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Show 6 theSTcabiimt if ffik TyL. BY GISELA DITTIrtCK BRITT. .rife K' There was.u quick e-tcp in'tho hall. Sifl Molllo looked Inquiringly across her Is '" silver basket at Jack. Tho Girl In Fink A t up erect anil hastily smoothed ner tumbled locks. Then tho door open.1 , and Townshend peeped In. i r "Thought you people would be tak- jf tag an Inventory computing tho ruv- . ages. That was an awfully Jolly llttlo J dinner, Mrs. Clallln." Ho followed her theory volco Into tho pretty room. "I i aw tho lights were still on, so I didn't ring up tho lactotum. Can't toll how much 1 enjoyed It. Four o'clock, , Tuesday, Miss Van Men. Uood-nlcht, again, i Tho door had almost closed behind him when .Molllo Clallln sprang for- l ward, tho silver dropping with n , crash Into tho buskot. "Oh, Mr. Townshend, come back!" Her soft, southern volco had In It a j noto of distress. "Como right back, I tills mlnuto!" j Ho turned his hIx feet three qtilrk- ly about, and looked down at her ox-0 ox-0 pectantly as sho stood In tho doorway. Sho smiled up, and the Hush on the fair, laughing face deepened u bit, ns sho went on In her pretty, impulsive way: f-K "Don'l you know, foolish man, that , ' I you must not go off that way! It's nucli bud luck to como buck! Come right In bore and turn around three r times. One two three thafslt. Now, Bit down!" Sho gave the greatcoat a Kcntlo llttlo push toward tho slcepy-,. slcepy-,. hollow chnlr. Ho went down; she breathed a sigh of relief. "There, you can go now." Sho held tho door Invitingly In-vitingly open. Ho sat qulto Btlll In tho big, com-f com-f forUtblo chair, nnd looked sternly at ! tho otheir man, who was leaning negli gently against the piano. "Take her back south, Jack, before the commonwealth finds out. Wo burn witches up hero." Sho made a llttlo mono, and the . other man shrugged Ills shoulders "I used to bo a believer In heredity. I'm not now. I give jou my word, Townshend, tho has sensible nncestprs 1 know two of them and look at Sit " he pointed scornfully at tho dainty llg- urc In tho pale blue crepe. "Steepd In superstition! Wears a fetish of tome sort round her neck, and baa lor her high priestess the wrlnklcdeit, Inckcst old" A bluo cloud swept across the room, a soft hand covered his lips, and a volco was raised In Indlgnunt protest: pro-test: "It Isn't! It's only my rabblt-fo.it' And you shan't niako fun of dear old Aunt Liza! And who was It that wouldn't pull with tho 'Varsity cicw L last ycur, becnusu they had lost their " -innsHrtr And" ' "And who was It" Tho dlrl In Pink hnd risen and was pointing nn accusing accus-ing II uxor at tho man In tho greatcoat, great-coat, "that only Inst week,, at Hobby Fair's moss, wouldn't sit down until tho stownrd wus brought In bccuiibo -there wore th-tr-te-enl" Ho gave ono look nt Jack then, without a word, the two men bolted, pursued by llttlo, delicious, mocking Kibes. Molllo turned suddenly and looked searching!)- at tho girl who hnd thrown horself down upon tho rug. "Kllznboth Van Alon, I bollevo I'll tell you something. Tho strnngest thing!" Sho camo slowly toward tho lire. "For throo nights, Hess, I havo dreamed tho sumo thing that In a certain place In this very houso, there Is something valunblo, silver or gold, hidden. And, Iless, I bollevo It! Them was no earthly rouson why I should dream such a thing I havo nevor thought of It! It just ciimo to mo, and I know Aunt Liza would s:ry It was sent! Jack laughed nt first, but Inst night when 1 woi him up and showed him como, I'll show you!" Bho sprang lightly to her feet and gathered tho soft b'uo draporlcs about her. Tho (llri In Pink followed quickly, os Bbo bid tho way to tho dining-room, straight across tho parquottod Moor. "Hern, xlght bohlnd this buffet," sho tugged recklessly nt tho pretty piece of furultMM. "Now, put your ear to that wall, ond listen when I tap. Don't you hear Its hollow!" Tho two g;rlD looked ot each other breathlessly. Tho Ulrl Id Pink had caught tho fever of cxcltemunt that glowed In tho blue eyes. "Thorn Isn't another plnco In the wbolo room that sounds that wuy. I know, for wo hnvo n secret cabinet In tho library down homo nnd It'e tho very Identical spot of my dreams! You know, this these apnrimonta j wero onro a house, ono of those old - colonial mansions; it belonged to ! Jack's great-great-Brandfnther.ori.oiue body. It's Jack's, own property. He, enn do hh no pleases, and 1'vo made tip, my itilnd bo's got to dig In there nnd. sco' And this very night!" "Hut. Molllo. think of the nies all over your protty room! And won't i -lfc la tho other apartment " "Tboy've koiio away. Mr. Crosby won't bo back till to-morrow that's why I want Jack to do It to-night. And what do I taro for a mess, If only oh, Jack, lot's do It now!" She lifted two coixlns bluo eyes to the man who had iome In quietly nnd was stnnolng In tho doorway, watching watch-ing tho two with iho shadow of a cmllo oil hli ('nrk handsome face. , Thore wn a'. ewe for a time, t'he man tn tin drun. it ft looked dre.imlly it tho bit of Unci wall. The tilrl In Pink- UuKbe i Ittle n-rvotisly her , V - .iRK?1"' Mn':il,, "K Lad vanished i before the glamour of mystery, bho could almost seo tho treasure! "Pl-e-ase, Jack." When Mollle coaxed The man drew u long breafh. Without With-out n word bo laid iibIiIo coat nnd vest. Ho turned back tho big rug. He pushed tho buffet out Into the room then deliberately and sluw.y ho raised the hatchet Molllo handed him C-r-a-c-k! Down tumbled a squire of tinted wall! "0-oh, Molllo!" gasped tho girl In Pink. "Oo on," said Mollle, In a low, Inexorable Inex-orable voice. The blue eyes wera unrelenting. un-relenting. Tho Spartans paled Into Insignificance beloro this Blender young priestess. Again the hatchet went up the gaBh, widened. Tho plaster was all down the gray dust wns settling over tho pretty clilm and silver, over tho iiollshed tnbloi and chairs, over 'ho bluo nnd tho pink Paris gowns, over the black nnd tho golden heads. O-n-c! rnng tho tall cathedral clock. Down fell tho tools with a clatter upon tho floor. Molllo sprang forward with a startled cry: "Look!" the whisper sounded hoarsely hoarse-ly through tho silence. "Oh. lookl" ri'I)Di:nly i:vi:hy one btood STILL. Thorn wns a gllttor of silver, a gleam of gold In tho opcnlngl The (ilrl In Pink felt u shiver creep down her back; her heart throbbed wildly And Molllo was right! Her dream were tmo! It was sllvor heavy, tolld silver-wrapped silver-wrapped In soft, old, yollowed paper Hint plainly told of tho passing of tha years. Slowly, rovcrently, Molllo unwrnpped them piece by piece. Tho blue eyes woro luminous, tho swcot mouth item-ulous. item-ulous. "Now, hurry! See what elso there Is It seems to bo a small secret cabinet, cab-inet, on. Jnrk, what will Aunt IJza say! Aren't you glad I ilrennudl' Tho man with tho dust-covored snlrl and begrimed hands pushed her gently nsldo. "(lot back out of this moss, Mollle. and let mo see what Is hero. It must hnvo been grcut-groiit-grnndfntlior Clulllu's. Ho was governor, and this wns tho mansion. Jovo! I'd llko In give tho old gentleman n linudshnke! Here, tnka these." ho handed her another an-other bundle ot silver hiiooiib, a pitcher, pitch-er, a silver sugar and croainer. a pair of sugar tongs, a huir-doxon mlver plntos of foreign make, two gold-lined goblets, nnd a queer low dish of ".fiver filigree. Suddenly everyone stood still. There was a confusion of voices, n trampling of heavy feet In tho hall, and tho next moment tho door wns Hung violently open, and two brawny (iollcerr.cn atnod on tho threshold. "Just keep your place, partner Promanadln' ain't tho tlekot Just now ' Tho big jiollromaii smiled pleasantly Tho man In the dust-covered clothes grow pale. "Don't loso your temper, old man.' sang out n theory voice from tho ill "They've run mo In, too. I think If golnx to bo funny." Tim Olrl In Pink gavo n llttlo Involuntary cry. The man In the greatcoat smiled at her reassuringly. reassur-ingly. Strange, sho hnd uovcr known before what n splendid-looking teiiow bo wns! Any girl might tin proud Perhaps after all Then iho retreated retreat-ed toward tho library door hastily. A man, a small man. with n very rod faco and angry eyos, had pushed his way pnst tho two policemen across to tho table where- Iho treasure glittered and gleamed under the electric lights There It Is ovory bit of III" lie pointed oxcltodly io tho heap of silver sturr, then to tho unsightly hole In tho wall. "Don't you see that! What further proof do you i.int? I don't euro who ho Is o Clallln or anybody elso, or whether he own the universe! He's u blasted thief- hu and his partner part-ner thore! Haven't i ion watchlim hi in skulking about the place for the Inst two hours! They kuew wu away from homo! The thief! Stealing my silver right out of" his rage fairly fair-ly choked him, he could not say more, Mollle" c-uiiRht her breath. For one brief moment sho looked nt the group before her. Then, with a queer little sound, u curious mixture of laughter and nibs, she sank helplessly ibrvp upon the lloor, a little limp, blue mm? that gnspod lalntly: "Oh, Jock! Jack! It's Mr. Crosby and we've dug Into his silver rAwetl" . |