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Show THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Author tl "THE MAIN CHANCE." ZELDA DAMERON," Elc. Copjrltht IWt bj llobl-lrilll Co, CHAPTER XXII. Continued. She swung tlio lantern nt arm's length back and forth bo Hint Kb rays at ovcry forward motion struck my fnco llko a blow. "It Isn't exactly pleasant in thin cav-crn. cav-crn. Unless you wish to turn mo over to tho lord high executioner, I will bid you good nlfiht." "lint tho Infamy of this of coming In hero to spy upon mo to help my enemy tho man who Is socking plun-dor plun-dor doesn't soom to troublo you." "No. Not a particle!" sho replied iuIotly, and then, with nn Impudent nine, "Oh, no!" sho hold up tho lantern to look nt tho wick. "I'm really dlsap-pointed dlsap-pointed to llnd that you woro a llttlo ahead of mo, Squire Qlcnarm, I didn't glvo you credit for so much porsovor-nncc. porsovor-nncc. Hut if you havo tho notes" "Tho notes! Ho told you thuro woro notes, did ho? Tho cownrd sent you horo to find them, nftor his other tools failed him?" I Sho laughed that low lough of hers thnt was llko tho hubhlo of a spring. "Of courso no ono would dnro deny what tho groat Squlro Glenarm says," eho said wlthcrlngly. "You can't know what your porfldy means to mo," I said. "That night at tho Armstrongs, I thrilled at tho sight of you. As you camo down tho stairway stair-way I thought of you as my good angol and I belonged to you, all my life, tho hotter futuro that I wished to make for your sake." "IMcaso don't!" sho exclaimed sor-sowfully, sor-sowfully, tho mirth nil gone I folt that my words had touched her; thnt thoro wcro regret and repentanco In hor tone and In tho gesture with which sho turned from mo. Sho hurried clown tho passage toward tho chapel, swinging tho lnntern nt hor side, and I followed, still niystlllcd, and nngorcd by her composure Sho ovon turned, with protty courtesy, to hold tho light for mo nt tho crypt stops, a scrvlco that I accepted per-forco per-forco and with Joyless ncqulcsccnco In tho Irony of it, "You scorn to know a good deal about this pluco, and I suppose I can't object to your 'familiarizing yourself with your own proporty. And tho notes I'll glvo myself tho pleasuro of handing them to you to-morrow. You can cancel them and glvo them to Mr. Plckorlng, a fitting plcdgo between you!1' I thrust my hands into my pockots to glvo an Impression of caso I did not possess. "Yes," sho remarked in a practical tono; "$320,000 dollars is no moan sum of monoy. Mr. Pickering will undoubtedly un-doubtedly bo dollghtcd to havo his dobts canceled " "In oxchango for a llfo of dovotlon," I sncorod, "So you know tho sum tho oxnet amount of theso notos. Ho hasn't served you well. Ho should havo told you that wo found them today." to-day." "You aro not nlco, nro you, Squlro Glenarm, when you aro cross? Out Mr. Pickering wasn't kind not to toll mo. Why, I might catch a dreadful cold down horo!" Sho was lfko Olivia now. I felt tho utter futility of attempting to reason with a woman who could becomo a child at will. Sho walked up tho stops and out Into tho church vestibule. Then boforo tho outer door sho spoke with decision. "Wo part horo, If you plcaso! And I havo not tho slightest intention of trying to explain my orrnnd Into that passage You havo Jumped to your own conclusion, which will havo to sorvo you. I advlso you not to think very much about It, to tho exclusion of more important business, Squlro Glenarm I " Sho lifted tho lantern to turn out Its light, and It mado a glory of hor face, but sho paused and held It toward mo. "Pardon mo! You will neod this to light you homo." "nut you must not cross tho park alono!" "Good night I Plenso bo suro to closo tho door to tho passage when you co down. You aro a dreadfully heed- I less person, Squlro Glenarm." Sho flung open tho outor chapel door and ran along tho path toward St. Agatha's. I watched hor In tho KM Btarlight until a bend in tho path hid Hj hor swift-moving flguro, Down through tho paBsago I has-tonod, has-tonod, her lantern lighting my way. At tho Door of Howlldormout I closed tho opening, setting up tho lino of wall as wo had left It in tho nftor-noon, nftor-noon, and then I went back to tho library, freshened tho flro and brooded boforo it until Dates camo to rellovo wo at dawn. CHAPTER XXIII. Besieged. It was nino o'clock. Wo had swat-lowed swat-lowed Bomo breakfast, though I bollovo no ono had manlfostod an appotlto, and wo woro chcdrlng oursolvos with tho Idlest talk possible. Stoddard, who had boon to tho chapel for his usual Boven o'clock service, was deep In tho pocket Greek testament ho always curried. cur-ried. Hates ran In In roport a summons nt tho outer wall, and Larry and I went together to answer It, sending Untes to keep watch toward tho lako. Our friend, tho sheriff, with a deputy, dep-uty, was outside in a buggy. Ho stood up and tnlked to us over tho wall. "You gents understand thnt I'm only doing my duty. It's nn unpleasant business, but tho court orders mo to eject nil trespassers on tho premises, and I've got to do It." "Tho law is being used by an Infamous In-famous scoundrel to protect himself. I don't Intend to glvo In. Wo can hold out hero for threo months, If necessary, neces-sary, nnd I advlso you to keep away and not net ns a tool for n man llko Pickering." Tho Bhcrlff listened respectfully, resting his arms on top of tho wall. "You ought to undoi stand, Mr. Glenarm, Glen-arm, that I nln't tho court; I'm tho sheriff, and It's not for mo to pass on theso questions, l'vo got my orders nnd l'vo got to enforco 'em, and I hopo you will not mako It nccessnry for mo to uso vlolenco. Tho Judgo said to mo, 'Wo deplore vlolenco In such enses.' Thoso woro his honor's very words." "You may glvo his honor my compliments compli-ments nnd tell him that wo aro sorry not to boo things bin wny, but thoro nro points Involved In this business that ho doesn't know anything about, and wo, unfortunntely, havo no time to lay them boforo him." Tho sheriff's seeming satisfaction with Ills position on tho wall and his disposition to pnrloy had begun to arouse my suspicions, nnd Larry sov-cral sov-cral times exclaimed Impatiently nt tho absurdity of discussing my affairs with a person whom ho Insisted on "Move If You Dare, and I'll Plug YoU with Your Own Gun." calling a constablo, to tho sheriff's ovl-dont ovl-dont annoyance "You, sir, wo'vo got our oyo on you, nnd you'd hotter como along ponco-able. ponco-able. Laurnnco Donovan; tho descriptions descrip-tions fits you to a 'f." "You could buy a nlco farm with that roward, couldn't you " began Larry, but at that inomont Bates ran toward us calling loudly. "Thoy'ro coming, across tho lako, sir," ho reported, and instnntly tho sheriff's head disappeared, and ns wo ran toward tho houso wo heard his horso pounding down tho road toward St. Agatha's. "Tho law bo damned. Thoy don't Intend In-tend to como In horo by tho front door ns a matter of law," said Larry. "Pickering's "Pick-ering's meroly using tho shorlff to glvo respectability to his manoiivors." It was no tlmo for a discussion of motives. Wo ran across tho meadow past tho wator towor and down to tho boatihoiiBO. Far out on tho lako wo saw half a dozen men npproachlng tho Glenarm grounds. Thoy advanced steadily ovor tho light snow that lay upon tho lco, ono man slightly In ad-anco ad-anco and ovldcntly tho leader. "It's Morgan," oxclnimod Dates. "And thoro's rorguson." Lnrry chuckled and slapped his thigh. "Ohservo that stocky llttlo dovll Just bohlnd tho lender. Ho'a my frlond from Scotland Yard. Lads! this Is really an international affair." "nates, go. back to tho houso and call at any sign of attack," I ordorod. "Tho sheriff's looso Boniowhoro." "And Plckorlng is directing his forces from afar," remarked Stoddard. "I count ten men In Morgan's lino," said Larry, "and tho sheriff and his deputy mako two more That's 12, not counting Plckorlng, thnt wo know of on tho other side" "Warn them away boforo thoy got much noarer," suggested Stoddard. "Wo don't want to hurt pooplo If wo can holp It," and at this I wont to tho end of tho pier. Morgan und his men woro now qulto near, and thoro was no mistaking tholr intentions. Most of them carried guns, tho others revolvers re-volvers nnd long lco books. "Morgan," I callod, holding up my hands for a truco, "wo wish you no harm, but It you enter thoso grounds you do so nt your peril." Thoy had pnusod nt a word from Morgan and listened sullenly. "Wo'ro all sworn deputy sheriffs," called tho caretaker smoothly. "Wo'vo got tho law behind us." "That must bo why you'ro coming In the back wny," I replied. Tho thickset man whom Larry had Identified as tho English detective now camo closer and addressed mo In a high key. "You'ro hnrborlng n bad man, Mr. Glenarm. You'd better glvo him up. l'vo got my papors and tho American law supports mo. You'll get yourself Into troublo If you protect that man. You may not understand, sir, that he's a very dnngerotm character." "Thanks, Davidson!" cnllcd Larry. "You'd better keep out of this. You now I'm a bad man with thoshlllnlah!" "That you aro, you blackguard!" yelled tho officer, so spitefully that wo all laughed. I drow back to tho boat-houso. "Thoy aro not going to kill anybody If thoy can help It," remarked Stoddard, Stod-dard, "any moro than wo nre. Even deputy sheriffs aro not turned looso to do murder, nnd tho Wabnna county court wouldn't, If It hadn't boon Imposed Im-posed on by Pickering, lend Itself to a gamo llko this. And this business horo Is only a private alTalr.betweon Plckorlng Plckor-lng nnd tho sheriff." "Now wo'ro In for It," yelled Larry; and tho 12 men, In closo order, camo running ncross tho lco toward tho shore. "Open order, and fall back slowly toward tho house," I commnnded. And wo deployed from tho boat-houso, whllo tho nttncklng party still clung together, to-gether, a strategic error on their side, ns Larry assured us. "Stay togothor, lnds. Don't sopa-rato; sopa-rato; you'll get lost If you do," ho yelled derisively to tho enemy. Stoddard bado htm keep still, and wo soon had our hand3 full with a preliminary skirmish. Davidson, tho dotcctlvo, scorned disgusted at Morgan's Mor-gan's tactics, oponly abused tho care-takor, care-takor, and ran ahoad of his column, rovolvcr In hand, bearing down upon Larry, who held our contor. Tho Englishman's hasto was his undoing. A light fall of snow n few days boforo had gathered In tho llttlo llt-tlo hollows of tho wood dccoptlvoly. Tho detective plunged Into ono of , theso nnd foil sprawling on nil fours a calamity that caused his comrades to pauso uneasily. Larry was ujion his onemy in a Hash, wrenched his pistol away and pulled tho man to his feet. "Ah, Davidson. Thoro's many a slip! Movo, If you dare, and I'll plug you with your own gun." And ho stood bohlnd tho mnn, using him as a shield whllo Morgan and tho rost of tho army hung near tho boat houso uncertainly. "It's tho strategic Intolloct wo'vo captured, goneral," observed Larry tc me "You seo tho Amorlcnn Invndora woro dopcndlng on Ilrltlsh brains." Morgan now actod on tho hint wo had furnished him nnd sout his men out as skirmishers. Tho loss of tho dotcctlvo nnd undoubtedly stnggored tho carotakor, and wo wero slowly ro-troatlng ro-troatlng toward tho houso, Larry with ono hand on tho collar of his prisoner pris-oner and tho othor grasping tho ro-volvor, ro-volvor, with which ho poked tho mnn frequently In tho ribs. Wo slowly continued our rotrcat, fearing a rush, which would havo dUposed of us eas ily enough ir Morgan s company naa shown any fighting spirit. Stoddard's prosonco rather amazed and Intimidated Intimi-dated thorn, I think, and I saw thnt tho Invndoiu kept away from his end of tho lino. Wo woro now Tar apart, stumbling ovor tho , Bnow-covorod earth and calling to ono another now nnd thon that wo might not becomo too wldoly soparatod. Davidson did not rollsh his capturo by the man ho had followed ncross tho ocean, and ho nttemptcd oncu to roar a command to Morgan. (TO IJE CONTINUED.) |