OCR Text |
Show THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Aulh.r l "THE MAIN CHANCE." ZELDA DAMERON," Elc. I'opjf right 1WJ bjr Uubbt-Utrrlll Co. CHAPTER XXI. Continued. Pickering's faco grow whtto and his yes started, and when ho tried suddenly sud-denly to speak his Jaw twitched. Tho room was so still that tho breaking of a blazing log on tho andirons was a ploasant relief. Wo stood, tho three of us, with our eyes on Plckorlng, and In my own caso I must say that my , heart was pounding my ribs at an un- I conifortablo speed, for I know Larry was not sparring for time. Tho blood rushed Into Pickering's f.- faco and ho turned toward Larry stormlly. tv "This Is unwarrantablo and In- br famous! My relations with Mr. Glen- jS arm aro nono of your business. When H you remember that after being desert- JT ed by his own flesh and blood ho np- i B pealed to me, going so far ns to In- . trust all his affairs to my caro at his death, your reflection Is an outrageous Insult. I am not accountable to you or M anv ono elsol" I' 3j? "Itcally, thoro's a good deal In all ttiat," said Larry. "Wo dont pretend to any Judicial functions. Wo aro per- fectly willing to submit tho wholo busi ness and nil my client's acts to tho authorities." (I would glvo much If I could ropro-' ropro-' duco somo hint of tho beauty of that word authorities as It rolled from ( Larry's tongue!). "Then, In God's namo, do It, you blackguards," roared Pickering. Stoddard, seated on tho table, knocked his heels together gently. Larry recrossed his legs nnd blow a cloud of smoko. Then, nfter a quarter 1 of a mlnuto In which ho gazed at the celling with his quiet, bluo eyes, ho said: "Yes; certainly, there aro always tho authorities. And as I havo a tremendous tremen-dous respect for your Amorlcnn Instl- i tutlons I shall at onco act on your sug gestion. Mr. Pickering, tho estate is richer than you thought it was. It Iliolds, or will hold, your notes given to tho decedent for $320,000." Ho drew from his pocket a brown onvelopo, walked to whero I stood and placed It in my hands. At tho same tlmo Stoddard's big ,) flguro grow active, and boforo I real ized that Plckorlng had leaped toward tho packot, tho executor was sitting In a chair, whoro tho chaplain had thrown him. Ho rallied promptly, stuffing his necktio Into his waistcoat; ho oven laughed a little. "So much old papor! You gentlemen aro perfectly welcomo to It." "Thank you!" Jerked Larry. I "Air. Glenarm and I had many trans actions together, and ho must havo forgotten for-gotten to destroy those papers," continued con-tinued Pickering. "Quito likely," I remarked. "It Is Interesting to know that Sister Tho-resa Tho-resa wasn't his only debtor." Plckorlng stepped to tho door nnd called tho sheriff, i "I will glvo you until to-morrow morning at nlno o'clock to vacato tho premises. Those- claims aro utterly worthless, as I am ready to provo. Tho court understands tho situation perfectly." per-fectly." 1 "Perfectly, porfectly," repeated tho sheriff. "I bollovo that Is all," said Larry, pointing to tho door with his plpo. Tho sheriff was regarding him with particular attention. "What did I undorstand your name ' to bo?" ho demanded. "Lauranco Donovan," Larry replied coolly. Pickering seemod to notlco tho namo now and his oyos lighted disagreeably. "I think I havo hoard of your friend boforo," ho said, turning to mo. "I congratulate you on tho International reputation of your counsel. Ho's ostcemcd so highly in Ireland that thoy offer n largo reward for his ro- Sturn. Sheriff, I think wo havo finished our business for to-day." Ho seemed anxious to get the man away, and wo gnvo them escort to tho , outer goto whero a horso and buggy wac waiting. "Now, I'm In for It," said Larry, as I locked tho gato. "Wo'vo spiked ono of I his guns, but I've given him a now ono to uso against myself. Hut como, and B I will show you tho Door of Bewilder- ment boforo I skip." (CHAPTER XXII. A Prowler of the Night. Down wo plunged into tho collar, through tho trap and to tho Door of nowildormcnt. ' " frS "Don't oxpoct too much," admon- I V Ishod Larry; "I can't promlso you a It slnglo Spanish coin." 'Perish tho ambition! Wo have jflj blocked Plckorlug's game, and nothing elso matters," I said. B Wo crawled through tho holo In tho fl wall and lighted candles. The room wns about sovon foot square. ' At tho fl farther end was un oblong wooden B door, close to tho celling, mid Larry M tugged nt tho fastening until it came m down, bringing with It a mass of snow B and leaves. B "Uentlomen," ho said, "wo aro at tho B edfo of tho ravlno. Do you seo tho bluo skyT Ana yonuer. jf you will twist your necks a bit, Is tho boat-house." boat-house." "Well, let tho scenic effects go nnd show us whoro you found those papers," pa-pers," I urged. "Speaking of mysteries, that Is whero I throw up my hands, lads. It's quickly told. Hero Is a tablo, nnd hero Is an old despatch box, which lies Just whoro I found It. It wns closed and tho key was In the lock. 1 took out that packet It wasn't oven scaled saw tho character of tho contonts, and couldn't resist 'tho temptation to try tho offect of nn announcement of Its discovery on your friend Pickering. Now Hint Is .nearly all. I found this pleco of papor under tho tapo with which tho onvelopo was tied, and I don't hcsltato to say that when I read it I laughed until I thought I Bhould shako down tho collar. Head It, John Glenarm!" Ho handed mo a fragment of legal-cap legal-cap paper on which was written In tho unmistakable handwriting of John Marshall Glenarm, these words: HE LAUGHS IJEST WHO LAUGHS LAST. "What do you think Is so funny In this?" I demanded. "Who wroto It, do you think," asked Stoddard. "Who wroto It, do you ask? Why Jack's grandfather wroto Itl John Marshall Glennrm, tho clovcrcst, grandest old man that over lived, wroto it!" declaimed Larry, his voice booming boom-ing loudly In tho room. "It's all a great big gamo, fixed up to try you and Pickering, but principally you, you blockhead! Oh, It's grand, perfectly, dcllclously grand, and to think It should bo my good luck to sharo In It!" "Humph! I'm glad you'ro amused, but It doesn't strlko mo as bolng so awfully funny. Supposo thoso had fallen into Pickering's hands; then whero would tho Joko havo been, I should liko to know!" "On you, my lad, to bo euro! Tho old gontloman wanted you to study architecture; ho wanted you to study his houso; ho oven left a llttlo pointer In an old book! Oh, It's too good to bo truo!" "That's all clear enough," obsorved Stoddard, knocking upon tho despatch bou with his knuckles. "Hut why do yoQ supposo ho dug this holo horo with Its outlet on tho ravlno?" "Oh, It was tho way of him!" explained ex-plained Larry. "Ho liked tho Idoa of queer corners and underground pas-sagos. pas-sagos. This is a bully hiding plnco for man or treasuro, and that outlet Into tho ravlno makes It posslblo to get out of tho houso with nobody tho wiser. It's In keeping with tho rest of his schomo. Do gay, comrades! Tomorrow To-morrow will llkoly find us with plonty of buslnoss on hands. At prcsont wo hold tho fort, and lot us havo a caro lest wo loso It." Wo closed tho ravlno door, restored tho wall as best wo could, and returned re-turned to tho library. Wo mndo a list of tho Plckorlng notes and spent an hour discussing this now fonturo of tho situation and speculating as to tho hiding placo of tho remalndor of my grnndfathor'B fortune. Larry and Stoddard both declared their intention of remaining until my troubles were ended In splto of my protests. Stod dard stayed lor dinner, and auorward wo bogan again our eternal quest for tho treasuro, our hopes high from Lnrry'a lucky strlko of tho afternoon, and with a now eagerness born of tho knowlcdgo that tho morrow would cor-tnlnly cor-tnlnly bring us face to faco with tho real crises. Wo ranged tho houso from tower to collar; wo overhauled tho tunnol, for, it soemed to mo, tho hundredth hun-dredth tlmo. It was my watch, nnd nt midnight, nftor Stoddard and Larry had rocon-noitorod rocon-noitorod tho grounds nnd hates and I had made sure of all tho Interior fastenings, fas-tenings, I sont them off to hod and mado my sol f conifortablo with a plpo lu tho library. I was glad of tho rcspito, glad to bo alone, to consider my talk with Ma-rian Ma-rian Ddvercux nt St. Agatha's, and her return with Pickering. Why could sho not always havo been Olivia, ranglpg tho woodland, or tho girl In gray, or that woman, so sweet in her dignity, who enmo down tho stairs nt tho Armstrongs'? Arm-strongs'? Her own attltudo toward mo was so full of contradictions; sho had appeared to mo In so many moods and guises, that my spirit ranged tho wholo gamut of feeling as 1 thought of her. Hut It was tho recollection of Pickering's Infamous conduct that colored col-ored all my doubts of her. Plckorlng had always boon In my wny, and hore, but for tho chnnco by which Larry had found tho notes, I should havo had no weapon to uso against hitii. Tho wind roso and drovo shrilly around tho houso. A bit of scaffold' lng on tho outer walls rattled loose somowhero and crashed down on the terrace I grow restless, my mind intent in-tent upon tho many chances of the morrow, and running forward to the future. Even If I won in my strife with Pickering I had yet my way tc make In tho world. His notes wore probably worthless, I did not doubt that. I might uso them to procuro his romoval as executor, but I did not look forward with any pleasuro to n legal fight over a property that had brought mo only troublo. Something Impelled mo to go below, and, taking a lantern, I tramped somberly som-berly through the cellar, glanced at tho heating apparatus, and, remembering remember-ing that tho chapel cntranco to tho tunnel was unguarded, followed tho corridor to tho trap, and opened It. Tho cold air blow up sharply and 1 thrust my head down to listen. A sound nt onco arrested mo. I thought at first It must bo tho suction of tho air, but Glenarm Houso was no placo for conjecture, and I put tho "A lantorn asldo and Jumped down Into tho tunnel. A gleam of light showed far away for an InBtant, then tho darkness dark-ness and Bllonco wero complete I ran rapidly over tho smooth floor, which I had traversed so often that I know its ovory lino. My only woapon was a heavy hickory club. Near tho Door of Dowlldermcnt I paused and listened. Tho tunnol was perfectly quiet. I took a step forward and stumbled stum-bled over a brick, fumbled on tho wall for tho opening which wo had closed carefully that afternoon, and at tho instant I found It a lantorn flashed bllndltgly in my faco and I drow back, crouching Involuntarily, and clenching tho club ready to strike. "Good evening, Mr. Glennrm!" Marian Dovoroux's voice broko tho silence, and Marian Dovoroux's face with tho full light of tho lantorn upon It, was bent gravely upon mo. Hor volco, as I hoard It there, hor faco, as I saw It thoro, aro tho things that I shall remember last when my hour comos to go henco from this world. Hor slim fingers, as they clasped the wire screen of tho lantorn, held my gazo for a second. Tho rod tam-o'-shanter that I had associated with hor youth and beauty was tilted raklshly on ono sldo of her pretty head. Tc find her horo, seeking, liko a thlot In tho night, for somo means of holplng Arthur Plckorlng, was tho bitterest drop In tho cup. I felt as though I had been struck with a bludgeon. "I beg your pardon!" sho said, and laughed. "Thoro doesn't seem to be anything to Bay, does thoro? Well, wo UU liUI llllllljr UlUUb II1IUUI IIIU MJUOL Ull usual, not to Bay unconventional, circumstances, cir-cumstances, Squire Glenarm! Please go away or turn your back. I want to get out of this donjon kcop." Sho took my hand coolly enough and stopped down Into tho passage Then I broko out stormlly. "You don't Boom to understand tho gravity of what you aro doing! Don't you know that you aro risking your llfo In crawling through this houso at midnight? that oven to servo Arthur Pickering a llfo Is a pretty big thing to throw away? Your Infatuation for that blackguard Booms to carry you far, MIbs Dovereux." (TO JJE CONTINUED.) |