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Show VVYIS1DHAM MARTYN Copyright by Baree & Hopkln WND Servics as he had long ago found out It wag Anthony Trent who came tn. He had changed his clothes to a garb more suited for the task that was before him. Trent switched on the lights regardless of Grant's expostulations. "Don't you understand," he said, "that this room seems the attraction? We want whoever It may he outside to think you are still here. It's one o'clock now and Weld and I are going outside. Keep the light up whatever you do." Trent came to the foot of the bed and looked at Grant. "Grant." he said slowly, "you're not In a normal state. 1 don't know what it Is hut you give me the impression of being under a terrific strain." "1 am," said Grant. "If just h I." "Is It anything you could tell me? Many a man has gone Insane from keeping his troubles to himself too long. They say an open confession's good for the soul. You must know frail gun to fold him about The drug had not been recommended as a soporific; in combination with a sleeping tablet It had never failed to give him a dream-tilled slumber from which ordinary or-dinary disturbances could Dot awaken him. Tonight It lost its potency. He awoke with great suddenness, and In full possession of his senses, at two o'clock. Subconsciously, this hour had been impressed upon bim. His sleep had lasted but half an hour. Although his first Impressiou had been one of absolute quiet, be could heai, as his ears grew accustomed to it, that the silence was broken continually con-tinually by innumerable little sounds. Boards creaked. Insects called sbril ly. Even the winds In the trees Deemed to menace him. His hand crept underneath bis pillow for the automatic pistol. He was still In his dressing gown; he slipped the weapon into his pocket and sat up In bed. By this time the drug had lost Its hold. He was more frightened than he had been before be took It. His fears were like the nightmare terrors ol a nervous child. He was certain that somewhere in Ihis deserted house there were deadly forces concentrating concentrat-ing themselves on his destruction. There was no safety for him anywhere. any-where. His ears were now attuned to catch disturbing sounds with a peculiar distinctness. dis-tinctness. The rattling of the door knob grew louder to his disturbed senses. . He could not keep his eyes from it. He believed it could not turn as It did without some human agency. agen-cy. As he gazed al it In pitiable bor-ror. bor-ror. he heard, with great clearness now footsteps advancing along the corridor to his door. It was only now thai he knew those other more vague sounds had not been man-made. The steps approaching had tn them nothing noth-ing of furtiveness or stealth. He snatched up a book and sought to compose his drawn features. He believed be-lieved Trent was coming and he did not wish to show fear after his brave words. He did not even glance up Immediately Imme-diately from his book. He yawned elaborately and then raised his eyes. Frank Sutton stood at the foot of the bed. The look that he bent upon his betrayer be-trayer seemed to have so little anger in It that Grant was amazed. The storm of passionate vengeance which he had anticipated was wanting. There was a look, instead, of a stern and settled purpose which frightened Grant more than any other attitude could have done. "My note said I would see you on the seventeenth," Sutton remarked. "It was an error and should have read the twenty-seventh." "What do you want" Grant nerved himself to ask. "First of all a talk. Get out of bed and sit here." He pointed to a chair at one side of- the open fireplace. When Grant had dragged himself across the room Sutton, after lighting -a cigarette, sank into the chair opposite. op-posite. "When I last saw you," he began, "I swore to kill you en sight. I thought then that m thing else would satisfy me. Three years of prison made me see things in another light. Your death would not satisfy me now. There must be a different punishment from that." Grant tried to speak but there was a tightness in his throat which strangled stran-gled the words he wanted to utter. Assuredly, this culm, quiet man frightened him more than he could have believed possible. "You are going to taste the same hitterness that I experienced. You do not yet realize what that means. In the first place yon will he stripped' of fortune and reputation even as I was. Day after day you will sit in a court and hear all the many little deeds of your life unfolded. Yon will see your friends avert their eyes from you. Those who he lieved In you wili look wilh scorn. And in the end like me you will lose Natica. Is not that belter for me than If I were to take your life, here and now?" I'ayson Grant was oppressed with the inevitability of this fale. It seemed almost as though Sutton had the gift of prophecy. His weary head drooped on his chest. There seemed no way of escape. He was sinking in deep and turbulent waters Desperately he fough. for something to say to this stern and silent man. (TO BE CONTINUED ) ' CHAPTER XII ContinuM 23 "1 don't wonder," Weld declured. "and yet you had all sorts of friends and servants at hand, and local police, po-lice, and passers-by Now, up here, you may think you are perfectly secure se-cure because you hardly ever see n stranger, yet the woods may be full of them." Grant tried to laugh ; In reality his heart was thumping against his ribs painfully. He forced himself to ap :pear Interested. "Then there might be outlaws and bad men watching us right now?" Weld's enswer appalled him. "There are," said Swithiu Weld "1 meant to have asked you if you'd seen anyone who answered to the de scription given by the fire warden This man was a big. wild-looking bird with a rifle. Philbrlck, th fire warden, knows every one for miles around, but he'd nevei set eyes on him before. He thinks It's a bootleg ger blazing a trail down from the Canadian border." "More probably a tramp," Tvenl suggested. "They of;en prospect for winter quarters about now, when the nights get cold." ' Weld shook his head Grant could see that this explanation did not satisfy sat-isfy him. There was a constriction about Grant's throat which made speech difficult. He hardly recog nlzed his own voice. "What do you think?" he demanded "1 don't know what to say. The thing that puzzles me is what he wanted to prowl Ground this place for at about two o'clock this morn tag." "That's Interest irig," Trent cried. "How near was he?" Weld turned to the quaking Grant "You know that big tree outside your window, the one they call Wash lngton's oak? He was sheltering behind be-hind that." "Why didn't , you put a bullet through him?" Grant cried with a passionate energy which he could see surprised his host. Fools! thought Grant, to speculate on a man his heart told him was Frank Sutton. His tumultuous emotions swept away all fear that his manner might be offensive. of-fensive. "Why didn't you shoot?" "My dear Grant,' Weld said, lifting his eyebrows a little, "what sort ol defense could I have made to a judge and jury If I admitted I took a pot shot at a man who might be innocent of any wrong-doing? I propose we stalk him tonight and find out all ' about him." "Fine." Trent agreed, his eyes sparkling. "lie doesn't stand a chance against the three of us." "The three!" Grant echoed. Not foi worlds would he venture into the gloom of that forest by night He knew It would he his fate to find the stranger face to face. While the oth ers were creeping along wrong trails Sutton would have him at bis mercy Grant's flesh quaked at the thought. "Don't you want to be in on the fun?" Weld demanded. "I do not," Grant said Irritably "To begin witn, you'll never catch him and 1 don't warn tn go stumbling over roots and hrambles In the dark look tng for a single man In b forest as big as this." "You needn't come If you feel that way," said Weld, "but it won t be as hard tn get him ns you think We shall wait until everything is quiet and he comes out to gaze at your vindow " "My window!" Grant cried. "You are the only person with a room at the southwest corner. I'll swear be was looking up al your room." "I'll put a bullet through his head If he looks up again." Grant said sav flgely. His terrors were making him careless of any feelings hut his own "I hope you won't." Weld said a trifle stiflly. "Both for your own sake and that of my uncle. To have a man murdered for looking up at a window Isn't a thing that would please him." "It wouldn't be murdpr. It would be self-defense." Grant answered sullen ly. 'T m not gnine to be threatened and not put up a fight." Trent looked at him with a sudden Interest. "Then you know who it Is?' he de rnanded. Grant was conscious that he had said too much. With a tremendous effort he pulled himself together "No more than y-m do." bp returned "It's thla constant talk of crimp that gets me nervous." Trent turned to Weld and discussed methods of rupture. It was plain to Grunt that his conduct had disgusted them. He did not greatly care. He felt he needed the protection of cities and crowds. Tomorrow he would go Rut first there was this damnable night to live through. As a rule, after dinner Grant sat in the library before the open fire while the others played billiards. Tonight he would not remain alone He f"l lowed thetu Into the billiard room, bin declined to pl.iy. His nerves were In no condition for that. That they Ig nored him did not hurt his feelings x' now. What he wanted was protective companionship not conversation He went to his room at midnight instead of turning on the central lights he lighted only the shaded rend the lamp over the bod From the ntit side it would seem the room w:is dark. There came a rap at his door The W'a no way of locking oi ban inn It "I'm Just Irritable and Out of Sorts." what it Is that's turning you into an abject coward. Is life worth living under such conditions? Perhaps I've no right to say it, but peace of mind is worth more than a fortune or position." po-sition." Grant could not possibly realize what a confession would mean. Its effect would be to free Sutton and put himself in its stead. Assuredly a lif? of ease and luxury was worth fighting for. Tomorrow he would rush back to New York and take passage in the first steamer he could find to some other country. There nt least, he would be safe. "My dear Trent," he said, with an affectation of tolerant scorn In his voice. "You couldn't possibly understand. under-stand. You are an Idler and I am the head of a big business. My worries wor-ries are Incredible. I'm just Irritable and out of sorts. What I want Is a good night's sleep." "For a moment there was a look on Trent's face which Grant thought expressed ex-pressed pleasure. But It passed quickly. quick-ly. Grant felt relieved that he was conquering his panic fears'. There had been a moment when he nearly blurted blurt-ed the whole thing to the man facing him. Downstairs, Trent sought out Switb In Weld. "1 gave him a chance to tell me but he shut up like a clam." "I'm glad." Weld retorted, "that sort doesn't deserve any chance. I prefer this way of gelling a confession." confes-sion." From the window to which he crept timorously, I'ayson Grant saw the two men set out on their quest. For a time he was alone in this big silent camp, at the mercy of any stronger lhan he. It was difiiculi to resist the temptation to extinguish his' light. He hoped the two men wouid not wandet too fiir afield. Almost he wished he had gone with them. Here, he was In a trap. In fact, the trap was baited with I'ayson Grant. The oriental drug of which a medl cm I friend had warned him was close nt hand. He gulped down one of Hip pellets eagerly. Anything would he bettor flwn this fear which had be- I |