| Show THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES by MEREDITH 11 NICHOLSON auler of t I 1 THE MAIN CHANCE DAMERON etc I 1 M IVA by to a CHAPTER continued 1 I think you aro are quite right or dald dates bates ile he threw down domn the ie lolar he held in hlo his hand and leaned upon th the e edge dge of tho the long ions table that lay ay on it side aide hla his gaa still lent bent on picket ing w who ito stood with ills hla over coat buttoned butt ned close his derby hat bat on the floor bes beside do him it had bad fallen as hates dates hauled him into the room the sound bound of ft a measured step ot of pome one walking of a careful foot on a stairway was quits distinct I 1 even remarked the slight blight stumble that I 1 had bad noticed before we were all to so intent on an those steps step in the iho wall that we N ere re oft off guard I 1 beard nates dates yell and larry and stoddard rushed for pi karing lie he had drawn a revolver front from ills ilia overcoat over tont pocket and was waa about to fire at me when stoddard sent tho the weapon flying through the air only a moment now gentlemen gentle gentl men said hates dates an odd add smile on hiti face lie he wap wan looking past rne me toward tile the right end of tile tho fi vellace thet theio e seemed to bo be in the air a t ft liar of moinet something bing impending rv fv n borkan and his men halt half r idy tot foi a rush at me hesitated and glanced nerous onerously ly houi ono to tin tilt olier of us it was waa the calm bufore the storm etoria in III a moment inora ent wo we should bf b at each a thronia for the fant and yet we waited in III tile wall I 1 heard still tile tho sound bound of if they were clear to all of ni in now we wa stood there for what seemed an eter anity I 1 suppose tile the time was rally nally riot not more than 30 seconds inert mit v ing while I 1 felt that something mu fit the sl si lenco the waiting me ft ere re intolerable I 1 grasped my pistol and bent low for a spring at morgan and every roan man in the room waa as instantly oa tho the alert all but dates bates ile ho remained rigid that curious smile on ills bin blood bintai ed faco face his eyes bent toward the end of the great fireplace replace fl back of me that look on oil hla his face hoid arrested numbed me I 1 followed it I 1 forgot morgan it a tacit truce hold aed us all agala I 1 stopped back till my e ea fastened on the broad paneled chimney breast t at the right of the hearth and it wa was there now that the sound of footsteps footstep in tho the wall was waa heard agan then it A ceased cased utterly the long panel opened 0 slowly cl creaking slightly upon its binges then down into tho the room stopped stepped marlan marian dlvereux she wore the dark gown in which I 1 had bad seen her last and a cloak was drawn lier shoulders she laughed as her eyes swept the room ali ah gentlemen she slid said shaking aher head its as she viewed our disorder r what wretched housekeepers you aid 2101 steps were again heard board in tto ito wall and she turned to tho the panel hold hell it open with one hand and put out the other waiting for some one who tol fol owed her then down into the room stepped ny my grandfather jahn marshall glon glen atral nini ilia staff hla his cloak the silk hat labor boe elite his shrewd ahrend fare face and his hia sharp mack black eyes were unmistakable drew a silk handkerchief train from tho the skirts of hla his frock coat with a charac te ristle flourish that I 1 remembered well and brushed a bit ot dust from MB his sleeve before looking it t any of us then ilia his eyes tell fell upon me irm good morning jack he be said bald and then gazed with mild cuilo sity about tho the room god help us it was waa morgan I 1 think who screamed these words as an he bolted for tho the broken door but stoddard caught and held him thank hank god you re hors here narl broke forth in nates bates sepulchral voice it to me that I 1 saw BW all thit happened with a weird unnatural dla die as an one on sees before 06 storm vivid outlines of far headlands that tho the usual light of day falls fails to 9 I 1 WM wall awl and spellbound but I 1 do not liko alko to think even no now of the effect of my appearance on arthur pickering of the aback friet seemed boril to break him in two so that he staggered then cot col lapsed hla his head bead falling at B though to strike his knees larry caught him by the collar ami dral dragged geI him to d P sent seat where be ti huddled his hands handa at his throat gentlemen gentleman said tny mir grandfather i you seem to have been enjoying your b bulves who Is a this person I 1 ile he pointed with his bla stick to the sheriff who ho was wa endeavoring to crawl out front from under the mass maas of 0 broken ry Blala that bat sli eli Is the sheriff answered t a I 1 fa t avear A verr disorderly man I 1 must nay may ou been doing to Incon veu pence dance iM bidal yoal ik kaow that tho J chandel I 1 likely lyt kill 7 him h 41 1 11 in costa a I 1 1 are expensive visitors AIK fo too i I 1 wall t bettel abbot h 1 I a od nar clug eddard 4 little worl work for tie the chach militant a tim 6 at mil leinan mart lie be indicated I 1 aira vho aho vai ra for once la in his life 1 without I about anything to say 11 mr r dunovan donovan a friend of the house explained dates bates pleased I 1 in sure said bald the old gen aleman glad the house has haa a friend it seems to hive had enemies enough he added and eyed the wreck of the room ruefully the good humor in hla his face ace reassured me but still I 1 stood in tongue tied wonder stating at him and pick ring win loin marshall MarB hall Glen glenara glenarm arms a voica broke with a quiet aulk t mirth aba hat I 1 r n as the pre gico usually of somi sam thing im unpleasant pleasant W 11 arthur I 1 in oad to find you on guard defending the interests Inte of TOY estate at the risk of houi life too kates bates I 1 yes mr air glenarm glenara Gl you ought to have called me earlier I 1 really that hat chin chandelier deller int morsely and this furniture gasn wasn t ao a bad I 1 ills ilia tone changed abruptly ile he pointed to the sheil fro deputies deput lea one after the other with his stick there was wan I 1 remembered always something insinuating disagreeable and final about rny ray grandfathers grandfather a staff clear out outa he be commanded bates see these fellows through the wall nir mr sheriff if I 1 were ou I 1 id d be very careful indeed what I 1 said of at this at fair I 1 in m a dead man come to life again anil and I 1 know a great deal that I 1 dian didn t know before I 1 died nothing gentlemen fits a man tot foi life like a temporary absence from this cheerful and pleasant world I 1 recommend you to try it pickering sat silent not sure cheth er ho he saw a or real flesh and blood and larry kept close to him cutting off hla his retreat I 1 think we me all experienced that bewildered fedling of hildron who aro are caught in mischief by a sudden parental visitation my grandfather went about peering at the books with a tranquil air that was waa dis quieting ile he paused suddenly before the de sign for the memo ilal tablet which abich I 1 had bad made early in mi stay at glen arm alouse I 1 had bad sketched the lettering with some boine care and pinned it against a shelf bhelt for my more leisurely study of its ita phrases the old grutle gentleman pulled out lite his glasses and stood with his hands behind hla his back bach read ing when he be finished flata hed he be walked to where I 1 stood jack lie he said jack my hoyt boyl ills voice shook and hla his hands trembled as he laid thein on my shoulders marian he aie turned seeking her b but I 1 it the iha girl had vanished just as well he be ahls room Is hardly an edt edl tying light eight tor for a woman 11 1 I heard tor for an instant a light hurried burbled step tn ta tho the wall pickering ng too heard that faint bugl tive sound bound and our eyes eyen met at the in stant it ceased the thou thought slit of her tore my heart and I 1 felt elt that picker ins saw aw and knew and was glad I 1 they have all gone dr reported bates returning return lne to the th room now gentlemen begin began my grand father seating beating hini self this little secret of wine mint was shared by only two persons one of at those these was bates batea he paused as an exclamation broke from all ot of us and od he went on enjoying our aniaz amazement ement land and the other was marlan marian dedreux Deere de breux ux I 1 had ob served for years yeara that at A ruan man a death his property often gets ahto the wrong wi ong hands or becomes a bono bone of bontea contea tion lion among lawyers sometimes and the old laughed laugh edan an executor proven incompetent or dis honest I 1 was thoroughly fooled la in you pickling ting the money you owe owa m me la is a large sum and you were so delighted to hear of ny my death that you I 1 deda t oven even make suro sure I 1 was waa really out of the way you were per perfectly factly will ing ine to accept dates bates worl lor it and I 1 roust must aitay eay that gates dates carried it ott splendid y t y r ic kering ng roso rose the blood surging araan in his bis face and so streamed at oates pointing a shaking fing jr at the in you impostor you perjure rl the law will deal ith your ca case 9 e 1 to be our aur resumed my gra grand d father calmly pates did make finise false affidavits about my death but bly it was in it Pickwick lan sense air tr said hates bates gravela and in a righteous cause declared my grandfather I 1 assure you vou pick rang thul that I 1 have every intention of taking lakine care of dates cates ilia weekly let giving an amount of the curious manifestations of your devotion to ticks racks security and peace alone orth morth a goodly yum sum but dates bates 11 the old gentl gentleman emai vv wai as enjoying en joy ing him self hugely bugely lie ile chuckled now and placed hla his hand on my shoulder bh bates it was waa too bad I 1 got those missives of conra all in a bunch J was in a dah on tho the nile ale and they dont lon t lido haeo rural free dellier in agypt your cablegram called me home beffie I 1 had finished reading the if 1 aters hut but thank god jack you re alive there thera was mas real feeling in these last m orda and I 1 think we were all touched by them amen amea to that cried bates arid and now pickering ricker lne before you go BO I 1 want to show you something its it s about this mysterious treasure that has bas given iou and I 1 hear bear the whole countryside so much concern 1 ra disappointed in you jack that you couldn coulden t find the hiding place I 1 de signed that as a part of your c euial education dates give gise me a cbs chair ir the roan man gramly drew a chair out ot of the wreckage and placed it upon the hearth my grandfather stepped upon it spliced ono one of the bianze sconces above the mantel and gave it a sharp turn at the same moment dates bates upon another chair grasped tho colli companion panion bion blonde biona a and wrenched it sharply instantly some mechanism f J h LL ra r A down into the room stepped my grandfather creaked cre all in the great oak chimney breast and the long oak panels swung open disclosing a steel door with a combination knob gentlemen and my grandfather turned with a quaint touch of humor and a merry twinkle in his bright old ebes gont gentlemen lemen behold the treas aryl it has baa proved a better hiding place than I 1 ever imagined it would 1 here s not much here jack but enough to keep you going for a while 11 we were all staling stai ing and the old gentleman was waa enjoying our mystification it was an hour on which he ha hal evidently counted much it was the triumph of 0 his resurrection and homecoming home coming and he chuckled as he twirled the knob in the steel door then bates stepped forward and helped lim him pull the door a pen open disclose ing a narrow steel chest upright and held in place by heavy bolts clamped into the chimney it was filled with packets of papers tied neatly with tape jack said my grandfather phak baak ing lna his head you wouldn t be an architect and you re not much of an engineer either or you d have seen that that paneling pinell ng was heavier than was necessary theres in first rate securities dates and I 1 put pill them there lust just before I 1 went to ver ven wont to die I 1 lye ve sounded those hosa panels a dozen times I 1 protested of course you have said bald my grandfather hut but solid steel behind wood Is 3 safe I 1 tested it carefully before for I 1 left ile H laughed and rapped the floor with his staff and I 1 laughed him but you found the door of bewilderment and picket ings notes and that a a omo th I 1 ng no I 1 dida didn t even find that dono nan an deserves the credit but hor boyr did you ever come to build that tunnel if you dont mind telling met lie ha laughed ITO TO BE |
