Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-23

child that witnesses the manipulation OF
new and wonderful toy.
ITO think. Cecilia, that ] should never
have known OF this IL that chimney had
not smoked.--a remark that caused Pep
perton to glance at me curiously. He
knew as well as did that with ordinary
care every fiue in that house would have
drawn splendidly. Beyond any question"
Miss Octavia kept asserting. beneath
the chambers of the old house down there
We shall find the bones Of that British
soldier who persisted here or it is even
possible that a chest OF hidden treasure
is concealed beneath the floor. What do
you yourself suspect, Mr.. Pepperton?"
We were lighting candles preparatory
to stepping down into the dark stairway.
and Pepperton was plainly hard put to
keep from laughing
Il assure you, Miss HOLSTER. that 1
have told you all / know about the
rooms down there. I'm not very strong
in the ghost faith. and our friend the
umbrella man never dreamed OF such
thing, j assure you, not even after he
had satisfied his fierce craving for pie.
Miss Octavia followed Pepperton slow
ly. pausing frequently to hold her candle
close to the stair walls, whose rough sur
faces confirmed all that Pepperton had
said Of the preservation Of the old tim
bers. 1 had brought a handful of cam
dies. and when we had reached the dark
rooms beneath 1 lighted these and set
them up in the black corners Of the old
rooms. in which. Miss Octavia remarked,
not even the wall paper had been dis
turbed. The exit into the coal cellar. and
concealed openings left for ventilation.
which had escaped me before, were now
pointed out by the architect. who kept
laughing at the huge joke OF it all.
Cecilia murmured her surprise repeat
eddy as we continued the examination:
nothing quite like this had ever hap
pened in the world before, but even as
We walked through these hidden rooms
my thoughts reverted to the crisis so
near at hand in her affairs. had
pledged myself to her service, but saw
no way yet OF assuring the proper Sc
quence Of proposals. The ultimate sew
enth must be Virgins: but how could
manage the penultimate sixth! Cecilia.s
own apparent freedom from care on this
tour of inspection deepened my sense of
responsibility to all concerned. Dick
might by now have persuaded some one
of the others at the inn to offer himself,
mined that the westerner should not out
wit me. 1t was some consolation to know
that while Cecilia was in these lost rooms
in my company she was safe from Dicks
Vaccinations.
My thoughts We're. however, given a
new direction by Miss Octavia. She had
been scrutiniZing the floor closely. ask
ing us all to bring our candles TO bear
upon II. that she might search thorough
ly for any signs OF a trapdoor. beneath
WnlCn the DUTIES VI TIC 1oTltISU sOlulcI
might repose.
you can't tell me" she averred. in her
own peculiar vein, that q house as old
as this has been preserved merely to d.
vert calamity from q superstitious gem
tleman engaged in the manufacture OF
ribless umbrellas and a dyspepsia cure"
Miss Octavia HOLSTER was a woman
to be humored; we all knew this; but
realized with a pang that she was about
to be disappointed. l had expected her to
forget the British soldier In the perfectly
tangible JOY OF secret springs and shostly
chambers. and il had foreseen her per-
sistence in clinging to the tradition of the
Inflated Briton l should have taken the
trouble to hide few bones under the
flooring. Miss Octavia had brought
stick from the coalroom. and was thump
ing the floor with 1t even while Pepperton
tried to discourage her further investiga-
tons. We were all ranged about her
with our candles, and these. with the
others / had thrust into the corners,
lighted the room well.
I'm afraid you've seen the whole OF 1t,
Miss HOLSTER" said Pepperton. The
old house was built after the revolution,
judge, but your British soldier was
probably left hanging to tree and never
buried at ALL
Mr.. Pepperton." she replied. holding
the candle 80 close to tile architect that
he blinked. lit would be far from me to
question your knowledge OF history. but
builder Of this old house had fought on
the seas with John Paul Jones. and had
buried beneath these walls the very sea-
chest that had been his companion on
many eventful voyages"
Pepperton gasped at the absurdity OF
this. and then suppressed-Ais mirth with
difficulty. Cecilia family expostulated:
but / knew Miss Octavia would not be
dissuaded. and thought it as well TO ia
cilitate her search and be done with 1t.
A sailor with rings in his ears and q cut
lass dangling at his side might have
come home from the wars and established
himself on q farm in Westchester county.
and even buried his sea-chest under the
floor Of his house. but in all likelihood he
never had. 1t was not my ONCE, how
ever, to advise Miss Octavia HOLSTER in
such matters. Pepperton had changed
his tune and seemed anxious to follow my
lead. To him she was an eccentric old
woman. whose wealth alone gained her
indulgence in such preposterOus obses-
sions as this. but my own feelings we've
those Of regret that she must SO quickly
be disillusioned. To me she had become