Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-03-13

~ IA hAH ulSA
WV con, and on the way back to
the inn, after inquiring my
plans for returning to town,
he proposed that l delay my departure
until the following day. What he
wanted. and he put it bluntly. was q
friend at court. and as | had seeming
ly satisfied him Of my entire good faith
and Of my devotion to his interests he
begged that l prOlong my stay in Miss
HOLSTERS house, giving as my excuse
the condition Of the chimneys of Hope
field Manor. He brushed aside my
plea of other engagements and appeal
ed to our old friendship. He was tax
ing his troubles hard, and l felt that
he really needed counsel and support
in the involved state of his affairs. l
did not see how my continued pres
ence under Miss HOLSTERS roof could
materially assist him, and the thought
of remaining there when there was nc
work to be done was r%epugnant to my
sense Of professional honor, but he was
so persistent that l finally yielded.
While we ate luncheon | sought by
every means to divert his thoughts to
other channels. After we were seated
in the dining room four other men fol
lowed, exercising considerable care in
placing themselves as far from II an
other as possible. \ few moments lat
er a motor hummed into the driveway.
and we heard it's owner ordering his
chauffeur to return to town and hold
himself subject to telephone call. This
latest arrival appeared shortly in the
dining room and. surveying the rest Of
us with a disdainful air. sought Il ia
BILE in the remoteSt corner of the room.
Others appeared, until eight in all had
entered. The presence OF these men at
this hour. their air Of alootness and
the care they exercised in isolating
themselves interested me. They ap-
peared to be gentlemen. They were,
indeed, suggestive Of the ampler met
ropolitan world. and One of them was
Enthusiastically a foreigner.
While Virgins appeared to ignore
them, l was conscious that he reviewed
the successive arrivals with every
MANIFESTATION VI IoLlSulpI INV VI
these glum gentlemen seemed familiar.
l could not at once recall him. but
something in his manner teased my
j. memory for a moment before | placed
Sim. Then it dawned upon me that
he was the third mar l had met in
the field overhanging the garden after
my eavesdropping experience the day
before. l thought it as we'll. however,
not to mention this fact, or to speak of
the man l had seen SO grimly posted in
the midst Of the cornfield. l was an
observer, a locker on, at HOpefeld. and
my immediate business was the col
lecting of information.
Twill you kindly tell me, Wiggy, who
these strange gentlemen are and just
what has brought them here at this
hour?"
Il know them-they are guests of the
inn. Most OF them were more or less
companions in our procession across
Europe last summer. The one in the
tan suit is Henderson-you must have
heard of him. The short dark chap of
atraDilious c~ountenance is .Tohn Stew
art Dick, who pretends to be a philoso'
per. AS for the others
He dismissed them with a jerk Of the
head. My wits struggled with his ex-
PLANTATION. 1t is my wish to reduce In
formation to plain terms.
Are these gentlemen, then, your RI
walls for the hand of Miss Cecilia Hol.
lister? II so. they nre a solemn band