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Show f v . - fP'f o4 Now? 2 X YromthcVlay By 1x7 MARY ROBERTS R.INEHART vl J end AVERY HOPW0O0 The bat copyright. 1920. mary roserxs RlNEHART snd AVERY HOPWOQD W.N.U. SERVICE STORY FROM THE START Defying all efforts to capture him, after a long series of murders mur-ders and robberies, a super-crook super-crook known to the police only as "The Bat" has brought about a veritable reign of terror. At his wits' end, and at the man's own request, the chief of police assigns his best operative, Anderson, An-derson, to get on the trail of the Bat. With her niece. Dale Og-den, Og-den, Miss Cornelia Van Gorder is living in the country home of the late Courtleigh Fleming, who until his recent death had been president of the Union bank, wrecked because of the theft of a large sum of currency. Miss Van Gorder receives a note warning her to vacate the place at once on pain of death. Dale returns from the city, where she had been to hire a gardener. CHAPTER III Continued It was too much. Miss Cornelia found Tent for her feelings in crisp exasperation. "What's the matter with you anyhow, any-how, Lizzie Allen?'' The nervousness in her own tones Infected Lizzie's. She shivered, frankly. "Oh, Miss Nelly Miss Neily!" she pleaded. "I dont like it 1 I want to go back to the city :" Miss Cornelia braced herself. "I have rented this house for four months and I am gcing to stay," she said, firmly. Her eyes sought Lizzie's, striving to pour some of her own Inflexible In-flexible courage into the latter's quaking form. But Lizzie would not look at her. Suddenly she started and gave a low scream. "There's somebody on the terrace!" she breathed in a ghastly whisper, clutching at Miss Cornelia's arm. For a second Miss Cornelia sat frozen. Then, "Don't do that!" she said sharply. "What nonsense !" but she looked over her shoulder as she said it, and Lizzie saw the look. Both waited, in pulsing stillness one second sec-ond two. "I guess it was the wind," said Lizzie, at last, relieved, her grip on Miss Cornelia relaxing. She began t" look a trifle ashamed of herself and Miss Cornelia seized the opportunity. "Xou were born on a brick pavement," pave-ment," she said crushingly. "You get nervous out here at night whenever a I cricket begins to sing or scrape his legs or whatever it is they do !" Lizzie bowed before the blast of ter mistress' scorn and began to Eiove gingerly toward the alcove door. But obviously she was not en tirely convinced. "Oh, it's more than that. Miss Neily," she mumbled, "I " Miss Cornelia turned to her fiercely. fierce-ly. If Lizzie was going to behave like this, they might as well have It out now between them before Dale came home. "What did you really see, last night?'' she said in a minatory voice. The Instant relief on Lizzie's face was ludicrous she so obviously preferred pre-ferred discussing any subject at an? length to braving the dangers of the other part of the house unaccompanied. unaccom-panied. "I was standing right there at the top of that there staircase," she began, be-gan, gesticulating toward the alcove stairs, in the manner of one who embarks em-barks upon the narration of an epic. "Standing there with your switch in my hand. Miss Neily and then 1 looked down and," her voice dropped, "I saw a gleaming eye! It looked at me and winked! I tell you this bouse Is haunted !"' "A flirtatious ghost?" queried Miss Cornelia skeptically. She snorted. "Humph! Why didn't you yell?" "I was too scared to yell ! And I'm not the only one." She started to hark away from the alcove her eyes still fixed upon Its haunted stairs. "Why do you think the servants left so suddenly this morning?" she went on. ''Do you really believe the housemaid house-maid had appendyritls? Or the cook's sifter had twins?" She turned and gestured at her mistress mis-tress with a long, pointed forefinger. Hit volcfe had a note of doom. "I bet o cent the cook never bad any sister and the sister never had any twins," she said, Impressively. "No. Miss Nelly, they couldn't put It over on me like that! They were fcnred nwey. They saw It!" She concluded her epic nnd slood nolding her head nn Irish Cassandra Cassan-dra who had prophesied the evil to eotui. "I-'Iddlestlcks!" said Miss Cornelia, briskly more shaken by the recital than she would have admitted. She tried to think of (mother tuple of r-u mi u;i i l-ni. "What time Is It?" she B'k d. Lizzie ginti'vd at the mantel clock. "Half past ten. Miss Nelly." Mi's Cornelia yawned, n Utile dl-nuillr dl-nuillr ''Ik- felt u If the last two hours had not been hours but years. "Miss Dale won't be home for half an hour," she said reflectively. "And if I have to spend another thirty minutes min-utes listening to Lizzie shiver," she thought, "Dale will find me a nervous wreck when she does come home." She rolled up her knitting and put It back in her sewing bag it was no use going on. doing work that would have to be ripped out again and yet she must do something to occupy her thoughts. She raised her head and discovered Lizzie returning toward the alcove stairs, with the stealthy tread of a panther. The sight exasperated exas-perated her. "Now, Lizzie Allen !" she said sharply, "you forget all that superstitious super-stitious nonsense and stop looking for ghosts ! There's nothing in that sort of thing." She smiled she would punish Lizzie for her obdurate tiniorousness. "Where's that ouija-board?" ouija-board?" she questioned, rising, with determination in her eye, Lizzie shuddered violently. "It's up there with a prayer book on It to keep it quiet !" she groaned, jerking jerk-ing her thumb In the direction of the farther bookcase, "Bring it here !" said Miss Cornelia, Cor-nelia, implacably; then as Lizzie still hesitated, "Lizzie!" Shivering, every movement of her body a conscious protest, Lizzie slowly slow-ly went over to the bookcase, lilted the prayer book, and took down the ouija-board. Even then, she would not carry it normally, but bore it over to Miss Cornelia at arms'-Iength, as if any closer contact would blast her with lightning. hr face a comic mask of loathing and repulsion. She placed the lettered board In Miss Cornelia's lap with a sigh of relief. re-lief. "You can do it yourself! I'll have none of it !" she said firmly. "It takes two people and you know It, Lizzie Allen!"' Miss Cornelia's voice was stern feut it was also amused. Lizzie groaned, but she knew her mistress. She obeyed. 'Tve been working for you for twenty years," she muttered. "Tve been your goat for twenty years and I've got a right to speak my mind" Miss Cornelia cut her off. "You haven't got a mind.- Sit down," she commanded. Lizzie sat her hands at her sides. With a sigh of tried patience, Miss Cornelia put her unwilling fingers Tin the little moving-table that Is used to point to the letters on the board Itself. Then she placed her own hands on It. too, the tips of the fingers just touch ing Lizzie's. "Now make your mind a blank !" she commanded her factotum. "You Just said I haven't got any mind," complained the latter. "Well." said Miss Cornelia magnificently, magnifi-cently, "make what you haven't got a blank." The repartee silenced Lizzie for the moment but only for the moment. As soon as Miss Cornelia had settled herself her-self comfortably and tried to make her mind a suitable receiving station for ouija-mcssages, Lizzie began to mumble mum-ble the sorrows of her heart. "I've stood by you through thick and thin," she mourned In a low voice. "I stood by you when you were u the osophlst and I seen you through socialism, so-cialism, fletcherlsm and rheumatism but when It comes to carrying on with ghosts " "Be still !" ordered Miss Cornelia "Nothing will come If you keep chattering chat-tering !" "That's why I'm chattering!" said Lizzie, driven to the wall. "My teeth are, too," she added. "I can hardly keep my upper set In," and a desolate clicking of artificial molars attested the truth of the remark. Then, to Miss Cornelia's relief, she was silit for nearly two minutes, only to start so violently at the (ul of the time that she nearly upset the ouija board on her mistress' toes. "I've got a queer f.-ellng In my fingers fin-gers all the way up my arms," she whispered In awed accents, wriggling the arms she spoke of violently. "Hush!" said Miss Cornelia Indignantly. Indig-nantly. Lizzie always exaggerated, of course yet now her own fingers felt prickly uncanny. There was a little pause while both sat tense, staring at the board. "Now, OuIJa," said Miss- Cornelia, defiantly, "Is Lizzie Allen right about this house or Is It all stun" and nonsense?" non-sense?" l or one second two the onlja remained re-mained anchoret! to s re-iling place In tin- ccnler of the board. Then "My tiawdl It's moving:" said Liz zie In tones of pure horror, as the little pointer began Id wander among the letters. "You shoved It I" "I did not cross my heart. Mist Nelly I " Lizzie's eyes were round. Imt fingers glnei rigidly and awkwardly awkward-ly to the onlja. As the iiiovcmciitu of the pointer grew more rapid her mouth dropped open wider and wider prepared pre-pared for an ear-piercing scream. "Keep quiet!" said Miss Cornelia, tensely. There was a pause of a few seconds while the pointer darted from one letter to another, wildly. "B-M-C-X-P-R-S-K-Z " murmured Miss Cornelia, trying to follow the spelled letters. "It's Russian !" gasped Lizzie, breathlessly, and Miss Cornelia nearly disgraced herself in the eyes of any spirits that might be present by inappropriate inap-propriate laughter. The ouija continued contin-ued to move more letters what was it spelling? it couldn't be good heavens "B A T Bat!" said Miss Cornelia Cor-nelia with a tiny catch in her voice. The pointer stopped moving. She took her hands from the board. "That's queer," she said with a forced laugh. She glanced at Lizzie to see how Lizzie was taking It. But the latter seemed too relieved to have her hands off the ouija-board to make the mental connection that her mistress mis-tress had feared. All she said was, "Bats indeed ! That shows it's spirits there's been a bat flying around this house all evening." She got up from her chatr tentatively, tentative-ly, obviously hoping that the seance was over. "Oh, Miss Neily," she burst out. "Please let me sleep in your room tonight ! It's only when my jaw drops that I snore I can tie It up with a handkerchief!" "I wish you'd tie it up with a handkerchief now," said her mistress, mis-tress, absent-mindedly, still pondering the message that the pointer had spelled. "B A T Bat!" she murmured. mur-mured. Thought-transference warning warn-ing accident? Whatever It was, It was nerve-shaking. She put the ouija-board aside accident or not, she was done with it for the evening. But she could not so easily dispose of the Bat. Sending a protesting Is i i "That's Queer," She Said, With a Forced Laugh. Lizzie off for her reading glasses. Miss Cornelia got the evening paper and settled down to what by now had become her obsession. She had not far to search, for a long black streamer stream-er ran across the front page "Bat t. auies i once rtizaui. She skimmed through the article with eerie fascination, reading bits of it aloud for Lizzie's benefit. " "Unique criminal long hadled the police record of his crimes shows him to be endowed with nn almost diabolical Ingenuity so far there Is no clew to his Identity Pleasant reading for an old woman who's Just received a threatening letter," she thought Ironically an. here "as something some-thing new, a hlac't-bonlered "box" on the front page a statement by the paper. She read It aloud. "We must cease combing the criminal world for the Bat nnd look higher. He may be a merchant a lawyer a doctor hon ored In his community by day nnd nt night a bloodthirsty assassin " Tue print blurred h.'foro her eyes she could read no more for the moment. She thought of the revolver In ffic drawer of the table close nt hand and felt glad that It was (here, loaded. "''in going to take the butcher knife to bed with nie !" Lizzie w as saying. Miss Cornelia touched the oulja-hoard. oulja-hoard. "That thing certainly spelled lint," she mused. "I wisli I were a num. I'd like to see any lawyer, doctor doc-tor or merchant of my nccpuilntnnee leading a double life without my suspecting sus-pecting II." "Kvcry man leads n double life, and some more than that," Lizzie observed. "I guess It rcsls them, like It does me to take of my corsets." Miss Cornelia opened her mouth to rebuke her, but Just nt that moment there was a clink of Ice from the hall, nnd Billy, the .Inpnneso, enlered carrying n tray with n pllcher of water nnd some glasses (in It. Miss Cor nelia watched his Impassive progress, wondering If the Oriental races ever felt terror she could not Imagine nil Lizzie's banshees nnd kelpies producing produc-ing n single shiver from Hilly. "Billy, what's nil this about the cook's sister not hnvlng twins?" she said In an olTlinnd voice she bail not really discussed the departure of the other servants with Billy before. "IH, you happen to know Hint this Interesting Inter-esting event was ant Iclpnl ed ?" Billy drew his hrealh with n pollle llltle hiss. "Mayhe she have twins," he admitted. "II happen sometime. Mostly not ovpcolcd." "I o you think there was any other ronton for her lenvlng?" "Maybe," said Billy blandly. He seemed quite unperturbed. "Well, what was the reason?" "All same the same thing house haunted." Billy's reply was prompt as it was calm. Miss Cornelia gave a slight laugh. "You know better than vhat, though, don't you?" Billy's oriental placidity remained unruffled. He neither admitted nor denied. He shrugged his shoulders. "Funny house," he said laconically. "Find window open nobody there. Door slam nobody there!" On the heels of his words came a single, startling bang from the kitchen quarters the bang of a slammed door! Miss Cornelia dropped her newspaper. news-paper. Lizzie, frankly frightened, gave a little squeal and moved closer to her mistress. Only Billy remained impassive but even he looked sharply in the direction whence the sound had come. Miss Cornelia was the first of the others to recover her poise. "Stop that! It was the wind!" she said, a little Irritably the "Stop that!" addressed to Lizzie, who seemed on the point of squealing again. v "I think not wind," said Billy. His very lack of perturbation added weight to the statement It made Miss Cornelia Cor-nelia uneasy. She took out her knitting knit-ting again. "How long have you lived In this house, Billy?" "Since Mr. Fleming built." "H'm." Miss Cornelia pondered. "And this Is the first time you have been disturbed?" "Last two days only." Billy would have made an Ideal witness In a court room he restricted himself so precisely pre-cisely to answerftig what was asked of him In as few words as possible. Miss Cornelia ripped out a row In her knitting. She took a long breath. "What about that face Lizzie said you saw last night at the window?" she asked. In a steady voice. Billy grinned, as If slightly embarrassed. embar-rassed. "Just face that's all." "A man's face?" He shrugged again. "Don't know maybe. It there! It gone !" Miss Cornelia did not want to believe be-lieve him but she did. "Did you go out after It?" she persisted. Billy's yellow grin grew wider "No, thanks." he said cheerfully, with ideal succinctness. "Well, now that you've cheered us up." began Miss Cornelia undauntedly, hut a Ion, ominous roll of thunder that rattled the panes In the French windows drowned out the end of her sentence. Nevertheless she welcomed the thunder as a diversion. At least its menace was a physical one to he guarded against by physical means. She rose and went over to the French windows. That flimsy bolt' She parted the curtains and looked out a Hicker of lightning stabbed the night the storm must be almost upon them. "Bring some candles, Billy," she said. "The lights may be going cut any moment and Billy," ns he started to leave, "there's a gentleman arriving arriv-ing on the last train. After he comes you may go to bed. I'll wait up for Miss Dale oh, nnd Billy." arresting hi in at the door, "see that all the outer doors on this Moor are locked nnd bring the keys here." Billy nodded nnd departed. Miss Cornelia took a long breath. Now ll.nl Ihn mnmiml f.if ii-,!Mn ,.! passed the moment for action come she felt suddenly Indomitable, (ire-pared (ire-pared to face a dozen Bats! Her feelings were not shared by her maid. "I know what nil tills means," moaned Lizzie. "I tell you there's going to he a death, sure!" "There certainly will be If you don't keep quiet," said her mistress acridly. "Lock the billiard room windows nnd go to tied." But this was the Inst straw for t.lzzle, A picture of two long, dark (lights of stairs up which she had to pass to reach her bedchamber rose before her and she spoke her mind. "I uni not going to bed!" she said wildly. "I'm going to pack up tomor- nnd leave this house." That silch a threat would never be carried out while she lived made little difference to her she was beyond the need of Truth's consolations. "I asked you on my bonded knees not to take this place (wo miles from n rallrond." slie went on heatedly. "For mercy's sake. Miss Nelly, let's go back to the city before It's too late!" Miss Cornelia was Inllcvlblc. "I'm not going. You can make tip your mind to that I'm going io find out what's wrong with this place 11 takes all summer. I came out to the country for a rest and I'm goinji to get it." "You'll get your heavenly restl" mourned Lizzie, giving it do. She looked pitifully at her mistress' face for a sign that the latter might bt weakening but no suh sign came. Instead, Miss Cornelia seemed to grow more determined. "Besides," she said, suddenly deciding decid-ing to share the secret she had hugged to herself all day, "I might as well tell you, Lizzie. I'm having a detective detec-tive sent down tonight from police headquarters, in the city. I dare say he will be stupid enough. Most of them are. But at least we can have one proper night's sleep." "Not L I trust no man," said Lizzie. But Miss Cornelia had picked up the paper again. " 'The Flat's last crime was a particularly par-ticularly atrocious one,' " she read. " 'The body of the murdered man . . .'" But Lizzie could bear no more. "Why don't you read the funny page once In a while?" she walled, and hurried hur-ried to close the windows in the billiard bil-liard room. The door leading Into the billiard room shut behind her. Miss Cornelia remained reading for a moment. Then was that a sound from the alcove? She dropped the paper, went into the alcove and stood for a moment at the foot of the stairs, ; listening. No -It must have been Imagination. But, while she was here, she might as well put on the spring-lock spring-lock that bolted the door from the alcove to the terrace. She did so, returned to the living-room and switched off the lights for a moment to look out at the coming storm. It was closer now the lightning flashes more continuous. She turned on the llgtlte again as Billy re-entered with three andles and a box of matches. He pat them down on a side-table. "New gardener come," he said brief' ly, to Miss Cornelia's back. Miss Cornelia turned. 'Nice hooi for him to get here. What's his name?" "Say his name Brook," saift Billy. Miss Cornelia thought "Ask him tc come In," she said. "And Billy where are the keys?" Billy silently took two keys from his pocket and laid them on the table. Then he pointed to the terrace door which Miss Cornelia had just bolted. "Door up .there spring lock." he said. "Yes." she nodded. "And the new holt you put on today makes it fairly secure. One thing Is fairly sure, Billy. If anyone tries to get In to-nlgl'.t. to-nlgl'.t. he will have to break a window nnd make a certain amount of noise." But he only smiled his curious erlg-matlc erlg-matlc smile and went out. And no sooner had Miss Cornelia seated hrr-self hrr-self when the door of the bililirrd room slammed open suddenly and Lizzie burst Into the room ns If sve had been shot from a gun her hair wild her face stricken with fear. "I heard somebody yell out In tof grounds away down by the gate!" she Informed her mistress In a loud stage whisper which hail a curious note of pride In It. as If she were not too displeased nt seeing her doleful predictions so swiftly coming to pns. Miss Cornelia took her by the shoulder shoul-der half-start led. half-dubious. "What did they yell?" ".lust yelled a yell!" "Lizzie!" "I heard them!" But she cried "Wolf!" too often. "You take a liver-pill." said her mistress mis-tress disgustedly, "and go to bed." Lizzie was about to protest both the verdict on her story nnd the Judgment Judg-ment on herself, when the door In the hall was opened by Billy to admit the new gardener. A handsome young fellow. fel-low. In bis late twenties perhaps, nnd neatly If shabbily dressed, hp cnnif two steps Into the room nnd then stood there respectfully with his cap In his hand, waiting for Miss Cornell to speak to him. After a swift glance of observation that gave her food for thought, sh: did so. "You are Brooks, th new gar lienor?" The young man pc"nel his head. Miss Cornelia rcga'Med hlin anew. "Ills hands look soft for a garden cr's." she thought. "And his manner? seem much too good for one Still ' "Come In." she said briskly. Thf young man advanced another two steps. "You're the man my niece en gaged In the clly this nfternoon?" "Yes. madam." He seemed s llttlt uneasy under her searching scrutiny. She dropped her pro. ITO UB CON'TINVKn ) |