Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-04-17

the nObleman affably.
"Can l give you a lift? You seem to
be bound for the station. and Pm talk
ing a train myself"
mo, thanks" he replied sharply.
They're a lot of bounders-bounders,
l say"
"Ah! OF whom do you speak, Lord
Arrowood?" l asked, glancing at my
watch.
"Those scoundrels at the inn. They
have thrown me out-thrown me out
me-"
Hard lines, for a fact, but if you
are interested in trains
II refuse to leave the county," he
shouted. eff they think they're going
to get rid of me they're mistaken.
Bounders, l say. bounders".
He uttered this opprobrious term
with great bitterness and crossed his
legs, as though to emphasize his per-
manence upon the bowlder. Patience
IN Il monument is not more %eternally
planted. He seemed in no mood for
conversation. so l sped on, with no
time to lose.
1 gained the step Of the chair car at
tached to the 1918 with some loss Of
dignity, the porter yanking me aboard
under the conductors scornful eye.
The Katonah passengers We're still in
the aisle, and as | surveyed them |
saw Cecilia take a seat in the middle
of the car. She was just unfolding a
,,nyrcrorov uv1,D,, r,oroI IN oo.k
behind her and babe her good morning.
The look she gave me in turning
round had in it something of Hezeki-
abs quizzical humor. This interested
me. because l had not previously seen
any but the most superficial resem-
were aglow from her sprint on the
wheel.
1--WE are both truants. You must
have breakfasted in a hurry to have
caught this train"
mot all. | enjoyed a brief conversa-
ton with your sister, and after she
had gone your aunt came back and
fingered for a moment"
"She told you, I suppose, that Provi.
dence would look after the servant
question. Pm going to assist Provi-
dence a little"
"You become the vicaress of Provi-
dence? 1 admire your spirit"
"It's mere self preservation. Aunt
Octavia would have me chained to the
kitchen if l didn't do something about
it,"
She had permitted me to settle with
pleted this transaction l found that she
had drawn from her purse the little
silver booklet about which Miss Octa-
via had inquired so anxiously. She rails.
ed her eyes with the faraway look in
them.
Can you tell me how to spell Ar.
rowood-is it one or two VS."
zone l think the noble lord uses"
She seemed to write the name, and
l saw her counting on her fingers,
touching them lightly on the open page
of the book.
Then she dropped it into her purse,
which she thrust back carefully into
her pocket. She sighed and was silent.
I gave her in detail the story of the
ghost, and my recital seemed to amuse
her greatly.
You thought it was Aunt Octavia
herself at first, then you thought I was
the spook, and now you are not fully
persuaded that it is not my father.
will take you into my confidence this
far-that 1 don't know how father got
into the house last night. He wrote
note asking me to meet him on the
roof and bring the foils. That was not
unlike him, as he is the dearest father
in the world, and his whims are just
as jolly in their way as Aunt Octavia's
l was sure that Aunt Octavia had re
dress IND carried the foils up through
the trunk room. I had hardly reached
there before my father appeared. The
whole situation-my being there anC
all that-has distressed father.
You think she asked, that those
lights couldn't have winked out twice
by themselves while you We're on thu
stairway:
81 am positive of it. And somebody
"a being of some sort-passed me OF
the stairway. 1t might imaginably
have been you"
But l tell you positively it was not
Then it might have been your father
\ mar who can enter q house at will
might easily play any manner of othel
tricks. His disappearance after I hat
gone down into the house with hin
was just as mysterious as the ghost"
ut was natural for father not to wan
you to know how he got in. The mo
tive for that would be the fact that hi
is not supposed to see me or communi
cate with me in any way"
sit must have occurred to you tina
there is one member of the Hollisrel
family we haven't mentioned in thi:
connection"
IF you mean Hezekiah'-
None other"
"If Hezekiah or my father should b.
caught in the house while I am there
.--A -lo-ll Ill o~, I~1.lr f@,