• The Butler •

Just then there was a knock at the front door. The knock echoed through the house and brought silence upon everybody in the parlor.

“What’s that?” Greer said.

“It’s somebody knocking at the door,” Cameron said.

Miss Hawkline got up and started toward the parlor door that led into the front hall.

“It’s the butler,” the other Miss Hawkline said, remaining in her chair.

“The butler?” Greer said.

“Yes, the butler,” the other Miss Hawkline said. “He’s been up in Brooks getting some things we ordered from back East for The Chemicals.”

They heard Miss Hawkline open the front door and then her voice and another voice talking.

“Hello, Mr. Morgan,” she said. “Did you have a good trip?”

Her voice was very formal.

“Yes, madam. I got all the things that you requested.”

The butler answered her with the voice of an old man.

“You look a little tired, Mr. Morgan. Why don’t you go freshen yourself up and then go to the kitchen and have a cup of coffee. A cup of coffee will make you feel better.”

“Thank you, madam. I could stand to get some of this dust off me and a cup of coffee would be most refreshing after my journey.”

“How was Brooks?” Miss Hawkline said.

“Dusty and depressing as always,” Mr. Morgan said.

“Was everything we ordered there?” Miss Hawkline said.

“Yes,” Mr. Morgan said.

“Good,” Miss Hawkline said. “Oh, before you go, Mr. Morgan. My sister is back from Portland and she brought some guests with her who will be staying here with us for a while.”

She brought Mr. Morgan into the parlor.

He ducked his head when he stepped through the door and into the room.

Mr. Morgan was 7 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed over 300 pounds. He was sixty-eight years old and had white hair and a carefully trimmed white mustache. He was an old giant.

“Mr. Morgan, this is Mr. Greer and Mr. Cameron. They have come all the way from Portland and have graciously agreed to kill the monster in the ice caves.”

“I’m pleased to meet you both,” the old giant butler said.

Greer and Cameron told the giant they were glad to meet him, too. The Miss Hawklines stood there watching the meeting, looking quite beautiful.

“This is truly good news,” Mr. Morgan said. “That thing down there is a regular nuisance, pounding on the door and making such terrible noises. Sometimes it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep around here. The demise of that beast would greatly help in making this house a bit more tolerable to live in.”

Mr. Morgan had never really approved of Professor Hawkline’s move from Boston to the Dead Hills of Eastern Oregon. He also did not like the site that the professor had chosen to build the house on.

He excused himself and left very slowly, because he was so old, ducking his head again to get through the door. They could hear him walking slowly down the hall to his room. The heavy sound of his footsteps was very tired.

“Mr. Morgan has been with our family for thirty-five years,” Miss Hawkline said.

“His previous employment involved working with a circus,” the other Miss Hawkline said.