Gertrude seldom loses her presence of mind, and she ran to the
telephone. But by the time the Casanova volunteer fire
department came toiling up the hill the stable was a furnace,
with the Dragon Fly safe but blistered, in the road. Some
gasolene exploded just as the volunteer department got to work,
which shook their nerves as well as the burning building. The
stable, being on a hill, was a torch to attract the
population from every direction. Rumor had it that
Sunnyside was burning, and it was amazing how many people threw
something over their night-clothes and flew to the conflagration.
I take it Casanova has few fires, and Sunnyside was furnishing
the people, in one way and another, the greatest excitement they
had had for years.
The stable was off the west wing. I hardly know how I came to
think of the circular staircase and the unguarded door at its
foot. Liddy was putting my clothes into sheets, preparatory to
tossing them out the window, when I found her, and I could hardly
persuade her to stop.
"I want you to come with me, Liddy," I said. "Bring a candle and
a couple of blankets."
She lagged behind considerably when she saw me making for the
east wing, and at the top of the staircase she balked.
"I am not going down there," she said firmly.
"There is no one guarding the door down there," I explained.
"Who knows?--this may be a scheme to draw everybody away from
this end of the house, and let some one in here.
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