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The Atlanta Georgian SUNDAY READING With Saturday** Georgian of June 1, 1907. and News SUNDAY READING With Saturday** Georgian of June 1, 1907. \ OL. V. NO. 285. ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY .JUNE 1 1907 ' PRICE- In All,nttt: two cents. ■ -*■> +WI. J. rUXib. 0u Trains: KIVU CENTS. THE GHOST OF LOCHRAIN . CASTLE A Thrilling Novel of Love, Intrigue, Tragedy and the Mystery of a Famous Diamond By MRS. C. N. WILLIAMSON, Author of “The Lightning Conductor," Etc., Etc. Illustrated by GEORGE KERR and F. NANKIVELL. CHAPTER III. A Mystery at Midnight. Instantly the words of the house keeper leaped Into the girl’s mind. The bell! The bell by which she could summon the night porter—where was It? All, she remembered, and almost, as quickly her finger was hovering over the electric button. A second more, and the summons would have gone flashing over the wire, but something seemed to restrain Els- poth’s hand, as tf it had been seized and forcibly held back. “No!” she said, half aloud, ‘‘I won't do It.” And with great force of self-control, she turned her back on the bell, which meant help and human companionship. If she chose to have it. "Very likely they have had the same kind of trouble here before with their secretaries,” the girl thought. “Mr. McGowan told me the one from the neighborhood whom they had had be fore couldn't manage the work, but l'i sure he looked odd when he said It, and perhaps there was more behind. Prdba- bly they’re expecting me to make a fuss of some sort, though I don't come from the neighborhood, and am not sup posed to have heard the story of this Tower, whatever If is. Maybe the other girl knew It beforehand. But it doesn't matter, I won't make a fuss! 1 boasted that I was brnve, and I’m go ing to stand It somehow. If it kills me. It can't be ghosts; ghosts don't have blood. The chances are that some one tonight has been playing a horrid trick on me. Well, they shan't get any satisfaction from It! I’m going to stop on here, and in this room, if I have to slay awake all night, and work all flay, every day, till whoever It Is gets tired.' This forceful determination poured courage into Elspeth's chilled veins, as If she had been drinking strong wine. Instead or completing the havoc already nmle in her spirit by terror, as for a few seconds It had threatened to do, the fall of ruddy drops from the ceiling had undone tile work of the strange funds behind the walls. The girl was evm calm enough now to regret the damage to the sketch she had found In the old volume of Scott, and to attempt repairing It by pouring a stream of water over the paper while the red spot was fresh and web In splto of her efforts, however, a stain was left, but the vlvhl red waa changed to a pale pink, which gave nn efTcct os If the smiling face of the boy had been washed over with a faint flesh color. The penciled lines, -faded before, were still more faded by the application of wuier; still, they were not obliterated, and Klspeth was vaguely glad. She did not know who the boy had been; If he lived he must be' an elderly man now, Judging by the fashion of his dress; she would probably never learn any thing more of his story, even If It had been worth hearing. Nevertheless, she was Interested, and said to herself that, as she was apparently connected In some distant way with the Lochrain family, through her father’s people, the Deans, the boy of the sketch was per haps a cousin of hers, fur removed. This house had always been the home of the Lochralns until lately, when It had been bought for a hotel, and as everything In It, furniture, books and pictures, had been the property of the Lochralns, It was likely that the boy "as a member of the family. * "I'll be worthy of their blood, If It's really in my veins.” Elspcth thought, "and I won't be a coward in their house." As if for a reward of courage, no further sounds came, and no more of those ruby drops fell from the celling. Had It not been for the pink stain on the sketch the girl might have begun to fancy by and by that It had all been a hail dream; but the practical side of her nature was In the ascendant now, and she did not fancy that. She real ised, and acknowledged to herself that she had had good cause to be fright ened, b ut her lighting blood waa roused, and she meant sooner or later to hove nn explanation of everything that had happened. "I will And out for myself If I can, w ithout confiding In onybody,” silo de cided. The one thing tho girl could not do, however, was to go back to bed. She u .? . ,t: ,ler dressing gown until moonlight faded Into dawn. Then, Drawn by Frank A. Nanklvcll. „ THE GIRL TOTTERED SLIGHTLY, AS IF RECOILING FROM A BLOW ACROSS THE FACE. when the Tower room was gray with morning light, she lay down and actu ally went to sleep. It was after 7 o'clock when she waked, and she had scarcely more than three hours of rest. Nevertheless, she felt well and strangely buoyant, helped by excitement to go through whatever new experiences might be In store for her. The first thing she did was to look carefully at the celling for any trace of red stain, but nothing was visible, though the early sunahlne was pouring In through an east window. There was, however, a wide crack in one of the dark oak beuma which crossed the cell ing, at exactly tho spot, so far as she could calculate, whcrce the ruby-llke drops had fallen, sploshing down on to the sketch. But many more red rops might have come through such a crack In the black wood without leav ing a visible mark. If she were to And out tho mystery It would not be in such an obvious way os by a crimson stain on the celling. Klspeth bathed and dressed quickly, and was almost ready to go down when tho servant, who tad brought her din ner In tho evening, knocked at the door, with an attractive-looking breakfast tray, A dollclous fragrance of tea, crisply fried bacon and toast, greeted her nostrils refreshingly, and she was more than ever glad, at the pleasant commonplace* o( everyday life seemed to como In at the door like an atmos phere, that eho bod not called any one to her rescue In the night If she had, by this tlmo the newa would have spread over the hotel, and every serv ant would know that “the new secreta ry had bad a frlgnL" :he beautiful young girl with w hom she had traveled up from London yester day. This morning sho wore a short, white serge dress, with dainty white shoes, and had on a hat, therefore sho was presumably Just going out, or had just mine- in, early as It was. One of her companions on the stair way was an elderly and rather peculiar looking lady with cameo features, faded light hair, arranged In a would- lie artistic fashion, und an aesthetic gown more suitable for a London boudoir at tea time than a Scotch hy dro In tho morning. The third figure waa that of a very striking woman ol perhups 32 or 33, foreign certanly, Jewish perhaps, with magnificent dark eyes like wells of light, singularly pale yet dear com plexion and black hair rippling away I rent an unusually low, broad fore head. A glance waa enough to photograph these new personalities on Elspeth’s brain. She saw also that the trailing dress of the eldest of tho trio waa spread out over the stairs In such a wqy that, broad as they were. It would be Impossible for her to pass without pushing, or requesting the wearer to move. She was close upon tho group now, but was on the point of turning back after all, when something hap pened. Why, It was Captain Oxford!" ex claimed ;lie lady with tho trailing dress. “Didn’t you know that. Lady Hilary?” ■ "No. I—I—" the girl stammered, ami tottered slightly, as if recoiling from a blow across the face. _ Instantly Klspeth saw a way of sav- saw that one of the three ladies wasting her from the shame of an Invol- Even as It was, she thought the waller looked at her with a furtive In terest, different fr-.m the look of last night. It was as If he were expecting something. “I hupe you rested well, miss,” he said civilly, and Klspeth, thanking him, answrred with seren- cheerfulness that she had never been better In her life than she was this morning. The best of It was that it waa perfectly true. The girl felt read) tor anything. As soon as she had finished her breakfast, she started to thread her way to Mr. McGowan's room, but she had not yet "got her bearings" In this Immense and rambling old house, and to reach the part she wished to And was easier said than done. After some wandering, she came out through a ear thier Into a square hall of considerable else, which she waa aure ahe had not seen before. However, there was the stairway, which descended In the mid dle, and rather than retrace her steps, perhaps to be lost again, she decided that It would be better to go down. On tho floor below the would probably meet servants of the hotel, who would put her in the right way. There were, however, several ladles standing In a group on the third or fourth step. Klspeth waited for a mo ment at a distance, thinking that they would go up or down; then, seeing that they did not move, and that the stairway was very broad, she thought that she might pass without disturbing them. Sho moved forward rather tim idly, conscious that she was a paid em ployee, and that It would be a grave offence for one in her position to dis commode guests. Drawing nearer, she