The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-09-18
u wish, Hszskiah, that you would stay
caught"

About it that be took; me with him one
night Just before Aunt Octavia moved
here, and be and found the rooms
and the stair and the secret spring by
which. II you know just where to poke
the wall tn the fourth door hall you
can disappear as mysteriously % you
please"
but how on earth did you darken
I; the halls so easily? You nearly gave
me heart disease doing THAR
"Oh, that was mere matter of
young lady in haste! When l found
how easily could pass you on the
stair it became fascinating game, and
it was no end Of fun to see just how
/, long it would take you to catch me-"
Il wish. Hezekiah. that you would
stay caught"
+, "Be very. very careful. sir: We'ro
talking business now. There's another
ordeal for you before you dare become
sentimental"
"Tllen hasten. 5. Let us be after it." :,
! Things are In q serious predicament,
can tell you. was frightened when
looked into that notebook. didn't
like to do that. but had to assist
Providence little. Five men have al
ready got their qujetus."
Then why don't they clear out and
stop their nonsense?"
"Oh. it's their pride, suppose. and
every man probably thinks that when
Cecilia has seen little more Of him In
particular. in contrast with the others,
he will win her favor. They're afraid
;. Of one another, those men. That's the
reason they've been herding together
SO close since the first day you came.
Mr.. Virgins was taking it for granted
that he was the whole thing-just like
the mainland those others forced him
to Join in some arrangement by which
! they were to hang together. These
calls III bunch came from that, as
! though any one Of them wouldn't take
advantage Of the others II he saw q
chance! Some Of this I got from Wig
gy himself, the rest l just guessed"
but you may not know. that they
sent delegation after me into town
to warn me Cd; the grass
.:That was Mr.. Dick. He never saw
me when Cecilia was around, and he
was terribly snippy sometimes and
F, supercilious, but I'm going to get even
with him. I've about underlined hira
for number SIX" she concluded with
the manner Of queen who. about to
give her chief execuioner his orders
for the day. glances calmly over the list
Of victims.
THAT'S good idea. Dick is insult
ferable. ] hope you haven't counted
wrong"
"As we were saying, about the note.
book" she resumed, 1.-The fifth man has
already been respectfully declined.
The dates Of the proposals are written
In the notebook, so learned from the
book that Mr.. Ormsby. Mr.. Arbuthnot
and Mr.. Gorse had proposed on the
steamer. Professor Hume. you know,
tried his luck at Hope6eld, and Lord
Arrowood must have stopped Cecilia as
she was riding to the station on my
bicycle yesterday morning. His goose
is cooked"
He stopped to tell papa goodby and
spoke very highly Of you. Papa and
you are the only gentlemen be met in
America. But now we come to Mr..
Virgins"
I'VE do; and why in the name Of all
that is beautiful and good hasn't he
tried his luck p
Because, knowing Cecilia's admira-
tion for him." replied Hezekiah de-
murely, Il have kept him 50 diverted
that he hasn't been able to bring him
self to the scratch
''You didn't want him to blunder in
as the first, fourth or sixth manY"
Hezekiah gravely nodded her pretty
head.
And while you were engaged in this
sfsterly labor, Cecilia has been afraid
that you were seriously interested in
'hfm!r
(ContipuSA.) W.