Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-05-15
CHAPTER XVIII.
Jack o. Lantern.

HURRIED back to the trunk
room and had soon gained the
roof. 10 my disappointment and
chagrin my young lady of the
single slipper was nowhere in sight. I
found, however, lying near the library
chimney a trunk tray that required no
explanation. With this Hezekiah had
blocked the fue, and I smiled as I pic
tured her tiptoeing to reach the Chin
ney crock and dropping the tray across
the top. How gleefully she must have
chuckled as she waited for the fue to
fill and send the smoke ebbing back
into the library. to the discontinue of
her aunt and sister and the suitors
gathered about the hearth. The spirit
of mischief whispered into a
prettier ear d trick better calculated to
cause confusion.
l had thought Hezekiah secure when
l locked the trunk room door. but I
had not counted upon the versatility
n resourcefulness Of that young per-
son. | dropped to the second roof lev
Ell and inspected the down spouts, but
<it was incredible that she had sought
the earth by this means. | swung
myself to a third level and after much
cropping for my bearings decided that
an athletic girl Of Hezekiah's venture
some disposition might, if she set no
great store by her neck. Chamber off
the kitchen roof by means Of a tall
maple whose branches now raspingly
called attention to their slight contact
with the house.
AS the moon cruised into a patch of
clear sky something white futtered
from a maple limb. and l bent and
pulled it free. l took counsel Of a
match behind the kitchen chimney
and found that it was a handkerchief
that had been knotted to the tip Of the
bough. No n but Hezekiah would
have thought Of marking her trail in
this fashion. l held it to my face, and
that faint perfume that had been a
mystifying accompaniment of the
passing Of the mansion ghost became
nothing more unreal than the orris in
Hezekiah's handkerchief case. The
wind whipped the bit Of linen spiteful-
~ in my hands. I reasoned that If
Hezekiah. the inexplicable. had not
meant for me to know the manner Of
her exit she need not have left this
plain hint behind. but the swaying
maple bough did o tempt me. l
hurried back across the roof to secure
the trunk tray. resolved to dispose of
it. seek the open and find the Grant
HeZekiah if she still fingered in the
neighborhood.
I looked off across the windy land
eyes ranged the dark | caught the
glimmer of il light as of Il lantern
borne in the hand in the meadow be-
yond the garden. 1t paused and was
swung back and forth by its unseen
bearer. 1t shed a curious yellow light
and not the white flame of the com
mon lantern. and now it rose Il trif1e
higher and slowly resolved itself into
a weird fantastic face.
Three minutes later | was out of the
house. using the back stairs to avoid
the company in the library. and had
crossed the garden and crawled through
the hedge. AS l rose to my feet a
voice greeted me cheerfully:
well. done. Chimney Man! You
were a little slow hitting the trail. but
: you do pretty we'll considering. How
did you manage with Aunt Octavia
about that slipper? had a narrow
escape in the second floor hall when I
came out Of Cecilia's room. l must
have lowered a record getting upstairs.
And n shoe isn't a bit comfortable.
Allow me to relieve your
Heres your slipper. You ought to
be ashamed of yourself"
"For losing my slipper? l thought
Cinderella had made that respectable"
She placed her hand on my shoulder,
lifted her foot and drew the pump on
with a single tug.
"Well. what did Aunt Octavia say?'
ooh, she had thoughts too dark to
express. You probably heard what we
said. 1t was she who found the slip
per"
Hezekiah laughed. The wind caught
up that laugh and whisked it away
jealousy.
"She found it and carried it to you,
chimney man. and I skipped just as
you began that beautiful story about
finding it in Beacon street. I'm not
supposed to see her, you know, until
Cecilia is all fixed. Hurry and tell
me how you got me out Of It"
"How did you know l would try to
arnlain To Vow dhd u narfa"tiU fool