Show SERIAL STORY the rea I 1 ag tha kg 0 M 0 by P courell by ed tai we I 1 hunt agton walters mason frey cam b I 1 alesce ison bya by mcclurg air co lord hired vincent and arc abald terhune are produced trod at the hopeni g oc of tl e ator tore n england the jatter latter relating the tale tl TI e pali pao on an outing arx n ss their tran tra n and seeking recreation meet the honorable agati a W ekhoff her iler hand is n uch ucb dougi t after beca se of her weal I 1 on 1 iq tins the castle tl cy ey are introduced to t vo other erlb g rib both kno n u as agati eckhoff CHAPTER I 1 11 I 1 cant aued the meal was well cool ed and beau bean seivel and by tl ti e time tl e salad course arrived vincent and I 1 I 1 ad lost much of our constraint and self conscio asness and were tall tailing ing and laughing with the best of them the levity and freedom fiam the conven usually observed at a din ner party in which those girls in bulged was a bit shocking to me al though it did not seem to disconcert I 1 incent in the least after dinne 0 ir adventure de its most astonishing feature at the close of the meal the ladles ladies arose and we were eie invited to remain and e some exceptionally fine cigars bit b it before she left the room the secretary came avei to us and in a low tone tom told us that when we ve had finished our e mrs airs arimstead armistead de sired that we re should join her in the I 1 arary to discuss business she the secretary would come for us as we would not know the wa was we were amazed Business 9 what business co ild we possibly have with mrs arm in s steade ea d I 1 however we told the i re ta y 4 vat we e would be hapy happy to jol join I 1 hei bet mi mistress 1 in the library in about 20 minutes although as I 1 said we hadn haan t the wildest idea what we could possible have to discuss with her when tl e secre ary withdrew vm vin cent burst into a flood of excited con jecture are we in a girls boarding school or a lunatic asylum or what he demanded I 1 don t know what to make of it it if its it s an asylum then I 1 in distinctly for lunatics they re the moat mot attractive lot I 1 ve ever seen but it if they re all sisters why didn dian t papa and mamma ayel hoff find different names for ema six agathas and all the honorable u 6 that it s absurd but it doesn doean t seem to bother them they call each other ag and aggie and agatha just as it if it were rose or gwen or maud what d do 0 you sup up pose it all means 9 my head s in a whirl my dear fellow I 1 said I 1 have a presentiment that we shall find out what it all means when we me join mrs armistead in the library and we did As I 1 have said my antu dons sel set dom tail fail me the library was a little room at some distance from the dining hall it was beautifully furnished III e the rest of the house and a big fireplace took up one side of the room before it w wis ts a massive armchair worn and old as if the barons of Wyck dyckhoff hoff for ages back had sat in it on the large table were some legal 1001 ing papers and as we entered mrs armistead arose and placed her hand upon them the secretary closed the door and took up her position beside her mistress while we stood betcie them ill at ease and expecting we ve knew not what gentlemen Gent lenen began mrs airs armistead with great gravity I 1 am right am I 1 not in presuming that you are candi dates tor for the hand of the honorable agatha hycl hoff 1 3 that just what she said can did cs lor tor the he hand of the honorable agatha W ekhoff it took my breath away and before I 1 had time to speak end rad set t b ri ii I 1 heard vincent calm ly 7 u ayour ng her ber that we he were candi dates As he had thus rashly corn com bitted himson I 1 coulden couldn rit t go back ort on him so I 1 let him make all the other answers that were necessary then iou ou wish to hear the will 9 continued mrs armistead and vincent assented head read the will said mrs armistead to the secretary and the young lady in gray pie ed up one of the legal cool ool ing izig papers this is to certify she began and read to the finish while I 1 held my breath for when I 1 had heard the whole of that extraordinary document I 1 was filled with amazement and curl curi osley not unmixed with a certain ex c cement in brief the provisions of this remarkable will ran thus 10 fletcher boyd stepfather of the honorable agatha M eckhoff had eft left her his entire fortune of about 20 provided that she obey the condi eions of his will should she disregard them the whole sum surn us u PS s to go to the endowment of a presbyterian hos pital at new ew bedford mass his native town the will then went hent on to sa say that wishing to krotec the girl who was as not yet 21 years of age from tort fort me him hun teis her stel father desired her at the completion of her education to se cure not less than three nor more than six girls horn front IS 18 to 23 years of age each bearing the name of agatha who h 0 wo ild be willing to live withroe with toe the corable lono no rable agatha at her castle liri in sh rop shire near wye england for two years in return tor for which spey were each to receive a genelous gene ious monthly stipend enjoy luxury luxurious ous lodgings and rich tare fare and to liv live T a life of idleness with ample entertain ment 4 it was f irti er directed that baire the girls left tor for england some eng ush lady ot ofra brawk tk or position be ise se c red to dwell at castle NV L in the capacity of chaperon in const bonsher er aaion of a handsome salary this ady d Y to be preferably mrs armistead jis s ter of the real honorable agat a mother for the first year jear atter after r boyd s death the honorable ag pia a was to observe mourning by not 0 to london festivities but du ig g anis time she was to be permitted 1 to amuse herself and friends by enar at the castle an ani young rqn ron of wl om he tie chaperon might app ove mis armistead should she be the chapelon sc secured cured was III filete ev e charged to I 1 ei el the castle su I 1 11 a with guests the best 3 oung men at it england en land could boast as her large ac qi cli a nuance permitted her to do earh vis tor in the role of suitor for the hand of the honorable agatha alv limited to six weeks ay at the caspe castle as mr lr boy I 1 considered that 1 leng nath of time sufficient clent tor for him to and i t whether he loved any of the agathas or not and the suitor was not to mae ma list e his declaration until the very diy daiy of the six weeks allotted him and of course was vas limited to one proposal propos li in the event of any of the young men proposing to any of the agathas who was not the stepdaughter of mr boyd bod the will permitted her to marry him if A or 4 7 I 1 AGATHA THIRD she desired but with the distinct un dr standing that she was not the hon flable 01 able agatha dyckhoff Wyck Wych hoff in that case mrs armistead was to secure another agatha and the girl who desired to marry was to receive a dowry amount ing to the full sum of the monthly stipends which she would have re had she remained at the castle tor for the entire two years the same provision tor for her companions was made in the event of the real rehl agatha s marriage before the expiration of the time it if any young man mam proposed to the real agatha ignorant of her identity and sl e accepted him she was directed direct ea b by the will to produce and wear upon the third anger of her left hand the betrothal ring of her mothers family a gold ring set with a big cross of emeralds as proof of her identity as the real agatha mrs armistead and all the girls were to be bound by oath not to reveal the didenti ty of the real agatha and each of the latter was to be likewise addressed as the honorable agatha hycl hoff by suitors and servants in order to pre serve the secret this condition could be carried out ou w vit hout tear fear of reco grif tion by the servants as the real agatha had not been in england since her early childhood thus her ty could be easily concealed and by this means it any proposal of mar ariage were made to her it would be from a man whose motives were not mercenary but purely those of natural ejection which was the stepfather stepfathers s object in making the will the will closed with the appoint tent ent of executors and trustees and 11 en came the witnesses the date and I 1 lie I 1 e place of residence then we can stay in thus bully old place for six weeks said vincent hooray he lie s such a kid the secretary smiled at his enthus easm and vincent must have thought her smile very attractive because he drew aside and began to talk to her in low tones while I 1 discussed the will with mrs armistead who seemed per factly willing to impart wha whatever in formation we desired it was just like vincent to begin a flirtation with the secretary just as it if there were not six handsome girls of his own station in the castle but anything feminine will do for him as long ion as she has a sweet smile or soulful eyes or some other equally trivial attraction he d flirt with mis armistead herself im I 1 in sure if that estimable dame begging her pardon would give him a chance I 1 am del gated mr berh ne said airs mrs armistead Arni istead after ve ae had seated ourselves in the library that 0 o i and lord wilfred have dec ded to stay with us and I 1 think it wo ild be well to put off our other visitors ii who were to come to is for this six weel s 1 do not believe in having haning moie more than two or three young n en at once the time is so very short it would give us a better chance I 1 agreed and she guined toward i the secretary who was evidently in the secret my dear she said as these gen tiemen are going to remain n with us tor for six weeks meeks I 1 think it would be as well if we put off the brothers till the six weeks after that will you wire them this evening to that effects certainly implied miss marsh 1 I will see to it immediately airs mrs arm istead at this a thought struck me and I 1 turned to vincent and 3 0 i had bet ter wire ire the good people at darnel s farm I 1 said to inform them of our change of plan it lideen deed you must said mis arm istead and by the way mr terhune if you and lord vincent wish I 1 can provide you ou with a copy of the will it Is difficult I 1 thin to remember all its conditions perhaps that s a good idea I 1 an it is certa aly an nary document and what an binary man this fletcher boyd mist m have been mrs armistead aref stead to conceive such a plan as that mrs armistead laughed I 1 think he was she said I 1 saw my brother in law only once in my life but that was enough to impress me with the strength ot of the mans clar cl fracter acter and his eccentricity he was wat intensely american what they call a self made man over I 1 imagine and it was his d determination termination that his step daughter athe the honorable agatha in spite of her anglish birth should be educated in america to this her mother agreed on condition that she should be allowed to bling her daugh ter out in england and that she should make that country her home when her schooling had been comple completed tedd ac ace cordingly when lady dyckhoff Wyck hoff died the child being about 11 years old fletcher bod boyd promised his wife to carry out her wishes in that respect A few year later he h began the worl of building up this old castle of wyck hoff and putting in every modern con vengence veni ence as you see so that it should d be ready for his daughter to live in temporarily before he established her in london with some good lady to oversee her presentation into society according to her mother s ideas this was a long speech for the good mrs armistead and she paused breath reath i 1 I 1 see I 1 commented j he lie ma mide a d e a very excellent job of it then as as I 1 understand it his daughter has never been in england since her early child hood no said mrs armistead poor child its it s practically all new to her but I 1 austn t pity her the way she and those friends of hers take hold of things passes my understanding and where did she find so many at girls each bearing the chris tian name of agatha I 1 inquired it Is an unusual name and I 1 should have thought that part of the w will i 11 difficult to fulfill TO BP BF CONTINUED |