Show THE FATAL REQUESTOR REQUEST-OR FOUND OUT By A L Harris Author of Mine Own Familiar Friend etc Copyright 1891 by Co ml I F rub I liking Company O J909 b y Bt r i t t Smith 10 CHAPTER XXContinued Today Is Tuesday There Is a lit lie shabby prayer book somewhere among my belongings I will put It once and for all out of my power to procrastinate further by fixing upon a certain date and swearing to carry jut on that and no other the purpose which has been In my mind so long Today as I have said Is Tuesday on Friday then without further delay de-lay I will Insert my duplicate key In Iho loci of that doorfirst of all ascertaining as-certaining that It will fitand make vhat lr Jeremiah would describe asa as-a felonious entry Meanwhile I have to consider Perkins Per-kins She has not shown mo so much open animosity since my return butt but-t will not do to count upon this She cray be onlas she would no doubt burself express It biding her time Von dont deceive me she said when i crept down stairs like a thief In the night and was nearly discovered through her Instrumentality What was the threat she employed toward mo on that memorable occasion occa-sion Ill find I out what you are up 16 as sure as names Maria Ann Per rjts1 And she Is a woman who looks 1111 though she would not mind to ytiat pains she put herself or what time elapsed so that she could avenge herself for her fancied wrongs e e e Since writing the above lines some hours ago I have made another discovery dis-covery My master has remained shut up In his private room for tho greater part of this time and I in accordance ac-cordance with my position as spy have hung about the door on tho chance of hearing some sound however how-ever slight or catching sight of his face as ho loft the room I have often wondered as to the manner In which he employs himself on these occasions when ho remains locked In this chamber for hours Today there has been no room for doubt He has been writing on and on ceaselessly Evidently houses ho-uses a quill and writes a heavy hand for I could plainly hear the sound the pen made in traveling over the paper 4 1 I t jiyIi i 4jAtJ11 to I Y i h i I 1W a Iq Let me relieve you of those things I Here Is another subject for consideration consid-eration Ho has made his will and now ho Is writing Writing what Apparently something of importance Import-ance Once too I heard the unmistakable unmistak-able sound of the tearing of paper Was ho dissatisfied with what ho had written and tearing It up Did ho find the composition of tho document difficult and If so for whoso eye was It intended that so much time and I trouble were lavished upon it If he Is now occupied in writing letters of an undoubtedly private nature na-ture shall I bo Intrusted with tho task of carrying them to the post when completed Or if the work upon which ho has been engaged Is of somo other description what will become of It when finished and what will he do with the pieces of paper which he has torn up Will they be committed to I the flames or simply to the wastepaper waste-paper basket Which said the cook at dinner tho next day ditch water Is tho honly word as will eggspress tho preslnt company no offense beta meant and not hinslnyatln nothlnk agin nobody feolins beln things as Is not to be kin trolled by tho best of us and better below be-low In your mind than in your hldcars Is my motter but when Jt comes to not a word being spoke for five min nits by the kitchlng clock mal < ln allowance for Its being twentytwo ralnnlts fast by railway time It do seem as someone oughtor hinterfero In a friendly sort o way How much longer she would have rambled on in tho same key It Is impossible Im-possible to say had not another note been struck by tho parlor maid who remarked that Miss Agnes hadnt Foemcd partlcler cheerful the last day or so Tho young man Edwards seemed as though his attention was arrested by this trivial remark and glanced across tho table inquiringly Yes added tho parlor maid addressing ad-dressing herself to him as she perceived per-ceived that what she had said had aotnchow or other Interested him Ive caught her sighing to herself moro than once lately as though shed something on her mind Praps with n sudden Inspiration = prays shes In lovo folks generally sighs a deal when theyre In ovoand she directed what ought to have been a killing glance at the good looking young man opposite her and breathed a sigh on her own account It apparently missed Its aim but something In this last remark seemed to excite great derision in the breast of Perkins the housemaid I love she exclaimed Ha ha I like that and she too sent a glance which might In a sense have been described as killingif 1 oks could IIIacross I tho table In love hmdeedwltlm withering contempt Who with I should like to know You forget theres never been slch a thing as a young man as shed look at or touch with tho tips of her fingers there was a strong malicious emphasis em-phasis on thlsInsldo tho door onco since theyve been living here Ah said tho parlor maid still showing an Inclination to hold her own praps not But how about before be-fore that Well replied tho housemaid suddenly showing an Inclination to go over to tho enemy and side with her rival and Invariable opponent to the latters vast astonishment I dont say as you maynt bo right Anyhow whether shes In lovo or whether she Isnt Its no good If ho aint her equal For you may be sure her rall never hear of her marrying beneath her And quite right too put In tho cook who thought It was nigh tlmo sho introduced another of her experiences experi-ences Unokal marriages Is most always al-ways a failure as as bin proved over and over again Dut for all that I with a startling and Instantaneous I change of tho subjectI should like to know why that there will as I elped to drore up should be called a Testament which I thought there was but two the Hold and the New Lor cook cried the housemaid with a sniff how your mind do run on that will Anyone would think as it was the only one as ever was and nobody never signed their names to nothing before Wills there may ave bin answered answer-ed cook majestically but seldom one as the cook were sent for all of a urry with ardly tlmo to rinse the Hour hoff er ands to put er name to which its all very well for some people peo-ple to try and run down wills she added darkly and defiantly and portends por-tends to think small beer of witnesses but Times a plowman as Is halways amovln of us on and we should make our harrangements haccordln Just at this point tho parlor maid pushed back her chair and said Well she mustnt sit there gossiping any longer as shod got her work to do which was to dust tho masters room whero ho kept his papers and books which you dont dare to lay a flngar on though for tho matter of thai everythings always put under lock and key I before anyones allowed to take dust pan and broom to it At this ordinary enough remark the young man who had been sitting there very quietly while tho discussion Just recorded was raging round him seemed seem-ed galvanized Into sudden action and extraordinary civility Could he might ho bo allowed to I bo of any assistance In lifting anything any-thing to heavy for hersuch aser emptying tho waste paper basket or anything Time parlor maid looked at him In surprise mingled with gratification Well I never did she giggled If you arent Just polite all of a sudden But master hes that partlcler about that old room of his and I never know but what lies got his eye on me praps ho wouldnt like it Tho young man seemed Inclined to press his request but noticing Perkins Per-kins I regarding him In evident perplexity per-plexity as though not knowing what to make of this moo ho checked himself and said no more on tho subject Hut when the parlor maids work was nearly completed and sho came out of tho room with tho dustpan and brush in her hand sho found him waiting patiently outside the door Let melet mo relieve you of those things ho said with an eagerness eager-ness which notwithstanding her complete com-plete confidence in her own charms sho found as puzzling as It was delightful de-lightful You would have thought by time eager expression on tho young mans face and tho haste with which ho relieved re-lieved her of her very slight burden that Oa dust which It contained mus have been gold dust at the very icm 1 rAt r-At nn < rate he had his way and hb rled off with the articles as thoun ho were half afraid that sho I11lt change her mind But when he l rived at tho basement there was nos Ing but dust and flue left In tho d pan Tho pieces of paper had dlsij pearedf That same night In the scclusli of his own room he occupied hi self In the seemingly vain and usele fBome To et n task of separating sorting and past tjEYgBJi Ing together some morsels of wrltlnrW paper which had been torn Into iyt I sva t minutest fragments Coins I was right when I guessed It the Coinstl > t-he no ordinary letter ho was writing They n ho muttered This Is only the Iieailgfgrl11p Ing of tho document that ho had bectftAf Atiit engaged In drawing up but It Is sill Rmmt If flclcnt to enable mo to arrive at soma tho purport of Its contents Amid And Tho true narrative and confession of me James Ferrers of the strange tragedy of the 25th of Ap Ah James Ferrers you were guilty Pas of worse than a crimea blunder oils when you contented yourself with min In tearing up that sheet of paper Into ors particles which you thought were too for vi minute over to be deciphered Instead four of burning them on the spot n mal But why has ho made this confession the Ii con-fession Is It merely to relieve his own conscience or has ho some other object In view which I cannot at present discern Whatover It may be that document docu-ment that confession of his guilt ot which I needed no further confirmation t confirma-tion cannot have left this house It Is no doubt concealed In somo secret drawer or hiding place In that room of which I possess the means of entry In the duplicate key Next Friday may settle that question as well as others ihavc CHAPTER XXI plea the A Robbery and a Recognition Nt The next day being Thursday was are not destined to pass uneventfully tho Tomorrow said tno young man I site who for prudential reasons chose to j half go by the name of Kdwards as ho Told rose that morning forgetting to Inks uto consideration the proceedings Ot today and their probable Influence on tno affairs of tomorrow i It was not very long before ho awoke to a sense of mlschlei brooding I In the air Perhaps it was the sight of that pale narrow face opposite to him as he ate his breakfast face which on this occasion was wreathed with a false smile and characterized by a general air of great complacency laic ski Evidently Perkins was in a high n state of good humor so much so that i cln clti It struck the young man with a vaguo Ion presentiment of Impending disaster on Ico However he consoled himself with tit the reflection that there was only ono an moro day to elapse beforo ho hoped to be In a position to set everyone at defiance and surely In that shorr m time she would bo unable to meet with an opportunity for realtlng her fia fli splto upon him flibi br After tomorrow tho Deluge ho biU U thought paraphrasing the words of to the French monarch Meanwhile there was today to bo considered HJ If ho had only been aware of the re fact tho chances of tomorrow were 11 already in danger of being seriously Jeopardized by tho events of tho more immediate present Whatevers come to Marlarann I asked the cook who was also struck by the change Ive never knowed er took that way afore Hackshully offered to darn a pair of stockings for Imo I-mo which what with the preservln I and d other things my ands Is full and my toes Is bout Which Make ay while tho sun shines as theres no knowin ow long the weatherll old to up Is my motter but lets ope Itll lastAnd i And shes been and called me dear ito i-to my very face said the parlor maid taking up the parable which you might havo knocked mo down with a duster I was that took aback and a I hardly knew whether I was awake or dreaming I wonder what It means ITo I-To be continued t |