
"Oh, / really didn't mean what you
thought 1 meant. We don't need to dis
cuss it any more. That's the ordeal I've
arranged for yOu,'' she answered, and
set her lips sternly.
But, my dear Hezekiah, by what
means can this be effected? l don't dare
tell him the combination he's playing
against or sit on him until his hour
strikes
Certainly not; you mustn't tell him
or anybody else. You know the plan. blu,
you're not supposed to. and nobody must
know I've meddled. Meanwhile, Cecilia
must expose herself to proposals at all
times. Aunt Octavia's heart would be
Sh fhnrrOht prOxyidonno hod
been tempered with. She likes Wiggy
well enough. except that his ancestors
were all tories and he can't be q Son OF
the Revolution"
TOO bad; it was very careless OF him
not to do better about his ancestors but
he can't change that now