Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-03-27

o uellVereu my message TO MI.
Wiggins"'
Il did. He is badly out Of sorts and
sees nothing clearly. He is very bitter
toward your aunt. He thinks she has
treated him o~utrageously."
Aunt Octavia has done nothing of
the kind" she replied with spirit. "Mr.
Virgins has no right to speak Of Aunt
Octavia save in terms Of kindness. If
her wits are sharper than his, it is not
her fault. that l can see. But there are
matters here that l do not understand,
Mr.. Ames. l trust you, as my aunt
evidently does. or l should not be talk
ing to you as I am, and 1 am moved to
ask a favor Of you, a favor Of consid-
cradle weight, in view Of the fact that
you are a professional man, with,
doubtless. many pressing calls upon
your time"
l bowed humbly before this compli-
ment. My time had been lightly APP
praised by Miss Octavia and again by
Virgins. A long telegram from my
assistant that reached me while 1 dress
ed for dinner had urged my immediate
attendance upon my Office. Some of
my best clients, now reopening their
houses for the winter. were in desper-
ate straits. But, Octavia HOLSTERS do
not occur in the life of every young
man, and both Cecilia and Hezekiah
had taken strong hold upon my imagi-
nation. Virgins place among the dra-
MATHS personae would in itself have
compelled my sympathetic attention,
and the nine silk hats that l had seen
bobbing over the stile still danced be-
fore my eyes.
Miss Hollister," 1 said, my time is
yours to command. My Office is we'll
organized, and l am sure that my as
sistant is equal to any demands that
may be made upon him. Pray state in
what manner may serve you"
81 am going far. I know, Mr.. Ames,
but I beg that you will. not be in haste
to leave my aunt's house. She must
have been strongly p%rejudiced in your
favor or she would not have, asked
you here on so short acquaintance. I
am confident that she has no thought
of your leaving. She expressed her
great liking for you at luncheon, and
1 I'M sure that she will see to it that
you do not lack for entertainment. 1
assume that you must have gathered
from what Mr.. Virgins told you of my
acquaintance with him the peculiar
plight in which l am placed
1 bowed. If she CROPPED in the dark
and needed my help in finding the
light. l was not the man to desert her.
I had dropped my plumb line into too
many dark chimneys not to feel the
fascination of mystery. AS I express
ed again my entire willingness to abide
at Hopefeld Manor as long as she
wished, the footman announced Mr..
Hartley Virgins.
We had hardly exchanged greetings
before another man was announced,
and then another. l should say that it
was at intervals Of about three min
utes that the sedate servant appeared
in the curtained doorway and announc-
ed a caller until nine had been admit
ted. Ny spirits scared high as the gen
tlemen from the Prescott Arms ap-
peared n after the other. The ear
lier arrivals rose to greet the later
ones. and as TREY were all in evening
clothes | experienced. as when l had
seen the same gentlemen in their after
noon raiment crossing the stile, a sense
Of something fantastic and eerie in
them. In the interest of brevity and
to avoid confusion, l tabulate them
here with a notation as to their resi-
dence and occupation. taking such data
from the notebook in which, at subse-
quent dates. l set down the facts
which are the basis of this chronicle.
Hartley Virgins, lawyer and farm
err. Hare and Tortoise club, New York.
Linnaeus B. Henderson, planter. Roa-
noke, Va.
Cecil Hugh, Lord Arrowood, no oc-
cupation. Arrowood, Hants, England.
Daniel P. Ormsby, manufacturer of
knit goods, Utica, N. Y.
S. Forrest Hume. lecturer on Scan
| dinavian literature. Occidental univer,
sity. Long Trail, Okla.
John Stewart Dick. pragmatist. Oma-
ha, Neb.
Pendennis J. Arbuthnot, banker and
horseman, Lexington. Ky.
Percival B. Shallenberger. novelist
and small fruits. Sycamore. Ind.
George w. Gorse. capitalist. Red.
lands. Cal.
We rose and stood in our several
places when a moment later Miss DC.
tavia entered. She greeted the suitors
graciously and then in her most charm
ing called one after the other
to sit beside her on a long davenport
the time apportioned being weighed
with nicely. so that none might feel
himself sighted or preferred. These
interviews consumed more than halt
an hour. and the movel.ent thus Occa'
stoned gave considerable animation t.
the scene