Show 4 > STORY < THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Author el l THE MAIN CHANCE ZELDA DAMERON Etc t LoDirlitht 1901 by Ilobbillrrlll On CHAPTER V Continued shrugged I my shoulders and turned ward aienarm My grandfather had left mo n chearfut legacy of distrust unong my neIghbors the result prob tili t of Importing foreign labor to fork on his house Tho surly Morgan d Intimated as much but It did not reatly matter I had not come to Slenarm to cultivate the rustics but i fulfill certain obligations laid down my grandfathers will I was so to peak on duty and I much preferred iit the villagers should let me alone Comforting myself with theso roflec tons I reached the wharf where I saw y organ sitting with his feet dangling over the water smoking a pipe I nodded ra his direction but he feigned not to see me A moment later he Jumped into his boat and rowed outpoll out-poll the lake When I returned to the house Bates Us at work In the kitchen This was largo square room with heavy timers tim-ers showing in the walls and low celling There was a great fireplace a an enormous chimney fitted with i crane and hobs but for practical purposes pur-poses > a small range was provided Dates received me placidly Yes its an unusual room sir Mr jlenarni copied It from an old kitchen a England He took quite a pride in L Its a pleasant place to sit in the evening sir Ho showed me the way below where r found that the collar extended under every part of the house and was dl tided into largo chambers The door Qf f ono of them was of heavy oak bound in iron with a barred opening at the top A great iron hasp with n heavy padlock and grilled area windows win-dows gavo further the impression of a cell and I fear that at this as at W many other things in the curious house I swore if I did not laugh go thinkIng of the money my grandfather the had expended in realizing his whims all bo room was used I noted with vlll pleasure as a depository for potatoes 1r In another of these rooms I found a cut urlous collection of lanterns of every Ide oncelvablo description grouped on sm helves and next door to this apart v1 lent was another storeroom filled he Ith brass candlesticks of many odd fps eslgns be I returned to the main floor and to ought the comforts of the library bo where I smoked a pipo over a very tedious chapter In an exceedingly dull book on Norman Revivals and Influ nces Then I went out assuring 1St myself that I should get steadily to to fork In a day or twos two-s Bates was soberly chopping wood at or a rough pilo of timber at the rear of II the house His Industry had already Id i Impressed mo Ho had the quiet ways ut f of > f an Ideal serving man Well Bates you dont Intend to let hi me freeze to death do you There 1 must be enough wood in the pile thereto 1J there-to last all winter Ie Yes sir I am just cutting a little or lore of the hickory sir Mr Olenarm of always preferred It to beech or maplo o t I turned toward the unfinished tower re la Ute meadow from which a windmill rde pumped water to tho house The Iron ramo was not wholly covered with a tone but material for the remainder a of the work lay scattered at the base I d I went on through tho wood to the Ig lake and inspected tho boat house o then I followed the pebbly shore to ti ho stone wall where it marked the I Ino of tho schoolgrounds The wall Id I observed was of tho same solid cs character hero as along tho road I e tramped besIde it reflecting that my v grandfathers estate In tho heart of d ho Republic would some day give the d lie to foreign complaints that we have II no ruins tn America II The buildings of St Agathas wore II Well hidden by the intervening wood Y and I climbed upon tho wall at tho Iron gate for an ampler view Thee The-e illlara at either side of the gate were d of huge dimensions and wore higher 6 han I could reach The little Gothic d church near at hand was built of steno imllar to that used in Qlonarm house d As I surveyed the scene a number of I young women appeared and forming r In twos and fours walked back and + forth before tho chapel A sister clad In a brown habit lingered near or I walked first with ono and then anther an-ther group of students It was all j cry pretty and Interesting and not t at all tho ugly school for paupers I had expected to find Tho students f vero not the charity children I had I carelessly pictured they were not so I young for ono thing and they seemed j to bo appareled decently enough I smiled to find myself adjusting my scarf and straightening my collar as I beheld my neighbors for tho first time As I sat thus on Ute wall I heard the Sound of angry voices back of mo on ho Glenarm side and a crash of underbrush i un-derbrush marked a flight and pursuit I crouched down on tho wall and waited I wait-ed In a moment a man plunged through the wood and stumbled over i i a low hanging vine and fell not 20 feet away from mo I To my great surprise It was Morgan my acquaintance of the Corning Ho rose cursed hIs 111 luck h and hugging the wall close ran toward tho lake Instantly the pursuer broko Into view It was Bates evidently evi-dently much excited and with an ugly cut across his forehead Ho carried a heavy club and after listening for a moment for sounds of the enemy he hurried after tho caretaker It Was not my row though I must say It wakened my curiosity 1 straightened myself out throw my legs over the school side of tho wall and lighted a cigar feeling cheered by the opportunity the stone barricade offered for observing the world As I looked off toward tho little church 1 found two other actors appearing ap-pearing on the scene A girl stood in a little opening of tho wood talking to a man Her hands were thrust Into tho pockets of her covert coat she I wore a red tamoshanter that made a bright bit of color In the wood They were not more than a dozen yards away but a wild growth of young maples lay between us Their profiles woro toward me and the tones of tho girls voice reached mo clearly as she addressed her companion He wore a clergymans high waistcoat and I assumed as-sumed that ho was tho chaplain whom Bates had mentioned I am not by nature an eavesdropper but tho girl was clearly making a plea of some kind and the chaplains stalwart figure fig-ure awake in me an antagonism that held mo to the wall If ho comes hero I shall go away so you may as well understand it and tell him I shant see him under any circumstances and Im not going to Florida or California or anywhere else on u private car no matter who chap crones It Certainly not unless you want to certainly not said tho chaplain You understand that Im only giving you his message Ho thought It bestNot Not to write to mo or to Sister Theresa broke In the girl contemp tuously What a clever person he is And how unclever 1 am said the clergyman laughing Well at any rate I thank you for giving me the opportunity to present his message She smiled nodded and turned swiftly swift-ly toward the school The chaplain looked after her for a few moments then walked soberly away toward tho lake He was a young fellow clean shaven and dark and with a pair of shoulders that gave me u twinge of envy 1 could not guess how great a factor that vigorous figure was to be In my own affairs As I swung down from the wall and walked toward Glonarrr House my thoughts were not with the athletic chaplain but with tho girl whoso youth was I reflected marked by her short skirt the unconcern uncon-cern with which her hands wore thrust into the pockets of her coat and the Irresponsible tilt of the tam o shanter There Is something jaunty a suggestion sugges-tion of spirit and independence In a tamoshanter particularly a red one If the red tam o shanter expressed so to speak the keynote of St Agathas tho proximity of tho school was not so bad a thing after all In a high goodhumor and with a sharp appetite I went In to luncheon CHAPTER VI The Girl and the Canoe Dates did not refer to his encounter with tho caretaker and I resolved to keep my knowledge of it to myself I always prefer to let I a rascal hang Win self and hero was u case I reasoned where If Bates was dlnloyal to the duties Pickering had Imposed upon him the fact of his perfidy was bound to disclose Itself eventually Glancing abound at him when he was off guard I surprised a look of utter dejection upon his face as ho stood with folded arms behind my chair He flushed and started then put his hand to his forehead where a strip of plaster covered his wound I met with n slight accident this morning Mr Glenurm The hickorys i very tough sir A piece of wood flow up and struck me Too bad I said with sympathy Youd better rest a bit this afternoon after-noon Thank you sir but Its only k small matter only you might think tho cut a trIfle disfiguring He struck a match for my cigarette and I left without looking at him again But as I crossed the threshold of the library I formulated this note Bates Is I a liar for one thing and a person with octlvli enemies for another an-other watch him All things considered the day was passing well enough I picked up a book threw myself on a comfortable divan to smoke and rolled before continuing con-tinuing my explorations As 1 lay there Bates brought me a telegram a reply to my message to Pickering It read Yours announcing arrival received and filed It was certainly a queer business my errand to Glenarm I lay for a couplo of hours dreaming and counted tho candles In the great crystal chandelier chan-delier until my eyes ached Then I took my cap and was soon tramping toward the lake There wore several small boats and a nnphtha launch in tho boathouse I dropped a canoo Into tho water and paddled off toward the summer colony whose gables and red roofs were plainly plain-ly visible from tho boathouse I landed and roamed idly over leaf strewn walks past nearly a hundred cottages to whose windows and verandas the winter blinds gave a dreary and Inhospitable air Thero was at ono point a casino whose broad veranda hung over the edge of tho lake while beneath on tho waterside water-side was a boathouse I walked back to the wharf where I had loft my canoe and was about to step Into It when I saw rocking at a similar landing place nearby another it I > > < otr ° > MIJi t aateitafdit i + l2v t1f t I e wr f y tid1 tilfi 1 K1 t 1i htt t Xi 1t fM t tiif iJ I it PIt PI-t o if < 1hJi tI t l yt > > 11 t Wv 1 1 f I1t > s f < I or or f 1 < Iof j < < w r V1O 1h t j t h 1 < Mi i r > x > > l IJttJ fJ 1 t t 1 < r i + r tri rsr J X t t > v if 0 > > > A fl F rt t t > < 1 t I f < fN h A M N > t tr < > I r J oS < t 11 i I < I > I > < yJ 01 4 I < r M 1 > > 1 f > > m i Jt > M < GY p > At > t t ai ty j < 1 1 < i n > > tf i < eXa < yt l 3 + t 1 JU S L S N 1 ° A > < wfh b1j W Z n < Ni t bx f 1 1 t > > It tx 1 r > ta3 j > < t t AJyar h 4 r k 4 tff > t j1t tj v > f > l f 1 S W4 J y 0 f i 1 f i i J1 1f1 ii J f ir < > < tf j r 1 1 1 J < ° jl li I nR r 1 cl E + t F Jf t 1J1t 4 shad 3 i s rwF ak y t f w3rr F 41 iSAYyyea Y lttt tJ f it9 tl1 1 l l a o e r aEi kf iM 1 w tvaL asp Rtg tF air w s t o ft 41 tP t J l r j 1 j Ny il 14 O 5 it y Ei4f 1 t i t fij J f < 4 y t t i j + t71Jt > tt i 4 r xt Jxt t V p ly t ft 1 0 H Jl 4 4I < t4 y l > J tf rj P1Yt i t < 1 t < sot ii < P a l A i e j 1ta 1 4 t v t 3 1f 1 t7 iNli ittt > Is > r J z < t rr + o t P N t v < N > j 1 t h U f f > t fV t tt k i C N t k wte t r 1 > er cer 1 JitB1 t > v 11 Fat rr 4 tt t y fi i t 1 n t i < t < lt tlh a > tt ir y3v > Pt a r ty 1 yfit s 1 f t J t nt tYtl4it rt 1tf yr > d t fV > f 1 fi f1 4 < J ifi1 t it ljt1ty t < aJ V i t f it ft i 1ii f a f jrtt t i ik t t4ar i if 1 g if f 1 t f Iti t J rv > At 7 + < tJ ft i < > r 1 > J t < t < JilP til < t 1 f r t M rtrIt iif J it T fi < fk dye rx > o > 5 aren ac s EgIS4S7k uZ + t 1 idr sYiat > She Wore a Red Tam o Shanterr slight craft of the same typo as my own but painted dark maroon I was sure the canoe had not been there when I landed Possibly it belonged to Morgan the caretaker I walked over and examined It I even lifted It 1 slightly to test Its weight The pad die lay on the dock beside me and it too I weighed critically deciding that It wasa trifle light for my own taste PleaseIf you dont mind TO DE CONTINUED |