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Show THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Anlhtr l "THE MAIN CHANCE." ZELDA OAMEKON." Etc. t'owrlght im Itj lluliba-Htrrlll Co, CHAPTER IV. Continued. I was soon atumbllng through rough underbrush similar to that through which wo had approached tho house. Dates swung along confidently enough nil cad of mo, pausing occasionally to hold back tho branches. I began to feol, as my rago abated, that I had set out on a foolish undertaking. I was utterly nt sea as to tho character of tho grounds: I was following n man whom I had not scon until two hours boforo, and whom I began to suspect of all manner of doslgnB upon mo. It was wholly unliltoly that tho person who hnd flrod Into tho windows would lurk about, nnd, moreover, tho light of tho lantern, tho crackle of tho loaves nnd tho breaking of tho boughs advertised adver-tised our approach loudly. A bush slappod mo sharply and I stopped to rub tho sting from my faco. "Aro you hurt, sir?" asked Dates solicitously, so-licitously, turning with tho lantern. "Of courso not," I snapped. "I'm having tho tlmo of my Ilfo. Aro thoro no paths In this junglo?" "Not Just horo, sir. It was Mr. Qlon-arm's Qlon-arm's Idea not to disturb tho wood nt all. Ho was very fond of walking through tho tfrnbor." "Not at night, I hopol "Whoro aro wo now?" "Quito near tho lake, sir." "Then go on." I was out, of pntlonco with Dates, with tho pathless woodland, and. 1 ' must confess, with tho spirit of, John Marshall Qlonarm, my grandfather. I Wo camo out presently upon a gravelly grav-elly bench, and Dates stamped suddenly sud-denly on planking. "This Is tho Qlenarm dock, sir; and that's tho boat house." ' Ho waved his lantern toward a low structure that roso dark besldn us. Af wo stood silent, peering out Into tho starlight, I heard distinctly tho dip of a paddlo and tho soft gliding motion of a canoo. "It's a boat, sir," whispered Dates, hiding tho lantern under his coat. I brushed past him nnd crept to tho end of tho dock. Tho paddlo dipped on silently and ovenly in tho still water but tho sound grow fainter. A canoo Is tho most graceful, tho most sonsltlvo, tho most lnoxpli'cablo con-trlvanco con-trlvanco of man, With Its paddlo you may dip up stars along quiet shores or steal Into tho vory harbor of dreams. ( know that furtlvo splash Instantly, and know that a trained hand wielded tho paddle. My boyhood summers In tho Mnlno woods wero not, I find, wholly wasted. Tho ownor of tho canoo had evidently evident-ly stolon closo to tho Qlenarm dock, but had mado off whon alarmed by tho notso of our approach through tho wood. "Havo you a boat near horo, Dates?" I askod. "Tho boat houso Is locked and I haven't tho koy with mo, sir," ho re-piled, re-piled, without excitement. "Of pourso you haven't It," I re joined, full of angor at his tone of Irrn-proachablo Irrn-proachablo respect, nnd at my own holpfulnoss. I had not oven seen tho place by daylight, and tho woodland bohlnd mo and tho lako at my foot wero things of shadow and mystery. In my rngo I stamped my foot. "Lead tho way back," I roared. I had turned toward tho woodland whon Buddonly thoro. stolo across tho wntor a volco, a woman's voico, deop, musical and deliberate "Iteally, I shouldn't bo so nngry If 1 woro youl" It said, with a lingering note on tho word angry, "Who aro you? What aro you doing thoro?" I bawled. "Just enjoying a Httlo tranquil thought!" was tho drawling, mocking reply. Tar out upon tho wntor I heard tho dip nnd glide of tho canoo, and saw fnlntly Ub outllno for a momonti Mien It was gono. Tho lako, tho surrounding surround-ing wood, woro nn unknown world, tho cnnoQ, a boat of dreams. Then agnln-camo tho volco: "Good night, merry gcntlomenl" "It was a lady, sir," remarked Dates, after wo had waited silently for a full mmuto. "How clover vou aro!" I sncorod. "I Biipposo Indlos prowl about horo at I night, shooting ducks or Into pcoplo's houses." "It would scorn qulto likely, sir." I should havo liked to cast him Into tho lake, but ho was already moving awny, tho lantern swinging at his sldo. I followed him, back through tho woodland wood-land to tho houso. My spirits qulpkly responded to tho cheering inlluenco of tho great library. I stirred, tha flra on tho hearth Into llfo nnd sat down boforo It, tired from my tramp. I was mystified and por-ploxcd por-ploxcd by tho Incident that had already al-ready marked my coming. It was possible pos-sible to bo sure, that the ballot which narrowly missed my head In tho Httlo dining room hid beon a wild shot that carried no ovll mtonti I dismissed at onco tho Idea. that It might havo boon fired from thi lake; It had crashed through tho gss with too much forq'o to havo como no far; and, moreover, I could hardly luins'n rven a rlflo ball iv .,...,'.... ,jy-n- aii.,yrim I i finding an unimpeded right of way through so denso a strip of wood. I found It dtfllcult to got rid of tho Idea thnt Bomo ono had taken a pot shot at mo. Tho woman's mocking volco from tlie lako added to my perplexity. It was not, I reflected, such a volco an ono might expect to hear from a country coun-try girl: nor could I Imnglno any errand that would Justify a woman's prcsonco abroad on an October night whoso cool air Inspired first confidences confi-dences with flro nnd lamp. Thoro was Bomothlng haunting In that last cry across tho water; It kept repeating Itself It-self over and over In my cars. It wns a volco of quality, of breeding and chnrm. "Good night, merry gentlemen!" In Indlnnn, I reflected, rustics, young or old, men or women, wero probably not greatly given to salutations of Just this temper. Dates now appeared. "Dog pardon, Blr; but your room's ready whenover you, wish to retire." I looked about In search of a clock. "Thoro aro, no tlmoplcces In tho house, Mr. Qlenarm. Your grandfather was qulto opposed to thorn. Ho had a theory, sir, that they wero conducive as ho said, to Idleness. Ho considered that a man should work by his conscience, con-science, sir, nnd not by tho clock, tho ono being moro exacting than tho othor." I smiled as I drow out my watcn, as much at Dates' solemn tono and grim, lean visage as at his quotation from my grandslro. Out tho fellow puzzled nnd annoyed mo. His unobtrusive unob-trusive black clothes, his smoothly-brushed smoothly-brushed hair, his shayon faco, awakened awak-ened an antagonism In me. "Dates, if you didn't fire that shot through tho window, who did will you answer mo that?" "Yes, sir; It I didn't do It, It's qulto "Bates, If you didn't fire that shot through the window, who did?" a largo question who did. I'll grant you that, sir." I stared at him. Ho met my gaze without flinching; nor was thoro anything any-thing insolont In his tono or attitude. Ho contlnuod: "I didn't do It. sir, I was in tho pantry when I heard tho crash In tho refectory window. Tho bullet camo from out of doors, as I should judge, sir." Tho facts and conclusions wero undoubtedly un-doubtedly with Dates, nnd I felt thnt I had not ucqultted myself creditably In my effort to fix tlw crlmo on him. My abuse of him had been tactloss, to say tho loast, and I now tried anothor lino of attack. "Of courso, Dates, 1 was morely Joking. Jok-ing. What's your own theory of tho mattor?" "I hnvo no theory, sir. Mr. Qlenarm always warned mo against theories. Ho said If yon will pardon mo thoro was great danger In tho speculative mind." Tho man spoko with a slight Irish accent, which In Itself puzzled mo. I haVo always beon nttentlvo to tho peculiarities of speech, and his was not tho broguo of tho Irish sorvnnt clnss. Larry Donovan, who was Eug-llsh Eug-llsh born, affected at times an exaggerated exag-gerated Irish dialect that was wholly dlfforent from tho smooth liquid tones of Dates, Tut moro things than his spoech woro to puzzle mo in this man. "Tho person in tho canoo? How do you nccount for her?" 1 aukod. "I haven't nccountcd for her, sir, There's no women on theso grounds, or any sort of person excopt ourselves." our-selves." "Dut there are neighbors, farmers, peoplo of some kind must Ilvo along tho lako." "A fow, sir; and then thoro's tho school qulto a bit boyond your own west wall," His slight roferoaco to my proprietorship, proprie-torship, my own wall, as ho put It, . pleased roe, I "Oh," yes; there Is a school girls? yes; Mr, Pickering mentioned it. Dut tho girls hardly paddlo on tho lake at night, at this season hunting ducks-should ducks-should you say, Dates?" "I don't believe they do any ahoot-lng, ahoot-lng, Mr. Qlonarm. It's a pretty strict school, 1 Judge, sir, from all accounts." "And tho teachers they nro all women?" "They're tho Sisters of St. Agatha, I believe they call them. I sometimes seo them walking abroad. They're" very quiet neighbors, and they go away in the summer usually, excopt Sister Theresa. Tho school's hcV regular homo, sir. And there's the Httlo chapel Just beyond tho wall; tho young minister lives there; and tho gardener's garden-er's tho only other' man on tho grounds." "Show mo my cell," I said, rising, "and, I'll go to bod." Ho brought from Bomewhoro a great brass candelabrum that held a dozen lights, and explained: "This was Mr. Qlenarm's habit. Ho always used this ono to go to bed with'. I'm sure ho'd wish you to havo it, sir." Ho led tho way, holding tho cluster of lights high for my guldanco up the broad stairway. The hall nbovo shared tho genorous lines of tho whole house, but the walls were white nnd hard to tho oyo. Rough planks had been laid down for a floor, and beyond tho light of tho cnndlos lay a dark region that gavo out ghostly echoes as the looso boards rattled under un-der our feot "I hopo you'll not bo too much disappointed, dis-appointed, sir," said Datos, pausing a moment before opening a door. "It's all qulto unfinished, but coniljrtnblo; I should say, qulto comfortable." "Open tho door!" Ho was not my host and I did not relish his npology. I walked past him Into a small sitting-room that was, In a way, a miniature of tho great library below. Open shelves filled with books lined tho apartment to tho celling on every hand, savo whoro a small Are- placo and a cabinet broko tho line of shelving. In tho center of tho room wns a long tablo with writing materials mate-rials in nlco order. I opened a handsome hand-some case and found that it contained a sot of draftsman's Instruments. I groaned nloud. "Mr. Olonarm proferred this room for working. The Instruments woro his very own, sir!" "Tho devil thoy woro!" I exclaimed, Irascibly. I snntched a book from tho nearest shelf and throw It open on tho table. It was "Tho Towor: Its Early Ubo for Purposes of Defense. London: 181C." I closoil It with a slam. "Tho Bleoplng-room Is boyond,, sir. I hope" "Don't you hopo any moro!" I growled; "and It doesn't mako any dlf-foronco dlf-foronco whether I'm disappointed or not." "Cortnlnly not, sir!" ho replied 4n a tono that mado mo ashamed of my nngcr. Tho ndjolnlng bedroom waB small and mengorly furnished. Tho walls wero untlntcd nnd woro relieved only by prints of tho English cathedrals, i French chateaux, and Hko suggestions of 'tho best things known to architecture. architec-ture. Tho bed was of tho commonest Iron t,ype;, and tho othor nrtlcles) of furnlturo woro chosen with a strict regard re-gard for utility. My trunks and bags had beon carried In, and Datos naked from tho door for my commands. "Mr. Qlennrm always breakfasted at seven-thirty, sir, as near as ho could hit It without a timepiece; and ho was quito punctual," "My grandfather's bronkfaBt hour will suit mo exactly, Dates." . "If there's nothing further, sir" "That's all; and Datos " "Yes, Mr. Qlonarm." "Of courso you understand that I didn't really mean to Imply that you had fired that shot nt mo?" (TO I1E CONTINUED.) |