The Hays free press. [volume], July 25, 1908, Image 3

About The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

                
orxcTt 90T ST
SYNC rt' ?.
criAPTrri i. i.nv i v::rr-!
anrt Arc-!i;i).ild TerlM'j:- a:- lnr
the opcuinK of the si 'try. Il'i..
latter relating the t.'-. p
6ut!ns miss thIr tra:i .;ml
.Ireatton meet "tr.e KononM
Yin
O.-J .1iJ
::t rr-Ajr-.tl-.A
jWyckhor," whose li;iriri is unci. s M yjV.
' after, because of her wr-il'li On v's:i;zj--
the Wj'ckhoff castle tlny are la roducKi .
to two other ffirls, both known hs A;iih;
Wyckhoff.
. J7JIAJPJf:R .II. At dinner t!-rc? other
Agatha Wyckhoffs are Intr-vl-j ! arv"
the plot revealed. The df iis I . step
father, in an eccentric inoim'nt. iivide Ms
will so that the real Ajr-itVi. Iir-iress to
il fnrtnn nnl tha onutlo n tl'vu Pn.
- land, mljfht wed her affinity. T'r us .Mr.
Armlatead. chaperon, was in int y bound
to Veep the real Agatha's i-Vmity. un
known and suitors v.re Invited . to try
out for the hand of the heiress. An at
tempt by Terhune to gather a cle-.v from
the chaperon" fails.
71 thcugnt as ruufch," 1 raid. "1
thought they seemed more like Amer
ican than English girls. And hovr
long has your niece been here?"
I asked the last question because I
itrM afraid the conversation was going
to stop and I felt that in another mo
ment Mrs. Armistead might lnad
Trtently drop a hint as to the identity
of the real Agatha. It was very ex
citing.
"Nearly a year. This.is the last six
weeks of the second year of mourning,
and the first of the two years she is
to spend with her girl companions at
the castle. You know my brother-in-law
disapproved ot ffirls 'coming out,
as they call l' and placing themselves
on the marriage market. He'd rather
have the young men come to see them
In their own homes, so he put off my
niece's presentation' as long as h
could, hoping she'd be married befor
that time I think."
"And have you entertained many
yong men as yet?"
. "My dear man! I. should think we
had, nearly two dozen at least. And
"they were ' too funny, unobtrusively
trying to discover which was the girl
with the money, although that is really
against the spirit of the whole thing,
as it 13 contrary to the object of the
will."
At this point I grew rather thought
ful. "Dear, dear!" she went on, "how
cautiously they did go about their
courtships! They were all after the
taoney, I fear. This Is a mercenary
world! All the girls have received
" offers, but none of them has accepted."
"what hardhearted misses they
must be! I exclaimed. "Are they all
like that in America. I wonder?" And
I couldn't help thinking of that girl 1
met last summer.
"1 don t ' know, I'm sure," replied
Mrs. Armistead. "It's not III; English
girls. They're always ready and will
tag to marry off whenever their mam
mu have provided eligible partis for
them. But I can understand it in thU
cue. No one of the Agathas I more
than 22 years old. and it's great fun
for them.-this care-free life at Castle
WyckhoffJ They have everything they
can possibly ' want that money can
"any not one of them has ever been
m England before, and they are all de
voted friends. What wonder" that the
charm and aarctty f their somewhat
unusual me na.tr iioc yet worn off.
Keally it isn't strange to me that no
one of them has been able to muss up
her mind to leave the enchantea cas
tlethough, to be sure, I think that
young Murray Branccpeth very nearly
carried off one of our Agathas. Sho
seems to fancy him. and between our
selves I think he'll win her yetM
"And if he does he'll win the twenty
millions with her, I suppose?"
I said this coolly, In a matter-of-fact
tone, and waited for her denial or a-
tulescence, successfully concealing my
Interest In the reply.
But she gave me neither; she began
to say something, but checked herselj
suddenly and looked at me admiringly.
"Tou're a clever man." she said, in
toad,' "but you can't get any Informa
tion out of me. Lots of them have
tried, but It's no use. Besides, it isn't
fair.
CHAPTER III.
Disappointed' and somewhat cha
srrined at Mrs. Arml?tead's answer, I
rose to my feet cn 1 prepared to Join
tho young ladies in the drawing room.
I had been so-interested in discussing
Fletcher Boyd's will with Mrs. Arn
lstead that I had completely forgotten
Vincent. At first I thought he had al
ready' left the room, but In a moment
I heard him laugh and discovered him
actually sitting on the floor before tha
Are, playing a species of mumble-the-ptf
with the secretary. Extremely ua
becoming conduct for both of them, 1
thought, and Mrs. Armistead thought
:so, too, for she spoke sharply to the
secretary, who left the room with red
dened cheeks. Vincent, however, was
.unabashed, and, after holding the door
open for her, he followed me to the
drawing room, without heeding my re
monstrances. He seldom does heed
them, I may say. .
' It was on the third day of our stay
when Vincent-and I h-d begun to feel
thoroughly at home at Castle Wyck-
Ytnff anA whan Vt.j..- v. a.
feel more than thoroughly at home
xttZb Asatha ?rst. ! that - X m 14
PICTURES MY
was rainy, an3 after breakfast there
was. nothing to do but to road that
is, until Agatha Sixth came, down
stairs I had found her to be an un
usually well-educated girl and had
given her all' my attention during the
three days I 'have mentioned. So I
wandered into the library and began
to explore the tall bookshelves to" find
something that interested me. And I
found it, though it wasn't exactly for
jwhat. IJiad,. been looking. On the
lowest shelf I discovered three heavy
hut new-looking albums. From idle
curiosity to look at what I supposed
were , pictures of the dead barons o!
Wyckhoff I dusted the first ot the big
'books and began to turn the leaves. I
found It full of photographic repro
duction of oil paintings depicting the
1 ladies of the family, and on the last
page of the book I came upou a pic.
ture which thoroughly startled me. It
was a copy of a full-length portrait c
the last Baroness Wyckhoff, whose
second husband had been Fletcher
Boyd. The picture showed a 3lende
little lady, with straight dark hair,
an aquiline nose, and a dark complex,
ion, the living image of Agatha Sixth!,
Stunned by the .importance of my
find I closed the book, put Vjack the
albums where I had found them an4
stole from the room. I had a guilty
, feeling, almost as if I had done some
thing wrong, yet it had been an acci.
dent for which no one could really
blame me. Full of excitemen?, I went
to find Vincent to acquaint lam with
my good news, and discovered him in
the morning room playincr chess with
Agatha First, or rather, he v ?.a show,
ing her how to play, for he v.i3 hang
ing over the back of her chair and,
'moving her hand with his hand when,
ever it was her move.
, I coughed as I entered., and frowned.
I am always frowning at S'jnc out .these
AGATHA
aays, it seems to me, "butl really nave
to. He needs a little restraint.
"Good-morning, Miss Agatha."-1 said,
pleasantly; "how does the game
progress? Is Lord Wilfred an efficient
teacher?"
"Very." replied the young lady, short,
ly, and both of them IcokM at me
with such insolent hostility itat I was
obliged to leave the room, murmuring
apologies for intruding.
I was rather . vexed with Vincent
'about his; he doesn't show ve quite
me respect auo an older. vrzh from a
boy of rhisage. Not that I am old, or
anywhere near middle" ace. "tut still
I aa Vincent's senior, and t&is i&ciJ
I ... - u . r-v?
r - i
- : - .-rid--. -?zf "C
cate my discovery to MmT TT. shouli
I tell him and put a formidable rival
Into the field? Not that I'm afraid of
Vincent exactly, for I hav always
found that when the girls tire of his
fun they are very glad to fall back
upon an experienced man like myself,
who has seen the ir or id and is ac
quainted with Shakespeare and tht
musical glasses. Nevertinjless, rt
seemed a pity to Invite Vincent to en
ter the lists against Jie, for 1 had fully
made up my mint to win Agatha
Sixth. Not that I aia mercenary not
at all. But it had been some time
since I seriously -considered marrying.
and, after all, I thought, why not con
sider it now, and, as long as I was se
lecting a wife, why not pick out one
of these six girls? They were all
beautiful and accomplished. "And,
why not," I asked myself, "while
am about it, make it that one of ths
Agathas, whose title was the honor
able, with twenty millions?" Twenty
millions, when you think of it, ought
to keep a careful man comfortable
for life, and Vincent was smart
enough let him, look out for himself.
And thus I decided not to tell Mm
of my discovery.
We spent the evening of thai day
each according to his fancy Vincent
playing tag and blind-man's buff with
four of the girls, while the fifth frlayed
on the piano, and I in the next room
reading Edmund Burke's speeches
aloud, while my adored Agatha fiixtt
did fancy-work. She really did every
thing very well. Finally Vincent and
I took our leave, and when we were in
our own rooms and Vincent had
wrapped himself in my favorite bath
robo and appropriated my armchair,
I was almost tempted to tell him all
about it. Just as I was about to begin
he spoke. -
"Arch, my boy," he said a disre
spectful method of address, by-the-way,
but I let him proceed "Arch, my boy.
do you know I like that girl, Agatha
First? She's a true sport, and that
plump little one with the blue eyes
is a pace-setter."
"Agatha Third, you mean?" I asked.
"I was not aware that you had got any
further than our introduction with.
her."
"Oh, yes," said Vincent, as though
it were the easiest thing in the world;
"I told fortunes with her all after
noon and played tag with her most of
the evening yesterday."
"Really, Vincent," I said sarcastical
ly, "that fortune-tellins; xamfeof. jrours
THIRD.
is a little ofd. Caart you find some
thing: new?"
V "What's the use, so len? as it
works?" he replied, watch in.? the
smoke from that nasty pipe of his curl
upward to the ceiling. "But I tell ycu
what," he pursued, reflectively, "that
girl with the fair hair who played the
piano, Agatha Fourth, .she's a stun
ner." "Upon my word, Vincent," I expostu
lated, "where do you find time for so
many of them at once? Doesn't
Agatha First feel neglected?"
"I suppose so," replied the young in
solent, "but I can't help that. rm
,going to give them all a whirl but
Archbaldr-H was setting alee&y a&d
his pipe 1'ad rrc-c "I really do
like red hair best."
"I don't know wVifc you are talking
about," I sa?d. - -.-'cUIy b tt, Vin
cent, I want to tci! you scmetl. n I've
made a discovery." v
VWhat is it?" he .viid. without the
slightest interest, p.n i I changed my
mind again.
"Nothing," I said. "I've forgotten
what it was."
Vincent rose, and, stretching him
self mightily, went toward his own
room. At the do r he turn 2d and
smiled one of the smiles he does not
often give to men, and t felt that this
one was not meant fcr me.
"I've made a discovery, too," Arch,"
he said.
I stared at him in amazement, won
dering what was coming.
"What's that?" I asked.
"I've discovered that Miss Marsh's
eyes are gray, as ?ray as stars," he
said, onls' half aloud, and disappeared
Into his room.
"Poppycock!" I shouted as the door
closed behind him. Vincent's vagaries
are hard to follow at times stars cer
tainly are not gray. That I knew to be
absurd.
My new knowledge, while it robbed
the affair of its piquant mystery for
I had decided that Agatha Sixth was
in truth the real Honorable Agatha
made my game even more exciting,
now that the stakes were assured. ' I
read with Agatha Sixth, walked with
her, talked with her, and played chess
with her all the first week; and as
nearly as I could make out Vincent's
program ran something like this: Be
fore breakfast he took a horseback
ride with Agatha Fifth ; after break
fast he played golf with Agatha First;
tennis with Agatha Third; and took
Agatha Second out sketching. In the
afternoon Agatha Fourth played
Chopin to him by the hour. Agatha
Sixth he had not approached, fearing
me, as was natural. In the evening
he played games with them all or re
tired into the library with Agatha
Fifth, who seemed to have lost her
head over him completely.
This program he repeated day after
day with reckless lack of generalship
and yet every now and then, to my
surprise and disgust, I caught him
deep in his unfortunate flirtation with
Mrs. Armistead'a secretary. It wasn't
fair" to the poor eirl, and I told Vin
cent so plainly. We were sitting oa
the low stone balustrade of the castle
Vincent in riding clothes and look
ing as fine a lad as any In old England.
He was waiting for Agatha Fifth to go
riding with him, although it was later
than usual, all at us hartng break
fasted. For myself, I wore my tennis
things,' which fcaeome me greatly, If
I do say it, for I intended to play a
set with those tennis fanatics, Agatha
Second and Agatha Third, as the aris
tocratic Agatha Sixth was a late riser
and had not yet eome downstairs.
- "No, Vincent' I said. "it won't do.
Flirt with all the Agathas, if you must.
but when it comes to the secretary, let
her alone. To say nothing of what is
due her, think of the time you're
wasting. We have only six weeks
think of it six weeks to make a try
far twenty millions of dollars!"
Tou forgot to say that a wife goes
aloag with the filthy lucre," he said.
and somehow I felt uncomfortable
Vincent has a -faculty for making one
feel uncomfortable. It makes me quite
angry he's no better than the rest of
us, but he's so confoundedly innocent
about some things.
I was going to explain to him that
he needn't steab as if he thought that
1 were the sort of a man to marry a
girl merely for her money when his
face lighted aad he spoke more ration
ally.
"Gad," he said, "what a rare lark It
would be to toss up a coin and take a
chance at it. Six to one only you'd
have a. good show to win out!"
"How foolish you are, Vincent I"
responded. "Suppose you took a
chance at It, as you say, and Just pro
posed to any one of them, when yeu
had made no attempt to win her
wouldn't she know you were fortun
hunting? And if it should happen to
be the real Agatha she'd refuse you
on that account because It ro'jld de
feat the object of her father' .v il; and
11 It were not the reat A?;i:?ia slie 1
refuse you, too, because t-iioM "know
she had no fortune to ive 7 ox"
"Of course," said Viucerst, sighing,
"you're right about that. But I te'l
you, Archibald, I'm not farting with
Miss Marsh. She's an awfu''y sensible
little girl, and I go to her fcr advice
about the course I'm pursuing with the
Axathas. I need encouragement, you
know; it's all such a beastly mess.
One doesn't know with which one of
the attractive young ladies to fall in
lays. It's so difllcult to decide with
&at twenty millions hovering in the
background. Just think. Arch, what
the governor would say if bis penniless
younger son should bring that amount
into the family. And the daughter of
A baroness, too, it would be such a
match! I can just see how t'ckled he'd
he to have his youngest so well pro
vided for. The dear old governor!"
And Vincent's eyes moistened. "So you
see," he went on hurriedly, "Miss
Marsh's attitude toward me is entirely
friendly. She is merely the confidante
of my difficulties of the heart, and her
taste, I find, is excellent."
iTt Is also changeable," I said dry
ly; "if - the course you have been pur-;
solas; is through advice of hers."
Vincent smiled.' "And then you
know," he went on, ignoring my
thrust, "she's writing a very Interesting
hook, the history of, the barons of
Wyckhoff, and I'm helping her. I'm
awTly interested in genealogy, y
know."
(To be continued next week)
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Stationery
If you don't see what, please ask as we likely have it.
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The best line of Hammocks in the City.
The L. E. Waterman Fountain Pen conceeded by all to
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Before buying see our goods and compare our prices
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r
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f J
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(JTI We have a large and corrplete stock of Stationery, Sporting
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Lowney's Chocolates and Bon-Bons.
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