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PROFESSIONAL
BRETHREN
BY GEORGE L V'ALSH
CtrpvrloM, WO!, Ity F. M. Rim Ms* A Cos., New York
CHAPTER 111.
£IAT ulght I spent on
a the place of Charles
Goddard and made
myself as familiar
with his family his
tory as systematic
pumping of the coach
man would permit.
“An easy man lie is to get along
with." my informant volunteered.
“There ain’t the likes of him anywhere
else in the country. An' the sweet mis
sus is j.sf as good. She's an angel, my
wife says, if there ever was one.”
“You mean ike lady he's engaged
to." 1 replied, "the one who lives over
lu the mansion that was robbed the
other night?"
“Exactly; Miss Relic Stetson, the
only lady that’s worthy such a man as
any master."
“How long have they been engaged
41 nd when are they to be married?"
“Now ye're goln’ too fast. 1 didn’t
ay they was e. "age l. did 1? And if
they ain't engaged 1 couldn't say when
they're go:.;' to be manned, could I?
tv :ae sry t''ey're engaged, an' others
say they ain’t. How do 1 know who's
right?”
The i:;:::i was o: y waiting to reveal
mere of the re!.;: . : -nip between the
two young j.i- ; ,o. ;; I 1 entered to his
natural weak..- s by encouraging him
to proceed.
"Ye m; ? i-e a stranger around
these parrs Indeed if u . don’t know
what y • urn" he coir, gr.ed. with a
shrug of t.he skouh.er in lcjdy to my
•questions.
'1 wouldn't be n-tellki' it t;> every
cue. but seein' y e're goin' to he one of
tag* family 1 don't mind speakin' plain
like to ye.”
He puffed noisily upon bis black pipe,
sending the smoke upward hi deuse
clouds. His name was John, and lie
claimed to be an Irish American; hut,
■while lie had lost much of his brogue,
tie still retained ull the loquacity of his
tlrst ancestors.
"Mr. Goddard comes from one of the
•oldest families of this country, an’ old
Dr. Stetson—God bless him. he was
a good mat in his day—wasn’t a bit
belli id the Goddards. I’ve often heerd
the old folks arguin’ about their an
cestors. The doctor always said he
came over in the Mayflower. I don’t
know much about the Mayflower, ex
cept what I’ve heerd the old doctor say,
but she must have been a pretty fine
ship. She brought the doctor over—no,
the doctor’s grandfather or great
grandfather. I don’t just remember
which—an’ he always said that was
■enough glory for any man. But old
Air. Goddard would rile the doctor by
TBayin* that he thought boiu’ a gentle
man of Prance under King Louis was
a greater honor an’ that his ancestors
descended direct from kings an’ em
perors. They couldn’t agree noway,
an' they Just made up long enough to
pick anew quarrel. I’ve heerd tell
how they’d talk peaceful-like about
the politics of the country till they got
to goin’ about ancestors, an’ then in
live minutes they’d be shakin’ their
sticks in each other’s faces an’ callin’
one another liars.
“But this didn’t seem to make no
difference with their children. They
jest played together like brothers an’
sisters. When they was no bigger’n
up'to my knee they’d talk about lovin’
one another an’ about gettiu’ married.
The old doctor and Mr. Goddard
laughed at this an’ forgot to quarrel
sometimes about their ancestors jest
to see the little ones makin’ love.
“They seemed to be born fur each
•other, an' everybody said they’d get
married some day. But when Mr. God
dard died somebody said his son had
inherited his disease an’ that be wasn’t
long fur this world. Nobody seemed to
know jest what the disease was, but
they said it was incurable an’ some
thing not to be spoken lightly of.
“But about that disease of Mr.
Charles Goddard I ain’t so sure. Old
Dr. Stetson was quite riled about it.
Jin' he said he wouldn't let his daugh
ter marry any man that had it in his
system. Mr. Charles got angry an’
went away. He was gone for five
years, an’ folks hereabouts said the
.match was broken off. It did look that
way fur a time.
“But when the doctor died Mr.
Charles turned up ag’in an’ lived in the
old house jest as if nothin’ had ever
happened. He made up with the doc
tor's daughter, an’ they’ve been cornin’
an’ goin’ together ever since. There
was hopes for a time that they’d make
a match after all. But there ain’t no
tellin’ jest what may happen. lie nev
er seemed to be quite the same after
cornin’ home. He was pale an’ quiet
like, jest as if that disease was a-de
•velopin’ an’ takin’ hold of him.
"He brought a doctor back with him
to look after his health. He’d met the
.man somewhere when he was travelin’
—in Paris, I think—an’ this fellow j< ;t
watches Mr. Charles all the time. He
(lives over there in that old brown
•house. It's haunted, people round here
tsay, an' spirits come an’ go every
night. But young Dr. Squires don’t
mind that He laughs at spirits an’
says he ain’t afraid of ’em. Besides,
he likes such a place, fur then people
won’t be botherin’ him in his stud
ies. He don’t like to have folks run-
nin’ after him. lie's been studyin’ Mr.
Charles’ disease an' is writin’ a book
that will astonish the world. Then
he always said he was poor an’
couldn’t afford to rent a good house.
He got that bouse fur nothin’, an' I
guess Mr. Charles pays him well
enough to live without starvin’.
“I ain't makin* no criticism of Dr.
Squires, fur lie's a smart man an’ does
Mr. Charles plenty of good, but he
i shouldn’t have gone on so with Miss
; Stetson. He’s good lookin', an' he
ain't good lookin’. He’s too dark an'
furrin lookin’ to suit my tastes, but he
makes an impression on he ladies. I
suppose they likes a man that don't
look line other men.
“I ain’t certain but Miss Stetson
likes him better now than she does Mr.
Charles. He's always so [>olite an’ at
tentive to her. an’ he’s got an air of
mystery ’bout him that seems to charm
her. Mr. Charles ain’t blind to things
cither. He knows which way the
wind is a-blowin’, but he don’t do
nothin’. If he’d go in an’ try to get
her, I think win. But he don’t
an’ the doctor does. Mr. Charles seems
to be standin’ aside while this furrin
friend of his gets the girl an' all her
money. Mebbe it’s because of that old
disease. He’s waitin’ fur the doctor
to cure him of it afore he asks her to
marry him.
“But there ain't no harm of expressin’
an opinion between us. Dr. Squires
won’t cure him until he’s married Miss
Stetson, an’ then it will be too late."
With this wise conclusion my new
friend the coachman finished his story
and puffed away full ten minutes in
agitated silence.
■CHAPTER IV.
Y new master was In
dulgent to a degree,
and my duties were
not at all irksome. 1
showed some igno
rance In grooming the
horses, but John took
pleasure in exhibiting
his superior knowledge by showing me
Just what to do. I must have been an
apt pupil, for he nodded approval every
time I attempted to do the work ac
cording to his directions. But I was
not cut out for menial labor. It was
the anticipation of finding out more
about Charles Goddard, my new mas
ter and companion in crime, that had
first tempted me to accept such a posi
tion as groom.
I sooh found out. however, that he
had skillfully banished me from his
presence. lie never appeared around
the barn, and so far as seeing him was
concerned I might as well have been
a hundred miles away. lie went out
riding every day. but John hitched up
the horses and drove up to the front
of the house, where shrubbery and
trees hid them from view.
I stayed in my place five days with
out catching a glimpse of my master
or of Miss Stetson, and 1 was on the
verge of throwing up the position in
J teas yrooming his best trotter.
disgust when events took a different
turn. On the morning of the sixth day
Mr. Goddard appeared at the stable
door where I was grooming his best
trotter and took me by surprise.
“William, are you "heeustomed to
driving?” he asked me before I had a
chance to greet him with a good morn
ing.
It was the first time we hail met
alone since that eventful night when
we had robbed the Stetson mansion,
and 1 was a little concerned to see if
he would show any sign of recognition.
His parting injunction had been that
we should not know each other again
unless we met under conditions similar
to our first encounter. A ghmee at his
face showed that fie was.still deter
mined upon pursuing the same course
even when we were alone.
1 would not be outdone in keeping an
honorable agreement, and I answered
him accordingly.
“Yes, sir; 1 have driven good horses
a little.”
“Well, John is going to take the gray
stallion to the city, and I want you to
hitch up the team and drive me over to
Miss Stetson’s at 10 o'clock sharp.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be there on time.”
Fie hesitated a moment. looking
straight at my clothes. I divined his
meaning.
“I can put on John's clothes,” I said.
“We’re about the same size, and they,
will fit.”
, “All right. That will solve the prob
lem. I will depend on you to be there
in time."
He walked hurriedly out of the barn.
decking the dust from his neatly fitting
trousers with a ridiug whip. His figure
was almost os perfect as the setting of
his face, and 1 unintentionally fell to
admiring it. I. .* was every inch a gen
tleman, and tl ■ mystery of his strange
double life was i. oat rea
son had he to rob a house in the dead
of night and that house belonging to a
■woman he loved ?
Then it occurred to me that he had
been searching for some papers or arti
cles that concerned his welfare and
that the robbery of the silverware was
only an incidental feature of the
night’s work. The goods were probably
taken out to cover up bis tracks, to
give the impression that some ordinary
burglar had done the work. Satisfied
with this solution of the mystery, I de
termined to stay in my jiosition as
groom for some time longer, hoping
that events might reveal more to me
and giv me a chance In time of assist
ing Mr. Goddard in his trouble, for the
truth was I had taken a strong liking
to him and wished to l e near him.
Promptly at 10 o'clock 1 rattled up to
the house with the team and waited
for my master (I did not consider it
lowering to call him that), who soon
appeared on the piazza dressed with
immaculate taste. Ilia face was a tri
fle paler than I had ever seen it before,
but otherwise be was unchanged.
I liked the new duties assigA>d to me
and looked forward with considerable
interest to the outcome of the ride. I
would at least have an opportunity to
study the two together.
He dismounted at the front door of
the Stetson house and lightly ran up
the steps, taking two at a time. He
was gone about fifteen minutes, during
which time I studied the house and
the various windows which opened
upon rooms in which I must have been.
Miss Stetson appeared more beauti
ful than ever that morning, confirm
ing my first impression. She noticed
me with a slight inclination of the
head. Then the two took their seats,
and I drove them down the old country
road in the opposite direction from the
city.
For a time they remained silent, but
after we Had covered a mile they be
gan to converse In monosyllables. This
in time yielded to more animated con
versation, conducted in an undertone
that made hearing very difficult. I have
always prided myself upon my good
hearing, and it is due to the acuteness
of this sense that 1 caught any of the
conversation. As they became wrapped
up In their talk they unconsciously
raised their voices a trifle. As near as
I could hear the important part of their
conversation was as follows:
“I wish Dr. Squires would leave that
old haunted house," Miss Stetsou was
saying. "It mates me feel cold and
clammy every time I pass It, and what
must it be to live in It all the time!”
“Probably very disagreeable, espe
cially to one of your temperament.”
Mr. Goddard replied quietly.
"Or to one of your nature.” she an
swered, with a rising intonation of her
voice.
“But Dr. Squires does not seem to
mind it.” he added, unmoved. “I have
offered to let him have a room In my
house, but he prefers to stay where he
is. He says he cannot pursue his in
vestigations so well anywhere else.”
"What are his studies and investiga
tions? He is so mysterious about them
that my curiosity is excited.”
“Ask him, and he will probably tell
you.”
“1 have, but be always puts me off—
tells me to wait until some day when
he is ready to announce his discovery
to the world. Then he will tell me the
first one.”
“A great honor to you, I am sure,
but ! should demand to be let into the
secret now.”
There was a little Irony in his voice
which no one could mistake.
“Why do you not aspjxe to the same
honor?” she asked In liarp, piqued
tones. “1 understand that you are just
as ignorant of his secrets as I am.”
“Y’es, I am. I know nothing about
his studies. He never lets me go be
yond his office, which is on the ground
floor ii: front, but then there is no spe
cial reason why he should take me into
his secrets.”
“Isn’t he a friend of yours, and didn’t
you bring him here?”
“I brought him here, but not as a
friend. I understood that he was
skilled in certain lines, and I brought
him here as a medical adviser. I am
responsible for nothing more than
that.”
“You talk very differently from what
you did six months ago. There was
nothing too good for you to say about
him.”
“I’m saying nothing against him
now. I merely disclaim responsibility
for him except as a medical adviser.”
“I do not think lie needs you as a
sponsor for his character,” was the
sharp rejoinder.
“Probably not.”
The quietness of the reply added
fuel to the fire, and the silence which
followed was no indication of their
feelings. I dropped the whip purposeiy
on the seat back of me, and in turning
to pick it up I caught a momentary
glimpse of their faces. They were both
pale, and they were gazing intently at
the scenery on opposite sides of the
carriage.
During the rest of the ride very little
conversation was carried on between
them, and I had ample time to think
and reflect. The result of my cogita
tions was that I determined to pay Dr.
Squires a visit and see what l could
discover of bis secret studies and in
vestigations. Following the natural
bent of my mind, I of course decided
to make the visit In the dead of night
and unannounced. Something more
than ghosts and spirits would be re
quired to keep me off the premises
CHAPTER V.
r yf T was nearly a week
after this ride before
H 1 u P° n
jaAßjjft-H-.'. a night favorable foi
a visit to Dr. Squires,
a poor burglar
v ay-who fails to make
careful preparations before attempting
to enter a house, and long experience
in my business has made me extremely
cautious. I never undertake a Job with
out due consideration of all details. A
sneak thief may go around from house
to house in an aimless sort of manner
and enter the first one that is not prop
erly barred, but not so with a pro
fessional.
John always sent me off to exercise
the horses ou the few days when Mr.
Goddard did not use them, and T em
ployed these spare moments to ac
quaint myself with the surrounding
country. I passed Dr. Squires’ house
several times in the course-of the next
few days, examining the premises with
a critical eye.
I found that the house was located
some distance back from the main
highway and that it was nearly con
cealed from view by shade and fruit
trees. A small grove of woods backed
up to it ou one side and an open pas
ture field bordered it on two other
sides. The easiest and safest approach
to it, I conceived, was from the wood
side.
The house itself was an old rashioned
flat roofed mansion sadly in need of
paint and general repairs. It was
gloomy enough to drive almost any
body away from it after dusk, and I
did not wonder that strange stories of
ghosts and spirits had been gossiped
around by the country people. If I had
been a superstitious person, 1 should
have selected the house as the last one
to rob. It was probably this idea that
had influenced the doctor in taking it
for his workshop. He was pretty safe
in assuming that nobody would disturb
him in that lonely retreat.
X 9btained leave to go to the city on
Friday afternoon, and I told John not
to worry if I did not appear until the
following morning. I had friends in
the city who might detain me over
night.
About 4 o’clock I left the barn and
started presumably to walk to the city.
John offered to drive me half way
down if I would wait until after sup
per, but the afternoon was so fine I
preferred the walk.
Two miles down the road I found
that I was perfectly concealed from
view of every house, and I quietly slip
ped over the fence into the woods. This
piece of woods I knew backed up to
Dr. Squires’ hoi.se. I concealed the
bundle, which I pretended that I want
ed to take to the city with me, taking
enough tools from it first to answer all
my present purposes.
As I approached the edge of the
woods I moved with great caution. I
did not know how many servants the
doctor had, although John had assured
me that he had only one, a copper col
ored Indian who was more foreign
looking than his master. This servant
nevec associated with anybody else
and was either deaf and dumb or un
able to speak English.
He was a sort of faithful watchdog,
I judged, whom the doctor had be
friended and who would in conse
quence give up his life for him if nec
essary. I had met such zealous man
servants before, and my experience
had always been that they are e • •ed
ingly troublesome. I therefore used
extra precaution.
While yet some distance from the
house I climbed up into th Mafy
branches of one of the large tre and,
pulling the foliage to one side, s,: ined
the house intently through a pair of
strong fieldglasses. By their aid I
could note everything that was going
on outside the house and could almost
see objects inside the windows.
The only advantage I obtained from
this was a clearer idea of the most
vulnerable points of the house and also
the way to escape from the premises in
the event of an alarm. I saw the serv
ant go about his duties, and later I se
cured my first glimpse of the doctor.
He was a dark bearded, thickset, well
proportioned man, and one who would
prove a bold and powerful antagonist.
More than this I could not say until I
found myself at closer quarters with
him.
I remained in my treetop position
until well after dark, watching every
thing that occurred around the house.
Then I descended to the ground, ate a
few pieces of cold meat and bread,
drank a little wine and threw myself
on the dry leaves to sleep. There was
no danger of being discovered in the
woods, and I needed the rest and sleep
to prepare me for the night’s work.
It was shortly after midnight when I
opened my eyes again. Habit had made
it a second nature with me to awaken
at this hour, and I had no fear of over
sleeping myself when 1 first closed my
eyes. I crawled through the under
brush toward the fence which divided
the doctor’s land from the grove, anti
then waited and ijstened. The iiouse
was perfectly dark, and everything
was calm and peaceful.
I had thought of dogs, but had failed
to see any around in the afternoon
through my glasses. However, to make
sure of it I Imitated the cry and snarl
of a cat—-a noise that always brings
watchdogs away from their post of
duty. If the dogs were inside the
house. I would find that out later. But
I really saw no reason why dogs
should be kept on the place.
Satisfied that the coast was clear. 1
made my way toward the house, keep
ing well lu the shadow of the trees.
Then I made a close examination of
the windows and doors. They were
locked with old fashioned catches and
re-enforced with uails. 1 selected the
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doctor’s study as the place least likely
to be occupied.
With a diamond cutter 1 took a piece
of the glass pane out. making an open
ing large enough to Insert the hand. 1
worked so carefully that the diamond
point scarcely made any of the grating
noise so common when one operates
with cheap cutters. This one had been
made specially for me. and it was per
fect In every detail.
As I took the piece of glass out and
deposited it on the floor of the piazza
I listened intently for a few moments
to see if my operations had disturbed
anybody. Then I applied my ear to the
hole in the pane to catch the breathing
of any watchdog.
Nothing could be heard of an alarm
ing character, and so I proceeded to
unfasten the window and to open it
Now, if I had been in the city cr the
house had been a modern one, I should
never have thought of opening that
window without searching for a bur
glar alarm, but out in the country,
miles away from any assistance and
in such an antique house, I did not see
the value of a burglar alarm and con
sequently never once gave it consider
ation.
I discovered my mistake in an in
stant, however. I had not. raised the
window half an inch when there were
a ringing of bells and an electric buzz
ing all through the house that made
me turn pale. An amateur might have
thought that all the ghosts and spirits
of the dead had suddenly come to life
again, but I was too familiar with that
sound to be deceived.
I was off the piazza in half e minute.
Quick as I was, however, a flash of
light in the windows of the house beat
me. The alarm had lighted every elec
tric light in the rooms, and the old
mansion was in a brilliant blaze.
Even at this critical moment, when
all my faculties should have been alert,
I made another mistake. Instead of
seeking* safety in the woods as fast as
my legs would carry *ne I waited to see
further developments. Would the doc
tor and his servant come out and
search for me? I laughed softly to
myself at the idea. Certainly they
could not expect assistance from an
other house inside of half an hour.
Then what was the burglar alarm for?
To frighten robbers away; that was
all, I concluded.
But I changed my mind a moment
later when I heard the quick patter of
steps that I knew did not belong to
human beings. Two black objects
came rushing down the lawn from the
barn, and in the semidarkness I riiade
out two enormous Dane hounds. The
object of the burglgr alarm flashed
across my mind in an instant.
The electric wire that had started the
bells to ringing had also released the
watchdogs, and they were now upon
me.
As if by instinct they rushed upon
the piazza, catching the scent almost
immediately. But in that instant I had
turned and fled toward the woods, my
only place of safety. Could I reach
the woods qnd climb a tree before they
caught up to me?
This question flashed through my
mind, but I could not answer it. 1 al
ready heard their feet behind me, strike
ing the ground with heavy patters as
they loped rapidly across the interven
ing space.
The blood seemed to rush to my head,
and for an instant I thought of death.
I had never been cornered quite so
completely before. I gathered up my
strength for a final effort and cleared
the fence with a bound, but as I leaped
upward the foremost Dane made a tre
mendous lope and cleared the top rail
of the fence in fine style.
We both landed on the other side, but
the force of the hound’s leap carried
him several feet over my head. Be
fore he could turn upon me I had
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cocked my revolver, and as he made a
savage dive toward me I exploded it
full in his face. The range was so
short that the explosion must have
partly stunned him, for he rolled over
and kicked a few times and then lay
quite still.
But I hhd no time to prepare for the
second one. As if angered by the sight
He sprang upon me with a snarl.
of his dead mate he sprang upon me
with a snarl that I can remember to
this day. The great red, foam flecked
jaws were close to my face, and 1
drew back with a helpless shudder. I
could have yelled in fear then if pro
fessional pride had not tied my tongue.
I bowed to receive my fate, deter
mined, however, to sell my life dearly.
But before the white teeth could
close upon me I saw a flash of some
thing over the hound’s head; it seemed
to my dazed mind like a fork of light
ning. It made a curve downward and
Jhen disappeared, but it had left its
mark behind. 1 felt great spurts of
hot blood pouring from the Dane’s
throat on my hands and face, while
the brute rolled over with an angry
growl.
I jumped to my feet and saw facing
me. with the bloody knife in his hand,
Mr. Goddard. For an instant I was
speechless and almost helpless, but bis
warning voice brought me to my
sens: s. '
“Yea have only a. few minutes to es
cape. They are coming. Run!”
I heard footsteps on the lawn back
of us, and. remembering the athletic
form of the doctor and his faithful
bodyguard. 1 obeyed the words of my
master and hurried from tne spot, but
when I turned to look for my deliverer
I found that he had disappeared too.
'JI-- 1 [continued.]
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