| Show THE FATAL R V 0 R F 0 V N D 0 V T Z dy BY A L harris author offin of Min a own Fai nillar Ir tc 1 8 1 by t v 0 ao 9 11 sll ft I 1 lehing 0 0 mp a v co 0 0 myrig p r r d 9 A I 1 t 9 a 9 9 bv 6 y B tf S r t tt 0 1 ft B smith 6 1 A CHAPTER XIII continued may ma ni dear she abe said bald 1 I drea dreamt mt your dour father had come home I 1 made sure I 1 heard his footit footstep ep coming up the stairs dut but it was only a dream she ehe sighed on beng being told of her afons son a return she at first decided that she would get up but the he thought of 0 the exertion proved too muck much tor for her brought him home mother was mas the first thing ile be said after he had bad been histed and cried over yes my dear I 1 she answered anam ered I 1 you said bald you would mould and I 1 never doubted it IL but its a mad aad sad homecoming home bome coming and here bere the poor lady gave way and wept abundantly iler her son consoled her to the best af of hla his ability al all the urns time how bow she would talio take it when N lien she came caine to know the truth the truth which all must come out sooner or later the presence pie ence sence of the dead la Is always a subject more or less of superstitious fear to the less educated classes consequently led was mas hardly eur bur ahen w hen lie he observed a a decided disposition on the part of tho the domes j tie tic staff to avoid as much ail a possible the upper tipper portion of the house cut but lie he was mas surp surprised to and himself div ing way ay tj a feeling ot of nervousness of anticipation wh enche was mag alone in his room which was next to the one in which hla his father tay lay in bj hift collin coffin that night lie ile bad a good mind not to go to bed at all but to sit up and read read bom something ething humorous lie ile sneered at his own co cowardice mardice what on earth made him feel like this ile he had bad not boon boen afraid of his father living why should ho he tear fear him deada dead and lying in his coffin with the lid id screwed down and the oe door lo cheil ile he turned up the gas and chose a a volume the innocents abroad attar after a short time he ha was surprised to sad and himself actu actuary aly growing sleepy leepy ile he mould shut up the book and go to bed A prodigious yawn followed and he be nearly dropped his book the nt n t moment a sound of something beay falling brought him broad awake with mith the sensation of a cold wind passing his half bair I 1 what was it wits was it in this room or the next the next moment he gave a short harsh barsh laugh as he be saw that the bullet fir from m the revolver nelch aich ne had placed upon the bureau had fallen from thence to the ground where it had rolled csome some way ile he alke d it up an I 1 deposited it in a drawer which he be locked tor for greater security 1 I don dont t want m ant to be disturbed that vi way ay again he said to himself my nerves must be awfully shaken to let such ouch a trifle as that knock me over in the way it did I 1 wonder onder whether it rill mill be ie any good going to bed after this it Is no use trying to read any more after turning about uneasily for some time he fell uto listo a troubled sleep there was not a sound or movement of any sort in the ahouee and lie he lad had slept on for about two hours when all at once without any warning he awoke what had roused him the same saine voice which he be had beard orice once before becore in the very parly early morning ted it to come to la him through tile the dividing wall m a I 1 and this time as aa before lie he answered back without thinking his bla senses still half under the influence of slumber yes father what Is if and the same voice whether it was only his own bhain bealin or came ame from son eona unknown soui louice ce answer answered eI him back again floss the spring at the back of the leceia ted said his sister elster compassion abely at breakfast the next net morning how bad you look poor boy I 1 I 1 leu eu me with a how did fa ther look do ion oil really think he did not buffer much oh I 1 wish 1 could have seen been him more inore just for one last look dear old dad don I 1 you go on ill ilia a that may I 1 cant can t stand it what a 8 more I 1 VO ve got to ba haar a very serious talk with ith ou ell presently what about with same some callos ity j its it B something ought to lo know something you must know but it 11 give giro you A shock let us lis go into tho the study I 1 can tell ou best be abere CHAPTER XIV an eye for fop an eye the room to which he h a referred was as the one alch had bein hla his fathera father private sanctum consequently it was m as full of memories me morlea to the two who now found alone in it and wherever they turned their eyes ayes they lighted upon some tolien token of hla his presence or some silent witness of those habits which were mere inseparably connected with his hia name A sheet of A wilting i biting paper m with ith something written on it lay upon the blot ting pad and the pen which be had bad last used lay beside beeldt it with mith the ink dried upon it spoke of the aba dead ills spirit seem ld to per yade vade the loom boom which lie he might only that moment have quitted ted a eye was caught by the sheet of paper lying upon the ta ble with something written upon it are x a re was waa the date april 23 the day before he be left home and beneath it 1 I my dear 11 not halt half a doyen doren cords in all and nothing to show to whom it was as addressed or why it was as pat att scarcely begun if the blank paper could only aspea speak ki it if the pen which lay beside it it could be made to carry out what pe hand had failed to comple completed tel k que le turned to his bir slater sister who had bad sunk upon a sofa by the half dark ened window and was mas watching his movements and the play of hla his coun annance with a gradually increasing 40 sensation of heaviness about the re glon of the heart may lay said her brother its no use putting things off it only makes platters batters natters nat worse morse so BO listen attentively to what I 1 am going to tell you and be have like ilka the good little girl you can be kit it was waa ten minutes litter later and the room looked juat the same and set et jr 4 Q its no use putting things thing off there was a as a difference ahe empty char chair the Ura bradshaw lying open dpn poh the table and even cven the waste aste basket had bad become objects to lie be regarded with bated breath bigalb and anse a w nse of shuddering awe murdered Murde redl that dreadful die adful icord word suggested such hideous dosal bill buhlea ties to the mind of the hearer bearer ahe had listened in silence and hor jol ro she I 1 as s ho he repeated the aspi lons ions agib fil h c ati u were now certainties as far as he e was mas concerned and now yo see eee may he concluded what bat 4 behave to do Is to find the murderer tjark him step by step aai then iia 11 paused P ed significantly BI gilan land thena in an ail awestruck awe ame struck voice frodi fro i his toy listener cheul that depends was the grim reply you know now what hat the bl ml bla says bays in the case of ills hie slayer slayers 7 she ohe shook her head thine pye shall no not pity but life ab oath 11 go for life eyo eye for eye t tooth for t hand for hand band foot for fojtl j its dreadful 0 to o hear bear yen m malhi it arl frightens ahtens mel me bho ciui aured you does doea it wag mas the an r y reply aou would like to tonsil fri quietly down domn and do nothing no no n 0 she bhe hastened to answer dut I 1 thought the police ajust just listen to hert herl vas mas the sorn scorn fill interruption the po police lice leavo I 1 cave ottto them indeed what 0 io o t ey e ciree ire no I 1 don t know what hat I 1 shall 0 1 da I I 1 have thought of a plan ard I 1 I 1 know tho man to KO go to bogod i one I 1 ive ve heard of and wha 1 1 m wll IT help to put mp me in cn th alu ciak they rhey turned to 1 havi adf tl room to fela her ile he dav av anoil xi la lasi i 11 loit 1 loynd nd beffie lo thi booi d 0 oi thin t ning to ills histo I 1 as an 11 put th k ecsi in his pod liml t I 1 u will i ill hale hae t U break thi this i t nhothi i reoh yah anist 11 I 1 ilow how di adail t oua fa of not hastily it 4 r i ay iy 71 place to to do io a al I 1 I 1 t ti tanh k of viking it upon e very well abe anam rd meekly if 1 I 1 hillst I 1 fiust how she alie ald it 1311 never knew but somehow ahr th W boidi idi wera spoken and uie the drea dreadful diLlI talt revealed pd i ara Du burrett Burrl tt partly to lei daugh tr afro fa if ellef ilef seemed hardly Vil of it hes he a dead 1 dead I 1 she cried hi it doean doesn t make spy apy to me how lie he adli I 1 what dopa it patter so BO long as he iq 14 dead dad I 1 tle next a ohp day of the funeral it I 1 was numerously ai attended tended either out of respect or curlo curiosity sity and as aa bp bo t I 1 reviewed the troops of 0 friends and nd acquaintances that se bled lound the gravo grave the son bon of the dead roan man wondered for an instant whether it were possible for that one false albe friend to be among them but the idea w m as rejected as soon as formed ile he looked in vain for one who corresponded with the tion of the tall thin elderly man with a dried up tip look and grey mons tache and who ho walked with a limp when latt seen by the guard it was exactly nine 0 clock on tho the night of the funeral when ted bur ritt put the key in the he door and ad emitted himself into the room which I 1 had i a d b been e c i i b bis 1 a father a study 1 he 1 e c carried a r r i e d it a lamp in hla his hand which lie he placed e upon the writing writ ilig tai ble everything remained as it had bad been on that farmr visit the only difference lay jay lix fit tho the fact that the film of dust was a little thicker upon pon u the parlous contents of the room lie ile was wag about to seat himself in the old leather chair in which alch hla his father had always eat ant amlen apparently changing his mind he be pushed it back against the wall and looked round for another which he dragged for m ward ard ile he took the sealed packet horn his breast pocket and placed it on the table before him it was mas sealed up in a sheet of blue paper and in papers papera found by me after the accident on the person permon of the late bilas and preserved intact jeremiah cartwright DI D etc 11 it was mas of considerable bulk but ted knew that his father was mas in the ho habit of currying carrying about bilm a mis liis cellan of documents 0 of f no particular Import Imports anco F for 0 r some time he be hesitated to break tho the 61 abal al lueie might be aftin all something there that the dead roan man would wish no other ebes but his own to look upon something not exactly discreditable he would mould not acknowledge that even to himself but something thing which lie he might have wished kept private and adlich no one lae ise seek to pry into if that were vere the case ile he cast lila ills scruples on one side eldo broke the seal sea I 1 and an d tore to r 0 open tile the wrapper rapper m at the first sight eight of tho tha contents thus alius revealed to view the young man uttered an exclamation of dismay fol foi the first document which met his ce was m as burnt and blown biown and redsted almost to under tinder wore were they all alike it if so BO them the do doctor would hardly have talon taken the pains to preserve them so carefully with delicate manipulation lie removed the topmost paper and placed it on one side kut but with all hla his cure care the edge crumbled and broke away amay in his hands beneath ath this one haq another equally injun d but below MIR again was a paper only partially singed so that en ail idea of its contents he be arrived m at utter prom from A few words that met his fyrl lie he made it out to bo be a of 0 lading and put it aside alth the a the rest he ha spread out before him on the tha table to bo be continued |
