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Show f The Siege' : of the Hi Seven Suitors I MEREDITH NICHOLSON H Coarrltbt. 1910. ov Meredith Mcbotooa ---fB in r r n.r n. ,.n n ir --",. 1 BaaB"ataBaaaatBBaaaaBBaaaaaTeaaBBTaBBBBBBaBaB"ai HHJ "Ortnliily. Arnold; you shall do as HHJ 7011 llko. Mr. I'oppcrton Is a dlfflcult HHJ bird to cnk'li. ho we hopo for you at HHj luncheon, mill of con rue wo expect you HHJ for HHJ lYppiTton looked nt mo Inquiringly. HHJ I Jiiilcoil tlint lie linil known Miss Oc- HHJ tnrln n coort ninny yenrn tlio tono of HHJ tltclr Intercourse wns Intimate, nnd yet HHJ ho plainly wna nt n loss to understand HHJ Just how t ciiino to he ho thoroughly es- HHJ tnhllshed In her good graces. I confess HHJ that as' t glanc buck over these' pagei HHJ It looks odd to met HHJ An I nccd the hall waiting for l HHJ homo to bo saddled, Pepperton led mi HHJ out on tho terraco abovo tho garden. HHJ "I'm bursting; with a great secret, old HHJ man. I'm going to bo married." HHJ HHb "I'm going to be married." HHa 1 grnBped a chair to support myself. HHI This was almost too much. Could II HHI be (wsslblo thnt Ilozcklnh Imil mlscul HHb eulftted tlio list of rejections In tho fill HHI Ter bound book, or that Ceclllu liertell HHb had been deceived? repperton mlHrciiO HHI my agitation and with n honrty laugb HHfl clapped me on the shoulder. HHfl "Oh, I'm not Intruding on your pre- serves, old maul Ceclllu In tlio seconil B fluent girl In tho world Hint's nil. I'm B cngngud to Miss Gnyloid of Stock bridge. I'm Idling n fow old friends, In udvnuce of the formnl mmouticemenl Hill to bo made next week nt n dnnco tho HHH On) lords nre giving," HHH I crushed his hiuid lu both my own HHH and, seolng Hint he misconstrued tlio HHH fervor of my emotion, I'hiiHtetird to nut ' VK myself aright. ! "Vou're n lucky dog ns usual, IVp. M Hut you don't imderstnnd iiltotit Ceclllu B Ilolllster. It's not I I'm not In the run V nlng nt nil, hut I la rl ley Wiggins Isl HHH I'm hero trying to help him score." HBH "Wliat's this? You're lieru to retire- B cent HBH "Well, ho didn't exactly send me HHH here, hut when I cnuie I found Hint, HHH AVIggy wnsu't playing tho game with V ipille tho necessary 7lpolngy. There's HHHj more required than appears u Utile ol ' HHHJ the dnsh mid snap of tho old ndventur-1 HHH crs-tlie ready tongue, tho eager, thirsty HHH HHH rrppertou pursed his lips nnd looked J me oer carefully with n twinkle In his HHHJ i nre contributing thoso elemcntHl W i ie Octuvlnlred-N thnt It?" 1'ep HHHJ ier(oii laughed until the tears came. HHH "I prefer Ilolllsterlzed ns tho lnoader HHHJ term, llrother Ilassford tins It, too, I and there'M always IlezeUlali!" HHHJ "Ah, Her.eltlrtli the unpredictable! I B Lnew there wns n skirt fluttering some- V where. I snw her yesterday stopped HHHJ to see llassfoid, who's n good old chap, t Hezeklah of the leasing eyes wns B vhltcwnslilug tho chicken 'oop, and J Mlchclnngclo couldn't have done It lct- I "l'ep," I said, lowering my voice, "It BBfl you love mo keep close to Cecilia nil Be day. You're nn engaged man nnd it) BBBb practice. Olvo nu Imitation of dovo- BBBb tlon. Keep her out of doors keep BBflB mule human beings nwny from her. BBBB Don't fnll mo In this. I've got to pull BBBB off the greatest coup of my life today. BBBB There's n band of outlaws hnuglmi BBBB round here who will propose to Cecilia BBBB the first chance they get, and they BBBB uniHt NOT. Wig's got to spenk lofore M night or lose out forever. No not n ' BBBB word of explanation. You've got to , BBBB take for BBBB "I'll bo the gont. do ahead, but BBBB build n II ro under Wiggins. I can't' BBBB liere BBBB I'oppertou's engagement smoothed out BBBB one wrinkle, and I felt sure thnt 1 I BBBB could trust him us nn ally. The groom BBBB was holding my horse In tho porte-1 BBBB cocliere, and I mounted and rode away BBBB to the Arms. BBBB 1 found Ormsby, Slmllcnhcrgcr, Ar BBBB nutlmot, Henderson, lliimo nnd Oorso BBBB glumly sitting In a semicircle before BBBB the hull llreplncc. Deepest gloom per-1 BBBB Ti.iled the Inn I lutvo rarely seen mcl- BBBB smelmly so daikly stamped upon tho BBBB human couiileuiiuie. They turned tu i BBft ril Tereiitly nnd glared ns they recog-1 BBBBtt uled me. Khalleultorger alone rose BBBBV) BBBBjt "I hope there Is no bid news," he, HBBBf told BBBB? B "I menu Miss Ilolllster Miss Cecllln. i BBBBt Wo were nil deeily grieved Inst night HBBBf to hear of her sudden Illness. There'H 1 HBBBj always something ho terrible In tho! BBBBt very uuuie of diphtheria." I BBBBt My w'lts had been ho sharpened by I HBBBJ my late adventures that I leadlly no-1 HHJHH (uuted for these faU'e tidings. Dick HHJHH wns nbsont. Dick alone would have HHHHt been tii'tinl to lids diabolical plot for p keeping his rival sullois away from HHJHB Ilopelleld. The despair lu thoso faces BBHB taxed my grsvlly severely. BBBB "I t - Is extremely sad, but the first HBJHHJj diagnosis was erroneous," nuswered. B bI thllik It more likely to prove to be B ch;ciiojijirjKJji;:i;e:J'u truth Is known." BflflflflB flVHwat' flHBBBB iiHHBVBBVf 'Tr.v.,Tr.riin.'tnT' "No lmmedlntn dnnger of dlphthcrln, I nssure you," 1 replied, "though of courso with winter coming on nnd all thnt, ono must bo prepared for the worst." White ho repented this to tho others I sought tho clerk, who promptly hnnd-cd hnnd-cd mo n noto which Wiggins had left late tho previous afternoon, to bo delivered de-livered In enso I called. Ho bad gone to spend a dny or two wIth,Orton. tho playwright, who was at his country house, In the hills beyond Mount KIs-co, KIs-co, rehearsing n now pleco, In which a friend of Hartley's was to star. I gained gain-ed tho telephono booth In one Jump, nnd In five minutes I wns bawling wildly Into Orton's car. I had known him well In tho Haro and Tortoise, and ho answered my demand for Wiggins with tho henrt breaking news thnt Hartley bad ridden off with somo other oth-er guesta In tho houso, Ortnn didn't know where. "I throw them out. I'vo got to rewrite re-write my third act I don't enro whether wheth-er they ever conio bnck," boomed Or-ton Or-ton Tolce. "If you don't send Wiggins back to mo at Hopoflold as fast ns ho can get thero, my third net Is ruined." "What?" "Tell Wlgglni to come hack on the run. Tell him the world's coming to an end any minute." , "I'll he gliict to get" rfd of'iilm,"' snipped snip-ped Orton, In the harried tono of n man whose third act has wilted In rehearsal. re-hearsal. CHAPTER XXIV. HeMklah Partitions the Kingdom. AS I came1 perspiring out of the telephone booth I found -the k suitors engaged In subdued debate de-bate by tho hearth. They could I hardly have hcurd my hlcntlugs over j tho telephoue, but they wero greatly I concerned about something, Shallen-berger, Shallen-berger, who wns apparently the only one willing to approach me, followed ' mo to the veranda. "Thoso fellows in thero don't uudcr-stnud uudcr-stnud this. Dick told us last night, after aft-er wo had culled nt the house nnd been refused admittance, thnt Miss Cecilia I was III with diphtheria. I remember tiiat It wns Dick who rang tho bell and gave bur cards to tho footman. It wus quite slugnlur, you know, our being turned nwuy, miles something had been wrong." 1 bowed gravely. They had been turned away for the very simple rea I sun that uftcr unearthing Adonlmm Caldwell's effects In tho secret rooms , of her house Miss Octavla had uot caied to be troubled with suitors. Tho haughty Nebruskun had drawn upon bis Imagination for the rest. "And I understood you to say n moment mo-ment ago that .Miss Holllstcr's malady Is not diphtheria, hut chlckenpoi?" Shallenberger persisted with almost laughable trepidation. "These gentlemen, gentle-men, I i egret to say, go so far as to doubt your word." "Thnt, Mr Shallenberger, Is their prUllegc. Hut It seems to me that when I merely tried to mitigate tho terrible ter-rible news Imparted by Dick you aro rank Ingrntes for questioning my fnr lebs doubtful story. Anything between you gentlemen and Mr. Dick Is. of course, none of my affair, for whether considered ns n set. group or bunch I am done Willi the whole lot of you. rnrewell!" I decided es I rode away that nothing noth-ing wii i" be gained by going In senreh of . Ins III ton had purposely purpose-ly miide L.s house dltllcillt of access, I and the loads In that neighborhood nru many ami de tons Orion had banished his guests that he might tinker with his piny In peace and. Knowing his temper, I wns Hiiro that Wiggins and the rest of them would keep out of his way till tho pangs of hunger drove thorn bnck, I had rlddcu half n mile toward Hopefleld when I espied n woman riding rid-ing rapidly toward me, nnd as she drew nearer I Identified her ns Hezeklah, Heze-klah, mounted on a horse I recognized as ono of the best In Miss Octnvla's etnblcs. Hezeklah rodo nstrlde, as n woman should, her bicycle skirt serving serv-ing well as n habit. She rodo ns n boy I ' rides who loves freedom and quickened ' . pulses nnd tho rush of wind across his I face. She wns hntlcss, for which the sun nnd I wero both grateful. The big bow nt the back of her bead turned the 1 dial back to sixteen. I Sho drew rein and fished what seem ed to bo salted almonds from her sweater pocket 8he fllllped one of thoso Into the air and caught It in her mouth with u lazy toss of tho head that showed the drill contour of her lovely throat. I had never seen her more self possessed. "Do you enro much for this horse?" she asked carelessly. "It's a good horse, I fancy Miss Oc-tala Oc-tala thinks so herself. There nre places, Hezeklah, where they hang people for horse stealing." "Thought 1 might need ono today, so I borrowed him through tho bnck way to tho old red barn. The coachman Is an ancient chum, and Aunt Octavla would never mind oven if sho know. And she will know, all right! Anyhow, Any-how, my rear tire had been patched onco too often, and thero Is a tsatlsfac-tlon tsatlsfac-tlon lu a horse. Where's our sensitive nnd Impressionable WIggy? Snw him riding over townrd Klsco yesterday p. m. with chin on his chest dreadful rid lug form." "Wiggins Is nt Orton's tho playwright's, play-wright's, you know, I've telephoned I him to hustle back, but hu's out of our I reach somewhere. I couldn't peak to i 111 tit direct; hud to leave n messago for him." 1 "Just like Wlggj to dlo on tho Inst I lap. S hat did you make out of llrother llroth-er 1'eppettoii?" "Your noto scared me thanks so much for jour noto-but he's all right, Engaged to another girl " "" I "Ah," she sighed. "It's comforting "i'l'i.ii.'tll'a .iffujilii't l-''P them nil gams mi TireTnno." Wo rodo nlong together, nnr horses In a walk, nnd I told her everything I know of tho condition of affairs, including in-cluding n truo account of my experiences ex-periences at the Inn the day In-fore nnd of tho finding of tho old chest belonging be-longing to Wiggins' grcat-grnndfuther hor brown eyes opened wide nt this concluding with the diphtheria stratagem strata-gem and Dick's menace to Cecilia's happiness. "Ho's really n bright llttlo boy. Coming Com-ing homo on tho steamer ho gave mo a post graduato courso In pragmatism that I'vo found helpful In keeping houso for papa. It's too bad wo have to lay a trap for Mr. Dick." "Is It? Just bow are wo to manago that, ncickloh?" "Oh, thnt will bo easy enough. He's pretty desperate, and since tho compact com-pact between tho suitors bas gone to pieces he knows ho will bavo to show his hnnd pretty soon. Ho thinks you aro wild about Cecilia. Ho lays great tress on his thinking powers, and he probably nrguw thnt you nro bound to pop pretty soon. It's Jugt as well he thinks so, but wo must finish this up today I'll be n nervous wreck If we don't close tho books tonight. There's vour friend Dick now." She Indicated" a high point In the mnln road, where It crossod the ridge from which she had ahown rne It seemed, oh. very long ngol-the procession pro-cession of suitors crossing the stile, nick, mounted, wns gazing off across the fields townrd Honefleld. Man and borso were ao distant a "to create the Illusion of an equestrian statue on a high pedestal. "Napoleon before Waterloo," I suggested. sug-gested. "He docs look like Napoleon, doesn't he?" sho laughed. "He's a bit fussed today. Ho knows that Wlggy's not at the Inn and thnt you nre up to something, some-thing, nnd to little Mr. Dick tho architect archi-tect probably looks like ono of thoso mysterious knights you read nbout, who suddenly appears nt tbo tournament tourna-ment nil canned lu nn Ice cream freezer, freez-er, with n tin pnll over his bend. Mr I'cppcrton's presence no iloabt woirles him, ns I don't think they ovoV met. Cecllln nnd Mr. I'eppertou uie tiding. I dodged them Just before 1 struck you, walking their horses In the most ioverllke fashion In n lane over yonder, yon-der, but If Mr. Pepperton U rcally'en-gaged rcally'en-gaged It's all right, though If I were the other girl I think I'd be anxious." "Pep's playing the game, that's ull. What nre you going to do now?" She glnnccd at the sun. 1 fancied thnt It wns with such n scanning of the heavens that her sisters n thousand years before had noted the time. "This Is my plo dny. There's undoubtedly un-doubtedly n gooseberry pie xvnltlng for mo nt tho bungalow. And pnpn will expect mo for luncheon. I'd ask you to como too, only you'll havo nil you enn do to keep Mr. Dick from persuading somebody to be tho sixth man, so ho enn slip In ns number seven. If we get through today all right, you maj come for luncheon tomorrow, maybu. Pnpn told mo he liked you. He said you wero very decent that night you met him." "My compliments to your father. I hopo to be ablo to persuade htm to extend ex-tend his paternal nrm to Include mo. Aunt Octnvln must be my mint too!" "Henllyl" cried He7cklnh, with Inde-BcrlhaWo Inde-BcrlhaWo mockery, nnd she wheeled her horse nnd wns gone llko the wind. Luncheon at Ilopelleld passed without with-out Incident, and afterward Cecllln retired re-tired to help her nunt with her correspondence corre-spondence while Pepperton nnd I lounged nbout -the bouse ami smoked. 1 told him of my Ineffectual efforts to reach Wiggins, nnd ho volunteered to find n motor and search for him, but I pointed out tho futility of this nnd renewed re-newed my appeal that ho stay on guard at Hopefleld. At nbout 3 o'clock Cecllln reappeared. Her color was high nnd her eyes" were unusually brilliant. I knew that sho fully realized that the crisis was near, but sho asked no questions, and her manner reassured mo of her confidence. We Idled on tho stono terrace abovo tho frost smitten garden. Wo wero hardly seated before Dick entered tho garden, followed Immediately Imme-diately by tho six other suitors I bud '"TySiut.iL", "Napoleon bofore Waterloo," I suggested. sug-gested. last fieun at the Inn. Thoy ranged themselves on n stotio bench facing I tho limmo nt tlio end of one of tho vaVji. iElicy sotf.i'iVCif.i'flr..Biul lint," . .".T of fftyles.'StfniatTnej' met lint present quite the bizarre effect pro-diuvij pro-diuvij by their frock coats and silk tiles The' surveyed tho houso sadly, bowed their heads upon their sticks and seemed to have como to stay. The slego hnd become n practical matter. "Why don't tbo gentlemen come In?" asked Cecllln, peering through the vines. "Hush! There's a rumor that you nre terribly 111. They've come merely to pny their tribute of respect by waiting wait-ing In tho garden. You had better go quietly Into tho house. The shock of seeing you In your usual health might bo too tnuch for them." "But I can't I must be accessible at nil times," she cried, looking helplessly from me to Pepperton, who was all at sea for an explanation. "If that impression impres-sion Is abroad I shall appear at once." "Then you nnd Pepperton must patrol pa-trol tho terrace hero. You nre lovers for all I know. Ignore them utterly In your absorption with one another. If any one approaches you, Pepperton, ask Miss Ilolllster to marry you." "Me!" gasped Pepperton. "No. It enn't be done thnt wny," Cecilia Interposed. "Mr. Pepperton bat told me of his engagement. I can't be party to n fraud a trick. I can't countenance coun-tenance It nt all. It would ruin everything." every-thing." "Then stay right here. Pace back and forth and I'll manage the rest I don't for the life of me kepw bow, but I'll do It." As Cecilia and Pepperton stepped from behind the screen of Tines tho men on the benches lifted tbelr bead; then 1 heard murmurs of amazement and chagrin and caught a fleeting glimpse of Dick tearing through the hedge with his late companions tumbling tum-bling after In tierce pursuit. 1 ran to the stable and found a horse, feeling that I must be In a position posi-tion to move rapidly If I saw Wiggins approaching. If Dick eluded his wrathful pursuers be would be on the lookout somewhere, awaiting bis own time, and It ho saw Wiggins rushing madty for tho house ho might yet circumvent cir-cumvent us. I satisfied myself that Cecilia and Pepperton wero still plainly visible from tbo garden, and I knew that for tho tlmo she was safe. I gained' the high point In the road from which Hezeklah and I hud observed Dick on ginrd ut noon nnd waited, Itemcmbcr-ing Itemcmbcr-ing the fine figure the philosopher had made against the sky. I dismounted and rested by n stone wnll where 1 could wntch with less risk of being seen from a distance. I nt once saw matters thnt Interested mc Immensely. Dick hnd thrown off the other suitors nnd wns rapidly crossing the fields toward Hopefleld. When I cnught sight of him he was Just leaving the orchard where Hezeklah Heze-klah nnd I had held our memorable Interview. A long' stretch of rough pasture lay before lilin. and be settled down to n quick trot. lie took several fences without lessoning his gait, crossed the stile like n Hash n little Inter nnd was out of sight. As I turned tr my horseI henrd the swift patter of hoofs nnd snw n man and wutnan galloping furlnuslv townrd me The.v ttele rapidly Healing the ridge, and their horses were springing over the Arm white road In prodigious lenps Wiggins had got my message He.eklnh bad met him .In the road and was urging him on. As they came nearer 1 saw Hint Wiggins hud taken tiro nt Inst, "Orton snld some one was killed who what who" "I Just picked him up five minutes ago. He doesn't know anything," said Hezeklah. "and you daren't tell him. ,Remember the rules. What's doing?" she inquired coolly. to be contnued . |