Graham guardian., 1913-06-20

young woman should can upon ner at
the same hour, but must say that the
gravity OF the suItors and the entire
sobrlety OF Cecilia did not affect me
humorously. nor did feel at all out OF
place In this strange company. | found
myself agreeably engaged for several
minutes In discussing Ibseu with the
| Oklahoma professor, who proved to be
delightful fellow His experience OF
life was apparently wide, and he told
me with an engaging frankness OF his
meeting with the HOLSTERS In France
sud of his pursuit Of them over many
weary miles the previous sninnier AS
no one had elected his courses in the
university at the beginning of the fall
term. he had been granted a leave OF
absence. and this accounted for his
freedom to press his suit NJ Hope
field Manor at this season He was
biz fellow. with clean cut features,
md bore himself with manly deter
mination that | found attractive.
He alone. may say. OF the nine
men who had thus appeared In Miss
octavias library met me In a cordial
spirit Even Wiggins seemed NOT
wholly pleased to find me there again,
though he had asked me to remain
The manner of the others expressed
dlsdain, suspicion or fierce hostility
When the last man rose from the
davenport Miss Octavin called me to
her side. She seemed contrlte at hav-
ing neglected me during the day. but
assured me that later she hoped 10
place an entire day ut my disposal. as
we talked the nine snitors sat In q
semicircie about Cecilia. while the
group listened to an aneedotal ex-
change between Professor Hume and
Henderson. the Virginia planter. My
opinion OF Cecilia Hollister as q girl
OF high spirit. able TO carry OF any sit
uation no matter how difficult. rose to
new attitudes as watched her. tf
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 i'll negro dialect, and
no professional entertainer could have
improved upon her recital. As she I'm
ished we all joined in the general
laugh. Ierd Arrowood's guffaw boom.
ing out trifie boisterously, 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. nearwhich
sat. had all at once begun to act
strangely Much In the manner Of its
performance the previous night. 1t ab
ruptly gasped and choked. the smoke
ballooned In great swirl and then
poured out into the room.
After my examination OF the hues In
the morning | had dismissed them
from my mind. and this extraordinary
behavior Of the library fireplace as
founded me, II is not in reason that
perfectly normal fireplace, built In
the most approved fashion and with
chlmneys 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 1t
was inexplicable
Lord Arrowood had retreated dis.
creetly toward the door, aud the others
had risen aud stood close behind Ce-
ella, whose gaze was bent rather ac-
cusingly upon me.
A dark thought had crossed my miud.
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
dra wing room. but no one was there.
| went back to the billiard room, but
saw nothing Of Miss 0ctavia. 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
the question. Even in my perplexity
as to the cause of the chimney's re-
markable performances did not so
far forget myself as to communicate
my suspicion to a servant.
Nothing, Thomas" | said, and the
man passed on.
II was possible, of course, that Miss
0ctavia knew more than she cared to
tell about the erratic ways of the IL
brary chimney, or she might indeed be
the cause Of Its vagaries, Sufficient
time bad elapsed after retirement from
the library to allow her to gain the
roof and clap n stopper on the chin
ney pot. This did not. however. ac-
count for the fact that on the previous
evening she had been present in the
library when the same chimney had
manifested a similar sulkiness. ! was
still pondering these things when
heard loud laughter from the library
and on returning found the logs again
blazing In the fireplace, from which the
smoke rose demurely In the tue.
(To BE CoNTINuED)