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Show wmmmmmm STORY1 I THE HOUSE OF I A THOUSAND CANDLES Br MEREDITH NICHOLSON A.iiu .i -rut Htm cnmi," iiida DAHtlO-l," lit ivrjrlf kl im. k lk.M)4rtlU ife CHAPTER IX-Contlnued. I bail worked nt)arlt Into a Krc-at passion auit falrlr roaivJ my dial lenge, ii)uinlln tlie table 111 my rase. "Yes. sir. I unite understand you, sir Hut I in afraid, sir "Of timr )on re alrslill" I shoulpd, Hiisstil anew by Ma halting speecli. ' Vcmi have every reason In tho world to 1 ntrald You've probably hwinV that 1 m a bad lot and n worthies nd venturer, but you can tell Hitler The rwm or Pickering or anybody yoJ plenso that I'm ten limes at bad at, I've over been ilntel Now clear out of hero!" ' I knocketl nbout tho library all morn) Ins without eating my spirit, nnd after luncheon I went off for n tramp. Winter had indeed come and K)-tossed K)-tossed the eartli, nnd It had Klven m a new lkndscape Tho tnow continued to fall In Rrent, heavy llaket, and ttaf ground wnt whltcnlnR fast. A rabblfa track caught my oyo and I followed It, hardly cnnscloiis that J did so Then tho clear print of two tmnll thoos mingled wllh the rabbits irall A fow momentt later I picked up an ovcrthoo. probably lost in lh chaio by ono of Sister Theresa's glrlt 1 reflected I remembered that whiff at Tech I had collected a diversity el memorabilia from school girl aoqualn ancet, and hero I was beginning s now series with a string of beads nod in overshoe! f A rabbit Is always nn attractln quarry. Few thlngi liestdM nehM nnj mi elusive, and the little follow have 1 am sure, n shrewd humor peculiar i themselves I rather envied the Mlul girl who had ventiire.1 forth for a In the first snow storm of the snt and recalled Aldrleh'a turn on (IH tier's lln as t followed the doulg trail: R IlitwVer you trexl. n tiny tnoull N lUlrmyt (list light foot ell the mimi b Uion tblt gllalenlng, snowy foW R At every step It !" yvur iwm."( A pretty autograph, Indeed I iSo enow fill steaillly nnd I tramped 'm ovor tho Joint signature ot Hie girl nu tho rabbit. Near tho Inko they poiv company, the rabbit leading off afs tangent, on a lino parallel with (W lako, whllo his pursuer's tteit polnndl tow aril tho boat houto. I There waa, so far as I knew, oeyj ono student of adventurous blood it) St. Agatha's, and 1 was not In the 1tat) surprised to seo. on the little sheltaelt balcony of tho boat house, the red ts o'slinnter Sho wore, too, tho carM coat I remembered from the day I n her first from tho wall Her back u toward mo ns I draw near, her haaUJ wcro thrust Into her jvockets. lie was evidently enjoying tho soft mi ling of tho snow with tho still, blw wators of tho lake; and a girl andi snow slonn are, If ou ask my orf I'm, a pretty combination Tho fncti i girl's facing a winter storm arguH mlRhtlly In her favor, testifies, It yfi will allow mo, to a sorono nnd daunt less spirit for ono thing, and a souii constitution for anotlior. I ran up tho itcpt, my cap In osi hand, her ovcrahoo In tho othor. Bhi drew back a trlflo, Jutt enough to brloj my contctenco to Its knees "I didn't menn to llttcn that day I Jutt hapened to bo on tho wall, an! It was a thoroughly underbred trlck-my trlck-my twitting ou nbout It and I ahoull havo told you boforo If I'd known hoi to seo )ou " ".May I troublo you for that shoe?' sho said with tremendous dignity. They taught that cold disdain man, I supposo, as a required study Hi. Agatha's. "Oh, certainly! Won't you alio mo?" "Thank jou, no!" She took tho damp bit of rubber-wet rubber-wet ovorahoo, oven If small and lit lowed by associations. Isn't pretty e Venus might havo received a sof shell crab from tho hand of n fret young merman I was between he mil the steps to which her oyes turne longingly ' Of courso. If you won't accept inj aiuilogy I can't do nnythlng about It but I hope you understand tUat l'n sincere and humble, and anxious to Ix forgiven " "You seem to bo making a good dea of a small matter " "I wasn't referring to tho ovcrthoo' I said She did not relent. "If you'll only go away " Sho retted ono hand against thi corner of tho boat house, whllo slu affixed the uvcrshoo to her foot Shi wore, I noticed, brown gloves will cuffs "How can I go away! You chlldrcr are always leaving things about fm me to pick up, I'm perfectly worn ou carrying some girl's bonds about will me; and I limited a good glove or ) our ovcrshoo " "III relievo )ou of tho beads, If yoi please." She thrust her hands Into tho pock ets of her coat and shook tho tam-o thanter slightly, to establish It In i more comfortable spot on her head HHHHHHHH fmmmamm Hew j i, bad been In my corduroy coH , found ihem I drew them oUtBj I gave ih in to her K vi thank you vir much" H urse thev are ynnrt MIm " jfl I rust th tn Into her nnrket J urse thi re mine the said tun nitl and turned to go I Wi 11 waive pnxif of pnierty and in1 1 1 rt of thing I in wrry not lo 'l'Vh-h a more neighborly fevllng 'I'll St Agnthaa The stone wall ijiy m formldsbte. but It's not of j tin ding t must open the gato list ill s n trlfW steep for climbing " II ns amusing myself with the Idea tll nn Identll) was a dark mystery lr 1 hsd read Kngllsh novels In which the young lord of the manor It sII)k mistaken for the gamo-keeper's scahy the pretty daughter of the cnrsle w ho hat come home from school to te the belles of the county Hut my lady of the red tam-o thanter was nut 1 erniinre of Illusions It serves a Very good purHee the wstl, I mean Mr (lleimrm" She was walking down the steps and I Wlttwmt. pleasetl to hear my name fitn her lips I am not a man to auf Xn a lost school girl to enw my lands UBlltended In a snow storm, nnd the plttta of a boat house la not, 1 tubinit, a slcssant loafing place on a winter dj she marched twfore me. her hssds In her pockets I liked her par-tleMsrly par-tleMsrly that way villi an easy swing and a light and certain step Her re-mtrk re-mtrk about the wall did not encourage fanher converaatlun nnd I fell back open tho poett fton wall, do txtt a prlMn make, Attr Iron tmrt a case," J filuteil 1 havo heard that before!" she tdd. half turned her faco and laughed a) she hastened on Her brilliant cheeks wcro n delight Jlllllli JKk WMm mm mm WM'kM Her Drllllsnt Chteks Were a Delight to the Gys. . to tho oyo Tho snow owlrled about her, whltonlng tho crown of her rod cap and clung lo her shoulders Havo you ovor soon snow crystals gleam, broak, dissolve In fair, soft storm blown hayT I)o you know how a man will pledge his soul that a particular flako will novor fade, never ccaso to rest upon a certain flying ttrand ovor a glrllili tomploT And ho loses his heart and wager -In a breath! If you fall to understand those things, nnd aro furthermore untamlllar with tho Tact that tho color In the cheeks of It girl who walks abroad In n driving now storm marks tho favor of heaven Itself, then I waste tlmo, and you will lit well to rap at the door of another Dun. "I'd rathor missed you," I said, "and eally, I shoald havo been over lo Iiotnglio If I hadn't been afraid" "Sister Thoresa la rather fierce," ho declared "And we're not allowed recelvo gentlemen callers It says o In tho catalogue" t "So I Imagined I trust Slstor Tho- sa Is Improving" I "Yes, thank you" "And Miss Devereux she Is qullo oil, I hopo" Sho turned her head my way as lough to listen moro carefully, and I Ir stop slackenod for a moment, ion sho hurried blithely forward l"Oh. she's always well, I believe" HYou know her, of course" I'ltatherl Bho teaches music" n So Miss Devereux Is thn music i vBchor, Is ilio? Should )ou coll her popular teacher?" i BTho girls call her" sho seemed i iKved to mirth by the recollection Hss Prim nnd I'rosy" i BUgh!" I oxclalmod sympathetically , Sill and hungry looking, with long l jBins that pound ho keys with grim t Wght I know the sort." i H3ho's a sight!" and my guide Rllicd approvingly. "Hut wo have i 'jjKake her, shes part of the treat- JBYou speak ot St. Agatha's as iftlgh It woro a sanatorium" i SP11- "' cot t"d thoro aro ilto " mmmmmmm We approarhrd the gate Her In difference lo the atcrm delighted me (lore, I thought In my admiration, la n real product of the Western owrld I felt that we had made ttrldet toward such a comradeship as It It proper should eiltl between a school girl In her teens and a male neighbor of Z? I was going back lo Cngllah fiction the young t ulre walking homo with the citrate's pretty young daughter and conversing with fine condeeeen a Ion - "We girls all wlih wo could oomn over and help hunt the lost treasure It must be simply splendid to live In a house where there's a mystery so cret pnaMgm and cheats of doubloons nnd all that sort of thing' M! Hqulrn (llennrm, I suppose )ou spend all your nights exploring secret pass age?" This freo expression of opinion startled me, though sho seemed wholly whol-ly Innocent of lmertlnenoo "Who says there's any secret about the house'" I demanded ' Oh, lVrguson, the gardener, and all the girls!" "I fear I'erguson Is drawing on his Imagination" "Well all tho peoplo ln the village think so I've heard the candy shop woman speak ot It often " "Hho'd better attend lo her taffy," I retorted "Oh, you musn't be sensitive nbout It! All ua girls think It over so romantic, ro-mantic, nnd wo call you sometimes the lord ot the realm, and when wo see ou walking thiough tho darkling wood at evenfnll we any, 'My lord Is brooding upon the treasure chests ' " This, delivered In tho stilled Inno ot one who wnt half quoting and halt Improvising, wnt Irretlttlbly funny, and I laughed with good will "I hopo ou'vo forgiven mo" I klckod tho gato to knock off tho snow, nnd took tho key from my pocket "Hut I haven't, Mr. Olonarm Your assumption Is, to say tho least, unwarranted un-warranted I got that from a book!" "It Isn't fair for you to know my namo nnd for mo not to know yours," I said loadlngly "You aro Mr John Olanarm tho gardener told mo and I am Jutt Ollvln They don't allow mo to bo culled Mist yoL I'm very young, Ir!" "You'vo only told mo hnlt" and I kept my hand on tho closod gato llio snow still fell steadily and tho short afternoon was Hearing Its closo. I did not like to lose her the life, tho )outh, tho mirth for which sho stood Lights already gleamed In tho school buildings straight before us, and tho sight of them smoto mo with loneliness "Olivia Glads Armstrong," tho said, laughing, brushed past ma through the gate and ran lightly ovor tho snow toward St Agatha's tTO UK CONTI N t) KU ) |
