[Arry]

New is brought to the kitchen . . .

Gil and his friends had spent most of the morning practicing for the party tonight, they’d put together a nice list of songs, most of them good to dance to. They were just turning into the little lane that led from the main road to the Inn when Fallon spied smoke billowing up into the sky. The others were hurrying along, intent on cajoling Cook into giving them a little something to tide them over ‘til the evening’s festivities. They were luahing and joking with one another and were paying no attention to the view.

‘Look there!’ said Fallon, pointing to the column of smoke. ‘Something’s burning.’ Gil shaded his eyes with his hand and peered at the smoke. ‘Seems to be near the smokehouse,’ he said. ‘Thank the stars it’s not the barn!’ He took off at a dead run, motioning for the others to follow.

Gil stopped just short of the smokehouse structure; Tomlin, Fallon, and Ferrin, halted just behind him. ‘Well, it’s not on fire,’ Tomlin said, stating the obvious. The others crowded closer to the partially opened door which seemed to be the route for the escaping smoke.

Ferrin inspected the latch, his eyes catching the fact that it seemed to be broken. ‘No accident, this,’ he said, drawing their attention to it. They closed the door tightly and rolled one of the garden’s wheel-barrows up against it to keep it closed. Gil and Tomlin stayed to make sure no one would be getting into it again. And Fallon anf Ferrin ran as quick as they could to the back door of the kitchen.

‘Someone’s broken the latch to the smokehouse and left the door open,’ one of them cried as they tumbled willy-nilly into kitchen proper . . .