Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-12-29


quaintances donation to the poor, did Il
most singular thing.
He hurled the hard, shining nipple
ment, one end of which had seemed to
Stotesw0Pthy as the entrance to Nam
moth cave, against Il large. bowlder by
the side OF the path.
It shattered into a thousand tinkling
pieces.
Stotesworthy st. John had been held
up, robbed Invested of his clothing
and his self respect by the menacing
muzzle of an empty whisky flask.
For many minutes after the robbers
last brutal laugh had foated back to
him on the evening breeze, Stoteswor-
! thy remained motionless, an unher0ic
statue of humiliation and chagrin.
| StoteswOrthy calculated that it was
about o'clock; the hotel was fully
! half a mile away, and a few yards be-
yond him. where the path debouched
/ from the shadow of the frs and
| spruces, the road was made dazzling
| by the shimmering moonlight. He was
in something of Il predicament.
To remain where he was meant to
court death in the unpleasant form of
pneumonia. To make a dash for it
meant death in a far more unpleasant
| guise of ridicule.
| To slip in unnoticed was practically
| impossible. especially as he had not
| the slightest acquaintance with the
rear of the hotel where an entrance
must be effected.
! The sound of nearby feminine laugh
| ter startled the Inundated author into
activity. and he scuttled into the near
est thicket like a frightened rabbit.
! From this coign of vantage he eau
! tiOuSly peered out.
The laughter had emanated from a
group of persons who were walking
along the road leading to the hotel.
But what peculiar assortment of
| clothes.
One was arrayed in the costume of
colonial days. sword and all; another
| had apparently deserted the fall round
up without discarding the sheepskin
chaps and sombrero before coming to
town; several were hidden in the yolu-
minOus folds of nightgOWn affairs of
various c0lOrs, and all wore masks.
Stotesworthy gazed in fascinated
amazement. There were other ridicu-
l0us costumes than his own abroad
that evening, and for moment he felt
q little easier And then a light dawn
ed upon him, and he grOaned aloud.
The last dance of the season-the
masquerade. ..-..
That's what it was. He had forgot
ten all about it. And it would be 2
o'clock in the morning before the fools
would think of such a thing as sleep;
hence the groan.
Silently and stealthily, though not
quite so incOnspicuOus as an Indian
stalking his quarry, Stotesworthy st.
John alternately crept and dashed to-
ward the unsuspecting Cragside Hall.
He took advantage of every bush
and bowlder in a manner that would
have been a credit to boy scout, and
at last he paused for breath in the
very shadow of the hotel
Cautiously he peered around the
corner and found that he was looking
into what was Enthusiastically the clothes
drying yard Of the establishment
\ sudden inspiration descended upo1
the author, and, not stopping to con
slider the effect his sudden appearance
might have upon the laundress, he
made dash for the first sheet which
met his eye.
AS luck would have it the maid
back was turned, and she did not set
StOteSWOrthy until, with his rOtun(
form partially hidden by the damn
sheet, he passed her on the way to al
open door which, he had shreWdly
guessed. opened into the laundry
ooh, heavens" he heard her whim
per as she sank upon the pile Of liner
in the basket at her feet and hid he,
face in her hands. Il seen it again
Somebody's goin' to die, know
By sheer luck, Stotesworthy, STUN
bling -blindly about in the darkness O.
the hotel basement, came across stair
way unused since the addition to Crag
side Hall was built two seasons before
He mounted to the door at the tOl
and cautiously turned the handle; i
was unlocked. He opened the door ;
crack and peered into a small apart
ment which he did not remember O
ever having seen.
A young man, whom StotesWorthy
recognized as one Familiarity calle(
Tommy by the younger feminine guest
of the hotel. was the only person with
in his range of vision
King Solomon in all his glory wa
never arrayed like Tommy. A dand,
of the court of Louis XIV, or probabl,
Louis himself. he appeared to be as b.
stood by an open window anachro
n1stically inhaling an Egyptian ciga
rette. ...-..
1t was a wonder that Stotesworth
recognized him at all, notwithstandin
he had laid aside his mask, so be
wigged and beruff1ed was he.
"Psst!' Stotesworthy hissed "Psst
Tommy