Show blind maito al ty es WILLIAM macharg EDWIN BALMER copyright by little drown brown and company 1 I 1113 REFUSE FUSE gab gabbel iel warden seattle capital let tella his butler lie ho la is expecting A culler caller to be admitted without question ila ho informs his la wife of danger that threatens hun him it if ho he pursues a course he considers the only honorable one warden vardon leaves tho the house in hla his car and meets a nian whom tie ba takes into the ma chine when the car returns home warden Is found dead murdered and nd alone the caller a your youna J man has been at wardens house but leaves unobserved bob con nory conductor receives orders to hold train for a party five M men s n and nd a girl board the t the le eastern express the father of 0 the uirl earl mr dorne dome Is the person for or whom the train was held philip I 1 D eaton a young man also boarded the train dome tells his daughter and his secretary don avery to ond out what they can concerning him film the two make batons acquaintance dorne dome la in found nearly dead from a murderous assault A surgeon operates dorne dome la is revealed as basil san ban tolne colne blind and a power in the financial world as the adviser of 0 big interests In teresta eaton Is suspected and questioned lie refuses information about himself and admits ho he was the caller at wardens house eaton pleads with Ilar harriet riot ban tolne colne to withhold judgment telling her he Is in serious danger though innocent of the crime against her father ila ho feels the girl believes him Cri CHAPTER APTER X continued a while she spoke the blood rising with her embarrassment had dyed harriets foco face suddenly now silo sho looked away from him and out the window ile would be called f judge a rather likable looking man Sant olno olne eald tentatively hla his question plainly was only meant to lead up to noluo something else Sant olno olne had judged in hi that particular already mr euton Sant olno olne addressed jilin him suddenly denly III 1 I understand that you vou have admitted that you were at tile house of gabriel warden tile the evening ho he WAS killed while in his car la Is that sol yes il said enton eaton you are tho the man then of whom gabriel warden spoke to tits wife all 1 I believe so you believe so 1 I mean enton explained quietly that I 1 camo came by appointment to call on mr warden that night I 1 believe that it must have been to mo me that mr warden referred in the conversation with his wife which has since been quoted in tile tho newspapers because you were in such a situation a that if mr warden defended you lie he would himself meet danger 1 11 I did not say that eaton denied guardedly what then was your position in regard to mr air warden eaton remained silent you refuse to answer Sant olne inquired 1 I refuse in spite of the probability that mr warden met his death because of ills hla intention to undertake something for youl you 1 I have not been able to fix that as a probability mr raton eaton have I 1 ever injured you personally I 1 dont menn mean directly as man mail to dinall for I 1 should remember that have I 1 over ever done anything which indirectly has worked injury on you or your affairs no eaton answered who sent you aboard this train sent me no one you took the train of your own will because I 1 w was taking it 11 1 I have not said I 1 took it because you were taking it that seems seeing to be proved you can accept it from me it has been proved did you take the train in order to attack roe ine no to spy upon nick NO jno 11 ans silent for an instant what was it you took the train to ull tol roo me 1 I nothing that Is all mr eaton baton 11 eaton started back to tits his compartment As he turned harriet Sant olno olne looked up at him and their eyes met and her look confirmed to he had felt before that her father now taking control of the investigation of the attack upon himself was not continuing it with prejudice or bredle posed desire to damage eaton baton except ns as the evidence vl dence accused him and her manner now told even more plainly than Sau toWs that aj the blind nian man had viewed tho evidence as far from conclusive against eaton and ns AS Fl harriet arriet showed that she was glad nt n that chat enton realized zea how bow she aho must lieve taken his side aide against avery tn in ber father anther ic u ria arek finished A 4 aa f t when a bumping agal against rist tho the car told him that it was being coupled to a train the new train started and now the lie ti track tick followed the mississippi river eaton baton looking forward from ills his window ns as the train rounded curves saw that the Sant San olno tollio car was now mhd ho last ono one of a train presumably bound from minneapolis ais to chicago at nine I 1 in fit tl alie evening some minutes after crossing the state line into illinois tho the train stopped at a station where tho the last car was cut off A motor and other motorcars motor cars were waiting in the light from the station eaton baton seated at the window saw Sant olno olne carried out on a stretcher and put into tho the ambulance harriet Sant Saut olne after giving a direction to a man who apparently was a 0 chauffeur got into tile ambulance with her father tile tho surgeon and the nurses rode twit ll 11 them they drove oft off avery entered another automobile which swiftly disappeared tipp eared conductor connery camo came for tile lost time to batons door alas Sant olno says youre to go with the man ashes left here for you the porter appeared with his overcoat oven and hat eaton put them on and stepped out of the car the conductor escorted him to a car this Is the gentleman Coli connery nery said to the to whom harriet san tolne colne had spoken tho the man opened the door of the limousine another man whom enton eaton had not before seen scon was tented seated in the car eaton baton stepped in connery extended his hand goodby good by sir C goodby lood b Y 10 the motorcar motor car drove down a wide winding road with tal tall spreading rending sp trees on both sides the man in the car with r enton whose duty plainly was only that of a guard did not speak to eaton nor enton to him the motor passed other limousines occasionally then though the road was still wide and smooth and still bound bounded edby by great trees it was lonelier neller lo no houses appeared for half a mile then lights glowed directly ahead the car ran under the porte cocheres cochero of a great stone country mansion a servant sprang to the dobrof door of the limousine and opened it another man seized batons handbag hand bag gage from beside the chauffeur eaton entered a large inage beamed and paneled hallway with an immense fireplace with logs burning in it there was w s a wide stairway which tho the servant who who had bad appointed himself batons guide ascended eaton followed him and found another great hall upstairs the servant led him film to one of the doors opening off on tills this and into a large room fitted for a mans occupancy with dark furniture cases containing books on hunting sports Sport sand and adventure and smoking things off tills this was a dressing room with tho the bath next nest beyond was a bedroom these are to be your rooms sir the servant said A valet appeared and unpacked batons traveling bag enton H aton went to bed but amazement would not lot let him sleep ile he was in San house he knew kne it could bo be no other than san house it ans was to get into san kolnos house that lie he had come from abla ho he had thought and planned and schemed all through the long voyage on the steamer how it was to be done ile he would have been willing to cross the continent on foot to accomplish it no labor that he could imagine would have seemed too great to him if this had been its end and here it had been done without effo effort t on his part naturally tilly inevitably I 1 chance and circumstance hild had dane itt and as ho he realized this ills his mind was full of what lie lad to do in san house for many days he be had nt thought about that it had seemed impossible that lie he could havo any opportunity port unity to act for himself and the return to lits his thoughts of possibility lity of carrying out tits ills original plan brought before him thoughts of ills his frie friends lads those friends who through his bis exile had been faithful to him but whose identity or existence ho he had been obliged to deny when questioned to protect them as well as finist himself it As lie he lily lay on tits his bed in the dark he stared upward to the coiling cel ling wide awake thinking tIng of those friends whose devotion to him might be justified ot at last and he went over again aud and tested and reviewed the plan ho he had bad fo formed ruled but it never had presumed a position for him oven if it was the position of a semi prisoner inside adside San Sau house and ho he required more information of tile the structure of the house than ho he as yet had to car correct his plan further but lie ho could not without too great risk of losing everything di discover scorer more that night tio he turned over and set himself to go to sleep CHAPTER XI the ally in the house the first gray of dawn roused eaton and drawing on trousers and coat over his pajamas ho he seated himself by ano e open window to see tho the house by br As it pew grow p ew lighter he could seo see it was on an immense structure 0 of f smooth aray gray stone eaton was in its IL s central part tits his windows looking to As ho he watched ono one of tiro 04 two nurses who had been on the canio came to ii a window of tho the farthest room on tho the second floor of tho the south wing and stood looking out that then must bo be San room and eaton drew back from his bis window as ho he noted this tile the sun had risen and its ita beams reflected up tip from tile the lake inke danced on his Is belling cel ling eaton baton chilled by the sharp air par tile water and knowing now tile the locality where lie he must bo be pulled oft off tits his coat and trousers and jumped back into bed no ile realized that circumstances had given him time for anything ho he might wish to do for tile tho stop at minneapolis and San Santol nos unexpected taking him into tits his own charge 11 must havo have made i n ade batons disappearance complete for tile the present ho he was lost to thema them 1 who had been following him rua and to his friends alike ills his task then was to let his friends know where he was without letting them learn it and thinking of how this was to bo be done ho he fell asle asleep again at nine nin 0 lie awoke with a start then recollecting everything ho jumped up and shut ills hla windows there was a respectful apologetic knock at the door evidently a servant had been waiting in the hall for some sound within the room may alay I 1 come in sir come in the man who had attended him the 00 evening before entered your bath sir hot or cold in the tha morning sir hot eaton answered of course sir id forgotten just juat como come from the orient sir I 1 shall tell fell them to bring breakfast up sir or will you godown godo go down wu the man asked eaton baton considered tile the manners of servants ore are yodeled on the te feelings elings of their master and the mans deference told plainly that although eaton might be a prisoner he ha was not to be treated openly as such 1 I think I 1 can go down eaton baton replied ile he found the hall and the robins rooms below bright and open but un Q the first gray af pf of dawn roused eaton and drawing on trousers and coat over his pa pajamas i amas he ha seated himself i myself by the open window to see the house by daylight occupied ft a servant showed him to a blue delft breakfast room to the east lie had half finished his bis bacon and greens before anyone else ap pearry this was a tall carefully dressed imin of more than fifty with handsome well bred features plainly a man of position and wealth but without experience in affairs and without power he was dark haired and wore a mustache which like ills his hair was beg beginning hining to gray As he appeared in tho the hall without hat bat or overcoat eaton understood that lie he lived in n the house lie he came dire directly atly into tho the breakfast room and evidently had not breakfasted 1 I urn am wallace Ul atchford 11 tile the stranger volunteered na as eaton baton looked up ile ho gave the name in a manner which seemed to assume that lie he now must bo recalled eaton therefore feigned recognition ton as lie he gave him ills his name in return basil Sant olne Is better this rooming blatchford announced 1 I understood lie he was very comfortable last evening enton baton said eald 1 have not seen either miss Sant olne or mr A avery very this morning mor ding 1 I saw basil Sant olno the last thing last night the othar boasted ho was very but when he was homo home of course he wished mo me to be beside him for a time of course eaton replied ris as the other halted there was a humility in the boast of this mans man s friendship for Baat San olne colne which stirred sympathy almost pity eaton finished his breakfast but remained nt at tho ibe table while 13 blatchford latchford who scan scarcely cely touched his food con linued 0 to o boust in his queer humility of the blind man and of tho the mind blind friend friendship sLip tor for him ile he chocked I 1 himself only when harriet Sant san olna toina appeared in tho the doorway he and eaton baton at once were on feet my aly dear dcarl I 1 lie he wants tr to BOO me nowr now tile tho tall tail man almost pleaded ho wants me to bo be with him this morning of course cousin wallace tho the girl said gently almost with compassion pas SIGIL you will excuse me then sir Blate blatchford liford said hastily to eaton baton and hurried off tho the girl gazed gifter him and when she aho turned the abo next instant to eaton her eyes were wet good morning miss Sant olne you aro are coming to breakfast oh no ive had my iny breakfast I 1 was going out to see that things outside the house havo have been going on well since wo we havo hava been away slay alay I 1 go with you while you do that eaton tried to ask casually important to him as was the plan of the house it was scarcely less essential for him to know the grounds she hesitated 1 I understand its my duty at present to stay wherever I 1 may bo be put but ill hardly run away 6 from am you yoa while inside your own grounds this athla did not seem to bo be tile the question troubling her very well she eho said at last silo she was abstracted an aa they passed ahr through 0 ugh the hall and a man brought E afons overcoat and hat and a maid her coat harriet led the way out to the terrace the day was crisp but the breeze had lost the chill it had had earlier in the morning the take lake was free from lee ice only along tho the little projecting breakwaters which guarded the bluff against tile the washing of the waves some ice still clung and this was rapidly melting A graveled path led them around the south end of the house bouse eaton saw at a little distance a powerful strapping roan man half liala con coaled though ho he did not seem to bo be hiding behind somo some bushes tho the man might have passed for an but ho he was not working g and once before during their walk eaton baton had seen another man power fully built as this one who had looked keenly at him and then away quickly harriet flushed slightly as she saw that eaton observed the man eaton understood then that the man was a guard one of several probably who had been put about the house to keep watch of him had harriet Sant olne understood his interest in the grounds as preparatory paril tory to a plan to escape and had she therefore taken him out to show shon him the guards who would prevent hshi he did not speak of the men and neither did she with her he went on silently to the gardeners cottages |