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Show THE HOUSEFl A THOUSAND CANDLES By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Author tl "THE MAIN CHANCE." ZELDA DAMEKON," Etc. Copyright iwt by llobt-llerilll Co. CHAPTER XVIII. Continued. "It pleased my fancy to follow him; and by tho tlmo I had studied your diggings lioro a trlflo, things began to hnppcn below. It sounded llko a St. Patrick's day celebration In an Irish village, and I went down nt a gallop to seo If thero was any chanco of breaking break-ing in. Ilnvo you seen tho room? Well," ho gavo sovoral turns to his right wrist, ns though to tost It, "wo all had a Jolly tlmo thero by tho flro-place. flro-place. Another chap had got In somo-whero, somo-whero, bo thero woro two of thorn. Your mnn I suppose It's your man was defending himself gallantly with a Inrgo thing of brnBS that looked llko tho pipes of a grand organ and I sailed In with a chair. My prcsonco 3oemed to surprise tho attacking party, vho evidently thought I was you, Jnttcrlng I must say, to mo!" "You undoubtedly saved nates' llfo and prevented tho rifling of tho house. And nftcr you had poured water on Dates, bo's tho servant, you ennio up hero" "That's tho wny of It." "You'ro a" brick, Larry Donovan. Thoro's only ono of you; nnd now " "And now, John aionarm, wo'vo got to got down to business, or you must. As for mo, aftor a fow hours of your enlivening Bocloty " "You don't go a Btop until wo go together, to-gether, no, by tho benrd of tho prophet! I'vo a fight on hero nnd I'm going to win It I dlo In tho struggle, nnd you'vo got to stay with mo to tho end." "Hut undor tho will you daro not tako a boarder." "Of courso I daro! That will's aB though It had novor bcon as far ns I'm concerned. My grandfather novor ox-pected ox-pected mo to sit hero nlono nnd bo murdered. John Marshall Qlcnarm wasn't a fool exactly!" "No, but a trlllo queor, I should say. I don't hnvo to tell you, old man, that this situation appeals to mo. It's my It I nil of a Job, If It weren't that tho hounds nro at my heels I'd llko to stay with you, but you havo enough trouhlo on hnnda without opening tho houso to nn nttnek by my onemlcs." "Stop talking nbout It. I don't pro-poso pro-poso to ho deserted by tho only friend I havo In tho world when I'm up to my eyes In trouble Let's-go down and get somo coffee" Wo found Dates trying to rcmovo tho evidences of tho night's strugglo. Ho hnd fastened a cold pack nbout his head and limped slightly; othcrwlso ho was tho same sjlcnt and Inexplicable. Inexplica-ble. Daylight had- not Improved tho np-poarnnco np-poarnnco of tho room. Sovoral hundred hun-dred books lay scattered over tho floor and tho shelves that had held them wero hacked nnd broken. "Dates, If you can glvo us coffco ? Lot tho room go for tho present." "Yes, sir." "And Dates" Ho paused nnd Larry's keen eyes woro bent shnVply upon him. "Mr. Donovnn Is n friend who will bo with mo for somo tlmo. We'll fix up his room later In tho day." Ho limped out, Larry's oyes following follow-ing him. "What do you think of that follow?" I asked. Lnrry's faco woro a puzzled look. "What do you call him, Dates? Ho's a plucky fellow." Larry picked up from tho hearth tho big candolnbrum with which Dates had defended himself. It was badly bent and twisted, and Larry grinned. "Tho follow who wont out through tho front door probably Isn't feeling very woll to-day. Your man was swinging swing-ing this thing llko a windmill." "I can't understand It;" I muttered. "I enn't, for tho llfo of mo, seo why ho should havo given battlo to tho enemy. They nil belong to Pickering, nnd Dates Is tho blggost rascal of tho bunch." As wo ato breakfast I filled In gaps I had left In my hurried narrative, with relief that I can not dcscrlbo filling my heart us I leaned again upon tho sympathy of an old nnd trusted friend. I dismissed Hates as soon as possible that wo might talk freely. "Tako It up and down and all around, what do you think of all this?" I asked. Larry was silent for a momont; ho was not given to careless speech In personal matters. "There's moro to It than frightening you off or getting your grandfnthor's monoy. It's my guess thoro's something some-thing in this houso that somebody Pickorlng supposedly Is very anxious to llnd." "Yes; I begin to think so. Ho could come In hero legally If it woro merely a matter of searching for lost assets." "Yes; and whatever It Is It must bo well hidden. As I remember, your grandfather died in Juno, You got a letter calling you homo In October." "It was sent out blindly, with not ono chanco In a hundred tht-.t It would ovor roach mo." "Cortnlnly. You wero a wanderer on tho faco of tho earth, and thero was nobody In Amorlca to look aftor your Interests. You may bo suro 'that tho 'Hce was thoroughly ransackod while you wero sailing homo. I'll wngor you the best dinner you over nto that thero'ii moro at stake than your grandfather's grand-father's money. The situation Is Inspiring. In-spiring. I grow Interested. I'm almost persuaded to linger." CHAPTER XIX. A Triple Alliance. Larry refused to shnro my quarters and choso a room for himself, which Dates fitted up out of tho houso stores. I did not know what Dates might surmise sur-mise nbout Larry, but ho accoptcd my friend In good part, ns a guest who would romaln indefinitely. Ho seemed to Interest Larry, whoso eyes followed tho man Inquiringly. Whon wo went down Dates was limping limp-ing nbout tho library, endeavoring to rcstoro order. "Dates," I Bald to him, "you are a vory curious porson. I havo had a thousand nnd ono opinions about you slnco I camo here, and still I don't mako you out." Ho turned from tho sholvos, a do-facod do-facod volumo In his hands, "Yes, sir. It was a good deal that way with your lamented grandfather. Ho nlways said I puzzled him." Larry, safo behind tho fellow's back, mado no attempt to conceal a smllo. "I wnnt to thank you for your heroic offorts to protect tho houso last night. You acted nobly, and I must confess, Dates, that I didn't think It was In you. I'm only sorry that thoro are blnck pages In your record that I can't rccon-cllo rccon-cllo with your manly conduct of last night. Hut wo'vo got to como to an understanding." "Yes, sir." "Tho most outrageous attacks havo been mado on mo slnco I camo hero. You know what I mean woll enough. Mr, Olcnnrm novor Intended that I should sit down in his houso nnd bo killed or robbed. Ho was tho gentlest being that ovor lived, and I'm going to fight for IiIb memory nnd to protect his proporty from tho scoundrels who hnvo plotted against me. I hopo you follow mo." "Yes, Mr. Glcnarm." Ho was regarding re-garding mo nttcntlvcly. His Hps quavered, quav-ered, porhnps from weakness, nnd ho' seemed distressed and ill. "Now I offor you your cholco, either to stand loyally by mo and my grandfathor's houso or to Join theso scoundrels Arthur Pickorlng has hired to drive mo out. I'm not going to brlbo you, I don't offor you a cent for your help, but I won't havo a traitor In tho houso, nnd if you don't llko mo or my terms I want you to go nnd go now." Ho straightened quickly, his oyes lighted nnd tho color crept -Into his face. I had novor boforo seen him up-poar up-poar so llko a human being. "Mr. Olcnnrm, you havo bcon hard on mo; thoro havo been times when you havo been most unjust ", "Unjust, unfair my God, what do you oxpect mo to tnko from you! Haven't I known that you woro In leaguo with Pickorlng? I'm not as dull as I look, and nftor your Intervlow with Pickering in tho chapel porch you cnu't convlco mo that you wero faithful faith-ful to my intoresta nt that timo." Ho started and gazed at mo wondor-lngly. wondor-lngly. I hnd hnd no intention of using tho chapel porch Interview at this tlmo, but It leaped out of mo uncontrollably. uncon-trollably. "I supposo, sir," ho began brokenly, "that I can hardly pcrsundo you that I meant no wrong on that occasion." "You cortnlnly can not, and It's snfor for you not to try. Dut I'm willing will-ing to let all that go as n roward for your work last night. Mako your cholco now; stay hero and stop your spying or clear out within an hour." Ho took a step toward mo; the tablo was between us nnd ho draw qulto near but Btood clear of It, orcct until thero was something soldierly and commanding In his tall figure. "Dy God, I will stand by you, John Qlonarm!" ho Bald, tind struck tho tablo smartly with his clinched hand. Ho flushed instantly, and I felt tho blood mounting Into my own faco as ! wo gazed at each other, he, .Dates, tho servant, and I, his master! He had always al-ways addressed mo so punctiliously with tho "sir" of respect thnt his declaration dec-laration of fcnlty, spoken with bo sin-cero sin-cero and vigorous an air of Independence, Independ-ence, and with tho bold emphasis of tho oath, that I stood spellbound, staring star-ing at him. Tho silence was broken by Larry, who sprang forward and grasped Dates' hand. "I, too, Dates," I said, feeling my heart leap with liking, oven with admiration ad-miration for tho real manhood that seemed to trnnsflguro this hireling, this fellow whom I had charged with Infamous conduct, this servant who had cared for my needs In so humblo a spirit of subjection. Tho knocker on tho front door sounded sound-ed peremptorily, and Dates turned without another word, nnd admitted Stoddard, who camo In hurriedly. "Merry Christmas!" ho called heartily, heart-ily, In tones hardly consonant with tho troubled look on his faco. I introduced him to Larry and asked him to sit down. "Pray oxcuso our disorder, wo didn't do It for fun; it was ono ol Santa Claus' tricks. Ho stared about wondorlngly. "So you caught It, too, did you?" "To bo Biiro. You don't mean to say that they raided tho chapel?" "That's exactly what I moan to say. Whon I went Into tho church for my early servlco I found that somo ono hnd ripped off tho wainscoting in a half a dozen places and even pried up tho altar. It's tho most outrageous thing I ovor know. You'vo heard of tho proverbial poverty of tho church mouso, what do you supposo anybody could want to raid a slmplo llttlo country coun-try chapel for? And moro curious yot, tho church plato was untouched, though tho closot whoro It's kept was upset, as though tho miscreants had looked thoro for something thoy didn't llnd." Stoddard was greatly disturbed, nnd gazed nbout tho topsy-turvy library with growing Indlgnntlon. Wo drew together for a council of war. Hero was an opportunity to enlist en-list a now recruit on my sldo; and aftor I had told my story fully and conducted con-ducted Larry and Stoddard through tho tunnel, tho better to provo that I was not romancing, thoy declared their purpose to stand by mo to tho end, no mutter what that conclusion might bo. Tho noxt morning Dates placed a lotter postmarked Cincinnati at my plate. I opened nnd read It aloud to Larry: On lloiinl tho Itelolse. December 23, 1P01. John Olennrni, Ksq., Icnnrm House, Annumlnlo, Wnbnnn Co., Indiana: Donr Blr I havo just learned from wlint I believe to bo a t ustworthy Hourco that you havo already violated tho terms of tho nureoment under which you entercil Into residence on tho property prop-erty near Annnndale, known as Qlcnarm Houso. The provisions of tho will of John Marshall Olenarin are plain and unequivocal, ns you undoubtedly understood under-stood when you accepted them, and your absence not only from tho estate Itself, but from Wabann county, violates beyond be-yond question your right to Inherit. I, as executor, thcrcforo demand that you at once vacate wtld property, loav-ln loav-ln It In us good condition as when received re-ceived by you. Very truly yours, Arthur Pickering, Kxccutor of tho Estnto of John Marshall aionarm. , "Very truly tho dovll's," growled Larry, snapping his clgarotto caso viciously. "How did ho find out?" I asked lamo-ly, lamo-ly, but my heart sank llko lead. Had Marian Dovoroux told him! How else could ho know? "Probably from tho stars, tho wholo unlvorso undoubtedly saw you skipping skip-ping off to moot your lady lovo. Dah, theso womQii!" (TO 1115 CONTINUED.) |