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Show fTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTJ E What the j E Gray House 3 Hid 3 The Mystery of a j r lljuntej Mansion j E 3 LfvWynuham Martyn j W. N. T7. Servlea Copy right by Wy ndham M.irtya THE STORY Hilton Hanby has purchased country viae the Gray house, near Pine Plains. Miss Selenos. a former tenant, warns him that the house Is under a cures. Further ttlarmtnK details are Impressed Im-pressed upon Adolf Smuckrtr, Hanby'a secretary, by a man w ho claims to have been chauffeur for Sir Stanford Seymour, former occupant oc-cupant of the place. The Han-bys Han-bys lauh off the warnings Hut they are shocked when they har that the caretaker of the Gray house, a man named Kerr, hae been mysteriously murdered. Hanby consults his friend Pel-ham. Pel-ham. The family starts for the new home. Appleton. a clerk of Douglas and Smith, tlu- agent from whom Hanby bought the Gray house, urcres Pelham todis-auade todis-auade Hanby from occupying the Gray house. Hanby considers asking ask-ing Leslie Farron, long an ad-mirer ad-mirer of Ceha, to join the house party. Mrs. Hanby declares she likes the house. Pelham becomes a member of the household. Leslie Les-lie Barron arrives making four able-bodied members of the Hanby Han-by household, A phone call from a man who declares he Is an old acquaintance of Hanby's and Interested In ornithology, but whom Hanby cannot identify, urges him to preserve a part of the grounds as a bird sanctuary. The Idea appeals to Hanby and he makes the promise. The Han-bys Han-bys take possession of the Gray house. A stranger Introducing himself as Frederick Appleton, calls at the Gray house and Is welcomed because of his Interest In bird life. Hanby foresees trou- ble in connection with work to be done on the estate with which he is unfamiliar, and gladly engages en-gages Appleton as his agent. CHAPTER VI Continued 11 "Bill." said Les presently, -you give me the Idea of being constantly on the watch." "What do I get five and a quarter a day for?" "Seriously, Bill, what makes you look as If you thought there was something menacing around?" "Do 1 give myself away to that ei tent? How artless of mel 1 thought I was Just registering firm determina Hon." Tve seen yon stalking around at night. Why? Let me In on it. Ton know Vm not likely to spill It. Bill, as maD te man, what makes you look so darned aurious?" Bill Pelham lowered his voice. "As man to man, Les, there is dan ger. I have made some very remark able discoveries. You mustn't tell even Jnnlor, because Dina baa some psychic way of knowing when bet children are worried, and this is not a matter for Joking. Here's Junior now." "HI, Bill!" Junior shouted, coming toward them. "There's a lawyer lady all the way from New lork. Dad - wants yon to come." Bill Pelham looked at Les with triumph. "You see that every one ol my statements has been verified. 1 stated stat-ed distinctly that she had come from New York to see me. Her shoes were bought at the one city in America where they are sold. Her gloves could oniy have come from Mustrell's. on the Avenue. 1 recognized the crumb of cake on ber second chin as made only by Mary Elizabeth's New York branch." The house detective made bis way to the big halL The brisk professional profession-al woman was Introduced as Doctor Byers. "1 hold degrees In medicine and law," she said. "1 really can't say whether I'm here today as a lawyer or as a DsvchoDath." "Bill," said Hanby, "the great Sel-enos Sel-enos mystery Is about to be cleared up." "1 can hardly agree that It Is a mystery," mys-tery," objected the visitor. "At all events I'm glad yon came, and not your vengeful client. She Is a dynamo of unpleasant energy." "How little you know her!" Doctor Doc-tor nyers commented. "If one may regard her as a dynamo, she is the kind of dynamo which uses all its force for a few moments and then has long periods of iDertia, during ' which current Is being generated for some future use. 1 am not sure that my knowledge of dynamos is sound, but you no doubt get my meaning After her Interview with you my cli ent was prostrated for a month. She is Intensely nervous now too nervous. nerv-ous. In fact, even to come here." "I'm bound to say she made a verv poor impression on me." Hnnhy said "It Is her unfortunate way. She suffers intensely from delusions of persecution. She particularly loathes and despise men unjustly 1 believe." "What is ber Interest In this house . from which she was evicted for Don payment of rent?" "That's the very thing I've come nliout, Mr. lluntiy. You don't mind If 1 smoke a cigarette, do you? Thanks I 1 must nxk you to bo pti tlciit for a few moments. It la a truism to say that everything Is tvlu-Uvo, tvlu-Uvo, Isn't It? Very well, then. If you, or 1, or Miss Sulonos, believe in our hearts that some one tiling or an other, apparently luslgnllhiint In itself, it-self, Is the most vital thing In our lives, that thing is actually the most Important. This Is modern teaching The trouble Is that we Jmle the Interests In-terests of others by our own standards" stand-ards" She turned to Hill Pelham. "Jiizi music, to you, may be the most Important thing since Tubal Oiln's time. I despise IL To me n tine symphony orchestru represents music at Its apotheosis." ''I knew It." declared Hill, gratified '1 said so." "1 don't think you quite under stand." said Doctor Byers. a little pu?.zled. "1 think we do," remarked Hnnhy "What you mean Is that the thlnn motivating your client will seem verj Insignificant to us. What Is her Interest In-terest lu my house, and why did she 3 Mjj r44K' i "Undoubtedly the Poor Creatur Is Mad," Said Hanby. desire me not to live here? I should like to know how my family can desecrate dese-crate It. I think that was the word she used." "All she wants to do," said Doctor Beyers, "is to be allowed to remove something she burled here. She has bad great trouble. It seems that Douglas & Smith referred ber to a Mr. Appleton, who had complete j charge of bouses and properties list ed In this county." "A most conscientious man," Hnn by said warmly. "1 know him well." "Ferhaps too conscientious. My client, having vivid dislikes, immediately immedi-ately declared him to be a libertine scoundrel and thief." "Your client," asserted Hanby, -should be In the county asylum for the Insane." "I disagree. She is neither dangerous danger-ous nor likely to become a charge on the community. She believes that Appleton arranged the eviction In order or-der to spite her. Certainly it need not have been so drastic She did not refuse to pay the rent because she was without means. She refused because certain alterations were oot carried out These alterations were not embodied In the contract that Appleton drew up. Legally she had no case. She is sure that Apple-toD Apple-toD deliberately tricked her. She was so upset that she went to Algeclras to live. When she came back, she made another effort to rent the place through Douglas 4 Smith. They referred re-ferred her to Appleton again, and be refused." "Wny?" Pelham asked. "It stood empty long enough." "Appleton would not recommend her to old Miss Coryell, who owned It. as a suitable client Miss Coryell Cor-yell believed In him Implicitly. It seems amazing that Mr. Douglas can place such reliance on him." "Not amazing to those who know him," Hanby retorted, unable to see why Frederick Appleton should be criticized thus. "My client appealed to successive tenants to allow her to remove what she had buried, but again the Apple-ton Apple-ton Influence Intervened. One ten ant, a Mr. Seymour, seemed likely to no tiKrccuhle, but Appleton sloped that. He Informed Mr. Seymour that a tenant has no legal right to ullow any excavation without the consent of the owner, Miss Coryell. I.Ike most L'ngllslimen, Mr. Seymour was afraid of offending ugainst any suiti statutes ns heiltu about landowners, and had to rcfu. He laid the blame squarely on Appleton. My client, having no legal adviser nt the time, behaved with ni-ent unwisdom. She hired men to go there by night, ami Appleton bobbed up In time to prevent pre-vent them from entering. I regret to sny that Mis Selenos mnile a regrettable re-grettable scene." "I am bound to say 1 am not drawn to her," Hnnhy remarked. "1 had a very unpleasant Interview wllh her. What has she burled? Why did she bury It?" "Mr. Hanby," Doctor Byers said In her pleasant voice, "forget for u minute min-ute that she ollVndecl you. Consider her as a lonely old woman grievously deceived by a man forty years nc,o Is she the lirst to become embittered? Is she the first to turn to what we call the lower animals?" "You mean those dogs?" "I mean those dogs. The dug Is the or.ly animal that has ever made nn alliance with man, the only animal that will brave (k'litb for Its owner, the only really unselfish thing In Ihe world." Doctor Byers looked about her. "You have everything one of the loveliest women In America for a wife, beautiful children, riches, and this home. My client has nothing hut her love for dogs. The second shock of her life was when four of ber dogs were poisoned here. 1 suppose, If I tell you she believed that Appleton did it, you will smile." "L'ndouhtedly the poor creature Is mad," said Hanby. His voice was not so vindictive now. It was true, he thought, that he hud everything health, happiness, freedom from monetary care, a friend like Bill Pelham. Insensibly his mood softened. "She had leaden caskets made nnd burled them out on a little lawn where a sundial stood. It shocked her Immeasurably to leurn that Mr. Seymour had removed the dial and made a tennis lawn. She Is new Id a position to pay for any damages. I may say I am here to make you an offer for this house considerably In excess of what you paid for It " "It Is not In the market," replied Hanby. 'Then will you let her have the little lead Collins removed?" Hnnhy smiled a little. "I suppose yon know that my family, fam-ily, who are devoted to that grass court, will be singularly pleased." "She is prepared to pay." "No money will buy a ready-made grass tennis court," be reminded her. "Is that a refusal?" "Does It meun so much to that old woman?" "It means so much that you would not believe it" "All right 1" Hanby said, sighing "Go ahead!" But the lawn was not wrecked. With a sharp steel probe, the house detective discovered the leaden boxes They were Immediately under the net The removal was skillfully done Even Junior did not know It had tuk en place. "Now that It Is all over," said Doctor Doc-tor Byers, "I am commissioned to ask Mrs. Hanby If 6he will accept this emerald." Hanby could see that the stone set In a pendant, was of great value. "We couldn't think of it," he declared. de-clared. "Why not? My client, now that her California property is clear, Is certainly worth SS.lXKi.OOO. She Is a very remarkable woman. Please no tice that she did not offer this as a bribe. If you do not take It, ber dl rections are explicit I am to throw it Into the lake." "Oh. Hil 1" said Dina, later. "This Is another of the things I've always wanted. It's the most gorgeous stone I've ever seen !" "You never told me so," be replied almost Jealously. "It would have made you nnhappj to know there was something you could not give me." "So that's the Selenos mystery p he said, meditating. "Poor old soul ! She couldn't bear the Idea of young barbarians at play on her burying ground. Well. If she's happier now. I'm glad, but as a mystery It has fliwered badly." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |