Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-02-03

great liking for you at luncheon. and
| am sure that she will see to 1T that
you do not lack for entertainment. !
assume that you must have gathered
from what MIR. Virgins told you Of my
acquaintance with him the peculiar
plight 10 which | am placed"
! bowed. II she CROPPED In the dark
and needed my help In finding the
light. / was not the man to desert her.
] had dropped my plumb line into too
many dark chimneys not to feel the
fascination of mystery. As ! express
ed again my entire willingness to abide
at Hopeneld Manor as long as she
wished. the footman announced Mr..
Hartley Virgins.
We had hardly exchanged greetings
before another man was announced.
and then another. should say that It
was at intervals Of about three min
utes that the sedate servant appeared
ed a caller until nine had been admit
ted. My spirits SCARED high as the gen
tlemen from the Prescott Arms ap-
peared n after the other. The ear
Her arrivals o to greet the later
Ones. and as they were all In evening
clothes ] experienced. a. when ] had
seer the "a me gentlemen In their after
noon raiment crossing the stile. = sense
Of something fantastic and eer!e In
them. In the interest Of brevity and
to avoid confusion. tabulate them
here with Z notation rs to their resi-
dence and occupation. taking such data
from the notebook in which. at suhsc-
quent dates. set down the facts
which are the basis of this chronicle.
Hartley WigGins. lawyer and farm
rr. Hare and Tortoise club. New York.
Linnaeus b. Henderson. planter. Roa-
loke. Va.
Cecil Hugh. Lord Arrowood. nc oc-
cnpat1on, Arrowood. Hants. England.
Daniel P. Ormsby. manufacturer Of
knit goods. Utica. N. Y.
s. Forrest Hume. lecturer on Scan
dinavian literature. Occidental univer-
sity. Long Trail. Okla.
John Stewart Dick. pragmat1st. Oma-
b.. Eeb.
Pepdennis J. Arbuthnot, banker and
horseman. Lexington. Ky.
Perciyal B. Shallenberger. novelist
and small fruits. Sycamore. Ind
George w. Gorse. capitalist. Red
lands. Cal.
We rose and stood In our several
places when a moment later Miss DC
tava entered. She --eeted the suitors
graciously and then In her most harm
ing called one after the other
to sit beside her or q long da davenport.
the time ap%port1oned being weighed
with nicely. no that none might feel
interviews consumed more than halt
an hour. and the movement thus Occa-
stoned gave considerable animation to
the scene.
II may seem ridiculous that nine
gentlemen thus paying court to q
young woman should Gull upon her at
the same hour. but ! must say that the
gravity Of the suitors and the entire
sobrlety Of Cecilia did not affect me
humorously. nor did l feel at all out OF
place in this strange company. ! found
myself ~sgTeeably engaged for severa!
minutes In discussing Ibsen with the
Oklahoma professor. who proved to be
q delightful fellow. His experience OF
ufs was apparently wide. and he told
me with All engaging frankneSs Of his
meeting With the HOLSTERS In France
and Of his pursuit of them over many
weary miles the previous summer. AS
no one had elected his courses In the
university at the beginning OF the fall
term. he had been granted a leave OF
| absence, and this accounted FOR bis
freedom to press his suit at Hope
| field Manor at this season. He was a
big fellow. with clean cut features
and bore himself with a manly deter
| mination that ] found attractive.
F, He alone. | may say. Of the nine
men who had thus appeared In Miss
| O~ctayia's library met me In a cordia
spirit. Even Virgins eemed no
wholly pleased to end me there again
| though he had asked me to remain
The manner OF the others expressed
dIsdain. suspicion or fierce hostility.
When the last man rose from thu
davenport Miss Octnvin called me Il
her side. She seemed contrite at hav
| Ing neglected me during the day, bu'
assured me that later h hoped tt
place nn entire day at my disposal. Al
we talked the nine suitors sat In q
semicircle about Cecilia. while thu
group listened to an a%necdotal ex
| change between Professor Hume ant
Henderson. the Virginia planter. My
opinion Of Cecilia Hollister ns a CIR
OF high spirit. able to carry OF any sit
uation no matter how difficult. rose tt
new attitudes as | watched her. Il
this strange wooiug WAS not to her Tx
ing she certainly made the best Of II
| She capped Henderson's best stor,
with q better II In negro dialect. ant
no professional entertainer could hav,
improved upon her recital. Az she lin
isbed we all Joined In the ger~rN
laugh. Lord Arrowood's guffaw boom
Ing out a trifie boisterously. when Mis-
Octavia quietly rose and excused her
self. About 1--WE minutes later. when til.
company had plunged into another &c
ries o: anecdotes. ] suddenly becum,
conscious that the fireplace. e whicl
] sat. had all at once begun to nc
strangely. Much In the manner Of III
performance the previous night. 1t alb
ruptly gasped and choked. the smoke