The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-08-14

Mr.. Chimney Man, something terri
bic happened just after you LETT that
afternoon. | was bounced, fired-I lost
my job"
"Incredible! I'm sure 1t was not for
any good cause. can testify that you
were model Of attention-you were
SURPRISINGLY discreet. You repelled me
In the most delicate manner when
lntimated that ! should come often on
the DAYS that you made the change"
1.-THE sad part of it was that that
was not only my last day. but my first!
/ had never been there before. except
for q nibb!e now and then when was
in town. Rut couldn't stand 1t. It
was like being in jail-in fact. think
Jail would be preferable. But I'm glad
l spent that one day there. They dis
pensed with my company because ! re-
marked to one of the silly girls who
are making the Asolando their lifework
that thought the English pre-Ra-
phaelites had carried the dish face
rather too far. The girl to whom l ut
tered this heresy was so shocked she
dropped teacup-you know how brit
tie everything Is In there-and came
home. You were really the only ad-
venture l got out Of my day there.
And l didn't find you entirely satisfac-
tory"
Thank you. Francesca. for these
condolences. And having lost your ,po-
sition you are now free to roam the
hills and dream on orchard walls.
Your scheme of life is to my liking.
can see with half an eye that you were
born for the open and that the walls
Of no prison house can ever hold you
again." ..... ......-...-.
She nodded a dreamy acquiesenca
Then she turned two very brown eyes
full upon me and demanded:
what Is your name, please?"
l mentioned 1t.
And you doctor chimneys? That
sounds very amusing
I'm glad you like It. Most people
think It absurd"
what are you doing here? There's
not a chimney in sight"
"Oh. l have a commission in the
neighborhood. Hope6eld Manor. You
may have heard of Miss HOLSTERS
place."
''Of course, every one knows Of her."
And now that think Of it, it was
she about whom you asked in the Aso-
lando that afternoon. You wanted to
know what she said about the tea
room."
Il remember perfectly"
She was quiet for q moment, then
she threw back her head and laughed
that rare laugh Of hers. You might
let me into the joke
1T wouldn't mean anything to you.
I have lot Of private Jokes that are
for my own consumption"
'Your way. Of laughing IL adorable.
I hope to hear more of It. In the Aso-
lando you repulsed me In manner
that won my admiration. but venture
to say now that, II you roam these
pastures, am the grass beneath your
feet and II yonder tuneful water DO
sacred to you sit beside the brook to
learn its song"
you talk well, sir, but from your
tone fear YOU can't forget that We
met first in the Asolando. That day
Of my life Is past, and am by no
means what you might call an Asolan-
ded. don't seem to impress you With
that fact. I'm human being, not to
be picked like red apple, or trampled
upon like grass. or listened to as though
were foolish little brook. I'm great
~ given to the highway, and l prefer
macadam. like asphalt pavements.
too. for the matter Of that. l should
love a motor, but lacking the coin I
pedal a bicycle. My wheel lies down
there in the bushes. You see. Mr..
Chimney Man, l am 9 plain spoken
person and 1avs>ho Intention of Gsceiv-
ing you. Ny name was Francesca for
one day only. 1t may interest you to
know that my real name Is Hezekiah."
"Hezekiah! Then you are Cecilia'c
sister and Miss HOLSTERS niece7"
Guilty"
"And you i've
"Over there somewhere beyond that
ridge" And she waved her hand
vaguely toward the village and laugh
ed again.
"Pray tell me what this particular
joke is. It must be Immensely fun
n.y." I urged, struggling with these new
facts.
"Oh, it's Aunt Octavia! She will be
the death Of me yet. You know tho
girl who waited on Aunt Octavia that
afternoon took all that artistic non.
sense as seriously as funeral, and she
told me after you left, with the great
est horror, that Aunt Octavia had
asked for a cocktail" That laugh rip
pied of again to carry Joy along the
planet trails above us. but you
know" she resumed. that Aunt Oc-
tavia never drank cocktail in her life
and wouldn't. She doesn't know
cocktail from soothing strip. She pines
for adventures. She is just like a
boarding school girl who has read her
first romance Of the young American