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Show re mi or mm in CHAPTER XII Continued 23 "1 don't wonder," Weld declared, "and yet you bad all sorts of friends and servants at band, 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 a 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 appear ap-pear interested. "Then there might be outlaws and bad men watching us right now?" Weld's enswer appalled him. "There are," said Swithin Weld. "I meant to hava asked you If you'd Been anyone who answered to the description de-scription given by the fire warden. This man was a big, wild-looking bird with a rifle. Phllbrlck, the fire warden, knows every one for miles around, but he'd never set eyes on him before. He thinks It's a bootlegger bootleg-ger blazing a trail d'owD from the Canadian border." "More probably a tramp," Trent suggested. "They often 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 recognized recog-nized his own voice. "What do you think?" he demanded. "I don't know what to say. The thing that puzzles me Is what he wanted to prowl around this place for at about two o'clock tills morning." morn-ing." "That's Interesting," Trent cried. "How near was he?" Weld turned to the quaking Grant. 'Tou know that big tree outside your window, the one they call Washington's Wash-ington'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 1 thought Grant, to speculate on a man his heart told blm 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 of defense could I have made to a judge and Jury if 1 admitted I took a pot shot at a man who might be innocent of any wrong-doing? I propose we stalk him tonight aud find out all about him." "Fine," Trent agreed, his eyes sparkling. "He doesn't stand a chance against the three of us." "The three!" Grant echoed. Not for worlds would he venture into the gloom of that forest by night. He knew It would be his fate to find the stranger face to face. While the others oth-ers were creeping along wrong trails Sutton would have him at his mercy. Grant's flesh guaked at the thought. "Don't you want to be In on the fun?" Weld demanded. "I do not," Grant said Irritably. "To begin with, you'll never catch him. and I don't want to go stumbling over roots aud brambles In the dark looking look-ing for a single man in a forest as big as this." "Tou needn't come If you feel that way," said Weld, "but it won't be as hard to get him as you think. We shall wait until everything Is quiet and he comes out to gaze at your vmdow " "My window I" Grant cried. "You are the only person with a room at the southwest corner. I'll swear he was looking up at your room." "I'll put a bullet through his head If he looks up again," Grant said savagely. sav-agely. His terrors were making him careless of any feelings but his own. "1 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 murder, It 'would be self-defense," Grant answered sullenly. sullen-ly. "I'm not going to be threatened and not put up a fight" Trent looked at him wltb a sudden interest. "Then you know who it Is?" he demanded. de-manded. Grant was conscious that he had said too much. With a tremendous effort he pulled himself together. "No more than you do," he returned. "It's this constant talk of crime that gets me nervous." Trent turned to Weld and discussed methods of capture. It was plain to Grant 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. But first there, was this damnable night to live through. As a rule, after dinner Grnnt sat In the library before the open fire while the others played billiards. Tonight he would not remain alone. He followed fol-lowed them Into the billiard room, but declined to play. His nerves were In no condition for that That they Ignored Ig-nored him did not hurt his feelings 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 reading read-ing lamp over the bed. From the out-sUle out-sUle It would eeera the room was dark. There came a rap at his door. There was no way of locking or barrlna ft wyndham martyn ' Copyright by Barse A Hopklng - - WNU Service " ' " as he had long ago found out It was Anthony Trent who came in. 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 be outside to think yon 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 but you give me the Impression of being under a terrific strain." "I 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 coLfession's good for the soul. Yon must know "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 life 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 at 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 conqueriug 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 Swithin Swith-in Weld. "I 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. 1 prefer this way of getting a confession." confes-sion." From the window to which he crept timorously, Payson 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 than he. It was difficult to resist the temptation to extinguish his light. He hoped the two men would not wander too far afield. Almost he wished be had gone with them. Here, he was In a trap. In fact, the trap was baited with Payson Grant The oriental drug of which a medical medi-cal friend had warned him was close at hand. He gulped down one of the pellets eagerly. Anything would be better tlwin this fear which had be- t t . 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-filled slumber from which ordinary or-dinary disturbances could not 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 him. His sleep had lasted but half an hour. Although his first Impression bad been one of absolute quiet he could heat, as bis ears grew accustomed to It that the silence was broken continually con-tinually by Innumerable little sounds. Boards creaked. Insects called shrilly. shril-ly. Even the winds in the trees seemed to menace him. His hand crept underneath bis pillow for the automatic pistol. He was still in his dressing gown ; be slipped the weapon Into his pocket and sat up in bed. By Oils 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 of a nervous child. He was certain that somewhere In this deserted bouse 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 at it in pitiable horror, hor-ror, he heard, with great clearness now, footsteps advancing along the corridor to his door. It was only now that he knew those other more vague sounds had not been man-made. The steps approaching had In them nothing noth-ing of furtiveness or stealth. He snatched np 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 np 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 bad dragged himself across the room Sutton, after lighting a cigarette, sank into the chair opposite. op-posite. "When I last saw you," he began, "1 swore to kill you on sight I thought then that ncthlng 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 calm, quiet man frightened him more than he could have believed possible. "You are going to taste the same bitterness that I experienced. You do not yet realize what that means. In the first place you will be 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. You will see your friends avert their eyes from you. Those who believed In you wilt look with scorn. And In the end like me you will lose Natica. Is not that better for me than If 1 were to take your life, here and now?" Payson Grant was oppressed with the Inevitability of this fate. 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 fouglu for something to say to this stern and silent man. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |
