Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-04-24

machine of the ASOlandO ON her brief
day there, thus to have won this recog-
milton. And further on l noted. among
the desserts, Peche Cecilie with even
greater interest and satisfaction.
Cecilia occupied my mind now. The
visit of the furious suitors to my office
had stirred in me thoughts and aspira-
tons that had never known harborage
in my breast before. The presumption
of those fellows had exceeded any,
thing l had known in my contact with
human kind, and instead of frighten-
Ing me away from Hopefield Manor
they had called my own attention to
the strategic Importance of my pres
ent position as a guest in Miss Octa-
Was house.
AS these thoughts ran through my
mind was finishing my Peche Cecilie
q spurn all sweets ordinarily when |
became Interested in the unusual con-
duct Of a young woman who had en-
tered the front door briskly and walk
ed with a business-like air to the cash.
ier's desk. The girl within the wicket
rose promptly, opened the screen and
without parley Of any sort emptied
the contents of her till into the Wis
ltOr'S reticule. With a nod and a
smile and a moments careless survey
of the room. the girl departed, swing
ing the reticule in her hand. A long
roll she carried under her arm con-
irmed my identification. 1t was Miss
Octavia HOLSTERS Swedish maid, and
the roll beyond ~peradventure contain
ed the plans she had obtained st Pep
perton's Office.
The girl was we'll featured. neat of
figure and becomingly gowned, and as
l watched her leave the shop the light
ness of her step, something smooth
and flowing in her movements, inter-
ested me. / did not know what bust
ness she had to be robbing the Aso-
lando money drawer, but it was alto
gether possible that she was the Hope
field ghost!
On the whole, when l had finally
torn myself away from my assistant,
who made no attempt to conceal his
doubts as to my sanity, and had set
tied myself in the Ala express with
the afternoon papers l was fully salts
fed with the days adventures. l had
told the coachman in the morning not
to trouble to meet me on my return.
and I engaged the village liveryman
to drive me to the house for hire.
There's a heap O. talk in the vii
lage," he observed. ''They do say the
old lady's cracked, if l may so speak
Of her. and that there's ghosts in the
house. And the conduct Of the gentle
men at the Prescott is most remark
able. The words passed that they're
all dippy about the young Miss Hollis
ter that lives with her aunt. l reckon
all rich people are a bit cracked. 1t
appears to go with the money. Mr..
Bassford Hollister-he's the old lady's
brother-he's just as bad as any of 'em.
Yesterday he sat in the village street
countin' the number of people he saw
chewin' gum. Told our doctor in the
village he was fgurin' the amount of
horsepower the American people put
into gum chewin' every year and ex-
poets to find some way Of usin' it to
run machinery. It's harmless, Doc
says. He calls it just the Hollister
idiosyncrasy, If that's the word. But
I reckon it's idiotsyncrasy all right. l
wish you good luck Of your place, sir"
He evidently believed me to be some
sort of upper servant, and this added
to my joy of the day. With my good
humor augmented by the interview [
entered the house. A strange footman
admitted me. and l went to my room
at nee without meeting any n else.
The man followed me with a pencil
ed note. signed with Cecilia's initials,
requesting my presence below as soon
as possible, as she wished to see me
before dinner. The thought that she
wished to see me at any time filled me
with elation. and her few lines,
scratched on a correspondence card.
were a pleasing addendum to our con-
v%ersaion Of the morning. The finding
Of my assistants te%legraphed resigna-
ton on my dressing table, to take eff
feet in January. had not the slightest
effect upon the lofty minarets in which
my fancy now found lodgment. 1t
pleased me to believe that fighting
blood still pulsed in the last of the
house of Ames and that l had hurled
defiance at the organized band Of suit
ors that guarded the Hopefeld gates
and picketed the surrounding hills.