Show WATERS by anna mcclure shell copyright by W 0 G chapm chapman service SYNOPSIS on her way to a acuity faculty position in loftland Lost land academy janet mercer meets prot prof arthur fleming also on his way to the academy at the school they are struck by an air of mystery per bading the place gordon haskell pro krietor welcomes them wilton payne completes the academy faculty in a schoolroom janet finds a group which the teachers had supposed were schol ars are wax figures hashell haskell explains unusual circumstances connected with the con conduct d act ot of the academy among the pupils la Is berenice bracebridge daughter of the late owner ot of the school the story of the tragedy of loftland Lost land academy Is that of two sis and two brothers of berenice who lost their lives in the water at the same moment some years ago the wax figures were modeled in the like nesses of the tour four children and doctor Brace bracebridge bridges s will provided that they must be preserved payne learns from berenice that the uncouth giant whom janet had seen with haskell Is na named m ed balder and Is a valuable servant F from rom an old farmer jerry moore the only witness of the drowning of the chil dren payne learns particulars of the tragedy he begins to take an increase ing interest in berenice as fleming does in janet reading diaries kept by the late dr jethro dge payne senses something sinister in the drown ing of the children in the belfry of the old church he finds a long discarded christmas tree its presence puzzles him CHAPTER V continua Conti nud 16 sl e turned holding out tl e card see what air payne found and she told them the story her eyes bril biant her cheeks flushed as if the in aident had excited her not every thing is lost la in loftland Lost land and some things beyond price arc arl found wilton r reflected here we rest he called at length from an eminence where he and ber enice stood tall and straight a alnet the honey colored sl y the elevation commanded all the rugged country about them they could not see the academy and wll wit ton was ras glad of this berenice seemed more than content seated on a fallen tree trunk her hinds hands clasped about her knees they R were ere rather old fash boned tl e four of them berenice be cause of her seclusion the oti oft er three for the reason that life had pre dented serious problems to them problems of livelihood and education it was ras natural they should think it quite wonderful to have such a view spread at their feet while payne from an anthold anthology Y he had brought read aloud the eve ene of st agnes these lovers fled away into the file storm seemed a thrilling climax while clouda raced across tie tl e intensely blue sky and the s lence of the lonely world about them was broken only by distant gunshots the farmer boes after par bridges it would be a rire rare privilege to have an en eve e of st agnes these daa davs sa janet remarked and flee away aay only there s nothing as a rule to flee from I 1 arthur was reflecting that one could not be too sure this R was as true and payne too wondered if the old acad eny emy would not prove some day a good place to flee from would that he might take berenice not into storm but out of it seated on the tree trunk her nobly modeled head and her bright sweater shone out as clearly against the indigo folds of the hills as it if she were in a painting by a modern span ish master arthur was ras looking in bently at janet and wondering how long he could go on without tellin telling her I 1 e loved her isow now it seemed b by y those strange anachronisms of love ione that he had known her long before he ever met her how automatically has kell was left out of all their plans and plea pleasures surest I 1 he ile wondered if the man had ever been in love ione their v way ay home took them past the deserted village at that hour the long stra gling row of crumbling houses sunk in to their ancient orchards presented a ghostly unearthly air the empty windows seemed watching the road for inhabitants who were never to return A ruddy glow not of the sunset was traced to a burning pile of rubbish at the back of the church looming above it was balder like a basalt image for his face and clothes were dark with soot he saluted them with more courtesy than was ras his wont don t you want to u warm arm you balder berenice said as they gath ered around the fire do you kemem ber her the last christmas tree we had lu in the academy balder rolled his black eves ekes do I 1 sure I 1 do I 1 and I 1 know where it Is too I 1 saw it only yesterday the remains of it its it s up in the belfry 0 the church there how on earth did it get there he had a pitchfork in his left I 1 and and on this he rested med tat natively ively watching the fire which lit up all their faces and made janet s sweater glow like a coat of gold III tell you what I 1 know of its history after that christmas it was thrown out on one of the sheds base and all and lav there for months with some b ts of tinsel sticking to it then norman he found it and he and jethro took it up the ravine to be a flagpole in front of their tent near the whirl hirl they had a tiny tent there thit that summer safe shale crumbly under their very beds but there the pole was on its stand it got washed down in the spring freshets and bobbed up la in the lake take again I 1 fished it out and brought it down here to burn with nith some other rubbish some children bust must have haie lunged it t up those belfry stairs I 1 remember n aissin it wl en I 1 came down donin to set fire to the stuff I 1 nen never er thought no more about that old dried tree till I 1 see it yesterday arthur and janet dropped behind berenice and wilton on the way home I 1 don t think I 1 ayne ought to have told her about tt it at tree he said that poor child Is too morbidly in fit te rested in everything connected with her brothers and sisters wilton was ras meanwhile saying to berenice if I 1 were you I 1 would not sl bieak eak of the old tree to mr air haskell askell II atter after all he has his memories too and it may be as well ell not to revive them I 1 hats true truel I 1 hope you will all stay here until I 1 am tRen twenty tyone one she added impulsively bo so far as I 1 am concerned nothing could drive me away aray As they entered the grounds has kell and one of tl e farmers of the neighborhood came slowly down the walk wall together As they pa passed sed ler ber enice and wilton the farmer was as say ing I 1 can t make silly sally come if sl dont want rant to cornel comet and she shea s afraid tl ey heard no more but another moment hasi ell came running after them of all the ridiculous non sense I 1 must say he panted as I 1 e came up to them here heres s obadiah welford over to tell me his daughter sally I 1 as nerves about this place and t want to come to school any more TI biats at s a pit pity 7 milton said for ashes quick and bright really we vie can t allow her to drop out do you want me to walk alk over oner to the IN welford elford farm and talk to her haskell brightened a little I 1 wah you von would go ov over er 1 sunday after noon berenice will show you the a ay one would think when these people had a chance at education they wouldn t be deterred by silly stories and payne if convenient I 1 id d III e you to go to blondale Birn dale next saturday for some supplies where Is if IV up the line you can drive drie your self over it if aou ou want to its about fifteen miles a metropolis compared to blade almost a thousand indah stants and a motion picture thea theater terl 1 wilton was nias already sure of one er rand he would perform at blondale Birn dale he would have haie a duplicate made of the key hey to the room in which the four was wax figures were stored berenice should go there when she wished when he had been in his rooms a few minutes arthur appeared I 1 wish we re anere vere going to move 0 out ut of this place tonight he announced ab raptly dean of the mat matt emathes what s on your mind you know I 1 am not a nervous individual I 1 came up here as full of health and spirits as a mm man could be bel I 1 don t tell me you re afraid of those four wax ax figures I 1 m might ig h t a as s well say a y first as 1 last as t sf that tha t I 1 a am m a and n d so Is janet a but it s a sense of some danger still lurking 9 were we brought up to serve serie some purpose other than our utility as teachers how should I 1 fleming know more than you it if I 1 conjecture my guess is that we were sent for because ber der enice insisted on the terms of her father s will being compi ed with that she should be well educated gainly she Is getting intensive training now it if she ever did payne told arthur of the proposed expedition to borndale Birn dale that means I 1 can get a duplicate key made of tie tl e wax figure room door for ber enice s use you think she ought to have one shell feel more at ease I 1 could have hane told her where haskell askell II hid the key but I 1 thought it might male mal e trouble if he found she knew its hid ing place it may make trouble ary arv R way ay I 1 can sympathize with inith her hek the four figures have seemed much more oppressive to me since they were locked in if they were kept openly upstairs as we saw them that first f night for eNery everybody body to look at and remember or forget as he chose we wed d soon all forget them I 1 lou on can t remember any thing that s constantly under dour our nose there was ras a knock on the door mrs denver stood there looking quit white I 1 hate to trouble you mr wilton and you 11 think me very ery fool ish but mother martha has been in the kitchen talking of those four calill dren she even told me what nhat they had on that day jethro and norman in corduroys the little girl isibel isabel a green silk blouse althea in a violet dress wash dress I 1 tl ink she said I 1 listened as patiently as I 1 could be cause the old have so few to listen to them but when mr haskell askell II came in and asked me to go in that room and see that everything was right in there and to dust around a bit I 1 confess im too nervous to go alone I 1 did he give you the key mrs den ver yes and I 1 am to put it into his own hands again go with you I 1 I 1 should think haskell askell II wouldn it send you in there at this hour of the day but III glad ly go with you von mrs denver they were passing through the hall when gordon haskell askell II met them he ile was wearing his academic cloak and looked more scholarly than usual well was everything right he ad dressed mrs denver denner I 1 haven ha vent t been yet sir pane may I 1 see you a mo moment menti TO BE CONTINUED |