Show gelald SEl Ald STORY gi THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES by MEREDITH NICHOLSON author of ill THE MAIN cliance ZELDA luthor ItA etc lc 1 I 1 j 11 ui i u CHAPTER 11 continued ti tn i ll it aj main aln 1 he le 11 lid d larry ad moni h him t in i that thai once mole arid and the sod clod bl es s if 11 will never feel the delicate impi int of your web feet again lie he turned the man abut about and rushed ru I 1 hed him toward the house it 0 ise ai the c I 1 n bolvi r still as am a arod liisi flight we gane getil to thc jhc vain vai 11 imin digit I 1 iv bel behind 1 ind him hill and two ti ff I 1 IONS 0 ui 1 a and nd led 11 1 1 by morgan hat t hiah I 1 d 1 1 line fin e at a ani it fan in 13 hilt it for t ilia 1 fiant door I 1 1 d I to lui liu and stoddard and 1 I 1 bcd la in art i hial t RU gutirr ird his him I 1 hev ie not shooting called sto I 1 aaril you mav bo suie sine they ve had bad their r old oil rn rh to i the house with as little ittle row is ih possible N va were now ric iring the edge of bood the wood with ith tile the open meadow and batti toi at out oui backs while larra I 1 was milling gool into toward th house I 1 lets el 4 not waft aft for them li it re shouted stoddard boigan Itlo igan was wa advancing with a club lii ill hla his hand in ildria directly for tile me two to nin n at hla hoeh aal the rest reat henring on off toward the wall of st A Agat gath liAS a a watch vatch the house bouse I 1 yelled to the chaplain and hen on the edge of the woo wool I 1 morgan canie came at me file furious ly swinging its his club over his head and in a moment we ace fencing away at i meny laie N a both had voia strap pd to our waists but I 1 had no intention of di awing dialing mine unless in at my right rigi t I 1 was waa busy keeping oft off mor alor gans gan s personal lera jers onal glaid who seemed ie indent to close with the clergyman I 1 have been in my day something of a fencer and my knowledge of tile the foils stood me in good steal now with nith a thwack I 1 knockel li morgan If organs s club flying over tho the snow and as we grappled grap plod bates yelled aiom the house I 1 quickly found that mor gins gan B wounded aim was mas still tender lie he flinched flin clied at the hist grapple arid and lils ills alikos got tho the better of his judg anent we kicked up the snow at a great int late 0 ai we f feinted I 1 I 1 0 d and dragged anoh 11 or fofi caught liol bol i of my licit belt with one on 0 hand and with a wrench marly dragged me front from my feet but I 1 pinioned hta his aims abina aud and bent hira him backward back waid by a trick I 1 arry had taught mo me flung him upon liln his side meanwhile dates continued to call lustily front from the bouso come on at any cost shouted stoddard putting himself between mo me and the men mea who mole flying to mor alor cans gan a aid at d shoot you fools shoot I 1 1 howled morgan and as we started across tho the open meadow and ran toward tile tho house a shotgun roared back ot of us ua and buckshot snapped and rattled on the clone of the water mater tower theros there s tile the sheriff called dard behind tile me llie officer and his deputy ran into the tha park bioni aiom the gate of st agatha a while little the i lest eat ot of morgana morgan s I 1 laity at I 1 y were skirting the wall to join thern them stop or III shout shoot yelled boigan and I 1 felt stoddard daid pause in hla his gl gi gantle atilde to throw himself between me and the pursue pursuers is splint rit for it hot he be called very coolly as aa though he eie coaching me in a contest of the roost most amiable sort imaginable I 1 got get away from those guns I 1 pant od ed angI ted by the tha very of hta his defense feint for the front door and then run for the ten tereace ace ard the library door ho be commanded as wo crossed the little ravine bridge 7 hedve got us headed off twice the guns boomed behind us its and 9 I 1 saw shot cut into the tha snow about me 1 I im ni all tight light called stoddard re still at my back thea ro re not a a bit anai nia its to kill tile me I 1 was at the lot lop of my speed now but the tha kept close at my heels beels I 1 was blowing hard but lie he made equal time with perfect ease now tor for the slie sheriff rIff here wo we go tried cried stoddard beside me when ahen wo we close to the fringe 0 of trees that shielded tho the entrance tim then off on vv we e veered suddenly to the wt laft alost upon the terrace where one ot of the french windows war thrown open and larry and bates batea stepped outs out urging us on with lusty cries they caught us by the arms and dragged us over whore where the balustrade was lowest and ve nye crowded through the door and slammed it As bates snapped the bolts morgan a party dis charged their combined artillery and withdrew with diew across the he ravine toward the lake CHAPTER the fight in the library it was new nodily ly 11 21 whom when the attacking party returned after a pailey on lh ihre re behind the boat houin bongo I 1 lie ho tou rotus were anthe terrace real ready tor AR 4 they came t arous I 1 r ak e wor I 1 1 I I 1 1 e ahr r 17 ail aid florgan organ it il hl lilly y I 1 in n i ivan of thi th others other s 1 pace X ipe pe to led d t it t m to I 1 u V h 1 11 omit pace wh n th v anie I 1 tin th an 1 a nu nit t low ilow but bul th bi ilu k into a quick if trot at lh it I 1 w i nd ind inn tin toward tin it 11 us LH in at iti id d v it r n arn ain I 1 a 11 IS I 1 akl 1 1 I 1 SS tills ti X lalin 1 I aar 1 ari i ad d on now in I 1 ia th tar t 1 h 1 id hill v I 1 in 11 ri i the he t bal erdl 9 1 th a dosi 10 af of lit hi lc C 1 11 I v th I 1 laita n iw w divided half calf it lit tl im 1 tw tv I 1 i vi is fit till I 1 th ind th r i around h hi li house otje 1 w il the fiant f ance ali ah too look it nl al that y tied lied I 1 art ariy y 1 it I s it a batt ring rani ram th v hav 0 nun man of 0 I 1 ix at ai have I 1 your majesty 9 on nt nl to ti v the ea elephant elt pliant guns now and th sh ariff riff cairned bp be awn chril th ni it 11 self illk k f from chih ahl h tho the ili bi UK lilt lit in bad been tut cat and with a till d runn man to ro hip hi ip they I 1 ran it up tile tho it t ps IH and aal aalrust aali rist Bt the i dodi with a ej ciach ash that came booming I 1 I 1 ind I 1 I 1 I 1 of P hoing hoenk bt bi 1 k the great I 1 it hillh I 1 of the A gun d aiala at the side ot of th OK liou house 3 and I 1 ran to the library wh h f e ilarij had pushed furni tnie aa a all on III ion window a save one walh ahl ll 11 in in I 1 11 I 1 1 I t 11 lie ile t aped out up lip 11 iti ili I 1 mici and a covol v i it ili ih mn m n who now creep ng tiong on III dg ut of the davini be if ath one of them slopped and Ilitch arged it a i llo at ua its with decibel ito ilni it aho ball snapped ed snow from tho balustrade bilu strade and screamed lamed away hat alth such nion keis he mut t rf rid d I 1 believe I 1 ve lilt hit that c hap chap ono man had fallen and lay howling in the lavene his hinl haril to his thigh while hla his comrades paused demor aland you right you blackguard larry muttered I 1 pulled him bint in an I 1 we jammed a Z top it jolt r 4 i r ti Z 1 Z V 0 i by a trick larry had taught me I 1 ahr him cabinet against the door and returned to the hall meanwhile the blows at the front door continued with mith increasing alo lence lenc stoddard still stood where I 1 had left him hates bates wai not in sight but the barking of a revolver above showed that lie ha had returned to the window to wreak vengeance on oa his bla en emlea stoddard shook his head in depreta tion thoy they flied blied first we cant do less than got get back at them I 1 said between tho the blows of the battering ram A panel of at the gloat oaken door now low splintered but in their fear that we might inight so se the broken panel as aa a loophole they scampered out into range of hates dates revolver in detura we me heard a rat rati rain i of 0 small shot on the up ler jer windows window B grid a few seconds seconda later lairy shouted that the hanking flanking party was again at the tereace ten are I 1 ibis his movement evidently heartened the sheriff foi under tinder a fire from hla his mea charged again arid and tile the log crashed into the door shaking it free aiom the upper tipper hinges the low er fastenings wi nichea loose an instant later and the nien men came tumbling into the hall ball the sheriff mor alor gan gaa and toni fout others I 1 had novel seen before simultaneously the flanking party began smashing the small panes of tho the library windows NN e could hear the glass crak and tinkle above aboe abo e the contusion fit at the door in the hall he be wits was certainly a luck roan man who held to his big weapon a TOO rao ment antei the door tumbled in I 1 at the sheriff wl it my ver but he stumbled and halt toll fell at the threshold no ila that the ball passed oner 01 er him and lie he promptly gripped me by tho the if lies gs and had bad me prone and halt dazed by tho rap of my head on the floal I 1 suppose I 1 was waa two or three mill utes at least retting my wits I 1 was first conscious of at dates bates grappling with the sheil shei lff tf who pat bat upon me and as they struggled with each othet I 1 got the full benent benefit of their combined swerving weight morgan and larry were trying tor for a change chance at each other with revolvers while morgan lorgan backed tte irishman slowly toward the library stoddard had bad seized one of the unknown n da deputies by the col I 1 lr ir and pave gave lim it a tremendous 1 king him high in the all and daiv illg ing him i 0 anotoli i invader va der wilh a blow that kit eked both ff lowis into it a cot CM n nf r 11 in to eilf lib an a shante I 1 1 iriv 1 rt v an 1 I 1 tl it s ln lit I 1 ad y g t m T i i f r t alpi 1111 n 1 1 I 1 awn w it th ha hah h t w i 1 I thi th op oi n it 1 i v door doo r iti V f w re n w I 1 h tw iw 1 n 1 two fareh 1 1 li I riff aicra s put pait t had fought fouch t IN 1 to lo km p us at out i t of the rho library and ii ow w that we won we r within bl aig s lit IK id thi th floor door half cload the et ci unbind strength of th tb men in the hall I 1 ahls his pause was waa for tor for it gave us ua an opportunity to deal singly with the fellows abc were climbing la in aiom the he terrace hates ates had laid one of them low with a club and larry disposed of another w who bo had bad made a murde rolli effort to ta stick a knife into him I 1 was with Stol daid dad apelast the booi where the sheriff she riff a men inca were slowly gaining upon me lot I 1 et go on the jump when hen I 1 say three said stoddard and at his word we s sprang prang away bioni the floor anil into the room larry yelled with joy as the short ff and hn his men pitched for ward and sprawled upon the floor then we were at it again in a hand conflict to clear the room hold that position bir yelled dates morgan had directed tho the attack against me an aal I 1 I 1 was aas driven upon the hearth before the great flie fit cepl tee the sheriff morgan and berguson ler guson hemmed hern med mo in it was evident that I 1 was the chief culprit and they wished to elim it in to te tile ma from the contest across the room larry stoddard and bates were engaged in a lively rough and tumble with the rest of the besiegers arid and stoddard daid seeing my plight leaped the 0 overturned Ir turned table broke past the trio and stood by my side swinging a chair calr at that moment my eyes aw sweeping coping the betoken outer doors saw the tha face of pickering ile he had como come to see bee that hla his orders were obeyed and I 1 re member yet rny my satisfaction as hem mod med in by the men he had hired to kill 1111 me or drive me out I 1 felt rather than saw the cowardly horror depleted depicted upon his face then the trio pressed upon me As I 1 chiew down my club and drew my rev revolved olvet vei some one across the room lied blied several shots whose roar through the room seemed to arrest the ight fight for an instant and then while stoddard stood at my side swinging his chair defensively the great chan letter idler loosened or broken brohen by the shots fell with a mighty crash of its crystal pendants pennants pend ants the sheriff leaping away from stoddard a chair was waa struck on the head and borne down by the heavy glass no e were all getting our second wind tor for a renewal of the fight with mor imor ran gan in command of the enemy one or two of his men who had gone down early in the struggle were now crawl ing back tor for revenge I 1 think I 1 must hae haa raised my hand and pointed at lic bickering kering for dates bates wheeled I 1 ke a flash and before I 1 realized what hap heaed he had dragged the executor into the room you scoundrel you I 1 Ing n g r ratel a t e I 1 howled the servant the blood ou on hla his face and bare chest and the hatred in his eyes made him a hideous object but in that lull ot of the tha storm while we waited watching for ant an adNan advantage tage I 1 heard somewhere in tho wall that same sound of footsteps that I 1 had remarked before lany and stoddard heard it dates bates heard it and his eyes fixed upon PI cIerIng with a glare of malicious delight there comes our old friend the g ghost host yelled larry TO BE CONTINUED |