Show whay chok hie the mystery of a haunted mansion W M U service copyright by wyndham martyn by wyndham Marty 12 it t tl 1 A t 66 A A A A I 1 I 1 L A A i A A A A A CHAPTER VII 14 why do you tease me be groaned because men like you are made to be tensed cella you really see any one did you 1 I 1 swear sweard I 1 did what I 1 said bald if I 1 anything which I 1 dont admit I 1 shall keep to myself A moment later inter cello cella left on bill bills arm quarreling he asked ached 1 I 1 see bee too much of him she said 1 I think I 1 shall foil fall to ib love with you again shall 17 I 1 my dutley dont permit penult he inu laughed glied ton look tired why not go to ped bed early how flow quickly you yon lire of met mel she mocked 1 al I looked for something subtler from you yom les have done worse bill pelham smiled evidently she was waa fonder of les than she had admitted she dooh looh looked ed at him dancing with her mother but les would not even smile ashes hurt him said bald bill to him self ill take your advice cella sat said yawning fl bill I 1 she had hurt leslie mote more than she guessed and much wore more than she would have done it if she had bad known sow bow miserable he was it has bus been lovely to be here all ajl this time les lea sold said presently les that mean that you are leaving us as im afraid ill have to Is it something vella cella has sald said leslie lied as calmly as he coul could d not kot a thing 1 ive promised to run down to the water gap cap for a few days be back hooff soon dina was distressed she liked the toy boy and hoped that cella would marry him junior liked him abey all liked him and yet cella teased him almost to madness at times in n his room leslie composed a letter to cella filled with that note cote of minor melancholy which drips from the pens of lovers with such exquisite ease ile fie told her he would be ba gone before she was up lie he ended by saying very darkly that he had taken her advice and jumped off the rond road leslie smiled bitterly na as he reread it it sounded like a veiled threat or of suicide all the others had bad gone to bed when he finished ile he put the letter to his pocket md and went out to see if any wild faun was br prowling brawling about the gray house grou grounds nils cellar e en n counter might have been fact orti or foncy tricy one could never be sure of cella ile he gained the hall quietly unbolted the door and walked silently to ward the abandoned swimming pool by the tennis courts ill be d d 31 I 1 said leslie by the pool stood a very tall man physically more splendid than young barron as leslie himself would not have denied the intruder beard no footfall on the grass lie he was aware awnee of an others presence only when leslie topped tapped him on the arm ile 13 e seemed tar far more embarrassed than leslie the idea he snarled trying to shake off the others grip leslie was instantly rell relieved eveh As ap Cellah nd not heard the godlike stranger speak for hla his speech was of the enst side unrefined onre nned 1 I dont wont want you to disappear in your cloura of star dust until ive had a little talk with you what are you doing here leslie snapped the question out in a threatening tone 1 I 1 lost my way replied the wild faun dont blell said leslie the wild faun frowned blittle nl n little ittle the white moonlight showed his flavy face to be capable of readily expressed emotion leslie saw too that for some reason he wished to ronke his story good 1 was trying to find a short cute cot wild bald the intruder you yon must make a habit of it ileo people dont lose their vai way two nights in succession when the moon Is full you yon were here last night why LI 11 ll said the wild runn faun Is this buckingham palace or the white house se I 1 see no ino sentries at the gate if t you dont like it id better he be on my way lie he turned away as it if to walk toward the drive not betl cried the younger ma man n theres a little explaining to be done firel himself to be at a loss verbally the stranger revised tits his tic this exasperating young man ln in evening dress must be taught a lesson bo said bald the wild faun coldly 1 I 1 oot like your arivel with mth that he brought his powerful light gin arm across with the iden idea a wholly diverting one of altering the on fit hie 9 opponents features to no nn expression of benr fe ir and agony UP he na not quick enough A left jibb ahl hirnton hirn ron lie nose all rag t 11 t ti d said it if you want n ant you can hn have e it I 1 ue ma made de a econs Ilk sie slit aarron orL anger be clouded him les lee lies footwork irritated him ue asked his foe fee to stood stand still and have it out tuan man to man ile he addressed him as a 0 dancing muster master ond and by other more opprobrious terms finally he measured his distance for a blow that would end it till all vie the lad in evening dress could box and was annoyingly active lie had played for tile the godlike body of tt tr wild faun and was inducting indicting Indic ting hurt just as the strong arm of the intruder was drawing back there came the sudden sharp cry of an owl repented repeated three times lie paused tor for a second and timed away hla his head it was a tactical error of which be was conscious too late leslie saw his opportunity and rondo the most moat of it he landed a clean blow on the point of the law jaw the wild faun dropped and in falling his head bead struck the base of an italian garde i marble rut irble leslie knelt at the side of hla his fallen foe ile he vt alj undecided whether to alarm the house by calling for help or to try to carry this big bulk bulb in himself A shadow came out of nothingness rind and leslie looked up into the bland fuce face of mr appleton since young tt Z uw ale r 4 the lad in evening dress could box and was wac annoyingly active barron bairon had not shared the Llan bys confidences dences he assumed that their former guest was still in good odor a friend of the family and now most certainly a friend in need quickly leslie explained what nad happened he did not want the little plump man inna to be frightened at the moment he be regarded himself in rather ion an heroic light and mr appleton warmly commended his courage ah youth youth 1 apostrophized the little man whose years had bereft him of it IL ue ile stooped down almost timidly we must not marm alarm our rood good hostess hp 1 said L let et us carry him to the garage and awaken a chauffeur I 1 will tike tali the lans feet you ns as the stronger take his head I 1 will satisfy myself that the lie has no weapon con venlen from the strangers pocket mr appleton i dr drew ew a short heavy billet of wood ile he balanced it in his hand band frowning 1 11 I think tills this la Is Is termed a 0 life preserver it stamps its owner as a cri criminal mirial by profession you will probably be entitled to a reward mr barron now it if you will kindly take your end we will remove him obediently young barron put his arms onder antler the shoulders of the wild faun when appleton standing nR leslie looked up op staring down at tilia the little man might have been his uncle Il sell too late leslie saw hla his danger the life preserver caught him squarely on the hend head and he pitched forward over the other unconscious nian man mr appleton smiled happily epry very he be murmured for a 3 first attempt very neat indeed oh dear me besl ur mr appleton gave a skillful lint of the cry ot of on an owl from afar came the call of another night flying bird tho the owl that was mr at appleton hooted booted again gradually ay tho the other cry came nearer presently there vas a rustling in the thicket and a bullet head was thrust through luigi r called mr appleton Apple too softly come coffle at once oncel the man who wriggled out of the bushes was short but of tremendous breadth ufa hla exclamations and gestures when he saw what seemed to be a pain of dead men were stayed at a word from tho the other carry jim below and come coma back for this lulal lul 1 l shouldered tho the two hundred and twenty pounds that ans jim with ease ne he had been gone no more than alve minutes when he returned and picked up the lighter man the bird sanctuary received leslie barron heir to a great fortune luigi bartoll bartolf in whom the police were interested te and last of all mr appleton who breathed more easily na as a heavy shower began it would smooth out the trampled earth and make amke tracking impossible CHAPTER VIII when leslie barron came again to consciousness be thought be was in a prison celt cell it was a small stone room electrically lighted he be had been placed on an iron cot A bondage was about his head bead and his bis crumpled shirt front was blood stained except for and fa throbbing head however aji be found that he be was waa unharmed harmed nn no ile reconstructed what had happened since he went in of the wild faun and was forced to admit that the event which stood out roost most vividly was tho the inexplicable knavery of frederick appleton the little man had bad always been so BO courteous so respectful so flattering he bad expressed his regard for the barron barren family repeatedly he be had bad once embarrassed barr assed leslie by comparing his head with that chat of the hermes of and then incontinently he had brought a loaded bludgeon blu ageon down upon tt it with such force that death had bad not been very for far away what was the wild faun to mr appleton that he be had sprung thus amazingly to bovengo oven go the unknown intruder leslie rose from his cot and walked to the door it w was ns of i heavy eavy wood metal covered ile he could auld not escalo no ono one ans answered wred his shouts lealie sat down agali again on the bed in its ills career ns as a somewhat reckless driver he be had more than once had to waft in a jail cell until tle b paid his one in every instance there had been a penetrating and unpleasing odor about these places this cell had bad no such effluvium nor as he examined it more cIn had bad it the appurtenances of the regular i jail till yet it was waa plain tant it had been constructed cone ted for no other purpose than tn imprison leslie called to mind his talks ns as to trie threatened dangers surrounding the gray house to ID the beginning they had thrilled him but then as pleasant day v succeeded pleasant riny day junior and he began to feel annoyed an nored that they had ever anticipated peril leslie was not yet nervous abdat the outcome of the adventure advento re the eldest ton firm na 0 grantley barron could not disappear without a nationwide nation wide investigation it would be proved that lie he had bid gone from the gray house into the grounds cella woul woold d understand why he hod had gone habad disappeared la in evening elc clothes thes leny ins ing his other efferts effects untouched el the whole would be combed by delv detectives elives in the end his father might vioght ha have haveri veti to pay a huge transom this last thought rattier rather amused leslie Applet no was ya fl pro bIncK maller or kidnaper none would suspect the suave modest hardworking hard working ittle annn nod d not nor leslie seen the descending black jack in his hand he be would not now have believed him guilty TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE Dl |