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Show STORVP I THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES Br MEREDITH NICHOLSON Anther at "THE MAIN CHANCE." ZEIDA DANEBON," Ele. Cup,rthl IN6 Bobtw-IUrrlll Co. CHAPTER VIII. Continued. Tho man I was looking (or carao to tho door quickly In rosponse to my knock. "Morgan " I began. "Won't you como In and rest yourself, your-self, Mr. Qlonarm?" ho Interrupted. "I reckon you'ro tired from your trip over " "Thank you, no," I snapped. "Suit yourself, Mr. Olenarm." Ho seemed to llko my namo and gavo it a dlsagreeablo drawling cmphaBlB. "Morgan, you aro an infernal blackguard. black-guard. You havo tried twico to kill mo" "Wo'H call it that, it you llko," and ho grinned. "But you'd bettor cut off ono for this." ' Ho lifted tho gray fedora hat from his head, and poked his finger through a holo in tho top. "You'ro a pretty fair shot, Mr. Glen-arm. Glen-arm. Tho fact about mo Is," and ho wjnked, "tho honest truth Is, I'm all out of practice. Why, sir, when I saw you paddling out on tho lake this afternoon after-noon I sighted you from tho casino half a dozen times with ray gun, but I was afraid to risk It." Ho seemed to bo shaken with Inner mirth. "If I'd missed, I wasn't sure you'd bo scared to death!" For a novel diversion I heartily recommend rec-ommend a mooting with the assassin who has, only a fow dayB or hours before, be-fore, tried to murdor you. I know of nothing in tho way of social adventuro that Is qulto equal to It. "Morgan, I hopo you understand that I am not responsible for any Injury In-jury my grandfather may havo inflicted inflict-ed on you. I hadn't scon him for several sev-eral years boforo ho died. I was never it Olenarm boforo in my lifo, so it's a littlo rough for you to visit your dls-pleasuro dls-pleasuro on mo." Ho smiled tolerantly as I spoke. I enow and ho know that I did that no ill fooling against my grandfather lay back of his-Interest In my affairs. "You'ro not qulto tho man your grandfather was, Mr. Glenarm. You'll excuse my bluntnesu, but I tako It that you'ro a frank man yourself. Ho was a very keen person, nnd, I'm afraid," ho chuckled with evident' Batlsfactlon to himself, "I'm really ifrald, Mr. Olonarm, that you'ro not!" "Thero you havo It, Morgan I I fully igrco with you! I'm as dull as an jystcr; that's tho reason I'vo called on you for enlightenment. Consider that I'm hero under a Hag of truce, and lot's soo If wo can't como to an agreement." agree-ment." "It's too late, Mr. Glonarm; too lato. Thero was a tlmo when wo might have done somo business;' but that's past now. You seem llko a pretty decent follow, too, nnd I'm sorry I didn't set you soopor; but bettor luck noxt tlmo." "Well," I said, Booing that I should only mako myself ridiculous by trying to learn anything from him, "I hopo our littlo spats through windows and on walls won't Interfero with our pleasant social relations. And I don't hesltato to toll you," I was cxortlng myself to keep down my nngor, "that If I catch you on my ground again I'll Mil you with lead and sink you in the lake" "Thanlc you, sir," ho said, with so perfect ah Imitation of Bates' voice and manner that I smiled in splto of myself. "And now, If you'll promlso not to flro Into my back I'll wish you good day. Othorwlso " Ho snatched off his hat and bowed profoundly. "It'll suit mo much better to contmuo handling tho case on your own grounds," ho said, as though ho referred to a business mattor. "Killing "Kill-ing a man on your own property requires re-quires somo explaining you may have noticed It?" "Yos; I commit most of my murdors away from homo," I said. "I formod tho habit early In lifo. Good day, Morgan." Mor-gan." As I turnod awny ho closod his door with n slam, a dollcato way of assuring assur-ing mo that ho was acting In good faith, and not preparing to puncturo my back with a riflo ball. I rogalned tho lake ahoro, fooling no great dls-couragomont dls-couragomont ovor tho lean results of my Intorvlow, but rather a fresh zest for tho game, whatovor tho gamo might bo. Tho sun was going his ruddy way boyond St. Agatha's as I drovo my canoo Into a littlo covo near which tho girl In tho tam-o'-shanter had disappeared dis-appeared tho day boforo. Tho shore was high horo and at tho crest was a long curved bonch of stone, boldly romlnlscontlal of Alma Taderaa, and as clearly tho creation of John Marshall Glenarm as though IiIb namo nad been carved upon 'it. It was assuredly a spot for a plpo and a mood, and as tho shadows cropt through tho wood boforo mo and the water, stirred by tho rising wind, bo-gan bo-gan to beat bolow, I Invokod tho one and yielded to tho other. Something In tho withered grass at my foet caught my oyo. I bent and picked up n string of gold beads, dropped there, no doubt, by somo girl from tho school or careless membor of tho summer colony. col-ony. I counted tho separate beads they woro round nnd thero wore 50 of them. Tho proper length for ono turn about a girl's throat, porhapsj not moro than thnt! I llftvl my eyes and looked off toward St. Agatha's. "Child of tho rod tam-o'-slmntor, I'm vory sorry I was rudo to you yesterday, yester-day, for I liked your steady stroko with tho paddlo; and I admired, oven moro, tho way you spurned mo when you saw that among all tho cads in tho world I am numbor ono In Class A. And theso goldon bubbles (O girl of tho red tam-o'-shanter!), If thoy nro not yours you shttll holp mo to find tho ownor, for wo aro neighbors, you and I, and there must bo pcaco bo-tweon bo-tweon our houses." With this foolishness I rose, thrust tho beads Into my pockot, and paddled homo In tho waning glory of tho sun-sot. sun-sot. That night, as I was golngvqulto lato to bed, bearing a candlo to light mo through tho dark hall to my room, I heard a curious sound, as of somo ono Walking In tho houso. At first I thought Bates was still abroad, but I waited, listening for eovoral minutes, without being able to mark tho exact direction of tho sound or to Identify it with him. I went on to tho door of my room, and still a muffled Btep seemed to follow mo, first It had como from bolow, then It was much llko somo ono going up stairs, but whero? In my own room I still heard steps, light, slow but distinct. Again thero was a stum-bio stum-bio and a hurried recovory, ghosts, I reflected, do not fall down stairs! Tho sound died away, seemingly In somo distant part of tho house,, and though I prowled about for an hour It did not recur that night. CHAPTER IX. The Girl and the Rabbit. Wind and rain rioted In tho wood, and occasionally both fell upon tho library, windows with a howl and a . I 3mote the Table With My Clenched Hand. splash. Tho tempest had wakenod mo; it seemed that overy chlmnoy in tho houso held a screaming demon. Wo woro now well launched upon Do-comber, Do-comber, and I was growing used to my surroundings. I had offered myself frequently as a target by land nnd water; wa-ter; I had sat on tho wall and tempted fato; and I had roamed tho houso constantly con-stantly oxpoctlng to surprlso Hates In somo act of treachery; but tho days wero passing monotonously. Memory kopt plucking my sleovo with reminders of my grandfather. I was touched at finding constantly his marginal notes In tho books ho had collected with so much Intelligence nnd loving euro. It occurred to mo that some memorial, a tablot attached to tho outor wall, or perhaps, moro properly prop-erly placed In tho chnpol, would bo fitting; fit-ting; and I experimented with designs for it, covering many shoots of drawing draw-ing paper In an effort to Bet forth In a fow words somo hint of his character. On this gray morning I produced this: 1135 Cbt lilt of 3ohn marcriall tilenarm wa$ a testimony to the virtue of aentrotity, forbearance and gcntleneu Che beautiful thins he loved were not nobler than bU own days fill arandton (who served him III) writes this of bim 1901 I had sketched theso words on a pleco of cardboard and was studying thorn critically when Hates camo In with wood. "Thoy'ro uumlstakablo snowflnkos, 3lr," ho remarked from tho window. "Wo'ro In for winter now." Uates had not montloucd Morgan or referred qvon remotoly to tho pistol ihot of my first night, and ho had certainly cer-tainly conducted himself as a modol mrvant. Tho gnrdonor at St. Agatha's, Scotchman named Ferguson, had visited vis-ited him aovcral times, and I had sur- prised them onco Innocently enjoying their pipes and whisky and water in tho kitchen. "Thoy aro having troublo nt tho school, sir," observed Dates. "Tho young ladles running a littlo wild, eh?" "Slstor Thoresa's 111, sir. Ferguson told mo lant night. And Forguson says that Miss Dovereux's devotion to her aunt Is qulto touching." "Miss Dovorouxl" "That's tho name, sir, rather odd, I should call It." "Yes, It Is rathor odd," I said, composed com-posed again, but not referring to the namo. My mind was busy with a cor-tain cor-tain paragraph In my grandfather's will: "Should ho fall at any tlmo during said year to comply with this provi si'on, said property shall at onco revert to my gonoral estate, and become, without reservation, and without necessity ne-cessity for any process of law, the property, absolutely, of Marian Dov oroux, of tho county and Btato of Now York." "Your grandfather was vory fond ol her, air. Sho nnd 81stcr Theresa wore abroad at tho tlmo ho died. It was my Borrowful duty to tell them tho sad nows in Now York, sir, when thoy landed." "Tho dovll It was!" It Irritated rrie to remember that Bates know exactly tho naturo of my grandfather's will. Slstor Thorcsa and her nleco wore doubtless' calmly awaiting my failure to remain at Glonarm Houso during tho disciplinary year. I had given littlo thought to Slstoi Thorosa slnco coming to Glonarm. She had dorlvcd her knowlcdgo of mo front my grandfather, and, such being th caso, sho would naturally look upon mo as a blackguard and a mcnaco tc tho pcaco of tho neighborhood. I bai thcroforo kopt rigidly to my own sld of tho stono wall. "Dates!" Ho was moving toward tho door with his characteristic slow stop. "If your friend Morgan, or any one olso, should shoot mo, or If I should tumble into tho lake, or othorwlso end my earthly career Dates I" Ills eyes had slipped from mine to tho window and I spoko his namo sharply. "Yos, Mr. Glonnrm." "Thon Sister Thoresa's nleco would got this proporty und ovorythlng olso thnt bolonged to Mr. Olenarm." "That's my understanding of tho mnttor, sir.-" "Morgan, tho caretakor, hns tried to kill mo twico slnco I camo hero. Ho fired at mo through tho window tho night I camo, Dates!" I waited for his eyes to meet mine again. His handa opened and shut sovornl times and nlarm and fear convulsed con-vulsed his face. "Dates, I'm trying my boat to think well of you; but I want you to under stand," I smoto tho tnblo with my clenchod hnnd, "that If theso women, or your omployor, Mr. Plckorlng, or that damned hound Morgan, or you damn you, I don't know who or what you aro! think you can scaro me away from horo, you'vo wnkod up the wrong mnn; and I'll toll you nnothei thing, nnd you may repent it to youi school teachors and to Mr. Pickering who pays you, and to Morgan, whom somebody has hired to kill mo, that I'm going to koop faith with my dead grandfather, and that when I'vo spent my year horo and dono what that oli man wished mo to do, I'll givo thorn this houso and ovory aero of ground and ovory damned dollar tho cstatt carries with it. And now ono othoi thing! I supposo thoro'H a sheriff oi somo kind of a constable with Jurisdiction Jurisdic-tion over this placo, and I could have tho wholo lot of you put Into Jail foi conspiracy, but I'm going to stand out OKalnst you alono, do you undorstand me.'you hypocrlto, you stupid, slinking upy? Answor mo, quick, boforo 1 throw you out of tho room!" (TO UB CONTINUED.) |