Newspaper Page Text
FOURTH PAGE
THE SUNNY SOUTH.
SEPTEMBER. 8, 1908.
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A Useless Pursuit
By JAMES MANSFIELD.
T wag merely a face, the
glorious vision of a wom
an's face, fascinating him;
he could see nothing else
that night. He was at
one end, she at the other,
a row of faces separating
them. In front lay the
stage, brilliant with light
and color. He tried to fol
low what was being played
before him, but turned
again and again.
It was not only because
she was beautiful—there wore pretlj
enough faces on the stage—-but that one
among the audience outshone them all
its beauty seeming of a high order- Her
ready had.the unreal touch of a dream
and he had a. partly unconscious feeling
that the mist of time would heighten
practical results have been reached we
might as well have dined peaceably with
Uncle James and his new discoveries,
Mrs. Marston has been in bed all this
last week with a cold, and now they’ve
had to fag all the way up front Earls
court to no purpose.”
"Earls court?”
''Yes, Randolph erescent, Earls court,
tlie very house, by the way, old Great-
the romance, while to carry it further j head cleared out of when his daughter
might spoil all. j bolted. Curious coincidence, isn’t it?”
He was still in tills uncertain frame of, Hut Corving, instead of replying, was
mind when, a few days later, professional staring at his friend open-mouthed. In
business called him Into the neighborhood another moment he leaped up and seized
of Earls court, and to the very street him by the hand, whicn lie shook with
that led from the station to Randolf j tlie utmost violence, while he cried wildly
Crescent. Ix was a worrying case of aj for a cab.
sick child, a patient of a friend of ills, Half an hour later ho was face to face
from whom he was locum tenens. ! with his divinity.
As he left tlie house and stood for aj ——
moment on -Ihe doorstep thinking over . , - , _ .
the case upstairs, a figure, stooping to A Valuable Book Flee,
the wind and hurrying - toward the station, 1 Phelps, president of the Ohio
caught his eye. U was the same! The j Manufacturing Company, Sta
tues was hidden, but the figure and walk | f^ e Yrlal^^offl:
were unmistakable. i ing vehicles from factory to consumer,
. He hurried down tlie steps and slanted j lias Just published a remarkable book
expression fascinated him, for he saw in j i n pursuit. As he turned out of tlie gar- ! giving the factory secrets of buggy mak-
It a look of supreme confidence, a happy j eri g nle ] le fell into the arms of a post- )a g. He has sent out over 150,000 of
unconcern with the Imagery of life pre-| man turnIn{r ln toward the house. The the8e valuabl ° book ? to interested people,
'and will gladly send you one free, if you
sented on the stage, and a joyous mas- shock of collision seemed to jerk out his, are hfferested to learn how buggies are
tery of the reality that made net appeal j topmost Thought, for lie found himself made. Write Mr. Phelps for one of his
to hitn a transcendant being,
He tried to catch her eye, and feared j
to succeed, but by and by the fear wore ,
out. She looked once at him. through !
him, and beyond him; he felt lie was in- (•
asking quite unconsciously:
"Who lives at 3 Randolf crescent?”
The postman, astonished, paused for a|
moment.
"Yes, Randoif crescent, J was on that
famous books today, on a postal card,
and you will get it free by return mall.
Write him at the above address.
I laughed. Pickering was surveying
the room as he spoke, and Stoddard sud
denly stepped toward him, merely, I
think, to draw u,p a chair for the sheriff;
but Picekring, not hearing Stoddard’s
step oil the soft rag until the clergyman
was close beside him, started perceptibly
and reddened.
It was certainly ludicrous, and when
Stoddard faced me again he was biting
his life,
"Pardon me!” he murmured.
which he gazed at the celling with his
quiet blue eyes, he said:
"Yes; certainly, there are always the
authorities. And as I have a tremendous
respect ifor your American institutions, I
shall at once act on your suggestion. Mr.
Pickering, the estate is richer than you
thought it was. It holds, or will hold,
your notes given to tlie decedent for
three hundred and twenty thousand dol
lars.”
He drew from liis pocket a brown en-
velope, walked to where I stood and
. °, W ’ , g '' nUel “ en - ,wU1 you klndly stiUe Placed it in my hands.
Miss GreutlveaU! That was her name.
Visible, and gazed without restraint. j , beat a COU pi e of months ago; No. 3, why.
The curtain fell between the acts, an | y€S _ that’s Colonel Greathead, Miss Great-
tho lights were raised in the auditorium. I bead aud Mlss ^ re athead.”
ISome seized the opportunity to openly
oha
and
earnestly discussed the play- Rut for
[Robert Corving the interval meant moie
light to indulge his vision,
itter and laugh, oteis- a few I Mlss Hreathead, No. 3 Randolf crescent.
1 sought t le u • •«»•<* * ; „ . , _ i "What wr.i Miss Greathead’s Christian
The House of a Thousand
Candles
Continued from First Page.
with
name?" lie .turned to ask, but the post- j of the inner layer, and examined the gur.
short-lived | n - ttu bad aireadj gone, and his question j face.
e tlie cut- fob on the empty air. He proceeded : “Theylre loose—these bricks are loose,
j down the street, but found the figure lie and there’s something besides earth be-
was following had vanished, too. I hind them!”
"Never mind!” he satrt to himself. T snatched the hammer and drove hard
"Colonel Great head's the man for me, 1 at the wall. The bricks were set up
Probably a member of the Utilted Ser- without mortar, and 1 plucked them out
vioe Club, sure to be, in fact, and Teddy 3 ud rapped Willi my knuckles on a wood-
Slnolair'a a member, loo, and can intro-|® n surface.
duce me. I’ll see Teddy tonight.” Even Larry grew excited as we filing
ile hod quite given up all idea of leav-! °ut the bricks,
mg ids ulgnt's experience ua a beauLifulj “All, lad,” lie said, "tlie old gentleman
dream. Teddy . ; /l nolair was inter viewed had a way with him—lie had a way with
lhai afternoon, and he did know Colonel! him!” A brick dropped on lus foot and
Great head. j he howled in pain.
"Gregthcad! Oh, ) es, that old man wilhj “Bless tlie old gentleman's heart! He
a fiery temper, and a taste lor blistering; made It a s easy for us as he could. Now,
curries and tlie Indian Times.' i knoiv) fo1 ’ the Glenai-m millions—.red money all
ldm; played bridge with him .tlie other! p,iled U 'P for tbe oase of counting it—a
night amt won five pounds off him over thousand pounds in every pile.”
| a double no-trumps. ills par ner ms-1 “Don't be a fool. Larry.” I coughed
j carded o>: a. met nod of lus own, and/ 1 L him, for tlie brick dust and the smoke
j made tlie old gentleman furious.' < m. j of Larry’s pipe made breathing difficult.
At least he could fol- I yes ' / lea a nice old man provided y
| haven’ll got too much to do with him.’
delight hastily- snatched bef
tain should rise again.
She had friends with her, he noticed,
an old lady with glaring pince-nez, an
Aunt or mother—‘he hoped an aunt ami
e youth—a foolish, chattering youth, with
eyeglass and buttonhole, who laughed
aud talked with the greatest unconcern
He felt unreasonably- annoyed, and
the annoyance a vague astonishment.
Tlie orchestra stopped suddenly, tl
lights collapsed, and tiie stupid play o>i
tinned its clumsy course.
rt was the third and last act. N\ hen it
was over she would go one way and he |
another, and they would never meet ,
again; her face would beciaue a mere |
dream, a dream that would lade away. |
A burst of clapping interrupted His |
thoughts, the curtain fell and rose again, j
and fell; the lights shone out and tlie ]
collected audience broke up, and fumbled
ior their hats and cloaks.
She was going!
low her out.
J’OUr business? My- own affairs press me.’
Pickering was studying the cartridge
boxes on the library- table. The sheriff,
too, was viewing these effects with inter
est, not, 1 think, unmixed with awe.
“Gienarm, I don't like to invoke the
law to eject you from tills property, but
I am left with no alternative. I can’t
stay out here indefinitely, and I want to
know what I’m to expect.”
"That is a fair question,” I replied, “if
it wore merely a matter of following the
terms of the will I should not hesitate
Or be hero now. /Rut it isn’t tlie /will, or
my grandfather, that keeps me, it’s de
termination to give you all the annoyance
possible—to make it hard and mighty
hard /for you to get hold of tills house
until l have found why you are so much
interested in It.”
'You always had a grand way In money
matters. As I told you before you came
out here, it’s a poor stake. The assets
consist wholly of this land and this house,
whose quality you have hud an excellent
opportunity to test. You have doubtless
heard that the country people believe
there is money concealed here, but 1 dare
say jk>u have exhausted the possibilities.
This is not the first time a rich man has
died leaving precious little behind him.”
“I °u seem very anxious to get pos
session of a property that you call a
poor stake,’- I said. “A few acres of
land, a half-finished house and an uncer
tain claim upon a school teacher!"
’i had no idea you would understand
At tlie same time Stoddard's big figure
grew active, and before I realized that
Pickering had leaped toward the packet,
tlie executor was sitting in a chair, where
llie chaplain had thrown him. He rallied
promptly, stuffing his necktie into his
waistcoat; he even laughed a little.
"So much old paper! You gentlemen
are perfectly welcome to it.” •
‘‘Thank you!” jerked Larry.
“Mr. Gienarm and 1 had many transac
tions together, and he must have forgot
ten to destroy these papers.”
"Quite likely,” I remArked 1 . “It Is in
teresting to know that Sister 'Theresa
wasn't his only debtor.’
Pickering stepped to the door and called
the sheriff.
“I shall give you until tomorrow morn
ing at 9 o'clock to vacate the premises.
Tho court understands thijp situation per
fectly. These claims are utterly worth
less, as I am ready to prove.”
“Perfectly, perfectly,” repeated the
sheriff.
"I believe that Is all,” said Iairry. point
ing to the door with his pipe.
The sheriff was regarding him with par
ticular attention.
“What did I understand- your nun* to
fce?" he demanded.
"Laurance Donovan,” Larry replied
/coolly.
Pickering- seemed to notice the name
now, and his eyes lighted disagreeably.
“I think I have heard of your friend
before,” he said, turning to me. “I con
gratulate you on the international reputa-
“Yes; that’s the wise course,
and I can hold the fort here. His is a
moral issue, really, and I’m in for a
siege of a thousand years,” said the
clergyman earnestly, “if it’s necessary
to beat Pickering. I may go to jail in
the end, too, I suppose.”
“I want you both to leave. It's unfair
to mix you up in this ugly business of
mine. Your stake's bigger than mine,
Larry. And yours, too, Stoddard; why,
your whole fortune—your professional
standing and prospects would be ruined
if we got into a fight here with the au
thorities.”
“Thank you for mentioning my pros
pects! I’ve never had them referred to
Gienarm tbe lantern at her side, and I followed,
so mystified, so angered by her com
posure, ttiat I scarcely knew what I did.
She even turned, with pretty courtesy,
to hold tlie light for me at the crypt
steps—a service that I accepted perforce
and with joyless acquiesence in the irony
of it. I knew that I did not believe in
her; her conduct as to Pickering was
utterly indefensible—I could not forge."
that; but the light of her eyes, her tran
quil brow, the sensitive lips, whose mock
ery stung and pleased in a -breath—by
such testimony my doubts were alter
nately reinforced and disarmed. Swept
by .these changing moods I followed her
out into the crypt.
“You seem to know a good deal about
this place, and I suppose I can't object
to your familiarizing yourself with your
liefore,” laughed Stoddard. "No; your j own property. And the notes—-I’ll give
grandfather was a friend of the chui
and I can’t desert his memory. I’m a
believer in a vigorous church militant and
I’m enlisted for the whole war. But
Donovan ought to go, if he will allow
me to advise him.’’
Larry filled his pipe at the fireplace.
“Lads,” he said, his hands behind him
myself the pleasure of handing them to
you tomorrow. You can cancel them
and -give .them to Mr. Pickering—a pretty
pledge between you!”
I thrust my hands into my pockets to
give an impression of ease I did not fee:.
“Yes,” she remarked in a practical tone,
“three hundred and twenty thousand dol
lars is no mean sum of money. Mr. Pick
repli.»|, “Tlie xact that a man _
nia\ he under oath to perform the solemn J tlon of your counsel. He’s esteemed so
duties imposed upon him by the law j highly in Ireland that they offer a large
He seized bis hat, trampled on his for- I - bls waa n °t very encouraging, _
gotten umbrella and pushed rudely .past | '-urvlng- was not to be slopped now. i which strips of iron were deep-set. 11
Us neighbors. Corving pushed on through.' Introduce me to him tonight, will yon"!" a ' s fastened with a padlock and Larry
the crowd, heedless of the waves of in- 1 1 particularly want to know him." ' reached down for the ax.
dignation which followed in his track, j "Tonight? Tonight 1 wanted you to! "Wait!" I called, drawing closer with
and reached the theater door just in. dine with my Lnoie James. He's met | the Dhtern. “What’s this?”
'time to see the figures he was pursuing | some old friends or your people, or rather! The wood of tlie door was fresli and
disappear toward the railway station, j they met him. No, I've t'oreotren i, n „. If I white, but burned deep on the surface,
but
| "That's all the loose brick—bring the
j lantern closer”—and we peered through
tiie aperture upon
>den door, in
ce ! , v
forgotten how it
so as to arrive just behind them at the I e(1 lo colne ac:ro8B you> a Mrs ^
booking office and eaten the name of the , atld her nl y '
station for which they were bound a I '
few minutes later he found himself on
the platform with- a ticket for Earls
Court in one pocket and a neglected re
turn to Baker street in the other.
As he waltod for the train he began
for the first time to reflect on what
he was doing, but the reflection only
led to a determination to see the ad
venture through—ut least to find out
where she lived. At Earls Court he hur-
heard of
them.”
\oa, j believe 1 have, but really they I
don t Interest me. Tell your uncle I'm |
sorry I'm engaged ,and take me to meet !
the colonel Instead.”
"Ail right, if you insist. You had bet- !
tar dine with us at the club, i’ll tell I
the colonel there's a great admirer of his
wants to know him."
"Look here, no rot! If you hash tills I
THE DOOR
HEW II.DERMENT.
vied up tho sairs and arrived before j business for mo I'll never forgive you.”
any of the passengers at the station
door. Finding only throe cabs waiting,
he jumped into one and called to the
driver through the trap to. wait. An
old gentleman followed him and drove
off ln the second cab. Another man ar
rived next, and calling tlie only re
maining cab, disappeared with it.
Tho next moment they appeared at
the station door. The silly youth who
was with them in the theatre had gone,
obviously only an acquaintance, while
the aunt or mother stood with her nt
tho thros'no'.d of tho door, looking out
into tho streets.
It had Just begun to rain heavily,
one of these July showers which ap
pear with an unwo'r.omn suddenness,
and last Just long enough to wet the |
unwary thoroughly.
"No, no, i’m serious. Read hitn up in
tho Army List.' Start tho conversation
on one of his campaigns and he’ll be as
pleased ns Punch, there’ll be no stopping
him."
That evening Corving, Sinclair and the
colonel dined together at one of tiie small
vlub tables. The dinner was good. Sin
clair behaved himself very decently, and
Corving, properly coached, brought the
conversation again and again to the sub-
I Joct of the Indian campaigns. The old
; wurrior was ln excellent spirits, and. de-
j lighted to find such a good listener, kept
j telling one long story after another, enor-
| mousiy to ills own gratification. His
) opinion of Corving's intelligence and
! breeding rose by loops and bounds.
"Would you believe It, sir,” said he.
told that story in this very club
“There are dead men inside, I dare say!
Here, my lad, it's not for me to turn
loose the family skeletons,”—and Larry
stood aside while 1 swung the ax and
brought ii down with a crash on the
padlock. It was of no flimsy stuff and
tlie remaining bricks cramped me. but
half a dozen -blows broke it off.
"Tlie .house of a thousand shoeta,”
chanted tlie Irrepressible I .any, as I
pushed the door open and crawled
through.
Whatever the place was, it had a floor
and I set my feet firmly upon it and
turned to take the lantern.
“Hold a bit,” he exclaimed. “Some
one’s coming”—and bending toward the
opening 1 heard the sound of steps down
the corridor. In a moment Bates ran
up, calling my name with more spirit
than I imagined possible in him.
"What is it?” T demanded, crawling
out into the tunnel.
"It's Mr. Pickering. The sheriff has
pose as tho reliever of distressed dames':
Amazement,
fell upon the
The light
full upon him
T thought, a certain
No. ho was not such a fool as that, j favorable opportunity
and would rather they were both soaked '
Corving seized what appeared to be a j satisfaction, were marked ulpon his coun-
“Don't you think, tenance
I sir, tlie bringing up Is very different?” | "Run along. Jack—I'll be up a little
to the skin than that he should miss | "Think! think! I know it. When I | later,” said Larry. “If tiie fellow has
Tuem forever. Yes, b< tli of them; the wa3 ft boy, my father would havej come in daylight with the sheriff, he isn’t
old lady might get a hit of a cold— whipped mo Tor saying half the things | dangerous. It’s ids friends that shoot
hot-water bottles, bed and a doctor—ho j boys say nowadays, and got /petted as ; in the dark that igire us the trouble.”
could sen that. But she—she looked 'smart fellows. Impudence is what he'd i I crawled out and stood upright. Rates.
Strong enough, and a little rain would ! call it, and Impudence it is too. Why, : staring at the opening, seemed reluctant
not hurt her. j when •" j to leave the spot.
This was clearly tho conclusion his I But It was no boys Corving had come j “You seem to have found it, sir,” he
divinity herself arrived nt. The elder j to discuss, and ho ventured to Interrupt [ said—I thought a little chokingly. His
lady was wearing a resigned oxpres- | the fiery old man with another leading j interest in the matter nettled me; for
siou, and gathering up her skirts pre- J question. j my first business was to go above for
juratory 1.o sullying out into the wot. ! "Yes, that’s Just what my father used j an inerview with the exector, and the
Her niece was obviously protesting I to saj '' but be always maintained that i value of our discovery was secondary,
against such rashness, but quite clearly j were the most troublesome, and tlie j Of course we have found it! ’ I ejac-
not on her own account. A minute or I
two passed in preparations and remo-n ,
•trances and then the two plunged into , at ’,
tho dripping streets. -
■'Follow those two, but not too close.”
he called to the cabman In a low voice.
Lfp one street and down another
crawled his cab as the two in front
hurried along ln tlie rain with cloaks
drawn tightly round, the rain dripping
from their umbrellas. He began to feel
a littie brutal, lolling comfortably un
der shelter wlrile they were struggling
ln the pelting rain, but he hardened
his heart and waited.
Eventually Corving had tho extreme
•atistfaction of seeing his quarry alight
tod disappear Into No. 3 Randolf Cres
cent. Ho sat quite still in the cab, re
peating the address over and over to
himself with a supremely happy and
rather foolish smile on ills face.
Riobert Ooirvlug reached home that
modern girl tlie most difficult being in ulated,
the world to keep in check. Did you clothes
ou mean, sir? I?
Girls? What's that to you. sir?”
Corving felt he had somehow or other
put his foot Into It badly. He could make
nothing of the mysterious nods and
winks Sinclair treated him to, and, strug
gling to get free, took another step.
“I thought you had a daughter of your
own, sir.”
“Sir! ! !” said the colonel, starting up
in a paroxysm of rage. “Sinclair, why
brushing the dust from my
“Is Mr. Stoddard in the li
brary?”
"Oh. yes, sir; I left him entertaining
the gentlemen.”
“Their visit ds certainly most inop
portune,” said Larry. “Give them my
compliments and teil them I’ll be up
as soon ag I’ve articulated the bones of
my friend’s ancestors."
Bates strode on ahead of me with his
lantern, and I left Larry crawling through
the new-found door as I hurried toward
the house. 1 knew him well enough to
have you brought this man deliberately j be sure he would not leave tlie apol
to Insult me, sir?” To Corving, “You're I until he had found wliat lay behind the
a guest of the club, otherwise I’d horse- I Door Of Bewilderment.
wh'pyou. If ever I meet you again, I 1 "lou didn’t tell the callers where yoti
will.” | t'xPfcted to find me, did j r ou?” I asked
The colonel, roaring with rage, j Bates, as he brushed me off in the
stamped out of the room. When his ; kitchen.
back was turned, Sinclair collapsed into "No, sir. Air. Stoddard received the
a heap and shook with suppressed laugh- gentlemen. He rang the bell for me
ter and Corving, who had been too an d ““'hen I wont Into the library he was
night late and tired, but he felt he astonished for a moment to speak, turn-
had brought with him a new mission
ln life.
The next morning his new mission had
eit.runk considerably in Importance, the
plain light of day apd the small wor
ries of his professional business—he
was a doctor newly launched into pri
vate practice—each assisted to fhrow
up his last night’s exploits in rather in
different color. He felt he would liko
to think over that night the face ln
the theatre and the two struggling
forms stooping in tho rain, and he fol
lowing the cab watching them. It aD -
BUY COTTON
Prices Very Low
Bi^: Advance Coming
Opportunity Never Belteyfor Ulf Profits
on Huiftll t-apltal.
8 l-2o to the planter la too low. Wo do not be
lieve this year's crop will oQUftl It’,000,000 bales.
Pritvs have det-]hi'*d <>n U;*.* beJief o! a big crop.
Present figures discount this with two months'
vicissitudes to follow.
Legitimate reasons for an ADVANCE never more
pronounced. {Speculative short interest a big fac
tor. We can trade in anj tiling from 25 bales \\p-
irard on a minimum margin of $50.00. TV’rite for
pur Special Letters.
REED B-tOKERACE CO
}D8 Century lildg.
0.
, MO. j
ed angrily on him.
“■What the blazes are you laughing at?
Can’t you see It s all up with me and
this volcano of a colonel of yours!
Haven’t you any decent feeling for me?”
”B-b-b-ut,” stammered Sinclair, vainly
trying to answer soberly, "but, my dear
feilow, didn’t you knowr His daughter,
Peggy Greathead, has just run off with
her chauffeur; It’s tlie talk o fthe club.”
“Her chauffeur!” Corving was dumb
founded, tho blow staggered him. Sin
clair stopped laughing, and, guessing at
what lay behind, said in evident sym
pathy:
“Do you know her, old chap?”
“What’s that to you?” said Corving
rudely. He felt he could not explain the
extraordinary fascination Peggy Great-
head had put over him in one night, and-
now she had gone off with her chauf
feur!
But Sinclair was too good a friend to
take offense.
“It’s nothing to me. of course, except
that I’m so sorry to see you cut up
about it; of course, if I had had any
idea, I—I—”
“Say no more about It, she’s nothing
to me. Here, waiter, two brandies and
soda.”
“Well,” said Sinclafr, when the waiter
i had set down- the drinks, “I’m not going
to ask you why you wanted to know this
fir«-«atlng colonel, but as far as any.
saying, ‘Mr. Gienarm Jg at his studies.
Bates’—.he says—‘kindly iell Mr. Gienarm
that I’m sorry to interrupt thJm, but
won’t he please come down?’ I thought
it rather neat, sir, considering his cler
ical office. I knew you were below some
where, sir; the trap-door was open and I
found you easily enough.”
Bates’ eyes were brlgnter than I Wad
ever seen them. A certain buoyant note
gave an entirely new tone to his voles.
He walked ahead of me to the library
door, throw it open and stood aside.
“Here you are, Gienarm,” said tScd-
dard. Pickering and a stranger stood near
the fireplace In their overcoats.
■Pickering advanced and offered his
hand, but I turned away from him with
out taking It. His companion, a burly
countryman, stood staring, a paper in
his Wand.
“The sheriff,” Pickering explained, “and
our business is rather personal—”
He glanced at Stoddard, who looked at
me.
“Mr. Stoddard will do me the kindness
to remain," I said ana took my stand
beside the cha/plain.
“Oh!” Pickering ejaculated scornfully.
“I didn’t understand that you had estab
lished relations with the neighboring
clergy. Your taste is improving, Gien
arm.”
"Mr. Gienarm Is a friend of mine % ” re
marked Stoddard quietly. “A very par
ticular friend,” he added.
“I congratulate you—both. -
would hardly appeal to you. But I
haven’t come here to debate this ques
tion. W hen are you going to leave?”
“Not till I’m ready—thanks!”
"Mr. Sheriff, will you serve your writ?’’
lie said, and I looked to Stoddard for any
hint from him as to what I should do.
“I believe Mr. Gienarm is quite willing
lo hear whatever the sheriff has to ?ay
to him,” said Stoddard. He stepped
nearer to me, as though to emphasize the
fact that lie belonged to my side of the
controversy, and tlie sheriff read an order
of the Wabana county circuit court di
recting me, immediately, to deliver the
house and /grounds into tlie keeping of
the executor of the will of tlie estate of
John Marshall Gienarm.
Tlie sheriff rather enjoyed holding tiie
center of the stage, and I listened quietly
lo ilie unfamiliar /phraseology. Before
he hud quite finished 1 heard a step- in
tlie hall, and Larry appeared at the door,
/pipe in mouth. Pickering turned toward
him frowning, but Larry /paid not the
slightest attention to- the executor, lean
ing against the door with nis usual tran
quil unconcern.
“I advise you not to trifle witli the
law, Gienarm,” said Pickering angrily.
"You have absolutely no right whatever
to be here. And these other gentlemen
—your guests. I suppose—are equally tres
passers under the law.”
He stared at L’arry, who crossefi his
legs for .greater ease ln adjusting his
lean frame to the door.
“Well, Mr. .Pickering, what is the next
step?’’ asked the sheriff, with an im
portance that hud been increased by the
legal phrases lie had been reading.
“Mr. Pickering.” said La’rv. straighten
ing up and taking the pipe from his
mouth. "I’m Mr. Glenarm’s counsel. If
you will do me the kindness to ask the
sheriff to retire for a moment I should
like to say a few words to you that you
might prefer to keep between ourselves.”
I had usually /found it wise to take
any cue Larry threw me, and I said:
“Pickering, this is MV. Donovan, who
las every authority to act for me in the
matter.’’
Pickering looked impatiently from one
to the other of us.
“You seem to have the guns, the am
munition and the numbers on your side,”
he observed drily.
“Tlie sheriff may wait within call,” snij
Larry, and at a word from Pickering the
man left the room.
“Now, Mr. Pickering”—Larry spoke
slowly—“as my friend has explained the
case to me, the assets of his grandfath
er’s estate are all accounted for—the land
hereabouts, this house, the ten thousand
dollars in securities and a somewhat
vague claim against a lady known as Sis
ter Theresa, who conducts St. Agatha's
school. Is that correct?”
"I don’t ask you to take my word for it,
sir,” rejoined Pickering hotly. "I have
filed an inventory of the estate, so far
as 'found, with the proper authorities.”
“Certainly. But I merely wish to be
sure of my facts for the purpose of this
interview, to save ine the trouhie of go
ing to the records. And. moreover, T
am somewhat unfamiliar with your pro
cedure ln this country. I am a member,
sir, of the Irish bar. Pardon me, but I
repeat my question.”
“I have made oath—that. I trust, Is
sufficient even for a member of the Irish
bar.”
“Quite so, Mr. Pickering,” said Larry,
nodding his head gravely.
He was not, to be sure, a presentable
member of any bar. for a smudge de
tracted considerably from the appearance
of one side of his face, his clothes were
rumpled and covered with black dust,
and his hands were black. But I had
rarely seen hint so calm. He reerossel
his legs, peered into the bowl of his pipe
for -a moment, then aske.d, as quietly as
though he were soliciting an opinion of
the iweathor:
"'Will you tell me, Mr. Pickering,
■whether you- yourself are a debtor of
John Afar shall Glenarm’s estate?”
Pickering’s face grew white, and hi.
eyes stared, and when he tried suddenly
to speak his jaw twitched. The room
was so still that the breaking of a blaz
ing log on the andirons was a pleasant
relief. We stood, the three of us. with
our eyes on Pickering, and in my own
case I must say that my heart was
pounding my ribs at an uncomfortable
speed, for I knew Larry was not sparring
for time.
The blood rushed Into Pickering’s face,
and he turned toward Larry sormily.
“This is unwarrantable and Infamous!
My relations with Air. Gienarm are none
of your business. When you remember
that after being deserted by Ills own
flesh and blood h e appealed to me, going
so far as to intrust all his affairs to my
care at his death, your reflection Is an
outrageous insult. I am not accountable
to you or any one else!”
“Realty, there’s a good deal In all that,”
said Larry. "We don’t pretend to any
judicial functions. We are perfectly wilt
Ing to submit the whole business and all
my client’s acts to the authorities.”
(I would give much If I could reproduce
some hint of the beauty of that word au
thorities as It rolled from Larry’s tongue!)
"Then, ln God’s name, do It, you -black
guards!” roared Pickering.
Stoddard, sitting on a table, knocked
Ms heels together gently. Larry recrossed
Ms lags and Mew a cloud or smoko.
Tbon, after a quarter of a minute In
reward for his return. Sheriff. T thing
we have finished our business for to
day.”
He seemed anxious to get the man
away, and we gav.e them escort to tils
outer gate, where a horse and buggy
/were waiting.
"Now, I’m in for it,” said Larry, as I
locked the gate. “We’ve spiked one of
Ids guns, but I’ve given him a new one
to use against mysejf. But come, and I
will show you the Door of Bewilderment
before 1 skip.”
CHAPTER XXIV.
A PROWLER OF THE NIGHT.
Down wo plunged Into the cellar,
through the tra.p and to
Bewilderment.
“Don’t expect too much,” admonished
Larry; “I can’t promise you a single
Spanish coin.”
“Perish tlie ambition! We have
blocked Pickering's game, and nothing
else matters,” I said.
We crawled through the hole in t'te
wall and lighted candles. The room
was about seven feet square. At the
door, close to -tlie ceiling, end Larry
tugged at the fastening until It came
down, bringing with it a mass of snow
and leaves.
“Gentlemen,” lie said, “we are at tl.e
edge of the ravine. Do you see the
blue sky? And yonder, if you will
twist your necks a bit; is the boat
house.”
“Well. let. tlie scenic, effect go and
show us where you found those papers,”
1 urged.
“Speaking of mysteries, that la where
I throw up my hands, lads. It’s
quicKly told. Here is a tamo, ana neie
is a tin dispatch box, which lies Just
where I found it. It was closed and the i
key was ln the lock. I took out that
packet—it wasn’t even sealed—saw the
character of the contents, and couldn’t
resist the temptation to try tbe effect
of an announcement of Its discovery on
your friend Pickering. Now that is
nearly all. I found this piece of paper
under the tape with which the envelope
was tied, and I don’t hesitate to say
that when I read it I laughed until I
thought I should shake down the cellar.
Read It, John Glenamn-”
He handed me a sheet of le/gal-cap
paper on which was written these
words:
HE LAUGHS BEST WHO LAUGHS
LAST.
“What do you think is 60 funny ln
this?” I demanded.
“Who wrote it, do you think?" asked
Stoddard.
“Who wrote It, do you ask? Why,
your grandfather wrote It! John Mar
shall Gienarm, the cleverest, grand
est old man that ever lived, wrote It!”
declaimed Larry, his voice, booming
loudly in the room. "It’s all a great
big game, fixed up to try you and
Pickering—but principally you, you
blockhead! Oh, it’s grand, perfectly,
deliciously grand—and to think It
should be my good luck to siiare in it!”
“Humph! I’m glad you’re amused, but
it doesn't strike me as being so awfully
funny. Suppose those papers had fallen
into Pickering’s hands; then where
would the joke have been, I should like
to know!”
"On you, my lad, to be sure! The old
gentleman wanted you to study archi
tecture: lie wanted you to study his
house; lie even left a little pointer ln
an old book! Oh. It’s too good to be
true!”
"That’s all clear enough,” observed
Stoddard, knocking upon the despatch
box with his knuckles. “But why do
you suppose he dug this hole here with
Its outlet on the ravine?”
"Oh, it was the way of him!” ex
plained Larry. “He liked the idea of
queer corners and underground pas
sages. This is a bully hiding-place for
a man or treasure, and that outlet into
the ravine makes it possible to get out
of the house with nobody the wiser.
It’s in keeping with the rest of his
scheme. Be gay, comrades. Tomorrow
will likely find us with plenty of busi
ness on our hands. At present we hold
the fort, and let ua have a care lest
we lose It.”
We closed the ravine door, restored
the brick as best we could, and re
turned to the library. We made a list
of the Pickering notes and spent an
hour discussing this new feature of the
situation.
“That’s a large amount of money to
lend one man,” said Stroddard.
"True; and from that we may argue
that Mr. Gienarm didn’t give Pickering
all he had. There’s more somewhere.
If only I didn’t have to run—” and
Larry’s face fell as he remembered his
own plight.
“I'm a selfish pig, old man. I've
been thinking only of my own affairs.
But I never relied on you as much as
now!”
“Those fellows will sound the alarm
against Donovan, without a doubt, on
general principles and to land a’blow on
you,” remarked Stroddard thoughtfully.
“But you oan get away, Larry. We'll
help you off tonight. I don't Intend to
stand between you and liberty. This
extradition business Is no joke—If they
ever get you back ln Ireland It will be
no fun getting you off. You'd better
run for it before Plcksnfng and his
sheriff spring their trap.”
rocking’gently as was his way, -let | canned-” 6 deUShted l °
taia oi art and letters—I’m guing to stay. " " -
It hasn’t often happened in my life tliat
the whole setting of Uie stage lias pleased
me as much as tins. Lost treasure; sec
ret passages; a gentleman rogue storm
ing the citadel; a private c/iaplain on
the premises; a young squire followed by
a limelight; sheriff, school girls anti a
Sisterhood distributed through tlie land
scape—and me, with Scotland yard loom
ing duskily in tlie distance. Gienarm,
I’m going *to stay.”
There was no shaking him, and tiie
spirits of all of us rose after tins new
pledge of loyalty. Stoddard stayed for
dinner, and afterward we began again
our eternal quest for the treasure, our
hopes high from Larry’s lucky strike of
the afternoon, and with a new eagerness
born of the knowledge that trie morrow
would certainly bring us face to face
with the real crisis. We ranged the
house from tower to cellar; we overhauled
the tunnel, for, it seemed to me, tlie hun
dredth time.
It was my watch, and at midnight, aft
er Stoddard and Larry hud recommitared
“In exchange for a life of devotion,” T
sneered. ‘tSo you knew the sum—-the ex
act amount, of these notes. He hasn t
served you well; lie should have told you
that we found them today.”
You are not. are you. _ Squire
Gienarm. when you are cross?”
She was like Olivia now. I felt the
uettor futility of attempting to reason
witii a, woman w'lio could become a child
aL will. Sim walked up the steps and
out into the church vestibule. Then be
fore the outer door she spoke with de
cision.
“We part herey if you please! And—T
have not the slightest intention of trying
to explain my errand into that passag/'-
Ybu have jumped to your own conclusion,
which will have to serve you. I advise
you not to t>iirtk very much about P-
to the exclusion of more important bus
ness—Squire Gienarm.”
She lifted the lantern to /turn out it*
light, and it made a glory of her faeg.
but she paused and held it toward me.
“Pardon me! You will need this fa
light you home.”
“But you must not cross the park
alone!”
“Goodnigh/t! Please be sure to close
tiie door .to the passage when you g
down. You are a dreadfully heedless per
the grounds and Bates and I had made | son. Squire Gienarm.”
sure of all the interior fastenings, l sent
them off to bed and made myself com
fortable with a pipe in the j.orary.
■I was glad of tlie respite, glad to be
alone—to consider my talk with Marian
Devereux at St. Aguthas, and her return
with Pickering. Why could she not al
ways have been Olivia, roaming tlie I
woodland, or the girl in gray, or that |
woman, so sweet in her dignity, who j
came down the stairs at the Arm- |
strongs? Her own attitude toward me j
was so full of contradictions; she had >
appeared to be in so many moods and |
guises, that my spirit ranged the whole |
gamut of feeling as I thought of her. |
tlie Door of j But it was tlie recollection of Pickering's
infamous conduct that colored all my
doubts of her. Pickering had always
been In my way, and here, but for tlie
chance by which Larry had found tlie
notes, I should have had no weapon to
use against ^lim.
The wind rose and drove shrilly around
the house. A bit of scaffolding on the
outer walls rattled loose somewhere and
crashed down on tiie terrace. f grew
restless, my mind intent upon tlie many
chances of the morrow, and running for
ward to the future. Even if I won in
my strife with Pickering I had yet my
way to make in the world. His notes
were probably worthless—I did not doubt
that. I might use them to procure his
removal as executor, but 1 did not Iook
forward with any pleasure to a legal
fight over a property that had thought me
only' trouble.
Something Impelled me to go below,
and, taking a lantern, I tramped som
berly through in.* cellar, ul//"-- 1 “ c tlie
heating apparatus, and, remembering that
the chapel entrance to tlie tunnel was
unguarded, followed the corridor to the
trap, and opened it. The cold air blew
up sharply and I thrust my head down
to listen.
A sound at once arrested me. I thought
at first It must be the suction of tne
air, but Gienarm house was no place for
conjectures, and I put the lantern aside
and Jumped down into the tunnel. A
gleam of light showed for an instant,
then the darkness and silence were com
plete.
I ran rapidly over ihe smooth floor,
which I had /.raveled so oiien that 1
anew its very line. -Viy only weapon was
one of Stoddards cIuds. Near me hour
of Bewilderment 1 paused and listened.
The tunnel was penectiy quiet. J took
a step forward and stumbled over a
brick, fumbled on tlie wall lor tne open
ing wliicli we had closed carefully uiat
anernoon, and at the instant 1 tounu it
a lantern flashed blindingly in my face
anq I drew back, crouumng involuntarily,
and clenching tne club ready to striae.
"Good evening, Air. Gienarm!”
Marian Devereux s voice broke the sil
ence, and Marian Devereux s lace, with
the full light of the lantern upon it, was
bent gravely upon me. Her voice, as l
heard it there—her face, as 1 saw it
there—are the tilings that 1 shall re
member last when my hour comes to go
hence from this world. The slim fingers
as they clasped the wire screen of tiie
lantern, held my gaze for a second. The
red tam-o’-shanter that I had associated
with her youth and beauty was mted
rakishly on one side of her pretty head.
To find her here, seeking, like a thief
in the night, for some means of helping
Arthur Bickering, was the bitterest drop
in the cup. I felt as though I had been
struck with a bludgeon.
"I beg your pardon!” she said, and
laughed. ’There doesn't seem to be
anything to say, does there? wen, we
do certainly meet under tlie most un
usual, not to say unconventional, cir
cumstances, Squire Gienarm. Please go
She flung //pen the outer chapel door,
an/i ran along the path toward St. Aga
tlia's. I watched her in the sta.rilgh
until a bend in tlie path hid her swift
moving figure.
Down through the passage T hasten*!
her lantern lighting my way. At t: =
Door of Bewilderment I closed the opfr
ing’. setting up the line of wall as tvs
had left it in the afternoon, and th*
T went back to tlie library, freshened th»
fire and br ■< >< 1 *-■ I before it until R,v
came to relieve me at dawn.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
What Gave Birth to Famous “23”
Contnued from Second Page.
was suggested by tha
•a. colloquialism
scriptures.
The etymological scientist declares thru
“23 ’ is linked with the departure of Art.//,
from the Garden of Eden. He insist
that an anonymous party fell to discuss
ing- tlie cause of the woes of the world
anij the banishment of the first man from
tiie garden of bounty. They tried to re
call in just what part of the Bible tne
expulsion of Adam wa g recorded and.
opinions differing, one of the disputant!
procured a Bible and pored over thi
pages for the reference. At last lie ex
claimed: Here >t is. In the fifth chap
ter of Genesis, verse 23; remember 23.
This verse reads: “Therefore the Lord
God sent him (Adam) forth from the Gar
den of Eden to till the ground from
whence he wag taken.”
“In recollecting it afterwards, the mem
bers of the party knew that Adam go;
■his in the twenty-third verse,” said the
author of this exposition upon the rise or
" 23 •” "-Vrtj-ygards a snopg,. “themselves
th/y us/jff »*jTRi,i 0 y the expression in t: -
wise: It s yours to imitate Adam, wivu
he got in the twenty-third verse.’ Thru
■came the contraction to ’23.
Under the title. “The Only YPay ” a
dramatization of Dickens' story was play
ed a couple of seasons ago, and he wh,
traces “23” to the adoption of thL
merieal description of the departure - 'fron
life of Sydney Carton explains tha the
theatrical profession seized it as ati east
way of indicating one’s “finish.”-^Camas-s
Chronicle.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WANING
Your Cow’s Affection,
Continued from Second I£e.
away or turn your back. I want to get buman May thSi^^eu though
nut nf thin rlnr/i/in l-Aen ■’ She Iliay IlOt be Of J “ - * ff/ blit
the chance, and in her heifesangu/.ga
j will try to tell him how nruelfhe loves
him. Then, if met half-way vfa nett g
and kind words, she will talpleasuri
in giving down her milk easiiftnd free
ly. every drop of it. But wlf the reai
calf, the Simon-pure article,/left witii
its mother for a week or tfsiie fixes
her affection where nature 'ant it to
belong, and in her mind ch<f'/' the Li
man milker with trying /steal her
baby’s dinner. And she woi'onsent to
that if she can help it. ier would
her milker, if he were in hqpce.
AT CALVING TS-
Tt is just at tliis time ft tiie cow
needs special attention a/are, when
her first born ,s coming tf n - If kept
in a stable she should har£>ox stall to
herself, but near other P. for they
are sociable creatures, j love com
panionship. Note how tJai'e always
found on the range inPches,” and
how, if one is by any ip left alone,
she bellows until her /friends an
swer, and so guide heW bern _ If the
weather is cold brings 6 expectant
mother warm, not col(^- er to drink,
anil feed her often, jl little at a
time, and talk to her her a lit
tle, too. You won’t s ler by being
too good to her, neve 1 - Treated in
out of this donjon keep. .
She took my hand coolly enough and I a stranger not accuf to kindness.
stepped down into tlie passage. then 1 ! w ill soon watch eaJP r your com
broke upon her stormlly. I in<* an.i «r.nw that
"You don’t seem to understand the
gravity of what you are doing! Don't
you know that you are risking your i.,e
in crawling through this house at mid
night—that even to serve Arthur Picker
ing, a life is a pretty big tiling to throw
away? Your infatuation for that black
guard seems to carry you far
Devereux.”
She swung the lantern at arm's length
■back and forth so that its rays at every
forward motion struck my face like a
blow.
“It isn’t exactly pleasant in this cav
ern. Unless you wish to turn me over
to the lord high excutioner, I will bid
you good night.”
“But the infamy of this—of coming in
here to spy upon me—to help my enemy
—the man who is seeking plunder
doesn’t seem to trouble you.”
“No, not a particle!” she replied quiet
ly. and then, with an Impudent l'ling
“Oh, no!” She held up the lantern to
look at the wick. “I’m really disap
pointed to find that you were a little
ahead of me, Squire Gienarm. I didn't
give you credit for so much—persever
ance. But II J'® 6 have the notes—”
“The notes! He told you there were
notes, did he? The coward sent you
here to find them, after ins other tool's
failed him?”
She laughed that low laugh of hers that
was like the bubble of a spring.
‘‘Of course, no one would dare deny
■what the great Squire Gienarm says "
she said wi/theringiy.
“You can’/t know what your perfidy
means to me,” I said. “That night at
the Armstrongs', I thrilled at the sight
of you. As you came down the stairway
I /thought of you as my good angel, and
I /belonged to you—all my life, the better
future /that 'I wished to make for your
sake.”
“Please don’t!” And I felt that my
words had touched her; that there were
regret and repentance in her tone and
In -the gesture with which she turned
from me.
Ghe hurried down the passage swinging
g and show that sjy 11 * (° give you
her motherly gift of ^ heifer un
der such treatment hpBnue in after
years to give up hff ree ^y an d lac
tation and milk become an
established habit, never
b e needed to "dra# * be niilk.
Miss I course the JfJ 1 oa H should
have the first mja*^ a ^ u re has fit
ted it for that PtJ? d for no other.
But there will bauble in getting
it to drink if it l er been allowed
to- suckle. It wiB~ us * as w ell the
first time as ej’. ^ r * ts nose is
put down to tlr^‘ llk ' that is the
milker’s part W* calf is taken
from its motli|^ fte, '- llri nking of
the milk thuse is nature’s part
an.i be you stu# 3 , 1 do her part
of tlie .teaching thoroughly. Milk
the cow and f 1 ’ Tllen each of
them will thi# e lts mother, and
they will ”U« ever after.'
8
Leavi
an Old
took
f Second Page.
lsguise in the rear,
18 were compelled
. following the ex-
ders, he is diaposed
lzen of tne united
cmg one jot of his
front and
the confei
to surrem
ample of
to be a
States ■
^efievlM J 0 do m ® a
favor bjW' - v ? u for it.
but notW 11 aa tcf'edents. I fear
were'aJM %Zle y ° U
‘■Jfft'wS* to his Texas
friend M‘ sl *;ti _ city ’ and lle
£*H trM’« m P a ‘t ofjour notiqe
UlCy I THOMPSON
NexM'‘ Ma y 6. <86*.
s
»U
I lf
‘ lie
3.
T i
po
h
fi ah
ln
Si:
\ h-c
r°
liE
111