The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1913-03-27


though he had asked me to remain
The manner of the others espresso,
disdain. suspicion or fierce hostility.
When the last man rose from tn,
davenport Miss Octavia called me t.
her side She seemed contrite at bav
ing neglected me during the day. bu
assured me that later she hoped t
place an entire day at my disposal. As
we talked the nine suitors sat In O
semlcircle about Cecilia. while the
group listened 10 an anecdotal ex-
change between Professor Hume and
Henderson. the Virginia planter. My
opinion Of Cecilia HOLSTER as a girl
OF high spirit. able to carry off any sit
ation no matter how difficult. rose to
new attitudes as ! watched her. Ii
this strange wooing was not to her lik-
ing she certainly made the best OF It,
She capped Henderson's best story
with better one in negro dialect. and
no professional entertainer could have
improved upon her recital. AS she in-
| ished we all Joined In the general
laugh. Lord Arrowood's guffaw boom
ing ont trihe boisterousy. when Miss
Octavia quietly rose and excused her.
self About five minutes later. when the
company had plunged into another Sc
ries OF anecdotes, | suddenly became
conscious that the fireplace, near which
sat. had all at once begun to act
strangely. Much In the manner of its
performance the previous night. 1t abb
ruptly gasped and choked. the smoke
ballooned In great swirl and then
poured out into the room.
After my examination OF the flues in
the morning | had dismissed them
from my mind and this extraordinary
behavior OF the library fireplace as
founded me. 1t is not In reason that |
perfectly normal fireplace. built In |
the most approved fashion and with |
chimneys that rise into as clear an |
ether as October can bestow could act /
so monstrously without the interven-
ton Of some malign agency. We had
discussed all the possibilities the pre-
vious night, and was not anxious to
hear further lay opinions. The chin
ney's conduct was annoying. the more
so that TO my professional sense ii
was inexplicable.
Lord Arrowood had retreated dis
creetly toward the door, and the others
had risen and stood close behind Ce-
ella. whose gaze was bent rather ac-
cusingly upon me.
A dark thought had crossed my mind.
AS our eyes met | felt that she had
read my suspicious and did not wholly
reject them. Henderson was valiantly
poking the logs. while one of two of
the other men gave him the benefit of
their advice. | crossed the hall to the
drawing room. but no one was there
went back TO the billiard room, but
saw nothing OF Miss Octavia. Cecilia
had rung for the footman. and passed
him In the hall on his way to answer
her summons. ! stopped him with an
Inquiry on my lips. but could not ask
he question Even in my perplexity
rs TO the cause Of the chimney's re- ;
narkable performances | did not so {
ar forget myself as to communicate
ny suspicion to a servant
Nothing. Thomas" | said, and the {
nan passed on 4
Ii was possible. OF course. that Miss [
)ctavia knew more than she cared to 4
ell about the erratic ways of the H.
'rary chimney. or she might indeed be s
he cause Of its vagaries. Sufficient
ime had elapsed after retirement from
he library to allow her to gain the
oof and clap stopper on the chin 8
icy pot This did not. however. ac-
cunt for the fact that on the previous o
vening she had been present in the fl
brary when the same chimney had n
lanifested a similar sulkiness. ! was 8
till pondering these things when | Il
card loud laughter from the library
nd on returning found the logs again CT
lazing In the fireplace. from which the
moke rose demurely In the hue q
This fireplace is like 4 geyser, Mr.
mes" said Cecilia. land spurts smoke
regular intervals. AS | remember, al
he clock on the stair was striking . ST
st night when the smoke poured out,
nd there-it is striking 8 now!' a
She tossed her head slightly. and this 10
as. thought. in disdain Of the sus- cl
cion that must still have shown itself 81
little stubbornly In my face.
| withdrew again In a few minutes al
I'd followed the great chimney's TO
urse upward. Miss Octavia's apart w
ents were at the front of the house.
r sitting room windows looking out do
ION the Italian garden. Her doors w
ERE closed. but | knew from my ex-
in the morning that the due A.,
her fireplace tapped the chimney WI
az rose from the drawing room and
d nothing whatever to do with the go
rary chimney. m'
from the fourth floor | gained the
IF by the route followed on my In IN
action of the house in the morning. ia
e smoke from the library chimney a
IS rising in the crisp, still air blithe- gu
leaned upon the crenelations pls
d looked off across the hills enjoy ere
the lovelineSs of the sky, in which wa
planets throbbed superbly. There ou'
S nothing TO be learned here, and l ly
pt back to the trap door through moi
ch | had come, made it fast and
ltinued on down to the library. Ger