The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-08-20

CHAPTER VII.
Receive Visitors.
She was indeed attended by faithful
slaves.
The east wing of the castle was as
still as mouse on the day my house
party arrived. Grim old doors took on
new padlocks, keyholes were carefully
stopped up; ereaking floors were
calked; windows were picketed by un-
compromising articles of furniture de-
ployed to keep my ruthless refugee from
adventuring too close to the danger
zone; and adamantine instructions were
served out to all Of my vassals. Every
thing appeared to be in tip-top shape
for the experiment in stealth.
And yet I trembled. My secret SEEM
ed to be safely planted, but what would
the harvest bei l knew | should watch
those upper windows with hypnotic
zeal, and listen with straining ears for
the inevitable squall of child or the
bark of dog My brain ran riot with
lincipient subterfuges, excuses, apologies
and lies with which my position was to
be sustained.
There would not be minute during
the week to come when | would be per-
fectly free to call my soul my own, and
as for nerves. well, with good luck they
might endure the strain. Popping up IN
bed out of a sound sleep at the slight
est disturbance, with ears wide open
and nerves tingling, was to be nightly
occupation at uncertain intervals; that
was plain to be seen. All day long l
would be shivering with anxiety and
praying for night to come so that l
might lie awake and pray for the sun to
rise, and in this way pass the time as
quickly as possible. There would be diff
ficulty in getting my visitors to bed
early, another thing to test my power
at conniving. They were bridge play
ers, of course, and as such would be up
till all hours of the morning OVERRIDING
themselves in the effort to read each
others thoughts.
thanked the Lord that my electric
lighting system would not be installed
until after they had departed. Ordl-
narily the Lord ism t thanked when an
electric light company fails to perform
its work on schedule time, but in this
case delay was courted.
We were all somewhat surprised and
not little disorganized by the appear
ance of four unexpected servants in the
train Of my party. We hadn't counted
on anything quite so elaborate. There
were two ladys maids, not on friendly
terms with each other; Frenth valet
who had the air of one used to being
served on a tray outside the servants
quarters; and German attendant with
hands constructed especially for the
purpose of kneading and gouging the
innermost muscles of his master, who it
appears had to be kneaded and gouged
three times a day by a masseur in order
to stave off paralysis, locomotor ataxia
or something equally unwelcome to
high liver.
We had ample room for all this physi-
cal increase, but no beds. I transferred
the problem to Poopendyke. How he
solved it | do not know, but from the
woe -begone expression on his face the
morning after the first night, and the
fact that Britton was unnecessarily
rough in shaving me, / gathered that
the two of them had slept on pile OF
rugs in the lower hall.
Elsie Hazard presented me to her
friends and, with lordly generosity,
presented the castle to them. Her hus-
band, DR.. George, thanked me for saw
ing all their lives and then, feeling
draft, turned Up his coat collar and in
formed me that we d all die if didn't
have the cracks stopped up. He seemed
unnecessarily testy about it.
(To Be Continued