Show what the gray house hid the mystery of a haunted mansion W N U service copyright by wyndham martyn r CHAPTER VII continued 14 why do you tease me be groaned bei ause men like you are made to be teased cella yon really see any one did you 1 swear I 1 did what I 1 said if 1 said anything which 1 dont admit I 1 shall keep to myself A moment later cella left on bills arm quarreling he asked 1 I see too much of him she said 1 think I 1 shall fall in love with you again shall I 1 my dutle dont permit 1 be laughed you look tired why not go to bed early how quickly you tire of me she mocked 1 I looked for something subtler from you lea have done worse J bill pelham smiled evidently she was fonder of les than she had ad she looked at him dancing with her mother but les would not even smile shea hurt him said bill to him ecat take your advice cella said yawning eglit o bill I 1 she had hurt leslie more than she guessed and much more than she would have done if she bad known bow miserable he was it has been lovely to be here all this time es said presently les that t mean that yon are leaving ns im afraid III have to Is it something ella has said leslie lied as calmly as he could not a thing ive promised to run down to the water gap tor a few be back soon dina was distressed she liked the boy and hoped that cella would marry him junior liked him they all aked him and yet cella teased him almost to redness at times in his room I 1 calle composed a let ter to ella filled with tant note of minor which drips from the pens of lovers with such exquisite ease lie told her he would be gone before she was up lie ended by say ing very that he had taken her advice and jumped off the road 1 leslie smiled bitterly aa he reread ac it sounded like a veiled threat of suicide all the others had gone to bed when be finished be put the letter in his pocket and went ont to see if any wild was prowling hout ohp gray houe grounds cellas en counter have been fact or fancy one could beier be sure of cella lie gained the hall quietly unbolt ed the door and walked silently to ward the abandoned swimming pool by the tennis courts ill be d dl said leslie by the pool stood a very tall man physically more splendid than young as leslie himself would not have denied the intruder beard no footfall on the grass lie was aware of presence only when leslie tapped him on the arm tie far more embarrassed than leslie what s the idea he snarled try ang to ahnke oft the others grip leslie was instantly relieved As cella had not heard the god like stancer speak tor his speech was of the fist side unrefined 1 dont want yon to disappear in your cloud of star dust until ve bad a little talk with you what are you doln here leslie snapped the question out la a tone 1 t 1 I lost my way replied the wild ifton dont said leslie i the wild faun frowned a little the iwhite moonlight showed his heavy face to be capable of readily ex pressed emotion leslie saw too that tor some reason he wished to make his story good 1 I was trying to find a short cut said the intruder you must male a habit of it leo pie don lose their way two nights in succession when the moon 1 full sou were here last night why il ll 11 said the wild faun this buckingham palace or the white house I 1 see no sentries at the gate it you don t like it I 1 d bet ter be on my way he turned away as if to walk toward lie drive i not yet cried the younger man theres a little explaining to be done first E v himself to be at a toss verbally the stranger revised hia tat tic this exasperating young man n evening dress must be taught a jV esson I 1 bo 1 said the wild faun coldly 1 I don t like your face alth that be brought bla powerful right arm across with the idea a wholly diverting one of altering the aneer on his opponents features to an of fear and agony lie as not enouf cb A left jab caught him on the nose i all right 1 be said if you want you can have ue made a vicious barron anger be clouded him lea lies footwork irritated ue asked his roe to stand still and hare it out man to man he addressed him as a dancing master and by other more opprobrious terms finally he measured hia distance for a blow that would end it all the lud n evening dress could box and ft us active he bad for the body of tt wild faun and was inflicting hurt just as the strong arm of the in bruder ans drawing back there came the sudden sharp cry of an owl re three times ue paused tor a sn ond and ti ried away his head it was a tactical error of which he was con silous too ante leslie saw his opportunity and made the most of it he landed a clean blow on the point of the jaw the wild faun dropped and in falling bis head struck the base of an italian garde i marble leslie knelt at the side of his fallen foe ue was whether to alarm the house by calling for help or to try to carry this big bulk in himself A shadow came out of nothingness and leslie looked op into the bland cace of ur appleton since young the lad in evening dress could box and was annoyingly active barren had not shared the hanbys confidences he assumed that their former guest was detill in good odor a friend of the family and now most certainly a friend in need quickly leslie explained what toad happened he did not want the little plump man to be frightened at the moment he regarded himself in rath er an heroic light and clr appleton warmly commended its courage ah youth youth 1 apostrophized the little man whose years nad clong bereft him of it I 1 ue stooped down almost timidly we must not alarm our good hostess he said I 1 et us carry him to the garage and awaken a chauffeur I 1 will take the s feet ton as the strong er take hia bead I 1 will satisfy my self that he has no weapon con cealey from the strangers pocket air appleton drew a short heavy billet of wood he balanced it in bis hand frowning 1 I think tills Is what Is termed a life preserver it stamps its owner as a criminal by profession will probably to a reward mr barron now if you will kindly take your end we will remove him obediently young barron put his arms under the shoulders of the wild faun ahen appleton remained standing I 1 esble looked up staring down at him the little man might have been bis ancle russell too late leslie saw danger the life preserver caught him squarely on the head and he pitched top ward over the other unconscious man clr appleton smiled happily very neati he murmured tor a first attempt very neat indeed oh dear me yes I 1 mr appleton gave a imitation of the cry of an owl from afar the call of another night flying bird the owl that was mr ap picton hooted again gradually the other cry came nearer presently there was a ID the thicket and a bullet head was thrust through lulal Lul gl tailed mr appleton bolt ly come at once the man who wriggled out of the bushes was short but of tremendous breadth ills exclamations and gestures when he saw what seemed to be a pair of dead men were stayed at a word from the other carev jim below and come back tor this lulal shouldered the two hundred and twenty pounds that was jim with ease lie had been gone no more alian he minutes when he returned and picked up the lighter man the bard received leslie barron heir to a great fortune I 1 bartoio Bart in whom the police were in and last of all mr appleton who breathed more easily as a heavy shower began it would smooth out the trampled earth and make tracking impossible CHAPTER VIII when leslie barron came again to consciousness be thought be was in a prison ceil it was a small stone room electrically lighted he had been placed on an iron cot A band age was about bis bead and bis crumpled shirt front was blood stained except for bruises and a throbbing head however be found that he was unharmed he reconstructed what had hap bened since he went in search of the wild faun and was forced 0 o admit that alie event which stood out most vividly was the inexplicable knavery of frederick appleton the little man had always been so courteous so respectful so flattering he bad expressed his regard for the barron family repeatedly he bad once em barr assed leslie by comparing his head with that of the aermes of and then incontinently he had brought a loaded bludgeon down upon it with such force that death had not been very far away what was the wild faun to mr that be had sprung thus amazingly to avenge the unknown in trader leslie rose from his cot and walked to tho door t was of heavy wood metal covered lie could not escape no one answered his shouts leslie sat down again on the bed tn his career as a somewhat reab less driber be bad more than once bad to wait in a jail cell until be paid his fine in every instance there bad been a penetrating and unpleasing odor about these places thia cell bad no such effluvium nor as he examined it more closely bad it the appurtenances of the regular jall yet it was plain that it had been constructed ted for no other purpose than to imprison leslie called to mind his balls with junior as to the threatened dangers surrounding the gray house in the beginning they had thrilled him but then pleasant day succeeded pleasant day junior and be began to fed annoyed that they had ever anticipated peril lesalle was not yet nervous about the outcome of the adventure the eldest eon of grantley barren could not disappear without a nation wide investigation it would be proved that be bad gone from the gray house into the grounds would understand why be had gone he had disappeared in evening clothes leaving his other effects untouched the whole neighborhood would be combed by detectives in the end bis father might have to pay a huge ransom this last thought rather amused leslie appleton was probably a professional fess ional blackmailer or kidnaper none would suspect the suave mod est bard working little man had not leslie seen the descending black jack in bla hand he would not now have believed him guilty TO BE CONTINUED |