Show THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES by MEREDITH NICHOLSON aullion of THE 1111 MAIN CHANCE ZEI zeada DA DAMERON etc by u CHAPTER vt VI continued I 1 turned to stand face to face with the girl in the red tarn 0 I 1 bg bb your I 1 laid away from the calof canot she did not wear the covert coat of tho the mo coining ining but a rd nd knit jacket but bill toned tight about her she was young with empry of buith A pair of dark blue eyes examina exa mind mo me with rood goodha humored mored cuilo siv slie ale wat wai on goo I 1 tenna ter ins with tb lh itin inn i in it the he brown brawn of her h r ea 1 I its so BO of companionship with the world a andeel of tho cho fa vor of Il heaven leaven mu me fit n octoba r a girl with a fice face of tan win ab so sa ban hanat ik have piled it a paddle or driven a ball or cast a fly the ba ablio to arches archea of and I 1 will her scorn beorn in jov she ina vote me dull and refute my wisest word with laughter for her are the pit pi I 1 ingco of the stab blatt phool of diana and that boft bronze brone those doling fugitive freckles beneath her eyes link hor her to limps when pan whistled upon hla his bcd and all tho the days wire long iler her rubber soled outing on ling shoes had made i lier her silent approach and she eho enjoyed I 1 was sure my discern kituto at bann N ing taken una un waitR awaits I 1 had snatched snatch td off my rap eat and stood waiting beside the canon canoe feeling fell tig I 1 must admit a trine trifle guilty at al abeln being caught in the unwarrantable inspection of another person property cartic 1 barly a so wholly pl pk using casing to the eye 1 I believe I 1 believe that la Is rny my pad dle die she said a little timidly I 1 thought and yet with I 1 looked down arid and found to my an boyance that I 1 hold her hei paddle in my hand was in fact leaning upon it with a tool air of proprietorship again I 1 beg your baidon I 1 said bald I 1 t exic expected cad sho she eyed nib me calmly with mith the of at re of tho the child that at a dra ng ing i room door by rol mi stalie stale and the kuta guests without awe I 1 kno w what I 1 bad expected or had not expect ed d and who ahe manifested no intention of ht IvIng me ine to her choit skirt 18 16 tor lor 20 I 1 t not bublo and such being the lie caso there theio was no rea son on why I 1 should not be e muster master of tho the s situation As aa I 1 tumbled fumbled my pipe the hot coals of tobacco turned my hand arid and I 1 cast the thing from me she laughed a little then caught herself herbell and gravely watched the pipe bound from the dock into the water too bal bail she nhe said her ter eyes upon it but it you hurry you may get it bufore it floats away 1 I hank you for the suggestion I 1 maid kald but I 1 did not relish the idea of kneeling on the dock to fish for a pipe bekolo a strange school girl who was I 1 felt sure anxious to laugh at me she took a step toward the tha line ty by which iier her boat was fastened allow me it if you think you can safely she said aalde and the laughter that lurked in her eyes annoyed n e the fhe fen fell ielne knot la is deigned for the confusion of man I 1 observed observe d twitching almly at the loye which was tied securely in loops she sha was singularly unresponsive the thought that she aho was probably pio bably laug hinig at my clumsiness did not make my fing more the nautical at at t agathas Agat liaa la Is undoubtedly a woman lails knot must come coine in the post gi giad ad inte course hut but my gallantry la Is equal I 1 fiust ti to our patience the maid in the red tamu tam tarn 0 u continued silent the wet rope ropa was obdurate tho the knot more moie and more mond holt ho leaf less and my efforts to make light of 0 the situation awakened no response in the girl gill I 1 tugged away at toe lopo attacking its ha tangle on various theories A caire for surgery I 1 in afdahl A tinsy tinly goodlan knot but I 1 haven t my ay knife oh but you would rit shei she ix cx claimed I 1 I 1 think I 1 can manage tage 11 bhe bent downa town 1 I was aware that the diio alcove of her jacket brushed ray my dir sized an end that I 1 had bad ignored gave BATO it a harty tug with wilh a slim brown hand band and tho the knot fre there I 1 she with a little laugh 1 I might have saved you RII alt tho bother how dull of cf me nut dut I 1 dlan t have the combination I 1 said ald steadying tho the canoa canoe carefully to mitigate the ignoc iny of my irly failure she scorned the hand band I 1 exten dail but embarked with llight confident step nad took the paddle it was grow ing late the ilia shadows tn the tha wood were deepening a chill crept over the water and beyond the lover awer of alo chapil uie the icky was bright with the glory of 0 sunset alth a few strokes she clie brought her little craft beside bealda my pipe which she ahe dufy caught on ca the padule blade blada and tossed to the wharf perhaps you can pipe a 8 tune upon lt 5 she eho sale said dipping the paddle ayou me under groat great obliga tona I 1 are all the tha girls girla t t aati Ap ti ne aral ablaT i 1 I ill w lul in a so no im A gr capt ce pt in n ancl I 1 really ab ad t be talking to 0 u ai all its it s against tho the ulos ules and ana w v ton ion i inco urae amok tug luff rhe hz chilain hilain I 1 lain doc doan in t smoke I 1 sup pome not in nal haicl ea I 1 believe it isa lent t 1 dow don MII kni w barch ice cc him any w bi r sh hau had adir I 1 with the caddle so BO far tui it w he lifted her t ves and dr w mx ba lif li 1 n I idi id for foi a long stroke ihil but in I 1 r wood this morning b h wall a I 1 hat hai in III IJ 1 lo 10 thit da 1 for having i m h rhe che poised bla blade do dripped into tit h water with a idlash ilia ibe lit I 1 1 in iii canoe a trine rifle to t h aba I 1 with an imper ajak ill ok and turned tinned toward me wit elih it condei anu ani dit 31 min inia in her eyes so ho ou uj ui na ai and de artt are arc aou ou I 1 beg that you III i lo 10 e bour ni TOV mv coin I 1 lt ill r aliv owe vou oti act aa apology V I 1 t ht ou on are a g she exclaimed with withering and he blade ap in night flight I 1 calif d incoherently afar her lut but cpr light argosy skimmed im he wat r sta steadily dily I 1 he pad lie ile rose and fi 11 with trained precision malting making a ripple as aa she stole softly awa 11 wa toward the fairy tower e of the e lil I 1 stood looking ar after ter her e r badt d with h ith sel belt f contempt A glory of purple and scarlet and ana g gold id filled the west suddenly the wind moaned in the wood behind the line of cottages cot tases swept over me and rippled the sui bin fice face of the lake lahe I 1 watched its ita flight until it caught her ber canoe and I 1 marked mailed the flimsy crafts craft a quick as the shaken waters bore hor her alert albeit figure up ward ard on the swell her blade still main tattling its ita ici gular dip until she bhe dis dia behind a little peninsula that my y grandfathers grandfather strange house had been chosen for via tho investigation clearly I 1 was not prepa prepared rei to clone the incident but the he idea of frighten in ing rny my visitors ampf appealed aled to my sense of benlor I 1 tiptoed to the frant blair wiy way ran rail lightly down found the he front door and front from the inside opened and it I 1 heard instantly instant Iv a hur bur I 1 lied led heal scamper liper above and the heavy beavy fall of one who had stumbled in the dark I 1 grinned with real at the sound bound of the mishap hastened to the arp great a t library which was waa as dark as a wet well I 1 and opening one of the long win lows dos stepped out on the balcony at onea once from the rear of the house carne came the sound of a stealthy step which increased Inci eased d to a ru at the ravine by bildne idge I 1 listened to the flight of tho the fugitive through the wood until the sounds bounds died away toward the take lake then turning to the library window I 1 saw hites dates with mith a candle held above hit aln head peering about hello hates bates I 1 called cheerfully ajust I 1 got home and stepped bif aped out to see it if the moon bad risen I 1 do don nt t believe I 1 know where to look for it in this country ile he began lighting the tapers with his usual deliberation its a trifle early I 1 think sir about eight 0 clock I 1 should say was the hour M mr Clery glenara glenarm aryn there was as of course no doubt what ever that hates bates had been one of tho men I 1 heard in my loom it was as wholly possible that he had been corn coin pe belled ile d to a assist t 1 in n some lawless aniesa act against ills his will but why it if he had been tomcod into alding aiding a criminal should ho be not invoke invoice my own aid to protect himself I 1 kicked the logs in the fireplace flie impatiently at my un certainty the man slowly lighted the many candles in the great apart ment lie he was certainly a deep one N 11 it 04 P 4 f 1 I beg your pardon I 1 beald stepping away from the canoe made a harbor near the school grounds ground 9 the red tamo tam o at last to in tho red sky and I 1 turned cheerlessly to my canoe CHAPTER VII the man on tho the wall I 1 was so BO angry with my spit that after idling along the for or an hour I 1 lost my way in the dark wood when I 1 landed aud and brought up at the rear door by batea tor for corn com with tho the Ul lagera who sup plied piled its iia with prow ndel I 1 readily round found my way to the kitchen and to a flight of stairs beyond be ond which connect ed the first and second floors I 1 at run bled up the unfamiliar way in the dark with I 1 tiar flar a malediction upon my grandfather who aho had built and left in complete a bouso so utterly my unpardonable fling nin at the girl still rankled and I 1 was cold from the quick descent of the night chill on an the v water ater and ami anxious to get nito some bonie comfortable clothes once on the g sec c ond floor I 1 was sure of 0 the location of my room and I 1 was feeling my way toward it over the rough floor when I 1 helid low voices rising apparent from my room it was waa pitch dark daila in the hall I 1 I 1 stopped short and listened 1 I h hi door i ot of MY lay toom room was op dpn and a faint light flashed once into tho the hall and disappeared I 1 heard now a jornd as of a hambur eipl ing upon woodwork then it ceased and a oco his ais pored ile 11 hill me ma it if lie ha finds me ma here III I 1 II 11 try again tomorrow to morrow I 1 swear to god help you but no moio now P then the sound bound of a scuffle and again the tapping of the hammer after minutes more moie ot of this there was a whispered atalo dialogue rue which I 1 could not hear whatever was waa two or thi ee points struck k me on the instant ono one ot 0 the r 1 was waa an nelll ing party to an act as aa yet unknown second they lad been aul an must wait for another alty and th third ird the whatever it was was waa clearly ot of some soma importance to myself as A luy iny own apartments in and his case grew r nue aue au e puzzling as I 1 studied it in relation to the rifle shot ot of the night before his collision with morgan in the wood which I 1 had wit and now the house itself had ben invaded by some one with his connivance the ills ilda shot might have been innocent enough but taken in connection with these other matters tt it could hardly be blushed aside hates dates lighted me to tho the stairway and said as I 1 passed him theaoa 0 a a baked ham for dinner I 1 should call it extra Ae delicate felicate mr glen alra aim I 1 suppose fio thebes e a no cl change ianire in the dinner hour sir air certainly not I 1 said with asperity for I 1 am hot a per pel sun son to inaugurate a dinner hour ono one day and change it the next bates wished to make conver a the sure sign of a guilty con science clence in a af Bir vant and I 1 was not disposed to encourage hiru him I 1 closed the doors hatefully caie cate fully and he be gan ft a tho thorough tough examination of both the sitting groom room and the little bod bed chamber I 1 was quite sure that my own on effects could not have attracted the tha two men who had taken advantage of my abstance to visit my quarters bates had bad helped unpack my trunk and undoubtedly knew every item of raj M simple wardrobe ward iobe I 1 throw threw open the doors of my three closets and nd found them all in the good order established by dates bates ile he had carried my trunks and bags to ut a store oom loom i so ao that everything eiveri thine I 1 owned must have haval passed under his eye my money even the remnant of tily my fortune thit that I 1 had bad drawn f tom oln he new york bank I 1 had placed carelessly enough in n the he drawer of a otherwise filled with collars collara it took but a moment mamant te tc satisfy myself that this had not beer been touched and to be sure ft I 1 hammer w was as wt not necessary to open a drawer that had from its appearance never been joked the game was deeper than I 1 had imagined imag ned I 1 had scratched the tha crust without insult and my wits its war busy with speculations speculation as I 1 brushed my clothes cloth ca pausing frequent ly IY to examine the furniture oven the bricks on an the hearth TO BR BIC CONTINUED |