| Show I 1 the house of 0 the three ganders earsl by IRVING BACHELLER copyright ty irving Baclit ller TWO SerT loel CHAPTER XII continued 22 swift sw ft as a bolt of lightning the flash leaped upon pon them and shook their hearts with terror and darkness fell as qui quickly akly as the light had risen for those affrighted ones it was like the flying open of the doors of hell bell for only a fraction of a second they were blinded by the glare of its flames it may have revealed to one of them the fathomless deep of his own wickedness the girl gave a little cry as they fled hidden behind the broad base of the big tree shad had not been able to see bee them but he had bad seen the light fling itself through the tops and slender blender columns beyond him lie ile sat still out near the edge of the thicket he could dimly hear a sound like that of smothered sobbing this for only a moment then receding footsteps I 1 silence fell again not until long after he had heard miss Sp Spen enlows lowa clock tolling the hour of midnight did he arise from his station behind the tree As he be did so he heard a team starting away from some point near smithers store groping in the darkness he be found the camera and covered its lens ile he picked up Ms his things and set et out for the doctors house hla his learned friend slept in a bedroom on the first floor shad tapped on a win dow pane in accordance with the doctors tors request the good man arose and opened the front door well what luck they came and I 1 guess that ive got the photograph good work my boy I 1 the doctor exclaimed as he patted the shoulder of hla young friend ill put the camera in my dark room and show you to your tour bed perhaps we shall sleep better it if we do not know what it has ban to tell us until morning shed went to bed ills his excitement kept him awake until the keen eyed cocks had bad seen the light of dawn when he arose at eight hla his venerable friend was at breakfast he ha looked very grave have you developed the photograph shad asked yes tea and it la Is successful said the th e doctor 1 I was not surprised but I 1 was deeply saddened the whole trag fc story Is now as clear to me its as the 1 treet street 1 I 1 see through yonder window I 1 hope that you will not mind it if I 1 ask you to let the secret lie ile with me until it Is given to colonel blake it I 1 Is hall properly his secret the situation has come to its climax the time for decisive action has arrived I 1 think that you had batter go to the county seat and get in touch with the district attorney wherever be may be and tell him that he Is needed here at once I 1 am going down to and ca can n take you to the train as well as an not do you think that they saw you when the flash came 1 I am sure that they did not I 1 was so BO hidden that I 1 could not see them thein 11 I 1 he gave the scraps of con conversation that he be had bad overheard ah I 1 I 1 thought so its a kind of verbal flashlight on the past there was waa a call on the telephone the doctor answered it ill be there in a few minutes he sa bald id turning to shad he announced the girl Is sick this morning and no wonder while you finish fenish your breakfast ill go and see what I 1 can do for her the doctor returned saying her heart Is a bit troublesome shell get better naturally she Is a little depressed he put a sealed envelope in shad hands hand therein to Is the photograph of the man who killed oscar perry please give it to your chief and tell him how we came by it I 1 think that when he be looks at this photograph he will know how it all came about if not I 1 can tell him they got into the buckboard and drove away soon after they met bet out shad remarked 1 I had waited a long time in the darkness when I 1 heard miss altos Sp enlows clock strike eleven A little later I 1 heard a team gross cross the bridge I 1 knew that it had come from ashfield it stopped somewhere near probably in the shed at smithers store I 1 said to myself there la Is royce in a little while they walked into the trap A curious kind of a man I 1 the doctor exclaimed he Is ill this morning and has sent for me 1 I wonder how he learned that the airl was at miss Sp enlows 11 how could every one help learning it with dear miss Sp enlows tongue ts s limber as it ista Is they rode on in silence shad was just in time for his train near the depot in canton a little before twelve he met ruth blake ile he was on his way vay to the office you ton are going wrong she alie sold how so why because you yon are to eat luncheon with mother and me mother wants to save aye a talk with you yon come on 1 I hav got to see your fathers father he ill not get here hera until seven tonight hes been to CU I 1 but I 1 want to go to my room and change my linen and put on my very beat suit ault of clothes why all that 1 I must be dressed like a gentleman if it was any other girl I 1 care ruth kuth blushed a pretty joke she answered looking into his eyes hurry and well wait tor for you CHAPTER XIII the truth crushes its enemy sheridan morrison Mor ryson now a distinguished lawyer has written la ia a volume ot of reminiscences not to be released tor for publication until he has been lying ten years yearn in his grave that a boy ought to be careful in making the memories that are to go with him up the road lie ile has given the historian a limited right of quoting from this record of his early life he writes I 1 see cee mostly darkness when I 1 look back upon my young boyhood it was the darkness of ignorance and oppression with which I 1 could riot not be content but as I 1 look a light falls upon my way it came from gentle friendly faces mostly it was the light that shone out of the big honest blue eyes of a young girl I 1 began to teel feel the stir of a new life in me in a little 4 for only a fraction of a second they were blinded by the glare of its flames time the restless daring adventurous human being that I 1 am was born he ha knew his way no task was too great for him he had a strange faith in his fala heart that no undertaking was beyond his bis strength it if it was an illusion it was worth having I 1 knew mean and sordid people these I 1 have almost forgotten but I 1 do not forget or underestimate the kindly help smithers in spite of her narrowness or the gentle severity of betsy Sp enlow or the great heart ot of bumpy brown especially I 1 remember the keen intellect and fatherly counsel of the beloved doctor and the generosity of mr converse conversa and of colonel and mrs blake above all these forces that have helped to make me the man I 1 am Is in that light which long ago shone upon me out of a girls eyes I 1 was a romantic young knight of the age of chivalry when that day in december elated by my success in amity dam I 1 came to colonel blakes house I 1 sat down at the table with ruth and her mother cautiously I 1 tried to ease case the fullness of my heart forgive me if I 1 look at you too much I 1 said bald to the i beautiful girl it Is winter there are no flowers the trees are ara bare and my eyes long tor for something good to look at mrs blake smiled saying 1 I suggest that you turn your eyes on that portrait of a lovely lady looking down at you from the wall she Is very grand but her eyes tell me no secret her lips do not speak to me my heart beats no faster when I 1 I 1 look at her these things I 1 tell so BO that those who read may know that I 1 had an active imagination and et spirit not quite fitted to my time extravagance in dress and speech was the keynote of my youth the ladles liked me some men did not those who said eald that I 1 was a born liar have never understood me they will not understand me now when I 1 say that there la Is nu no on one so uninteresting as a born truth teller whose veracity has the precision of mathematics mrs blake knew my heart she faced me about with these words dear boy I 1 know that you mean what you say but you are on ark forbidden ground did I 1 noti not warn wara you to keep beep off the grass she was smiling my ardor had amused her truel true I 1 but when you gave gare me that warning you thought that I 1 was wag a child since colonel blake has told me that I 1 have done the dorte of a man lie he does not know it but I 1 have chave helped to solve the mystery which has baffled us so long I 1 present it to him she took my hand in hers a gentle motherly gesture she said you are a boy of a thousand brave thoughtful keen minded a gentleman I 1 am proud ot of you but you are only a boy in years even if you are a man in accomplishment you must be patient and watt wait a while before you yon can be engaged to marry 1 I can wait but the thought of it Is like a knife in my heart I 1 shall have to go away where I 1 can not see her when I 1 take her hand in mine when I 1 look into her eyes my heart Is telling her of my love I 1 should think that I 1 might as well say bay it with ray my tongue why not I 1 wonder not that she sha laughed 1 I think that you are a born pleader she answered the judge decides against you but you can take your case casa to a higher court why do you not appeal to the colonel ruth had been silent but amused by these proceedings I 1 turned to her and asked nave have I 1 your permission to appeal I 1 think that she never looked so beautiful as it 8 when oh she e I 1 turned to me and answered qui quite t e seriously of course well appeal mother knows how to bribe him 1 I shall be seared scared I 1 know what he will do he eie will remind mo me of the brass cannon and tell me that he uses it to shoot at young fellows who want to marry his daughter then mrs mra blake offered a suggestion which betrayed her sympathy it wits waa this you will say aay that you are not the kind 0 of f man who finds discouragement at the cannons mouth I 1 arose and went to her side and kissed her I 1 knew that my case was wan more than halt half won this much Is taken bakert directly from the memoirs of the accomplished lawyer and statesman it accurately reflects the romantic terror fervor of hla his temperament pe the forces that lifted him out of the slough of his bla boyhood and started him on hla his triumphant way the pride he took in the approval of the friends who had done so BO much for him the illuminating passage should be associated with the query which ends hla his review of an unusual and most happy career it la Is now how in any land save this could a boy born as I 1 was and bound for many years to a life of hard conditions have won the friends the peace the plenty that have long been mine colonel blake returned that evening from his bis journey in the west wast bringing good news lie ile said algyre has been convicted I 1 have in my pocket a sworn conf confession uloa of his part in the crime at amity dam the doctors theory was correct the plan was argyres Algy res ile he planted the revolver and the cartridges on bumpy brown ile ha was to get a certain sum eum of money he got only halt of IL it TO EH 1312 CONTINUED |
