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Show i ' ywywW vrrvrvvvrvvrrvvvrvyrrvyvyvvyivrvvrvYYyvy vw-y wwi'S; I ; What the my House MM ! j The Mystery of a Haunted Mansion i Copyrlgrlu'by WyndVam Martyn WyTUUMim Mart ytt THE STORY HiltoD Hanby has purchased a country place the Gray house, near Pine Plains. Miss Selenoa, a former tenant, warns him that the house is under a curse. Further alarming details are Impressed Im-pressed upon Adolf Smucker. Hanby'a secretary, by a man who claims to have been chauffeur for Sir Stanford Seymour, former occupant oc-cupant of the place. The Han-bys Han-bys laugh oft the warnings. But they are shocked when they hear that the caretaker of the Gray house, a man named Kerr, has been mysteriously murdered Hanby consults bis friend Pel-ham. 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 dangercus pond near the house. In which several children have been drowned, has since been filled In, but he urges Pel-ham 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 partv. Mrs. Hanby declares she likes the house. Pelham becomes a mem-oer mem-oer of the household, with the official title of "house detective." 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 During the weeks before the Han-bys Han-bys could occupy the Gray house there were no more unpleasant messages mes-sages or telephonic communications to disturb them. Only one person had interested himself sufficiently to call up Hanby at his office. The voice proclaimed itselt as be longing to a name so Indistinctly enunciated that Hanby was not sure whether it was Bayies, Vales, Bailey or Valley. When he tried to make sure tfvhieh. the voice replied with no clarifying effect- Hanby thought be might get it latet In the conversation "1 am enlling you up," said the stranger, "to congratulate you on your purchase of the Gray house. Ton may recall that we met some time ago at the Metropolitan club." Hanby remembered lunching at this distinguished club and being Introduced Intro-duced to several Influential men. "Thank you," be saJd cordially Tod know the house?" "Very well. 1 looked over It re cently with the Intention of purchas Ing It, but the accommodation was In sufficient. As you perhaps know, 1 bought a larger place at Westbury.'' Assuredly this was a Metropolitan club member! Thirty rooms were not eDougb for him. "I want to ask you a special favor," the voice went on, "I am deeply Interested In-terested In ornithology. I have even contributed to the literature of the subject. One of the reasons why I 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 with dense creepers and .flowering shrubs. Innumerable birds take shelter there little birds. I mean Immune from their winged enemies 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?" Hanby asked. "I want yon to do nothing. Leave the place to the songsters. A bird sanctuary Is not unsightly. To me It Is beautiful. Whut. after nil. are five acres out of two hundred? Yon will be rewarded by seeing some of our most exquisite song birds." The 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, snnwflnke, phoebe, bobolink. bobo-link. Indigo bunting, rose hrensted gm.-benk. kinglet, wren and others." "It's a Cue Idea," said Mr. Hanby warmly. "I'm glad you fold me. I was Just going to have the place cleared out, bemuse I thought It was useless. I love birds myself, and I'm all for preserving them." "I was told that you were a high type of citizen, Mr. Handy," the voice said gratefully. "I hope to do myself the honor of calling upon you soon. Good-hy I" "Now, who the devil was It?" linn by nsked himself. He spoke of the birr) sanctuary at dinner. Ills family was enthusiastic "It's a beauliful Idea." said IHrin "1 was idling to put a sunken rose garden there, but we have heaps ot other places." "Why do birds go there?" Tim llarihy asked. "Ilea use they tret fond mid wafer there." His father hud r-Tii h In rl his memory on the 1 1 1 j -1 "There h ti Fprlng Unit keeps the "limbs end bushes nllve and llmni-Mug Cluck berries and ol Met wild finirs and nor . ru-s grow there In prolusion" "I'l-l you say tlml Hie man p name llayl k'" Dltin in-led. "Or Bayliss, or Bailey something like that He seemed to think that I ought to remember him. He's going to call on us. He's probably a multl 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, bad a shotgun and a 6mnll rifle, and a passion pas-sion for using them. A struggle went on In him. "I promise," he said. Tim's parents knew that, mischievous mis-chievous as the hoy was, be would keep his word. He solaced himself with the thought that there were many rabbits to be had, not to mention men-tion crows, bawks, 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!" 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 house sanctuary a place sacred to happiness! happi-ness! Happiness Is not a vice, as they used to regard It when my grandparents grand-parents were young. It's a sacred thing." "LIsteD to the crane talking I" Celia 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-lyannlsh pol-lyannlsh though I may be, to beat you at almost every sport there Is ten nls. 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 bad 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, md 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 Dlna ; "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 saddlp horse at Durlnnd's." With these kind hut 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. "1 wish my family was like tills,' remarked Leslie Barron. "We do nothing but quarrel at every meal That's the main reason Cm going back to New Haven. I believe happiness Is catching. I feel a different belnu here." "You don't mean yon feel actually happy here?" Celia asked. "Absolutely," he answered. "Family, friends, alt!" Celia cried "Look at a happy man, and then wonder won-der what he looks like when he's sad !" Les flushed a little. "I feel happy Inside," he said, de fending himself. "lie smiled last Tuesday afier noon," Junior said. "I saw him. Sure he's happy. Let him alone. Celia." "Shut up!" said Les. "She lets me alone too much as It Is. L'p there " "At Pine Plains," Celia told him "Lona will he your constant companion." com-panion." Lona was the sixteen-year-old girl now at boarding school, "Not this time,' Uinn remarked "Lona wants to go to IJurope with three other girls mid one of the leach ers, and we're going to let her go " "Look I" Celia cried. "Ills dally smile I And poor Lona simply wor ships him. He has driven her abroad, and now he laughs at the havoc be has wrought I" 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 tenants 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 bad 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, Dlna breathed a slgb of content. "I have always wanted Just such a place as this," she said, squeezing ber husband's hand. "You never told me so," he replied reproachfully. "I thought It was the unattainable," said Dlna. "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 I didn't know the ball 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 her. "Incidentally, 1 bad to reduce out thirty rooms to twenty-elgbt. Isnt this a whale of a place for dances?" Eagerly he pointed out the great open fireplace. "The flue goes right up through 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." Dlna 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 dls approves. "No member shall disapprove ol what any other member says or does." "Gels '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." Dlna 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, Hll 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 elsewhere, else-where, bent on slaying rabbits. Therf was not a hint In the whole place of the tragedies which had happened within its bounds. Summer bragged on every tree. The first dinner was one of those happy functions at which every one talks vivaciously and no one troubles to listen. Exclamation points ended every sentence. I.os smiled openly and the house detective was o(T duty "My Job's a sinecure," said Bill Pel ham. "I really had no right to take It, after accepting the honor of belnc hoe man In chief to Dlna." "Your work begins tomonow,'' Mrs Hanby told him. "I want you to sur vcy a place for a sunken rose gar den." "I'll set the alarm for daybreak," In said. lie was up very early next monilnt Only Tim, rille In hand, equaled him Tim was lifter the early rabbit the unheeding squirrel. Pelham hue decided on a local Ion for the rose garden when Cello stopped bnfor. him. To labor thnf we love we rlw betimes, and go to It with delight,'' he quoted. CclTa sat down on a grassy bank. (TO UH CONTINUICD.) |