Show E EBONY B NY WATERS I 1 by anna mcclure Covy copyright right by W G 0 chi chapman aman I 1 servi a e SYNOPSIS on her way to a faculty position I 1 in L loftland Lost land academy janet mercer meets prof arthur fleming also on his way to the academy at the school they are struck by an air of 0 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 haskell explains unusual circumstances connected with the conduct of 0 the academy among the pup Is Is berenice bracebridge daughter of the late owner of the school the story of the tragedy of loftland Lost land nd academy Is that of two s a and t vo brothers of berenice who lost the r lives 1 in the water wits some so years ago the wax figures were mod aled in the likenesses of the four and doctor dge s will provided that they n be preserved payne learns from berenice that an uncouth giant whom janet jarlet had seen with hash hask ell Is named balder baider and Is a valuable servant prom from jerry moore the only witness ot of the drowning of the chil dren davne learns parti particulars cula ys of the tragedy he ile begins lo 10 take an increase ing interest in berenice as fleming does in janet reading diaries kept by doctor dge payne senses something sinister in the drowning of the children in the belfry of the old church he finds a long discarded christ mas tree its presence puzzles him balder baider makes a halting billing explanation of its preservation CHAPTER V continued 17 I 1 am going down with mrs den ver why ashes afraid haskell askell II gave an impatient tion how now glad be when ber enice attains her majority then well have no more of the wax figures well let the dusting go mrs denver dealer here give me the key hey really a woman of your years should have hale better sense lou IOU SI should have mentioned the figures in 3 sour our letter s sr r she gae gale back unless you were vere afraid to men tion them ile scowled ed but made no answer payne was vms moving moning toward t tie e library no not there therel 1 here in tie ile drawing draving room lou IOU dont favor the library much too many memories of my poor stepfather what I 1 want to say Is this balder tells me tl at berenice was talk ing about a christmas tree the family had the year before the accident now what started her on that isn t it natural her mind sa s1 s sometimes go back to the very early days its it s just as well 3 ou on should not en courage her recollections I 1 want her to look forward not bad bael I 1 with all my heart so do I 1 I 1 why wily Is tl ti at door kept locked na W ilton added the archives of tl ti e parish are tire kept in a cl el est in tl at room haskell askell II ex smoothly oh v well ell there s every enery reison ies les every eiery reason the t two 0 men faced each other across the marble topped center table one like a study in burnt umber the other a bold and melancholy etching in black and white hasi hasl ell s dead wl ite hand pressed down against th ahr marble his veins as blace black as the veins eins in the stone 11 s ring had cut a scarlet circle about his ring finger payne ie went on 3 QU ou don dont t know how oppressive this ancient place is to me I 1 id d like to leave leane it to Us its ivy and its bats and the ghosts of all the dead presidents could come and ring its bell if they had a mind to ah beren ce come in she stood in the doorway ale sl e had changed to a black taffeta dress wit i many any ruffles that stood out ike 1 ke the petals of a black rose wilton went away aray berenice watched him go and her guard an appeals ng her as the prett est of sublunary girls in that quaint dress remarked jealously lou iou have liale brightened vera ver much since these teachers came naturally 1 they lave transformed the place don t get too fond of them tl TI ey will not be I 1 ere forever neither shall 11 II no after your majority or bour marriage we re can sell the old place though Y who ho in would buy it I 1 don dont t know unless it were ere some doctor to turn it into a sanatorium I 1 les es it migi t make a sanatorium I 1 iou ou might be the doctor oh no nothing I 1 ke he that ber der enice darling I 1 i ve e hoped for just gnp thing during the course of these 3 jears ears sl SI e met his eyes steadily though she knew what was corn coin ng had known it before the ministering angels of education had appeared upon the scene it was her acute realization of the trend of her guard an s emo eions that had led indeed to her demanding a small corps of teachers to finish her education together with a strong though dimly defined instinct that it if any ghosts haunted the old academy it was the specter of a mys tery not 3 et solved just one thing he said brokenly your love the hope that some day you would be my wife she hesitated before she answered him guardian that can naver bel bei 11 s astonishment his pain was gen nine across her mind floated the memory of a fairy tale once told her by mother alother martha of a wolf who desired to become human gordon has kell s eyes at that moment were oddly I 1 ke he those of a wounded animal baffled in its attempt to step from its own kingdom into another you IOU are very young berenice do not be final I 1 know that it could never be guard an why not he gasped crisply IN hat is wrong rong with nith me that you can not love me lov loi e doesn doean t come at a call you ve been very cry good devoted to our fam 14 tl ile stepped back a few paces his face ashy white his hand clutching with the old gesture of pain at his heart you IOU have bale an athael t shall I 1 bring y ou on water rater yes I 1 es hurry I 1 ile was as sitting by the fire when she returned after drinking the water he stra gt gi bened up again and mut I 1 must avoid emotion don dont t let these teachers make mahe love to you berenice you have money they irive none she flushed with anderl anger how can you imply such things guard guar d an aal I 1 ley have hale been most kind to me anyone is kind I 1 think who stas s in this old academy they are well paid I 1 eople of their attainments would be well paid anywhere I 1 it its S a kind of high sacrifice and devotion to stay here I 1 ile looked furtively at her why because lecause of the wax figures and the old sad demor es balder baider says the last christmas tree we ever had Is in the belfry room it ought to be de ed ill tell him to burn it and I 1 sl like the key ley to the room wl ere the figures are iso no no my dear dearl I 1 know best janet entered at that moment and berenice welcomed her warmly let us go up and see mother martha she proposed in the east wing janet hesitated have ila e 1 I 3 our per mission mr haskell certainly he answered not look ing at her berenice led the way down the cor riders up a staircase through one totally deserted and shut up floor to a large room with a fireplace under the eaves it was hung with photographs of the bracebridge family and on one shelf was ras a collection of children s toys before the soft coal fire sat moti MON er martha in her rocking chair her hands in her black silk gloves her bright brights shawl hanl wound closely around her stooping shoulders I 1 ive ve brought janet to see you I 1 sit 3 iou ou donn down n I 1 it its s been a fine day like the days when they were all I 1 ere I 1 used to hear them and callin me ahe brown broun mans locked em up now just the figures mother martha they re yours not less berenice you have your sunday frock on I 1 yes mother martha the old cwm woman in searched janeas face anai asly you iou are not taking her away no 0 o oh no mother marti a rocked herself in her chair gazed at the glowing coals up in this high story the wind wh soled as it if they were in a tower tover ain t yo i been up the ravine yet I 1 yes es once an andul place a place of death yes dear berenice said s ild soothing ly but don t th of that now show janet all the things you knit so fully when they were vere going away mother martha called janet back to her and grasping her arm irin drew her down con he faugl s at the stories they tell about this old house but its all gospel truth I 1 seen em walk valk ing CHA CHAPTER PTER VI the welford farm was ras up a lonely road roid about two miles from tie tle acad wilton payne w walked willed t there here alone for he wanted to put his thourl ts in some kind of orderly array before talking to sally welford on tl ti e folly of super on wt WI at he grad bally evolved from his rather confused emotions R was as the theory that all super stations ions are woven around some fact they may en broider tl ti is fact to the point of fantasy but it remains a solid center beneath the tapestry of atlon V aliat 1 at was the fact at loftland Lost land aladen from which people departed into the uncertain and shivery region of fears and fancies with chiq hi best efforts wilton could run down dowa but two facts of enough importance to set in motion the mad mael anery of haunt ings or of some blight that killed all joy of living in the ancient academy one was as the sudden deaths of four adored children with the consequent illness and mental impairment 0 doc doe tor bracebridge the other the by product of the first the four wax figures sally herself admitted him to the chilly lull hall of the farmhouse with its striped green and white paper and green glass I 1 anding lamp and ushered him into the darkened best room an ani 1 invited him to be seated on one of a set of horsehair chairs from which he could contemplate another glass lamp in a nest of knitted wool all shells and balls and the oval oNal framed photographs of the family call pop she said it its s you I 1 want to see sally silly TO BE CONTINUED |