The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-08-21
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CONTINUED from Last Issue.)
CHAPTER viii.
Nine Silk Hats cress . StiIs.
40 this was the child whose devo.
~ ton had rendered Virgins 20
- miserable and the sister OF
whom Cecilia HOLSTER and her
aunt had spoken 30 strangely. I had
not suspected it She was as unlike
Cecilia a. possible. and the difference
lay in her Independent spirit and bub'
bling humor.
She jumped down from the wall, shook
three apples from tree and sustained
them in the air with the deftness and
certainty Of practiced jugglery. Her
absorption was complete. and when
she wearied Of this sport she dung the
apples away, one after the other. with
a boys free swing of the arm. Her
lick would have delighted in her. Dob
son would have spun her bright hair
into q rondeau, but only Ahrich. with
a twinkle in his eye, could have brought
her up to date in a dozen Ginning coup
lets.
She had gone on up to the crest OF
the orchard and stood clearly limned
against the sky. her hands thrust into
the pockets Of her sweater. She ap-
peared to be intent upon something
that lay beyond and half turned her
head and summoned me by whistling.
l liked this better than the quotation
method Of address. 1t was clear.
shriIl pipe. that whistle. and she. en-.
phasized It further by q peremptory
wave of her arm. When stood beside
her was surprised to find that the site
commanded wide area, including the
uumistakable roofs and chimneys Of
Hope6eld Manor. half a mile distant.
"You will see something funny down
there in a minute They are out Of
sight now, but there's stile, the kind
with steps. just beyond those trees.
Its in a path that leads from the
Prescott Arms to Aunt Octavia's.
Look!"
4 NY eyes discovered the stile 1t was
set in wall that was. she told me. the
boundary dividing Hope6eld Manor
from another estate nearer our posi-.
ton.
Suddenly a silk hat bobbed IN the
path beyond the stile. 1t rose as its
swner mounted the steps. 1t paused an
instant when the top Of the stile was
reached, then quickly descended and
came toward US, black blot above
a black coat. was about to ask her
the meaning Of this apparition when q
second silk hat bobbed in the path and
then rose like its predecessor, descend
ing and keeping on its way until hid
den from our sight by shrubbery. A
third, fourth. fifth, sixth, seventh.
eighth and ninth followed. Nine gen
tlemen in silk hats crossing stile In
q lonely pasture between woodlands;
90 much was plain to the eye from our
vantage ground. But CROPPED blindly
for an explanation Of this spectacle.
The bobbing hats and dark coats sug-
gested wanderers from some dark Plu-
tonian cave. bent upon mischief to the
upper world. Their step was jaunty-
they moved as though drilled to the
same cadence
We waited a moment. expecting that
another figure might join the strange
procession, but nine was the correct
count. l looked down to find Heze-
kiah checking them of on the fingers
OF her slim brown hand.
HAS there been funeral. and are
they the returning pail bearers" in
quired.
Y Not yet" she replied.
Her face showed amusement. The
twitching of her lips encouraged hope
that another Of those delightful laughs
was imminent. She said:
'"Those are Cecilia's suitors. They
have been to Aunt Octavia's to tea.
They're staying at the Prescott Arms
probably" 4
They're terribly formal. I can't get
rid Of the impression of somberness
created by those fellows. You'd hard
~ expect them to tramp cross country
In those duds. Such grandeur should
go on wheels"
"Oh. they are afraid Of Aunt Octa-
via. She won't allow motor on her
grounds. and suppose they're afraid
they might break some other rule II
they went on any kind of wheels.
She's rather exacang, you know. :
Aunt Octavia.''
II was at the Prescott for luncheon
today, and must have seen these
gentlemen there"
"Oh. you were at the Prescottf
Almost for the first time her manner
betrayed surprise. but mischief danced
in the brown eyes. With Virgins
confession as to the havoc he had
played with Hezekiah's con6ding heart
fresh in my memory. felt delicacy
about telling her that It was to sec
Virgins that l had visited the inn.
But to my surprise she introduced the
subject Of Virgins Immediately and
a.