Show THE BLUE CIRCLE by elizabeth jordan 0 bythe by the century co COLD AS STONE SYNOPSIS incapacitated mentally by shook as aa a result 0 of experiences during the world war renshaw Renah nw makes a proposition to david campbell wealthy elderly roan man of leisure that tor for s year he be assume responsibility for or him renshaw practically buy him doctor stanley life long friend ot of campbells in borses the proposition which campbell with some borne natural misgivings accepts the arrangement ran gement Is that the young man become an inmate of the camp bell household with the nominal duty of 0 secretary meef masts verity campbells campbell granddaughter and gets the impression that she be does not like him jenks the butler reas henshaw blaw also tools eel Is distinctly hostile ren shaw haw has hag a feeling that the servants are spying on him jenks warns him that there are queer things going on in the house bouse that night he to la disturbed by the appearance on the wall of his room of a small blue circle of light mysterious noises in the corridor outside his door cause him to investigate but be discovers disc ovorn nothing unusual CHAPTER ill continued and all the poor pooi child wants wanti said a voice in critical accents is to be put on that sundial sun aim dial so 00 she can jump down renshaw turned so eo suddenly that he almost upset the infant wile who at that v instant appeared to be engaged in a final impersonation of a whirling dervish she interrupted this to hurl burl herself upon the neck of the newcomer who fell on her knees just in time to receive the embrace Is that all she wants renshaw regarded the pair miss campbell in a short tweed walking skirt a scarlet blazer and a tamo tam 0 o to match it was wen even in this perfect setting of her secret garden than she had been in the glory of her war paint the night before what else elsa did you think she wonted verity lifted the baby and stood her on the flat top of the sundial sun dial 1 I got a general impression that it included the earth and neighboring planets he broke off with it a gasp the young person on the sundial sun dial had bad flung herself into space As far as he be was concerned she would have remained there till she hit bit the solid earth for he wes was stunned by the suddenness of the thing but the arms of miss campbell opened with accustomed precision and the intrepid infant landed in them with a force that almost knocked the girl over backward great be heavens avenal 1 cried renshaw as 85 he caught and steadied the victim are you huntr hurt verity detached herself with dwity dignity from the grasp of his bis hand band on her arm of course not part of the game she patiently explained you dont know much about children do you ashes a peach renshaw admitted and wondered at himself it was so long since he had bad felt that anything on athing human was a peach who Is shia tell the gentleman who you are verity again oi on her knees was addressing the acrobat and incidentally by holding her close discouraging any further flights till tili she could catch her breath we wee declared the baby DUMP damp now you know the girt girl smiled not at the young man but at the child her words to him were tossed over her ber shoulder as indifferently indifferent aly as a ehe might toss crumbs to a bird la Is that her name jamef she it ta Is BO 50 it will do dump remarked we wee with much finn no darling we wee has baa jumped enough tor for one day the modulations of veritas Ver itys voice as she che spoke were wonderfully tender and caressing her next words however were addressed to him and it seemed impossible that they were uttered by the same voice valce they fell on the raw surfaces of his self belt consciousness like broken icicles my Wy grandfather asked me to give you yoi a message if I 1 happened to meet you in the grounds she said bald he boa baa gone to his bis study and he be will be glad to see eee you there at your convenience renshaw thanked her but her eyes drifted past him as detachedly as an if he be were a pebble in her path he go felt a new of resentment it was clear that she despised him bin and to oo doubt it it was waa a as natural as it was dear but she show ebow it so plainly I 1 she was as hard as nails cau this girt and az as cold as stone she was im the type of girt he had bad till always ways dl 01 liked self icy and intolerant hla om a he ha looked at her ber 0 offered o fro a ton taul for the hers had hecq held the night before lie he raised ills his ca cap in a salute that included both ladles indies anil and strode down the path and ant up the garden steps stepa with the swing and lightness be had practiced of late there was some reflection of these in his spirits th the encounter with the fascinating little beggar in the bunny suit had bad added to his bis new sense of well being the way she had bad taken to him was rather nice he forgot the beautiful miss camp bell as absolutely as it if she did not ex ue he almost forgot but bat in the study in taano ker his new master awaited him together with his bis first intimation ti of what Ms his duties were to be ilia hia steps slowed down and the lines of his face already relaxed smoothed out still more into the empty fore ground of hla his life a definite figure stepped not the figure of life bis master nor the figure of that masters granddaughter but an adorable little figure in a blue bunny suit cult the child who in the new life he be was taking up was hla his firby friend he found campbell in the otters study a comfortable workroom opposite the dining room at the rear of the wide central hall the old man greeted him pleasantly but bat with a suggestion of constraint faced by the need of putting his new acquisition to work he was increasingly conscious of the difficulties and em barrass ments that might attend that effort ills his subconscious resentment against stanley bad grown ills bis old friend he had reasoned had let him in for a lot of trouble and mighty littie litile it if any comfort but Ren shaws appearance was reassuring he was normal steady eyed ready for duty his quiet greeting and his strong clasp of the band that campbell mechanically extended brought additional comfort the old mm man always susceptible to the atmosphere mo sphere of others and as an varying as a weathercock weather cock in his own moods felt elt a weight drop from his bis shoulders deriL 1 I hope I 1 dragged you into the house bouse too soon coon he said more naturally but there are some pressing letters here PI im glad of that sir air the more the better shall I 1 take this desk deser can you use a typewriter 1 yes sir good AU ali right then sit down there for the present well fix up something else later theres a little room off this here at the side that I 1 may turn over to you yon tam campbell checked himself under the influence of this chaps splendid I 1 figure handsome face and quiet manner he was going too fast he must most not forget that yesterday he had mo ment menta orlly rily thought the fellow a madman renshaw his bis dark eyes on the others face read his thoughts and felt again the sense of sard sardonic ozile appreciation that was his bis nearest approach to humor he sat eat down in it a businesslike way opened the right hand drawer of the desk and finding it full fall of stationery ti onery helped himself to pencils a notebook and a generous supply of typewriter sheets campbell Caro leaned back in his bis chair put the tips of his fingers together in an attitude that renshaw soon learned was characteristic and appeared to reflect subsequently the new secretary discovered that this attitude usually preceded one of campbells halt half dozen dally daily cat naps or his most energetic mental efforts the trouble was that one was never sure which manifestation would follow it IL you dont take shorthand notes do you campbell inquired at last no sir its only by a happy beppy chance that I 1 can run a typewriter I 1 learned it lately to to kill time kill a great deal of time with it here campbell Caro prophesied with a carefree care free chuckle 1 I am rather glad you dont know shorthand he be con teased 1 I am not up to much dictation I 1 will tell you what to say and you will put it in your own words worda very well air campbell lila his eyes still on his bis thin old fingers abruptly began his task write to stanley and tell ell him to come down for this weekend week end it la 18 time the old fraud looked me over I 1 believe be Is afraid I 1 may live longer than he be does so he has bas decided to let mo me die of neglect ask him it if that theory la Is correct tell S B miller his plumbing la is a disgrace to his profess profession loix if we have any more trouble with those bathrooms im going to sue him tell the reverend EL B sheppard that I 1 will contribute a thousand dollars ta toward ward his p project eject if he can get each of nine other men to give the same amount I 1 know he can but the effort will keep him busy for a wk week or two and ril have some peace tell jarvis company I 1 have not yet received their winter catalogue not that I 1 expect to buy bay anything from them for I 1 have hare discovered that they are dead deadbeat deadbeats beats but I 1 like to compare their prices with the prim of their competitor tell EL a cohen I 1 want him to eme come down early in january and help me mg with my n income tax tat stat ement emeiL I 1 want it off my mind Us be charm a hundred dollar and he be onell oil a hd be talks but h he 6 saved mo me at least ten thousand last year by showing me my mj rights though my native land la Is rapid ly taking all ive got tell william shipman his proposition does docs not interest me nt at present it would not interest any intelligent human being at ahny time but well let him find that out tell george bolton I 1 will contribute five thousand dollars to the princeton fund and advise hint him to get after sont come 1 I of the rest as ai vigorously as he be Is chal ing we up three of my classmates are still alive but he appears to think dead teti tell him stanleys Stan leys more alive than I 1 am tell brown aab lob son bon to send a man down with samples and I 1 hope show more discretion about it than they did last spring tpring after afler alt all I 1 am a country gentleman and not a moving picture advertise ment for their firm got that I 1 renshaw said he bad and took advantage of 0 the momentary pause to wipe his brow an early suspicion that his new job was to be something of a sinecure had perished and was waa not reborn it became dear clear that the old mans correspondence was much in ilk arrears ite te gave instructions for or letter after letter with increasing zest test and rapidity at the end of two hours ot of steady note giving his bis voice lost its an assurance and took on a suggestion of the languor of a phonograph that Is running down how many letters have I 1 given your he asked renshaw henshaw fumbled vaguely among the mass of notes before him not more than seven or eight hundred I 1 should say campbell cackled 1 I deplore this modern tendency to exaggeration youve got just enough work for a husky young man to do 40 comfortably before lunch go to it I 1 will leave you in possession of the study but first telegraph tho the offices of the scandinavian line and reserve an outside stateroom on the frederick sailing november twenty second tor for for he hesitated an instant only for madame H v o e afi s l e f 1 ho he ended slowly spelling out the name that will be all this morning if time hangs too heavily on your hands bands I 1 may give you some more this afternoon he rose from his bis chair stiffly as an was ills habit stood still an instant to give his big old legs time to accustom themselves to the effort of walking and then went toward the door there with fingers already on the knob he be paused mr renshaw he began and stopped renshaw who had risen when he be did waited in silence campbell took a step as if to cross back to him and renshaw saved him the journey by joining him at tho the door the old mans manos manner had completely changed his brisk assurance was gone he looked and evidently felt uncomfortably self conscious mr renshaw he began again our household as aa I 1 have already told you Is in some respects alt ah a little luul at present possibly doctor stanley ah prepared you tor for this fact both doctor stanley and you your self sir air mentioned it the secretary reminded him just no BO well all ah the point Is 1 that as the matter concerns others I 1 am not able to go into details about it for the moment much as I 1 dislike any atmosphere or of secrecy so I 1 must count on your discretion to fth an it was clear that for once david campbell so fluent up till now was at a loss for words worda renshaw helped him out to ignore anything I 1 dont understand he suggested the idea it the face of campbell brightened but ills his eyes did not meet the young mans it was clear that the mystery of the household whatever it might be was distasteful to the master of the household it also seemed clear that his predominating feeling about it was one of annoyance and not one of anxiety or strain exactly he said with an air of relief please ignore it you may be sure that I 1 shall do so as far as I 1 can and in any event I 1 shall ask no questions but mr campbell it was renshaw who was self conscious now ills face had taken inken on the he deep unbecoming flush his now new roaster master had already seen there theres one point on which I 1 should like your instructions am I 1 to understand that I 1 am not to report to you anything unusual I 1 may see or or hear bear may I 1 assume that you know about it campbells self belf consciousness gave placid place to an expression of surprise mingled with doubt tu iv you mean that you have already heard or seen been anything unusual F be quickly asked evidently there Is something mysterious going on in the old houm whiff the th true inward no nef TO BE CONTINUED |