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

compelled my sympathetic attention
and the nine silk hats that had seer
bobbing over the stie still danced be
fore my eyes.
Miss HOLSTER" | said, my time II
yours TO command. My office is wei
organized. and | am sure that my as
sstant is equal to any demands that
may be made upon him. Pray state In
what manner | may serve you"
81 am going far. | know, Mr.. Ames
but beg that you will not be In haste
to leave my aunt's house. She must
have been strongly prejudiced in your
favor or she would not have asked
you here on so short acquaintance.
am confident that she has no thought
OF your leaving, She expressed her
great liking for you at luncheon. and
am sure that she will see to 1t that
you do not lack for entertainment |
assume that you must have gathered
from what Mr.. Virgins told you OF my
acquaintance with him the peculiar
| plight In which ! am placed
| bowed II she CROPPED. in the dark
| and needed my help In finding the
| light, | was not the man TO desert her.
had dropped my plumb line into too
many dark chimneys not to feel the
fascination of mystery As | express
ed again my entire willingness to abide
mt Hopefield Manor as long as she
wished. the footman announced Mr..
Hartley Virgins.
We bad hardly exchanged greetings
before another man was announced.
and then another. / should say that 1t
was at intervals OF about three min
utes that the sedate servant appeared
In the curtalned doorway and announc-
ed caller until nine had been admit
ted. My spirits scared high as the gen.
tlemen from the Prescott Arms ap
peared one after the other. The ear
Her arrivals rose TO greet the later
ones. and as they were all In evening
clothes | experienced. as when | had
seen the same gentlemen In their after
noon ralment crossing the stile. sense
OF something fantastic and eerie In
them. In the interest OF brevity and
TO avoid confusion. | tabulate them
here with a notation as to their resi-
deDce aud occupation. taking such data |
from the notebook In which, at subse-
queDt dates, | set down the facts |
which are the basis of this chronicle.
Hartley Virgins, lawyer and farm
err. Hare and Tortoise club. New York.
Linnaens b. Henderson. planter. Roa-
noke. Va
Cecil Hugh. Lord Arrowood. no oc-
cupa ton. Arrowood, Hants. England.
Daniel +. 0rmsby. manufacturer Of
knit goods. Utica, N Y.
:. Forrest Hume. lecturer on Scan
dinavian literature. Occidental univer-
sity. Long Trail, Okla.
John Stewart Dick, pragmatist. Oma-
ha. Neb.
Pendennis ]. Arbuthnot. banker and
horsemau, Lexington. Ky
Perciyal b Sballenberger novelist
and small fruits. Sycamore. Ind.
Geosge w. Gorse. capitalist. Red
lands. Cal.
We rose and stood In our several I
places when moment later Miss DC.
iavia entered. She greeted the suitors
yraciously and then in her most charm I
ing manner called one after the other
10 sit beside her on long davenport. !
he time apportioned being weighed G
With nicely, so that none might feel [
himself sighted or preferred. These b
interviews consumed more than half 1
IN hour, and the movement thus occa-
toned gave considerable animation TO r
he scene. 5
Ii may seem ridiculous that nine I
Gentlemen thus paying court TO a v
'ouug woman should call upon her at |,
he same hour. but must say that the a
ravity OF the Suitors and the entire II
obriety OF Cecilia did not affect me d
nor did feel at all out of "
lace in this strange company. | found C
nyself agreeably engaged for several W
minutes In discussing Ibsen with the c,
,klahoma professor. who proved to be
delightful fellow. His experience of I,
Re was apparently wide, and he told Il
le with an engaging frankness OF his '
leeting with the HOLSTERS in France c;
nd OF his pursuit of them over many te
cary miles the previous summer. AS
o one had elected his courses in the d
at the beginning of the fall al
,rm he had been granted leave OF
bsenee, and this accounted for his h'
-eedom TO press his suit at Hope n
ED Manor at this season BE was S
ig fellow. with clean cut features.
nd bore himself with manly deter n
lination that found attractive. r,
He alone. | may say, of the nine Ii
len who had thus appeared In Miss OF
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