Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-02-18

'nc balls so easily? You nearly gave
me heart disease doing that
"Oh. that was n mere matter OF a
young lady In haste. When ! found
now easily ! could pass you on the
affair 1t became a fascinating game. and
II was no end OF fun to see lust how
long II would take You to catch me-"
y wish. Eiezekiah. that you would
stay caught
Il very. very careful. sir! We're
talking business now. There's another
ordeal for you before you dare become
sentimental
Then hasten. Let US be after it."
Things are In IL serious predicanent,
! can tell you. ! was frightened when
| looked into that notebook. | didn't
like to do that, but | had to assist
Providence Il little. Five men have al
ready got their quielus."
Then why don't they clear u and
stop their ~nOnsense?'
"Oh, it's their pride, I suppose. and
syery man probably thinks that when
Cecilia has seen IA little more OF him In
particular, In contrast with the othSrs.
he Will win her favor. They're afraid
of one another. tt0ke men. 'rhnt's the
reason they've been herding together
SO close since the first day you came.
Mr.. Virgins wss taking 1t 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 In a bunch came from that. as
though any one OF them wouldn't take
advantage Of the others II he suw a
chance! Some Of this | got from Wig
Gy himself. the rest | Just guessed"
But you may not know that they
sent a delegation after me into town
to warn me off the grass"
That was Mr.. Dick. lie never saw
me when Cecilia was around. and he
was terribly snippy sometimes and
supercilious. but I'm going to get even
with him. I've about, underlined him
for number six" she concluded with
the manner OF a queen who. about to
give her chief executioner his orders
for the day, glances calmly over the list
OF victims.
That's a good idea. Dick is Insult 1
ferable. / hope you haven't counted
wrong"
A we were saying. about the note
book" she resumed, 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 Hopefield. and Lord
s9ssHl sood 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 .eoodby and
spoke very highly of you. Papa and
you are the only gentlemen he met in
America. But now we come to Mr..
Wiggins."
I'VE do: and why in the name OF all
that is beautiful and good hasn't he
tried his luckT'
Because. knowing Cecilia's admira-
ton for him." replied Hezekiah de-
murely. Il have kept him so diverted
that he hasn't been able to bring him
self TO the scratch"
You didn't want him TO blunder In
us the first. fourth or sixth manT's
Hezekiah gravely nodded her pretty
head.
And while you were engaged In this
sisterly labor. Cecilia has been afraid
that you were seriously interested In
him.
THAT Is like Cecilia. She's fine. and
wouldn't cause me trouble for any
thing and there was no doubt Of
Hezekiah's sincerity.
But 10Y that I see the light and I'M
derstand all this. how can we make
sure that WiRsy will he on the spot at
the right moment? While we sit here
he may be the sixth man! ] might
take care OF Wiggy by asking Cecilia
20 marry me. being careful to have him
appear johnny on the spot when l had
been duly declined"
I'm. | shouldn't take any chances II
! were YOU" she replied. feigning to
look at an imaginary bird in n tree top.
for II you had counted wrong and
were really the seventh man she would
have to accept you!"
"I~IeZekiah!' s~
ITO Be C%ontinued.)