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Show ST0RY1P THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES . i By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Author ol "HIE MAIN CHANCE," ZELDA OAHERON." Etc. Cup j right iwi tj llobbt-Utrrlll Co. CHAPTER XIII. Continued. "Yes, and lio lilt mo over the hend 'with a club. It was his Indiscretion, sir. Ho wanted to bo through the library li-brary In broad daylight, and It wasn't any use, anyhow. Thcro's nothing there." "Hut I don't like tho looks of this shooting. Morgan's nick and out of his head. Hut n fellow llko Morgan Isn't likely to shoot himself accidentally, accident-ally, and now that It's done tho work's stopped and tho tlmo Is running on. "What do you think Olenarm suspects?" sus-pects?" "I can't toll, sir, but mighty little, I should say. Tho shot through tho window tho first night ho was hero seemed to shaKo him n trlllo, but ho's qulto settled down now, I should say, sir. That shot of Morgan's was a great mistake. Tho young gentleman Isn't to bo frightened away as easily as that." "Morgan's a fool. Hut what IsjOlon- , Wf arm doing? Ho probably doesn't spend j much tlmo on this side of tho fenco I doesn't haunt tho chapel, I fancy?" j "Lord, no! I hardly suspect tho young gentleman of being a praying man." "You haven't seen him prowling about tho house analyzing tho architecture archi-tecture " "Not a bit of It, sir! Ho hasn't, I should sny, what his rovorcd grandfather grand-father called tho analytical mind." Pickering stamped his foot upon tho paved porch floor In a way that I re-; re-; Hicmbered of old. It marked a con- I elusion, and preluded Borlous mistakes. mis-takes. "Now, Hates," ho said with a ring of authority and speaking In a louder m l:cy than ho had yt used, "It's your duty under all circumstances to holp 1 . discover tho hidden nsscts of tho cs- k tato. Wo'vo got to pluck tho mystery from that architectural monster over there, and tho tlmo for doing It Is short enough. Mr. Olenarm was a rich man. To my own knowlodgo ho had a couplo of millions, and ho couldn't havo spont It all on that house. Ho reduced his bank account to a fow thousand dollars nnd swopt out his safoty deposit boxes with a i broom boforo his last trip to Vor-mont. Vor-mont. Ho didn't dlo with tho stuff In f Ills clothes, did ho?" ' "Lord bless me, no, sir! There was llttlo enough cash to bury him, with you out of tho country and mo alone with him." i "Ho was a crank and I supposo ho got a lot of satisfaction out of burying his money. Hut this hunt for It Isn't funny. I supposed of courso we'd dig It up boforo Olonarm got hero or I shouldn't havo beon In such a hurry to send for him. Hut It's over thoro somowhero In tho grounds. Thcro must bo a plnn of tho houso that would holp. 111 glvo you a thousand I dollars tho day you wlro mo you havo found nny sort of cluo." "Thank you, sir." "I don't want thanks, I want tho money or securities, or whatovcr It is. 1'vo got to go bnck to my car now, and you'd better skip homo. You ncod't toll your young master that t I'vo boon horo," I was trying hard to remember, as I stood thoro with clenched hands out-sldo out-sldo tho chapel porch, that Arthur Pickering's namo was written In tho list of directors of ono of tho largest trust companies In America and that ho belonged to the most oxcluslvo clubs In Now York. I had como out for my walk with only an Invornoss over my dlnnor )nckot, nnd I was thoroughly chilled by tho cold mist. I was oxpcrlenclng, too, an innor cold H U ns I rollocted upon tho greed and por- v lldy of man. ti "Ifeop an oyo on Morgan," said Pickering. "Cortainly, sir." "And bo careful what you wrlto or wlro." jjA rK "I'll mind tlioso points, sir. Hut I'd V suggest, If you plcaso, sir " "Well?" domnnded Plckorlng impatiently. impa-tiently. "That you should call at tho houso. It would look rathor strnngo 'to tho young gontloman If you'd como to St. Agatha's and not seo him." "I havon't tho slightest orrand with him. And besides I hnvon't tlmo. If ho learns that I'vo beon horo you mny Bay that my business wns with Slstor Theresa and that I regrotted very much not having the opportunity to call on him." Tho Irony of thin was not lost on ,l Bntos, who chuckled softly. Ho camo ,', Jsjj. out into tho opon nnd turned away to- ' ward tho Olonarm goto. Plckorlng passed mo, bo near that I might havo put out my hand and touched him, and in a niomont I hoard tho carrlago drlvo off rapidly toward tho vlllngo. I heard Hates running homo over tho snow and listoncd to tho clattor of tho vlllago hack as It horo Plckorlng back to Annnndalo, Then out of tho depths of tho chapol porch out of tho depths of tlmo nnd npneo, it soomod, eo dazed I stood I Bomo ono camo swiftly toward mo, 6oint) ono light of foot like a woman, ran down tho walk n llttlo way into tho fog and paused. An exclamation broke from me. "Eavesdropping for two!" It was the voice of Olivia. "I'd take pretty good caro of myself If I wore you, Squire Olenarm! Good night!" "Good-by!" I faltered, as sho sped away In tho mist toward St. Agatha's. CHAPTER XIV. The Girl In Gray. My first thought was to find tho crypt door and return through tho tun-nol tun-nol before Hates could reach tho houso. Tho chapel was open, and by lighting mutches I found my way to tho map and panel. I slipped through nnd closed tho oponing; then ran through tho passago with gratltudo to tho generous builder who had given II a clear door nnd an nmplo roof. In my hasto I miscalculated its length, pitching headlong' Into the stops under un-der tho trap beneath Olcnnrm Houso at a gait that sent mo sprawling. In a moment more I hod Jammed tho trap Into placo nnd was running up tho collar col-lar stops, breathless, with my cap smashed down over my eyes. I heard Hates entering at tho rear and know that I had won tho raco by a scratch. Thero was but a moment mo-ment In which to throw my coat nnd cap under tho divan In tho library, slap tho dust from my clothes nnd sent my self at tho groat tablo whore tho candles blazed tranquilly. Hates' stop was a-i steady as ovor tho highway m fell I, ith me. "Well, Mr. i, I'm glad to seo you abroad 'so early. With that library li-brary of yours tho' temptation must ho strong to stay within doors. Hut a man's got to subject himself to tho sun nnd wind. Even a good wetting now nnd then Is salutary." "I try to got out every day," I answered. an-swered. "Hut I'vo chiefly limited my-solf my-solf to my own grounds," An ancient omnibus, filled with young women passed nt a gallop, bound for tho station, and wo took off our tints. "Christmas holidays," explained tho chaplain. "Practically all the students go homo." "Lucky kids, to havo homes with Christmas trees. I envy them." "I supposo, Mr. Plckorlng. got nwny last night?" ho observed, nnd my pulso quickened at tho name. "I havon't seen him yot," I an-swered. an-swered. "Then of courso ho hasn't gono!" nnd thoso words, uttered In tho big clorgyman'a deep tones, scorned wholly whol-ly plausible. Thoro waB, to bo suro, nothing so unlikely ns that Arthur Plckorlng, executor of my grandfather's grandfath-er's cstato, would como to Olenarm without seeing me. "Sister Theresa told mo this morning morn-ing ho was thcro. Ho called on her and Miss Dcvcroux last night. I haven't socn him myself. I thought possibly I might run Into him In tho vlllngo. His car's very llkoly on tho station switch." "I'd Take Pretty Good Care of Myself If I Were You, Squire Glenarm." thoro was not tho slightest hint of oxcltomcnt In It us ho cariio and stood within tho door. "Bog pardon, Mr. Olenarm, did you wish anything, sir?" "Oh, no, thank you, Hates." "I had stopped down to tho village, sir, to speak to tho grocer. Tho eggs ho sent this morning woro not qulto up to tho mark, I warned him not to send any of tho storago artlclo to this llOUBO." "That's right, Hates." I foldod my 'arms to hldo my hands, which woro black from contact with tho passago. and faced my man servant. My ro-spoct ro-spoct for his rascally powors had In-1 In-1 creased immensely sinco ho gavo mo my coffeo. A contest with bo clover a roguo was worth while. "I'm grateful for your caro of mo, Hates. I had expected to porlsh of discomfort out hero, but you aro treating treat-ing mo llko a lord." "Thank you, Mr. Olonarm. I do whnt I can, sir." Ho brought fresh candles for tho tablo candolahrn, going about with his accustomed noiseless stop. I felt n cold chill croop down my splno ns ho pnsscd behind mo on theso errands. His transition from tho rolo of conspirator con-spirator to that of my flawless servant serv-ant was almost too abrupt. I dismissed him as quickly ns possible, possi-ble, and listened to his stop through tho hnlls ns ho wont about locking tho doors. Tho locklng-up process hnd rathor bored mo boforo; to-night I listened lis-tened with Intorcst for ovory sound. When I hoard Hates clumblng to his own qunrtora I qulotly went tho rounds of my own account nnd found ovorythlng as tight as a drum. I was tired onough to slcop whon I wont to my room, und nftor an ovent-less ovent-less night woko to a clear day and keener nlr. "I'm going to tnko a llttlo run Into tho vlllngo, Batos," I romarkod at breakfast. "Vory good, Blr." "If any should call I'll bo back in an hour or bo," "Yes, Blr." I really had an errand In tho vlllago. I wished to visit the hardware storo and buy some cartridges, but Pickering's Picker-ing's presence in tho community was , n disturbing factor in my mind, I had rosolvod to got sight of him to meot him, If posslblo, and seo how a man whoso schemes woro so deep looked in tho light of day. As I loft tho grounds and gained "No doubt wo shall find him thoro," I answered easily. Tho Annandalo station presented an nppoaranco of unusual gaiety whon wo reached tho main streot of tho vlllago. Thoro, to bo sure, lay tho prlvato car In tho aiding, and on tho platform was a group of 20 or moro girls, with several o" tho brown-habited Sisters of St. Agatha. Thoro was something n llttlo forolgn in tho pic-turo; pic-turo; tho girls In their bright colors talking gaily, tho Sl3ters In their somber som-ber garb hovering about, suggesting Franco or Italy rathor than Indlnnn. Wo stopped upon tho platform. Tho prlvato car lny on tho opposite sldo of tho stntlon, having been switched into n siding of tho oast and west road. Plckorlng was certainly getting get-ting on. Thoro Is something wholly rogal In a prlvato car. Any ono mny boaBt a catboat and call it a yacht: but thoro Is no known substitution for n prlvato car. As I lounged across tho platform with Stoddard, Plckorlng camo out Into tho vestlbulo of his car, followed by two ladles and an elderly gontlomnn. Thoy all dosconded and began a promonndo. on tho plank walk. Plckorlng saw mo nn Instant later and hurried up with outstrotched hand. "This Is Indcod good fortuno! Wo droppod off horo last night rathor unexpectedly un-expectedly to rest a hot box and should havo been picked up by tho early express for Chicago; but thoro was a mlscarrlago of ordors somo-whoro somo-whoro nnd wo now hnvo to wait for tho nlno o'clock, and It's lato. If I'd known how much bohlnd It was I should hnvo run out to seo you. How aro things going?" "As smooth ns n whlstlo! It really isn't so bad whon you faco It. And tho fact is I'm actually at work." "That's splendid. Tho year will go fast enough, never fear. I supposo you plno for a llttlo human society now and then. A man can nover strike tho right medium In such tilings. In New York wo nro all rushed to death. I sometimes feol that I'd llko a llttlo rustication myself. I got norvoiiB, and working for corporations la wearing. Tho old gontlomnn thoro is Taylor, prosldont of tho Mld-Wostorn and Soutliorn. Tho ladles aro his wlfo and u friend of hers. I'd llko to, Introduce you." Ho ran his oyes ovor my cordu-I cordu-I roys and IcgglngB In nmlablo accopt-j accopt-j auco of mv rusticity, Ho had not la years addressed mo so pleasantly. (TO UB CONTINUED.) |
