Show THE HOUSE WITH THE TI-IE GREEN SHUTTERS ERS D BY GEORGE DOUGLASS Copyright McClure p Phillips Co o 0 CHAPTER Continued Gourlay was nas sitting alone In his room when nhen he heard that he had been ex cx- x- x For many days he hc had drunk to deaden fear but ho he was sober now being newl newly out of or bed hed A dreary ray of ot sunshine came through the window and rind fell Cell on a. a l. l wisp of or flame Hame blinking In Inthe Inthe inthe the grate As Gourlay sat his eyes fixed dully on the faded ra ray a n. flash Hash of ot Intuition laid hl his character bare to him He lie read himself ruthlessly It was not b by conscious effort Insight was Uncanny uncanny uncanny un un- canny and apart from tram wIlL He lie saw that blatancy had Joined with weakness weakness weakness weak weak- ness morbidity with want of or brains and that the results of oC these converging ing log to a point t. t had produced the present present present pres pres- ent Issue his expulsion Ills mind recognIzed recognized recognized rec rec- how logical the Issue was assenting assenting as as- wearily ns os to a n problem proved Given those qualities In those circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances what else could have happened happened happened hap hap- 1 And nd such a weakling as ho he knew himself to be he be could never never never-he he thought make thought make effort sufficient to alter hIs hla qualities A sense of fatalism came me over him as of or one doomed He lie bowed his head and let his arms fall tall by the sides of or his chair dropping them like a n. spent swimmer read ready to sink The Budden sudden sudden sud Bud den revelation rC of himself to himself had taken the heart out of ot him Im Ima a waster he said aghast And then at nt the sound of or his own yo voice oice Ice a n. fear came over him a fear of his own nature na na- na- na ture and he started to his feet and strode feverishly as If b by mere locomotion lion tion to escape from his clinging and In Inherent Inherent inherent In- In herent ill m. It was as If it he were trying to from himself run awa away ay He faced round at the mirror on his mantel and anel looked at his own Image with staring and startled eyes his mouth open the breath coming hard hanl through his nostrils Youre a gey ill III illane ane he said Youre a gey ill III ane one My Mi 1 God where have you ou landed yourself yourself your your- our self He lie went out to escape from Crom his thoughts Instinctively Instinctive he turned to the for tor consolation With the panic despair of or the weak he abandoned hope of or his character at Its first collapse and plunged Into a wild debauch to avoid reflecting where it would lead him In the end hIlt But lie he had a more moie definite reason for prolonging prolong prolong- In ing his bout hout In Edinburgh lie He was afraid to I go hO home and meet his father He shrank In visioning fear before the dour face race loaded with scorn that lint would swing round to meet met him as he I entered through the door Though he swore every night In his cups that he would square up to the Governor the morn so he would always when tho the cold light came fear of the Interview drove him to his cups again Ills His courage courage cour cour- age zigzagged as ns it always alwa's did one moment he towered In Imagination the next he grovelled In fear Sometimes when he was fired Ored with whisky whisk another clement element entered Into his mood no less les hl big with destruction It was all his fathers father's fault tault for sending him to Edinburgh and no matter what happened it would serve erve the old fellow fel Ic- Ic low rIght He had n n. kind of ol fierce satIsfaction satisfaction satisfaction sat sat- In his hla own ruin because his ruin would show them at al home what a mistake the they had made in sending him to college It was the old mans man's ty ty- ty runny ranny In forcing him to college that had brought all this on his miserable head Well Veil he was damned glad so he was that they should be he punished at home h by their own foolish scheme scheme scheme-it It had punished him enough for one And then he would set his mouth insolent and hard and drink the more fiercely finding a consolation In the thought thou that his tyrannical father would suffer suITer through h his degradation too At last he must go home home- He lie drifted to the station aimlessly he had ceased to be self determined His Ills compartment compartment compartment compart compart- ment happened to be empty so free tree to behave as ns he liked lilted he yelled music music- hall snatches In a a. tuneless voice hammering hammering hammering ham ham- mering with his feet teet on the wooden floor The noise pleased his sodden odden mind which had narrowed to a comfortable comfortable com corn stupor stupor outside outside of ot which his troubles seemed to lie as If It thc they be belonged belonged he- he longed not to him hut to somebody cl else e. e With the same sodden Interest he was staring starin through the window at one of oC the little little- stations on the line when a 11 aboy aboy bo boy pointing said ald Flat white no nose nose E and Gourlay laughed uproariously uproarious addIng adding add add- ing log at the end erd Hes lies a clever that m my nose would look Ont flat and while white against the pane pane- But this thiS' outbreak of ot mirth seemed to break In on his comfortable comfortable com corn vagueness It roused him by a a. kind of or reaction to think of home and of what his father would say tl A minute minute min min- ute after atter he had been lau laughing so madly madly madly mad mad- ly he lie was staring sullenly In front of oC him Well ell It didn't matter it was all an anthe the old fellows fellow's fault and he wasn wasn't t going to stand an any of oC his Jaw None of oC your our Jaw John Gourlay he ho said ald nodding his head vicious viciously and thrusting thrusting thrust thrust- ing out his clenched fist none of your our Jaw dye dc hear He crept Into Barbie through h the market day and dusk duk It had been knots of oC people were still about the streets Gourlay stole softly through the shadows and turned his bin coat collar high about his cars ears Ho lIe near nearly ran Into two o men who were talking apart and his heart stopped dead at their wor words s. s No No no Mr Ir Gourlay said one of ot them Its quite impossible Im I'm not unwilling to oblige yc ye e but I r cam t cani-t t take the risk John heard the mumble of or his fathers father's fathers father's fath fath- athers ather's ers er's voice olce Well Ven said SOlId the other reluctantly if ye 0 get th the baker and Tam Tarn Wylle Wylie for far security Ill I'll be ho on the street for another another another an an- other halt half hour Another half hal hour hourI thought John with relief He lie would not have havo to face tace his Is father the moment he went In He lie would be able to get Jcl home before him He lie crept on through the gloaming to the House o with the Green Grcen Shutters CHAPTER There had been heen some cackling In Barbie Bar liar bie ble as Gourlays Gourlay's men dropped awa away from him one by one and now It was worse than ever When hen Jimmy Dam Damand Bain and Sand Sandy Cross were dismissed last winter He lie canna last long Ions now mused the bodies and then when even Riney got the sack LordS Lord they cried this maun be the end ot The downfall downfall downfall down down- fall of ot Gourlay had an unholy fascination fascination fasci fasci- nation for Cor his nel neighbors And that not merely because of ot their of or the theman theman man but hut over and ab above n-e n It It they seemed to be watching with bated breath for tor the final of or an edifice that was bound to fall Simple expectation held them It was a a. dramatic dramatic dra dra- matic Interest interest ot of suspense yet et certainty that that had them In iii its lis grip lies Hes s 's bound to come down said Certainty Certainty- Yes Ye but when though cried crIM Curiosity Curl Curl- all the more eager because of ot its Instinct for tor the coming crash And ROthey so RO they waited for the great catastrophe which they felt relt to bo be so 80 near It was wan wanas wasas wasas as if It they watched a n tragedy near at hand and noting with keen Interest every step In It that must lead to In Inevitable In- In evitable ruin That Invariably happens when a family tragedy Is 18 played out In the midst of or a sm small 11 community Each step tcp In It Is discussed with a I prying Interest st that Is neither malevolent malevolent malev male nor sympathetic but simply curious cu cu- cu- cu rious In this ca Cn case j It was chiefly ma ma- only because Gourlay had been such a brute to Barbie Barbie- Though there were thus t two o reasons for public interest the result was ono one and the same sune a constant tat tittle tat Particular spite and a more general general general gen gen- eral curiosity brought tho the grain merchants merchant's merchants merchant's merchants merchant's mer mer- chants chant's name narno on to every ery tongue Not ot even in the In cey days lays of or Its Prosperity prosperity pros Pros- perRy had the Hou House with the Green Shutters been so much talked of or Pride will have a said some with a look and a smack of oC I the time lip Up trying to veil their personal malevolence In a II common proverb lies Hes simply In debt In every corner solder d l the keener spirits ho lie never had a l. l brain for business busine s. s Hes He's had money for stuff hes he's unable to deliver dellver Not ot a day gangs by but the big blue envelopes are coming How do I 1 ken 7 ye say How do I ken Indeed ooh Oh-ooh I ken Ien perfectly Perfectly It was Postle Postie that me mc Yet all nil this was mere guess work For Gourlay had hitherto gone Ione away from Barbie for his moneys and accommodations so that the bodies could only surmise they had nothing definite deO- deO nile nite to stand on And through It all the gurly surly old fellow lellow kept a n. brave front I to the world He was thinking of ot re retiring retiring re- re tiring he said aid arid nd gradually drawing In his business The offhand and lordly lord lord- I ly h to hide the patent diminution of I hili trad trade hI Hl said the Provost ex-Provost with a cruel Inu laugh h when he heard of oC Gourlays Gourlay's Gourlays Gourlay's Gour Gour- lays lay's remark drawing In his hla hu business aye ae It Its It's like lang IanI Jean leton's waist Im I'm thinking Its It's thin enough drawn On the morning of ot the last market dOl day he was ever to see MC In Barbie old Gourlay was standing standing- at nt the green greengate greengate gate hate when the postman came with a a. smirk and put a letter In his hand He lie betrayed a wish to hover In gossip while Gourlay opened his letter but L Less lip Up said sold surly John and the fellow went awa away Ere he had reached the corner a growl of or anger and grief struck his ear and he wheeled eagerly Gourlay was standing with open mouth and anti outstretched arm staring at the letter In his clenched fist with a alook alook alook look of or horror as ns If It had hall stung him My I God he cried had I 1 not enough to thole hole Aha thought Postle Postie yon on letter WIlson limn got cot this morn morning In was correct then Ills HIs son Mn had sent the true stor sto sto- r ry That letter 0 o Gourlays Gourlay's had the Edi Edinburgh po postmark somebody postmark somebody has hati hassent sent Vord Tord about his son Lord Lord What hat a tit bit for tor m my rounds Mrs Gourlay who was washing dishes looked up to see ee her husband standing In the kitchen door His Ills face Cace frightened her She had often orten seen the blaze In his eye and often otten the dark scowl but never this bloodless s pallor In his cheek Yet hi his eyes ees were flaming Aye Ae aye ac he a fine tIne Jo Job you rou have made of ot him Oh what Is it 7 she quavered and the dish she was wiping clashed to tho lie floor Hoor it It saul sale he it Breck the dishes ne next t breck the tho dishes Everything E seems scorns gone to smash If H ye C keep on lang enough yeJI put a bonny bonny bon hon ny fly end or bye byo the the lot loto 0 o ye e Tho taunt passed in the anxiety that stormed herTell her herTell Tell me me see see she cried imperious in stress of oC appeal Oh what Is It John She stretched out her thin red hands and clasped them tightly before h her r Is It from Embro I Is there anything anything any any- thing thins the matter with m my bo boy Is there the matter with my boy The rue hard eye ce surveyed her a while In IngrIm Ingrim ingrim grim contempt of oC her weakness She was a fluttering thin thing In his lila grip Every Ever things thing's s 's the matter with your our bo boy he sn sneered slowly e s 's the matter with your boy boy and and its it's your our fault lault too damn you ou for you ou always alwa's spoiled him With sudden wrath he strode over oyer to the famous Camous range ranee and threw the letter I within th the great greal fender What hat Is it 7 he lie cried wheeling round on his wire wife The Tue son on you were so 80 wild about sending to college has hns been flung in disgrace from Its Us door That's what hat It Is lIe He swept from the house like a madman Mrs Gourlay sank Bank Into her old nursIng nursing nurs nurs- ing log chair and walled Oh my wean m my wean my dear my ray poor dear She drew the letter from the ashes but hut could n not t. t read It for her hor tears The words drunkenness and expulsion swam before her eyes The manner of ot othis his disgrace she did not care to hear she nhe only knew her Jer born first was In sor sor- row ross Oh m my son son my ray son she lie cried my laddie my wee laddie She was thinkIng thinking think think- ing log of ot the time when he trotted at her petticoat It was market da day and Gourlay must face the town lown There was Interest due dueon dueon on a a. mortgage which he could not pa pay he must swallow his pride and try to borrow It in Barbie lie He thou thought ht of ot trying Johnny Coe Coc for lor Johnny Johnn was of oC yielding nature and had never been un un- friend friendly y He turned twenty yards ards from tram his gate and looked at the house with the Green Shutters He lie had hind often orten turned to look 1001 back with ride at the building on Its terrace but never as he lie looked toda today All that his life lire meant was bound up in that house It had hH benthe been ben the pride of or the Gourlays now it was no longer his and the Gourlays' Gourlays pride was wall In the dust their dust their name a n by word As 8 Courts Gourlay I looked ok d. d a a. robin was vas perched on the quiet rooftree its breast vivid Inthe in inthe inthe the sun S One of ot his metaphors metaphor unshed at tho the sight Shame I Is sitting there too he muttered muttered and and added with a n. proud angry snarl on the riggin oray o 0 my ray ho hoote hoose e Continued tomorrow |