Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-04-03

places when y moment later Miss 90,
Ja,ja entcr,d she 2rrrtrd The <uitor>
gr0yjou>ly and then in hrr most charm
I0s manner rA|'rd one attrt the 'thc'
~ ~}t beside her w u 'Aua davenport
the time apporuonrd being weighed
with niccty. 50 that none might feet
himself sighted or preferred These
interviews consumed mon, than half
an hour and the movement thus ocra.
stoned gave considerable animation 10
the scene
1t may seem ridiculous that nine
gentlemen thus paying court 10
Young woman should rAH upon her ut
the same hour. but must say that the
gravity of the Suitor> and the entire
SohrScty of Cecilia did not affect me
humovouSly, nor did feel NJ all out Of
place III this strange company found
myself aGrerablN engaged for several
minutes in di>ruS>juH lhSru With the
oklahoma professor who proved ~ We
n delightful follow His experience of
life WAS apparently wide aud he told
ne With an ru-A~jug twuknCSS Of his
Meeting with >hc HOLSTERS IN Franco
and ot his pursuit " them over many
weary miles the previous summer AS
ne one had elected his courses in the
university at the hCliuuinG of the fall
tenn he had been granted n leave OF
absence and THIS accounted for his
freedom To press his suit ut Hope
field Manor al this season He was
big fellow. with clean cnt features
and bore himself with a manly deter
mination shat found attractive
He alone ! may say ot the nine
men who had thus appeared in Miss
OCtavia'S lhrarN met me in rordi@
spirit Even Virgins seemed not
wholly pleased {" find me there again.
though he had asked me to remain
The manner OF the others expressed
disdam suspicion or fierce hostility
When the last man rose from the
davenport Miss OctaNia called me To
her side She seemed coutritc NJ hay
ing neglected me during the day, hut
assured me that later she hoped 10
place an entire day NJ my disposal As
semicirclc ahuut Cecilia while the
group listened to an anerdota eN
change between Professor Hume and
Henderson, the Virginia planter My
opinion of Cecilia llolhtcr rs Il girl
of high spirit. able 70 carry of any sit
uution no matter how difficult rose To
new attitudes as | watched her IL
ing she certainly made the best of II
She capped IlcndprSOn'S best story
with better one in negro dialect, and
no professional entertainer could have
improved upon her recital AS she fin
iShed we all Joined in the general
laugh. Lord Arrowood'S outlaw boom.
ing out trile hoiSterouSly, when Miss
0ctavia quietly rose and excused her
self, About five minutes later. when the
company had plunged into another q"
ries of anecdotes, | suddenly became
conscious that the fireplace, near which
l sat. had all ut once begun to act
strangely Much In the manner OF III
performance the previous night, ii :,
ruptly gasped and chokcd. the smoke
ballooncd IN great swirl and then
poured out into the room
After my examination of the fines ia
the morning had dismissed them
from my mind, and this extraordinary
behavior of the library fireplace Il
founded me 1t is not in reason that
Il perfectly normal fireplace. built IN
the most approved fashion and with
chimncys that rise into as clear 10
ether as October can hcStow could act
so monStrously without the intervcn
ton of some maign agency We had
discussed all the possibilities the pre-
vious night ana | was not anxious to
hear further lay opinions The chin
ncy's conduct was annoying the more
so that to my professional sense II
was ineXpIicahle
Lord AToWood had rctrcatcd dis
creetly toward the door. and the others
had risen ana stood close behind &c.
ella, whose gaze WAS bent rather nc
CusingIy upon me
4 dark thought had crossed my mind
AS our eyes met felt that she had
reject them Henderson WAS vallantly
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 10 the billiard room hnt
saw nothing Of Miss 0ctnvIa Cecilia
had rung for the footman and passed
him in the han on his way ia answer
her summons ! stopped him with al
inquiry on my lips hut could not uSli
the question Even In my prrplcNity
as to I'll" cause of the chimncy's re-
markablo performances | did not 50
far forget myself MS to communicate
my suspicion TO 4 servant
Nothing. Thomas" / said and the
man passed on
1t was possible, of course, that Miss
Octavia knew more than she cared 10
tell about the crratic ways Of The II
brary chimney, 81 she might indeed lac