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Show . lj What the ray Hsis MM i The Mystery of a Haunted Mansion " Copyrlgby- WynYhim Martyn WyJJlKOTl MflTfyn J "Or Bayliss, or Bailey something like that He seemed to think that I ought to remember him. Be's going to call on us. He's probably a multi millionaire. Tim, I'm going to put you on your honor not to sit by that sanctuary and snipe those trusting warblers and orioles." Tim, Hanby's second son, had a shotgun and a small rifle, and a passion pas-sion for using them. A struggle went on In him. "1 promise," he said. Tim's parents knew that, mischievous mis-chievous as the boy was, he would keep his word. He solaced himself with the thought that there were many rabbits to be had, not to mention men-tion crows, hawks, and bats. "We are to regard ourselves as guardians of the birds who trust us. I look to the house detective to enforce en-force these rules." "Aye, aye, chief I" said Bill Pel ham. "I like the Idea of a house being a sanctuary," Hanby went on. "Once within its walls, and outside worries may not introduce. The Gray bouse sanctuary a place sacred to happiness happi-ness 1 Happiness Is not a vice, as they used to regard it when my grandparents grand-parents were young. It's a sacred thing." "Listen to the crane talking I" Cella scoffed. "Crane?" he said. "The Frankcrane bird," she laughed "I'd rather be that than a mocking bird," her father countered. "Walt till we get up there, mes enfants, and I'll undertake, old, decrepit, and pol-lyannish pol-lyannish though I may be, to beat you at almost every sport there Is tennis, ten-nis, golf, swimming, and equitation." "When were you on a horse?" Junior demanded. Young Hanby had a wholesome respect re-spect for his father as an opponent at tennis or golf, but he had never Imagined him as setting out to witch the world with noble horsemanship. "Know, my son," replied Hanby, "that, like all great Americans, I was reared on a farm. Your grandfa ther's homestead bordered the beautiful beauti-ful stream after which I am named. If there are any of the old-timers left In that district, ask them what sort of a seat I had on horseback, and you will find that I rode In many a pony race ere I was Tim's age." "The next thing to hear Is that mother rode over the jumps at the Garden show," said Junior. "Your mother rode discreetly on a side saddle years ago In Cleveland," said Dina; "and she Is going to do it again." "Junior," said Bill Pelham, "never think you can put over anything on those parents of yours. It can't be done. It Is my turn to state that In my days of affluence I kept a saddle horse at Durland's." With these kind but firm words the juvenile members of the Hanby clan relapsed Into sulky silence, convinced against their will that, after all, they were not the absolute It. "I wish my family was like this,' remarked Leslie Barron. "We do nothing but quarrel at every meal. That's the main reason I'm going back to New Haven. I believe happiness Is catching. I feel a different being here." "You don't mean you feel actually happy here?" Cella asked. "Absolutely," he answered. "Family, friends, all !" Cella cried 'Look at a happy man, and then wonder won-der what he looks like when he's sad I" Les flushed a little. "I feel happy Inside," he said, defending de-fending himself. "He smiled last Tuesday after noon," Junior said. "1 saw him. Sure he's happy. Let him alone, Celia." "Shut up!" said Les. "She lets me alone too much as It Is. Up there " "At Pine Plains," Celia told him. ''Lona will be your constant companion." com-panion." Lona was the sixteen-year-old girl now at boarding school. "Not this time,' Ulna remarked "Lona wants to go to Europe with three other girls and one of the teach ers, and we're going to let her go." "Look!" Celia cried. "His dally smile! And poor Lona simply wor- .....V...".."...."..".."....".."..'..'..-.-.- ... ... ships him. He has driven her abroad, and now he laughs at the havoc be has wrought !" When built, at the end of the Eighteenth century, the Gray house had been a square mansion of stone In twenty acres of meadow land Inclosed with a five-foot wall. Succeeding ten ants had enlarged It to Its present size, and had acquired two hundred acres more of meadow and woodland. Ivy, Virginia creeper, wistaria, and trumpet vine fought for Its walls, giving It a softness of outline of which its builder could not have dreamed. Very strongly built, Its exterior was In perfect condition. War had passed it by, and time had treated It gently. Before the Hanbys moved Into It, a careful renovation of the Interior had given it a new and dignified beauty. The grounds had been molded to the new owner's desires. The Hanbys had moved from a duplex apartment Into a satisfying home. Dina breathed a sigh of content. "I have always wanted just such a place as this," she said, squeezing her husband's hand. "You never told me so," he replied reproachfully. "I thought It was the unattainable," said Dina. "Let's go through every single room together. It's a home for our children, and Celia's children, and the children of Celia's children. It's adorable! I didn't know the hall was as big as this," she added, pausing in a lofty apartment thirty feet long and nearly as wide. "This wasn't accord Ing to the plans, surely?" "I had It altered," Hanby told ber. "Incidentally, I bad to reduce otir thirty rooms to twenty-eight Isn't this a whale of a place for dances?' Eagerly he pointed out the great open fireplace. "The flue goes right op throngh the center of the house That's a valuable feature. No heat is lost, as it would be If the shaft were on the outside." Dina moved toward it. Over the green marble mantelpiece was some thing carved In old-English letters: "THE SANCTUARY CLUB "Rules "No member -shall do or say any thing of which another member dis approves. "No member shall disapprove ol what any other member says or does.' "Gets 'em coming and going!'' laughed Hanby. "Great Idea, isn't it? Now for the billiard room. That's for Bill's special benefit. He can trim any amateur that holds a cue." Dina looked from her own windows down on the tangled thatch of bush bramble, and flower that was sacred to the birds. "There's a scarlet tanager," she cried. "Look, Hil the beautiful thing !" From another window the glittering lake could be seen. As she looked Celia, Les, and Junior, in bathing kit raced toward it Tim was else where, bent on slaying rabbits. Thert was not a hint in the whole place ot the tragedies which had happened within its bound3. Summer bragged on every tree. The first dinner was one ot those happy functions at which every one talks vivaciously and no one troubles to listen. Exclamation points ended every sentence. Les smiled openly and the house detective was off duty "My job's a sinecure," said Bill Pel ham. "1 really had no right to take It, after accepting the honor of bein? hoe man In chief to Dina." "Your work begins" tomorrow," Mrs Hanby told him. "I want you to sur vey a place for a sunken rose gar den." "I'll set the alarm for daybreak," h said. He was up very early next morning Only Tim, rifle in hand, equaled him Tim was after the early rabbit anr the unheeding squirrel. Pelham har decided on a location for the rosi garden when Celia stopped befon him. " 'To labor that we love we risi betimes, and go to it with delight, be quoted. CelTa sat down on a grassy!bank. (TO BE CONTINUED.) THE STORY Hilton Hanby has purchased a country place the Gray house, near Pine Plains. Miss Selenos, a former tenant, warns him that the house ie under a curse. Further alarming details are impressed im-pressed upon Adolf Smueker, Hanby's secretary, by a man who claims to have been chauffeur for Sir Stanford Seymour, former oc cupant of the place. The Hanbys Han-bys laugh oft the warnings. But they are shocked when they hear , that the caretaker of the Gray house, a man named Kerr, hn been mysteriously murdered Hanby consults his friend Pelham. Pel-ham. The family starts for the new home. Appleton, a clerk of Douglas and Smith, the agents from whom Hanby bought the Gray house, explains to Pelham, that a dangerous pond near the house, in which several children have been drowned, has since been filled in, but he urges Pelham Pel-ham to dissuade Hanby from occupying oc-cupying the Gray house. Hanby and Junior learn that the caretaker care-taker was known to the police as "Red Chapin" and had a bad record. Hanby considers asking Leslie Barron, long an admirer of Celia, to join the house party. Mrs. Hanby declares she likes the house. Pelham becomes a mem- oer of the household, with the official title of "house detective." 1 Over the telephone Hanby is warned by a woman not to subject sub-ject his family to the dangers of the Gray house. Leslie Barron arrives making four able-bodied members of the Hanby household. house-hold. CHAPTER V 8 During the weeks before the Hanbys Han-bys could ' occupy the Gray house there were no more unpleasant messages mes-sages or telephonic communications to disturb them. Only one person T.ad Interested himself sufficiently to call up Hanby at his office. The voice proclaimed Itself as belonging be-longing to a name so Indistinctly enunciated that Hanby was not sure whether it was Bayles, Vales, Bailey or Valley. When he tried to make sure which, the voice replied with no clarifying effect. Hanby thought be might get It later In the conversation "I am calling you up," said the stranger, "to congratulate you on your purchase of the Gray house. You may recall that we met some time ago at the Metropolitan club." Hanby remembered lunching at this distinguished club and being Intro duced to several Influential men. "Thank you," he said cordially "You know the house?" "Very well. I looked over It re cently with the intention of purchasing purchas-ing it, hut the accommodation was in sufficient As you perhaps know. bought a larger place at Westbury ' Assuredly this was a Metropolitan club member I Thirty rooms were not enough for him. "1 want to ask you a special favor," the voice went on. " am deeply Interested In-terested Id ornithology. I have even contributed to the literature of the subject One of the reasons why I j considered the Gray house was that It offers a natural sanctuary for birds There was a lake there, which was filled In not long ago, and Is now-covered now-covered with dense creepers and flowering shrubs. Innumerable birds take shelter there little birds. 1 mean Immune from their winged en emies and from man. I beg of you to preserve this retreat Inviolate. Our rarer birds are dying out In an alarming fashion." "What exactly do you want me to do?" Ilnnhy asked. "1 want you to do nothing. Leave the place to the songsters. A bird sanctuary Is not unsightly." To me it Is beautiful. What, after all, are five acres out of two hundred? You will be rewarded by seeing some of our most exquisite song birds." Tbe unknown un-known ornithologist reeled off a list of names that made his hearer dizzy "Purple finch, vesper sparrow, song sparrow, nuthatch, chickadee, oven bird. Junco. snowflake, phoebe, bobolink. bobo-link. Indigo bunting, rose-breasted grosbeak, kinglet, wren and others." "It's a fine Idea," said Mr. Hanby warmly. "I'm glad you told me. 1 was Just going to have the place cleared out because I thought It was useless. 1 love birds myself, and I'm all for preserving them." "I was told that you were a high type of citizen, Mr. Hanby," the voice said gratefully. "I hope to do myself the honor of calling upon you soon Good-by I" ''Now. who the devil was It?" Han by asked himself. He spoke of the bird sanctuary at dinner. His family waa enthusiastic "It's a beautiful Idea." said Dina "1 whs going to put a sunken rose garden there, but we have heaps of other places." "Why do birds go there?" Tiro Hanby asked. "Because they get food and water there." Uis father had refreshed his memory on the subject "There's u spring that keeps tne shrubs and bushes alive hihI tlmirishiiia (thick berries and oilier wild fruits Hurt her rles triiw there in iimf usinti "Did Vim s;i tlint the iii:iii niime K8 lill.Vli-s?' I'itm iis'-.'it |