The Yale expositor., 1920-06-03

There was a dozen or them, and the
captain l recognized as Scotty, a
hop who had long worn the birmingham
livery. | waved my hand TO them
and turned TO find Antoine awaiting
me at the Coor.
ITS the troops. sir" he explained.
ITS to keep Dutch and Gretchen and
Elsie-she's tie wife of that Flynn
in proper order. sig."
Troops" was a large term for the
av kward squad of retired walters
and b%ell-hops, and II was with diff
Guilty that | kept my face straight.
ITS most unfortunate, but we was
forced TO it. Dinner is served, sir"
From the dining table in the long
dlning-room I caught glimpses through
the gathering dusk of Scotty's battal-
ion at Its e~volutiOns.
Antoine! !" | said sharply, "what
% you mean by these hints of trouble
on the place? You're not silly
enough to imagine that Dutch and a
couple of women can do anything out
here 10 aid Americas eremiesl And
rs for these inquiries about Mrs.
Bashford, they couldn't possibly have
anything to de with tho war. Specih-
cally, who are the persons who've
asked for ler?"
There's. the party I told you about,
most persistent. who's motored here
three times, and another person who
seems TO be locking for him, sir. It's
most singular"
ats s%ingularly ridiculous; that's
all. They're PROBABLY piaho-tuners
on rival agents for a rug house or
something Of that sort"
"They may be agents, but not that
kind, sir" His lips quivered. either
from fear or vexation ST my refusal
to take his story seriously.
IF anything tangible happens,
Antoine" | said kindly, anything we
can really put our hands on. wen
certainly deal with T.. But you
mustn't get nervous or allow yourself
&c suspect everybody who turns up
here of evil designs against the repub-
lie. I've come here for quiet. you
know. and we can't have every pass
ing stranger throwing the place into
a panic"
had no sooner reached the library,
where he gave me coffee, than | heard
a slow, measured tread OF the broad
brick terrace that ran along the
house on the side toward the
Sound. The windows were open and
the guard was In plain view. |
glanced at Antoine, whose attitude
toward me was that Of one benevo-
lently tolerant of stupidity. He meant
10 a V me in spite OF my obtuseness.
''Tell the picket to remove himself
where | won't hear him. If you please,
Antoine"
He disappeared through one of the
French windows and in q moment |
saw the guard %patrolling n walk some
distance from the house. / now made
myself comfortable with Il book and
cigar, but had hardly settled myself
for a quiet hour before l heard a COM
motion from the direction of the gate,
followed a few minutes later by q
shout and a noisy %colloquy, after which
a roadster arrived In haste at the
front door.
"Mr. Terrence, SIR" announced
Antoine. I'm sorry, sir, but he ran by
the guard at the gate, and our man
below the house stopped him. It's a
precaution we've been taking, sir"
Torrence's sense of humor was
always a little feeble, and l FASTENED
into the hall to reassure him as TO
HIS welcome.
"For Gods sake, Singleton, what's
happened here? A band of pirates
jumped on ny running-board, and
after I'd knocked them off a road
agent stopped me right there in sight
OF the house and poked the muzzle Of
a shotgun in my face"
Mighty sorry you were annoyed,
but there have been soma queer char
acters about, tramps and that sort of
thing and the people on the place are
merely a little anxious. Have a
clgar?"
All | can say is that you'd better
send YOU friends the password
That fool cut there with the is
likely to kill somebody. Antoine"-
he turned TO the butler, who was
drawing the curtains at the windows
IF the property's been threatened,
you should have informed me immedi-
ately."
"Yes, sir; but it's only been quite
recent, and, knowing Mr. Singleton
was coming. we didn't like to bother
YOU"
"We can only apologize, Tory" l
interposed. 1.-THE employees have
been alarmed. but we're bound to
commend their zeal"
"Humph !" he CALCULATED, the
wounds to his dignity still ranking.
/ forced a cigar upon him and talk.
ed of the weather to cover Antoine's
retreat. I resolved not to tell him
tine real cause OF the servants appre-
tensions, knowing his disposition to
magnify trifles ana fearing he might
send the police to investigate. lie
lived only five miles from Barton, a