HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1913-09-18, Page 7The Siege
of the
Seven Suitors.
�.— By
MEREDITH NICHOLSON
eopyriebt. 1910, by Meredith *holm
NaltaMfaellialNeeltellaNalefeet
Thls I did a bit jauntily, and I had a
feeling that I was playing my part
even. But the young man before me
seemed to swell with the rage that
surged within him. He broke out fu-
riously, beating the air with bis fist;
then he controlled himself with pain-
ful effort.
"You insult me, but my personal
•grievances must wait," said Dick bro-
kenly; but, speaking for the commit-
tee, I wish to say that your attentions
'to the young lady whom you have
glared, sir, to name are obnoxious to
t,s "
"Nothfug less than that!" added
"Shaileuberger,
"We will net stand for it," growled
sOrmsby's heavy bass.
"Mr. Shallenberger," 1 replied even-
ly, "as a member of the great Hoosier
school of novelists I have the most
•'profound respect tor your talents. My
office buy is dead to the world for
nvee]cs after the appearance of a novel
from your pen. But your interference
in my private affairs is beyond all rea-
son. And as for you, Mr. Ormsby, I
,,dare say your knit goods are worthy of
the fame of the peutup Utica from
•which you come. But to you and all
•of you I bid defiance. I return to
Hopefield Manor by the 4:14 express."
1 rose and bowed coldly In dismissal,
:but the trio stood their ground stub.
,bornly,
"I tell you, sir, our organization is
e•romplete!" declared Dick. "We gn-
I'- a gentleman's agreement only last
night for the express purpose of ex-
•cluding you, and you cannot enter as a
vompetitor. You are only an outsider,
and we don't intend to have yon inter-
fering with our affairs."
"By the pink left ear of Venus," I
blurted, "Is it a trust?"
"You put it coarsely, Mr, Ames,
abut"—
"A suitors' trust? Then, if I read the
newspapers correctly, your organiza-
tion is against public policy and 111
•leontravention of the anti-trust law.
• ut may I inquire why, if you have
' ierfected a combination of Miss Hol-
lister's suitors, is found Lord Arre-
lvoed this morning sitting on a stone
by the roadside, evidently in the great-
• t dejection. Can it be possible that
insurgent has crept into your organ-
ization and incurred the displeasure of
the regulars?"
) "We ruled him out," Sballenberger
angst fortis, "because he was a for-
gner and not entitled to a place
mong freeborn Americans! That is
4IMe reason, and, for another, the col-
brs of his half hose were an offense
•fo me personally."
""And for another reason," interposed Ermsby, "be had no money with which
Eo pay his board at the Prescott Arms.
or this just cause the landlord ejected
tint shortly atter breakfast this morn -
e
i "Then there is already a rift in the
lute!" I returned. "No trust of sellers
is stronger than its weakest link. My
Isand is raised against your unrighteous
tempaet, and I am in the fight to stay!
,rito back to the Prescott Arms, gentle-
men, and assure your associates in this
•.hideous compact of my most distin-
•igu'shed 'consideration and tell them to
to to the devil."
! I had gone to the St Parvenu hotel
‘to call upon a Washington lady who
?tad been making life a burden to my
assistant and On coming out into Ic'ifth
Avenue shortly after 1 bethought me of
the Asolando tea room. My interview
With the committee of the suitors had
/leaven from my mind practically every
Consideration and every intetest not
centered... in. - 8opefleld - Manor,,.• My
Had a Stroke
of Paralysis
. And bound a Cure in Dr. Chase's
Nerve Food.
1t is always better to prevent seri-
ous diseases of the nerves. There are
many warnings, such as sleeplessness,
irritability, headaches and nervous
indigestion.
Isrostratiori, paralysis and locomo-
for ataxia only come when the nerv'
ous system is greatly exhausted, Even
though your aihnent,rnay not yet be
very serious, there is a great satisfac-
tion in knowing that Dr. Chase's
;Verve rood will cure paralysis In its
'+earlier stages.
Mrs. I.. ]aright, 215 Elooth avenue,
'Toronto, Writes: "Two years ago my
husband had a stroke whleh lett him
in a weak, nervous condition. Ile
started tailing Dr, Client's Nerve ?food
lend Kidney -Liver Pine, and we saw
the good results almost immediately.
they have made a. new man of my
husband and We cannot speak too
highly of them."
Dr. Chase's Nerve.rood, GO cents a
box, 6 for $2.56, all deatere, or x d-
enanson, Bates & Limited, Too
tanto,
teineeseeemesasereeethatteeta
r'etPlesting nay presence below as •soon
as possible, as she wished to see me.
before dinner. The thought that she
t wished to see me at any time tilled me
with elation, and her few lines,
scratched on a eorresp.ondeece card,
were a pleasing addendum to our con-
versation of tbe in irnieg. The ifndiug
of my assistant's telegraphed resigua-
tion on n)y 'dressing table, to tate ef-
fect in Jannary, hod not the slightest
effect upon tbe lofty minarets in which
my fancy now found lodgment. It
pleased me to believe that fighting
blood still pulsed in the last of the
house of Ames and that 1 bad burled
defiance at the organized bard of suit-
ors that guarded the Hopefield gates
and picketed the surrounding hills,
TP{: Vi TNG1I A T1 F , i+ ''� . ° Ir 1: IN t1t13.
CHAPT R XIV.
The Riddle of the Sibyl's heaves.
Y question as to which Cecilia
I should find in the library
was quickly answered. Her
frank smile, the candor of
her eyes, confessed a new tie between
us. We were becoming conspirators
within the main conspiracy, whatever
its character might be.
"As to Providence and the cook, what
luck?" I asked.
"Ole I managed that very easily, I
ran into some friends who were going
abroad for the winter. They have a
staff of unuspal servants and were
anxious to keep them together until
their return. I promptly engaged them
all, and they are even now installed."
1 "Well, I have bad an adventure of
my own," 1 remarked, after expressing
any relief that she bad solved the serv-
ant difficulty with so much ease.
"Three gentlemen representing the
suitors' trust now maintaining head-
quarters at the Prescott Arms, warned
me solemnly to keep off the grass. In
other words, I am not to interfere with
their designs neon thet0eart of Miss
Cecilitt Hollister,"
She flung open a fan, held it at arm's
length and scrutinized the daffodils
that were traced upon it.
"So they dared you?"
"So they dared me. And I took the
dare."
HFZE$jAa
thoughts Hired gratefully to the Aso
land°, where only a few days ago I
had been precipitated lute the strangest
adventures my eventless life had
known.
' A strange face was visible at the
cashier's desk as I entered the tea
room. I passed on, finding the pace
quite full, but I took .it as a good omen
that the seventh table from the right
was unoccupied, and I hastily appropri-
ated
ppropriated it. Awaitress appeared murmuring,
"There are no birds in last year's nest,"
and recommended a Looker-Lampson
sandwich, whose contents the girl told
me were secret, but it proved to be'
wholly palatable. As I drank my tea
and ate the sandwich I surveyed the
decorated menu card with interest and
found pleasurable excitement in discov-
ering an item directing attention to
"Pickles a la Uezeklah, 15 cents.". The
delightful Hezekiah must, then, have
impressed herself upon the deus ex
machine of the Asotando on her brief
'day there, thus to have :won this recog-
nition. And further on I noted, among
the desserts, Peche Cecilie with even
$neater interest and satisfaction.
Cecilia occupied my mind now. The
Malt of. the furious suitors to my office
had stirred in me thoughts and aspira-
tions that had never known harborage
><n my breast before. The presumption
Of those fellows had exceeded any-
thing I had known in my contact with
human kind, and instead of frighten-
ing me away from Hopefield Manor
they had called my own attention to
the strategic importance of my prey'
ent position as a guest in Miss Octa
via's house.
As these thoughts ran through m
mind 1 was finishing my Peche Cecil'
(I spurn all sweets ordinarily) when
became interested in the unusual con
duct sof a young woman who had en
tered tbe front door briskly and walk
ed with a business -like air to the cash
leg's desk. The girl within the wicke
rose promptly. opened the screen and
without parley of any sort emptied
I "Wily?'
Her eyes met mine gravely, but be-
hind her pretty pout a smile lurked
delightfully.
"If I should tell you now it would be
flirting, which is a sin."
I "I bad imagined, Mr. Ames, that sort
of thing came easy to you. But if it's
sinful, of course"—
! "But you do not rule me outl Tote
give me.a chance"—
My earnestness caused her manner
to change suddenly. Her beautiful
gravity came like b. swift falling of
starlit twilight. I had never been so
happy as at this moment Preposterous
as were the circumstances of my pres-
ence in the house the juxtaposition ot
Cecilia Hollister gave me unalloyed de-
light.
! "I want to serve you now, hereafter
• and always," I added. "These men
1 can have no claim upon you greater
y than that of any other man who dares!"
e "No, none whatever," she replied
I firmly.
"And the mystery, the whole story,
- is in the little silver book!"
She started, flushed, and then laugh-
- ter visited her lips and eyes. The book
t was not in her hands nor in sight any-
where, but I felt that I was oh the
right track and that the little trinket
the contents of her till into the vis
itor's reticule. With a nod and a
smile and a moment's careless survey
of the room, the girl departed, swing
ing the reticule in her hand. A long
roll she carried under her arm con
firmed my identification. It was Miss
Oetavia Hollister's Swedish maid, and
the roll beyond peradventure contain
ed the plans she had obtained at Pep
perton's office.
The girl was well featured, neat of
figure and becomingly gowned, and as
I watched her leave the shop the light
ness of her step, something smooth
and flowing in her movements, inter-
ested me. I did not know what busi-
ness she had to be robbing the Aso-
lando money drawer, but it was alto-
gether possible that she was the Hope -
field ghost!
On the whole, when I had finally
torn myself away from my assistant,
who made no attempt to conceal his
doubts as to my sanity, and had set -
tied myself in the 4:14 express with
the afternoon papers I was flatly sate -
tied with the day's adventures. I had
told the coachman in the morning not
to trouble to meet me on my return,
and I engaged the village liveryman
to drive me to the house for hire.
"There's a heap o' talk in the vil-
lage," he observed. "They do say the
old lady's cracked, if I may so speak
of her, and that there's ghosts in the
house. And the conduct of the gentle
men at the Prescott is most remark-
able. Tbe word's passed that they're
all dlppy about the young Miss Hollis-
ter that lives with her aunt. I reckon
all rich people are a bit cracked. It
appears to go with the money. Mr.
Bassford HOl1'ster—he's the old lady`s
brother—he's just as bad as any of 'em.
Yesterday be sat le the village street
countin' the number of people he saw
chewin' gum. Told our doctor in the
village he was fgurin' the amount of
horsepower the American people put
into gum ebewih' every year and ex-
pects to find some wily of nein' it to
run machinery. It's harmless, Doe
says. He calls It just the Hollister'
idiosyncrasy, if that's the word. But
I reckon it's idiotsl'nerasy alt right I
Wish you good leek of your place, sir."
He evidently believed nue to be some
sort Of upper servant, and this added
to my joy of the day. With my good
hlimor augmented by the interview l
entered the house. A strange footman
admitted me, attd I went to any room
at lance Without meeting any one else.
The roan follo`ved me With at pencil.
ed notg1,t'gned with Cecilla's initiate,
' bad to do with her plight and ber com-
pact with her aunt Best of all, the
fact that 1 had chanced upon this clew
' gave her happiness. There was no de-
bating that,
"You had best have a care, Mr. Ameej.
You have spoken words that would be
treasonable if they came from me, and
I must not countenance them."
"But you will tolerate from inc words
that you would not permit another to
speak? Do I go too far?"
She bent her head to one side, with
the slightest inclination, as of a rose
touched by a vagrant wind.
"If I could only half believe in you,"
she said, "you Haight really serve me.
"iieeteeet.e..
"They dared me, and i took the dare,"
So those geetlemen learned you alvay1
Their presumption is certainly astound-
ing."
"They knots nothing of the silver
books"
"They knots tens, than you do, and
I you have a good deal to learn, you
know."
. "I am dull enotlgi , but I have AO
)
COMBINATION
Publishers, Advertisers
and Manufacturers Unite
By
1-10L1.AN1).
IN union there is strength.
Did you ever write this In
your copybook? Well, it is
true, anyway.
Qne of the effective combse
nations of the business world
is composed of publishers,
advertisers and manufaetur-
ers. They are united in the
effort to see that the public
gets value received, Their in-
terests are identical.
No one of the trio can make
money without the others
share it And they cannot
make money for themselves
without making money for
the public. The interests of
all are Interwoven so closely
as to be practically identical.
You should join this comb!,
nation and enjoy the benefits
to be derived from it. Take
full advantage of tbe adver-
tising columns and be sure of
getting ti dollar's worth for
every dollar you spend.
AD.VIi:ItTISEM ENTS
tWILL KEPi' VOLJ
FIULl:Y INFORMED.
Trey will tell you where to
hien whet' to buy, what to
buy it is true economy to
rend the advertisements. for
they will 11Mure your getting
the rl•eetees( t•81ne when you
y"Irr F1I0lley
i ...z
ambition but to read the riddle of the
sibyl's leaves. That and the laying or
the ghost are my immediate business.
"AS for the gentlemen at the Prescott,
including my old friend Hartley Wig-
gins,
ibgins, 1 am not in the least afraid of
them. My hand is raised against thein.
1f it's a case of tbe test of Ulysses over
again I'm as likely as any of them to
bend the bow."
I thought this well spoken, but she
seemed amused, though without un-
kindness, by the earnestness of my
speech.
"If your wit is equal to your valor
you may go far. But"—and she turned
her eyes full upon me --"we must play
the game according to the rules."
"And as for Hartley Wiggins"—
She sat up very straight, and the
sudden disdain in her face startled me.
I had forgotten my eavesdropping in
the clump of raspberries on the day of
my arrival. Certainly Wiggins had
been decidedly in the race then, and
my heart thumped in resentment as I
recalled her own message, or compact
of encouragement, which X had borne to
Wiggins at the Prescott Arms,
"I will tell you something, Mr. Ames.
This afternoon, as I drove from the
station I came round by the lake mere-
ly to• cool my eyes on the water, and
I saw Mr. Wiggins and my sister seat-
ed on a wall in an old orchard. They
were so busily engaged that they did
not see me. At least, he did not, but
I ,think Hezekiah did."
"Hezekiah," I answered, relieved by
the nature of her disclosure, which
could not but prejudiee Wiggins' ease,
"Hezekiah is fond at orchards. I dare
say this was the same one in which I
had a charming talk with ber myself.
Doubtless she was amusing herself
`with Wiggins just as she did with me.
She finds the genus Immo entertain-
ing•"
"She is the dearest girl in the world
—the sweetest, the loveliest, the bright-
est Mr. Wiggins has treated her out-
ragepps]y, _ I3e bas takers advantage of
TILE {rte If
WAS SO SICK
Did Not Think He
Clid Lie.
CHOLERA INFANTTU€3t1 WAS
THE CAUSE.
This trouble is the most dangerous of
all the summer complaints of children.
it begins with a profuse diarrlioca, the
;toniach becomes irritated, and the child
.s soon reduced to great languor and
,irostration.
Cholera Infantuet can be speedily
ural by the wee of DR. Iiowi. it's Ex-
tetee 01) Wren fireeeveratey.
alas. Dome Fudge, Haatsport, N.S„
riles "Ican recommend Da. EOWI,Sle
es:me •t' or %Vti,n S' eesier2ettev fol
2.nolera Tafantani. My little boy was
o sick, I did not Think he could live, as
tc was nut of his mind, and did not know
:nt u;te, I gave him "DR. FoWu R'S,"
u:.:l the filet dose helped him, and one
lotttc cured Min. I recommended it to
t friend whose children were sick, and it
Mired mein too."
D r., P o w i,:C g's Valltncr oz` Wrt n
:iTRAwt)I$R1zV' is a remedy that has beet*
un the market for over sixty-five years
aid has been used it* thousands of fatn-
.11•:s during these years, so you are not
making any experimc,rt whee you buy
t, bat ne sure and het "DR, 1r'owl,iirt'S '
,vnen you ask for it, as there are many
mitatiun$ of this unions remedy be the
.uarket,
The price is 35e., and it is manufactured
only by the T. Milburn Co., Limited,
Toronto" Ont.
her 'youth and susceptible nature,''
"His punishment is sure," I answer.
ed complacently. 'llezekiah laughed
when 1 mentioned his game. And you
frown today at the thought of him."
"Aunt ()Owe's, is coming," she r'e•
marked, feigning at once a careless air,
but I was content that she let nay re-
mark Puss unchallenged.
Miss Octavia's entrances were Always
eii'eetive, She appeared tonight charm.
Ingle gowned, but the bright twinkle in
her eyes made It clear that no matter
of dress could affect her humor or
spirit She greeted me, as she always
did, as though our acquaintance were
a matter of years rather than of days.
I even imagined that she seemed
pleased to find me back again. She
asked no questions as to my day's oc-
qupations. but as we went in to dinner
sallied fortb cheerfully upon a descrip-
tion of her own activities.
"After I had baked rpy required
quota of pies this morning I sought
recreation at the traps, The stable
boy who has been pulling the string
for me having struck work, It most
providentially happened that I espied
Lord Arrowood banging ou the edge of
the maple tangle beyuud the barn, I
summoned him at once and put him
to work managing the traps for me,
finding him most efficient. Fre seemed
extremely despondent, and after 1 had
satisfied myself that two out of three
was not an Impossible record for one
of my years, I brought bins to the
house and made tea for him. I left the
room for a moment --1 had taken Min
into the kitchen, where, during the ire
cumbency of the regular cook I hardly
dare veuture myself, and be made
himself comfortable quite near the
range. The pies on which I bad been
engaged all morning lay cooling near
him. I had composed twenty-nine
pies—I am an excellent mathematician
and 1 could not have been mistaken in
the count. What was my amazement
to find after bis lordship's departure
that one pie was missing?"
"Elis lordship was doubtless hungry,"
t suggested. "Even nobility must eat.
I passed Lorca Arrowood in tbe high-
way early this morning, sitting upon
a stone, with sundry items of hand
baggage reposing beside him. I have
rarely seen any one so. depressed. Now
that the little matter of tbe servants
has been adjusted, we must have a
care lest the newly arrived phalanx,
which Providence so kindly sent to
you today, is not stampeded by any fur-
ther manifestations of the troubled
spirit of the unfortunate Briton who
was banged on the site of this house."
"Mr. Ames." replied hiss Octavia
impressively, "that matter is entirely
in your hands."
"But if I could see the plans of this
house I should be better able to grap-
ple with his ghostship."
I bad thrown this out in the bope
of eliciting some remark from her
touching the Swedish wa'd's visit to
Pepperton's office, but Miss Oetavia
met my gaze unflinchingly.
"You are a clever man, Mr. Ames,
and I have every couffdenc•e tbat you
will nut only solve the mystery of the
library chimney, but find the ghust
that switched off the lights on the stair
last night. 1 prefer that you should ac-
complish these feats without any help
from the plans. I myself have no sug-
gestions. 1 am gratified tbat ;'ou are
meeting the emergencies that have aris-
en here with so much deter, .nation,
but it is what I should expel t of the
sou ot Arnold Ames of Hartford. Op-
portunity is all that any of usneed to
find ourselves truly great, anciif in the
ordinary course 01' our lives the gate
does not open freely we are , ustitied in
picking the lock. When I determined
to seek adveutures in Illy ted age, 1 re-
solved that 1 shooke gtilva no chance
and that 1 should be 1►repared for any
heekoning of the hand of fate. An
odd fancy struck me at tbe beginning
of my new life tbat Boston would some
day be the starting point of some in-
teresting experience. This has not yet
developed, but in order that i may be
prepared for anythiug that way occur
I keep a blue silk umbrella coustantty
checked at the Parker house. The
presence of the littie,brass check in my
purse 18 a constant reminder that Bos-
ton may one day call rue."
A discussion of the Parker House
umbrella followed, Cecilia and I join-
ing, and it proved so fruitful a topic
that it carried us to our coffee.
Three suitors were a00000oed a little
later, and I slipped away without ex-
cuses, while Miss Octavia and Cecilia
adjourned to the library.
The ghost, I had sworn, should not
bailie me another night
As I crossed the second floor hall I
passed the Swedish maid walking to-
ward Miss Oetavia's room. 1 was
somewhat annoyed to find on looking
over my shoulder to make sure of iter
destination that she, too, had paused,
her hand on lilfss Octawia's doer, and
was watching me with interest She
vanished immediately, but to throw
her off the track I went to my own
room, closed the door noisily and then
came out quickly and ran up to the
third floor.
Bassford Hollister's mysterious eXit
had lingered in my Infect es the most
curious incident of the eventful Prlday
night. Leaving been baffled lit my et-
fort to get bold of the architect's
plans, my thbugbt now was to await
in the upper part of the house a repe-
tition of the various phenoreena that
had so punted me. By the process of
exclusion I bad eliminated nearly ev-
ery plausible theory, but if the ghost
manifested himself Stab any sot of
periodicity (and the hour of the chim.
toy's queer behaVlor had been mine) I
was nury p10i?ared to meet him in the
,
Children Cry
FOR FLETCHER'S
CASTOR1A
7
nomisomenwimionitummonnamonnose
Children Cry for etchere's
Tho Bind -[ou Have Always Bought, and which has been
in use for over IO years, has borne the signature of
and has been made under his per*
sonal supervision since Its infancy.
� • Allow no one to deeeive you In this.
AU Counterfeits, Imitations and "Just -as -good." aro but
Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children.—Experience against Experiment.
What is CASTORIA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare.
Boric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is pleasant. It
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic
substance. Its age is its guarantee, It destroys Worn,u,
and allays Feverishness. For more than thirty years it
has been in constant use for the relief of Constipation,
]Flatulency, Wind Colic, all Teething Troubles and.
I)iarrheea. It regulates the Stomach and Bowels,
assimilates the Food, giving healthy and natural 131ecp.
The Children's Panacea,—Che ][other's Friend.
tGlIENUINE C;ASTO R IA ALWAYS
Bears the Signature of
1
;a< d You ffave Aiways Bought
in Use For Over 30 Years
rTHE CENTAUR COMPANY, T7 MURRAY STREET, NEW YORK CITY.
regions he had Ousel' fur his exploits.
1 had a pretty accurate knowledge
by this time of the position and func-
tion of alt the electric switches be-
tween the lower ball and the fourth
boor, but I tested them as I ascended.
gleuciug down new and then to make
sure 1 was out observed, From the
sound of voices fu tbe library I judged
that most of Cecilia's suitors must now
have arrived. and se much the better,
I argued, for, with Miss Oetavia and
her niece fully occupied. I could the
better carry on nay ghost hunt above
stairs.
At a quarter before 0 I switched off
the !]guts on the third and fourth
floors and established myself at the
head of the stairway and quite near
the trunk room door, This door I had
opened, 118 1 hamlet] that if Bassford
Elollister were at the bottom of the
business he would probably wish to
find his way to the roof again. So far
as I was able to matinee it the stage
was in readiness for the entrance oft
the goblin.
The clock below struck 9, and al-
most upon the last stroke I heard a
sound that set my nerves tingling. I
crouched in the dark, waiting. Some
one was coining tuward me, but from
where? Tbe bottom of a well at mid-
night was not blacker than the fourth
floor, but the switch lay ready to my
hand and my pockets were stuffed with
matches of the sort that light any-
'shere. The stairways were all carpet-
ed, as I have said, and yet some one
was ascending bare treads, lightly and
with delays that suggested a furtive
purpose. Meanwhile, as a background
fur this unreality, murmur's of talk. and
occasional laughter rose from the 11.
brary.
This concealed stairway, wherever it
was, could not be of interminable
length, and I had counted, I think, fif-
teen steps of that strange ascent when
it ceased, I heard a fumbling as of
some one seeking a latch, and sudden-
ly a light current of air swept by me,
but its clean fresh quality was not in
'itself disturbing. I stooped and struck
a match smartly on the carpet and at
the same time clicked the switch. I
should say that not more than ten sec -
wads passed from the moment the soft
rush of air had first advertised the
opening. of a passage near toe until the
hall was flooded ttitil the glow of the
electric lamps overheetd, SIy match
had also performed its office, but, find-
ing the electric current behaving itself
me malty, I blew it out. What I sew
net, interested me immensely.
lit the solid wall near the stair and
almost directly opposite the trunk room
'ft narrow door had swung outward --a
neat contrivance, so )ight in its con-
struction that it still swayed on its
concealed hinges from the touch of the
heed that had released it. Flow it had
opened or what bad laconic of the
prowler who had tullatched it remain-
ed to be discovered. It seemed impos-
sible that whoever or whatever had
climbed the hidden stairway had de-
scended, nor had I been couecious of
a ghostly passing as en the previous
night. I had only my senses to apply
to this problem, and their eflielency
was minimized for a Moment by fear.
The openthe in the Wall engaged my
attention at once, and I was steadied by
the thought that here was a practical
matter susceptible of investigation. I
stepped within the dour and: ligbted a
candle, and just as the wick caught
:ire etick went a switch somewhere and
out went the hall lamps. But, having,
so to speak, put my foot to the myste-
rious stair, I would not turn back, and
I continued on clown the steps.
Great Was my astonishment to find
that I had apparently stepped from a
nett into an old house. The stair
argils. lv svorn by tispg use, the
plaster walis tbat enclosed tber.0 'were
battered and cracked, and 1 seemed to
have plunged from the glory of Hope -
field auto some dim lost passage of a
domicile of another era that lay within
or beneath the walls of the Manor. As
X slowly descended, bolding high my
candle, I recalled, nut without a qualm,
the story of the British soldier whom
tradition or superstition nuked to the
site of Miss leollister's property,
At the foot of the stair I found two
rooms, one on either side of a small
haU, and these also were clearly part
of an old house that seemed to be
somehow merged into tbe Hollister
mansion. I remembered now that the
mansion stood wedged against a rough
spur of reek and that 'the front and
rear entrances were upon different lev-
els, and it was conceivable that the
back part of tbe mansion might inclose
these routes of an earlier house occu-
pying the same site. evhy they should
have been retained was beyond me.
Through the carefully preserved win-
dows, mug paned and quaint, of these
hidden rooms the infolding walls of
the liew house were blank and black.
One door only remained in this shell
of the old Melee, and 1 hastened to fling
it open, still ligbtine, my way with a
candle. Before we lay the coat cellar,
at which I had merely glanced on tbe
morning after my installation at Elope -
field. I now began to get my bearings.
1 remembered two iron lids in the ce-
mented surface of an area on the east
side of the house where fuel was de-
posited, and, mounting a few steps tbat
were of resent construction and had
evidently been built to afford communi-
cation bettteen the remnant of the old
house and the subterranean portion of
the new, I found to my relief and satis-
faction beneath one of these openings
a short ladder, through which the court
might be reached. Here, then, the
manner of ghostly ingress was illus-
trated by perfectly plansibte rneans.
The lid of the coal bole was entirely
withdrawn, and a bar of moonlight lay
brightening upon n rile of anthracite
at the foot of the ladder.
ITO as t,nNrrow, t.]
Xlr)ma:r..gri nn+,irs in British Colum-
bia, .te.:oeding EU Vit:e Consularneral
Woodwarl, iucrea ea fro•n i"+I during
the first fair montie of 1t11.2 tt 306
during the same period this year.
John Flynn, of Calgrtry, dropped
dead on an electric eer bet,veen St.
Thomas and London.
CONSTIPATION
Soon Follows t{The Liver
is Not Active.
Constipatica is one of the most fre-
quent, and of the same time. on( of the
most serious of the ltlaaor ailment; to
whieb mankind is ;,.Itliect, and should
never he allowed to coutnn e.
A free motion of tl'u bowels daily
should be the rule of every one Who
aspires to perfect health.
Deep the ;bowel, l,1operly regulated
by the met of Mn.nt. roses LANA lava
I'ii,a,, and you wal enjoy the eery beast
of healtiI,
Ala. 0. J. Prxt,sv, :lictiicine flat, Alta.,
writes: ---"1 have been .roubied welt
Constipation for the Ia.t couple of Jcara
until just lately. I tried a gsteit many
remedies without any stecese, but at
last I heard of ItTILIWutv's Leen-teem
Pats, :,o I gave them a trial, ane] began
getting better tight away, and now I
really believe I am cured, and can
heartily recommend there to any one."
Mtr.terct'a LAZA LivI;R I'11.t.s are.
23 cents per vial, or a vials for a dollar,.at all denier;:, 'c recited direct en receipt
of price by the proprietors:, The T. 'Mil-
burn CO., Limited, Toronto, Ont,,