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Show ;-A , - ... .. jsfev, i n Iam ?j On h. vi I!!u5katcd ty Ii-v-ilHyer.v Copyright by George UDotan Co A SPANISH SAILOR Synopsis. Dr. John Mirhelxon, Ju.st bi-lnnln? his (riiieer, lonnitiS resiil.-nt physician and cniiipLLnion of lloiner Siilnuy at Hartley house. Mr. Sidney Is an AmurU-ui, a seml-Invalid, seml-Invalid, old and rich and very desirous de-sirous to live. Mrs. Hidncy Is a Spanish woman, dignified and reticent. reti-cent. Jed, the butler, acts like a privlleKCd. member of the family. The fami.y has come from Montevideo, Monte-video, Soulh America. Hartley house Is a line old isolated country place, with a murder story, a "haunted pool," and many watchdogs, watch-dogs, find an atmosphere of mystery. mys-tery. The "haunted pool" Is where Richard Dobson, son of a former owner of Hartley house, had killed his brother, Arthur Lfobson. Jed begins operations by locking the doctor In his room the very first night. - Doctor John fixes his door so he can't be locked In. He meets 80bel. daughter of the house, and falls In love at first sight.. In the night he finds the butler drunk and holding Mrs. Sidney by the wrist. He Interferes. Mrs. Sidney makes light of It. John buys a revolver John overhears Jed telling Mrs. Sidney he will have his way. In reply she says she wdll not hesitate to kill him. Mrs. Sidney asks John lo consent to the announcement of his engagement to Isobel. The young people consent to the make-believe make-believe engagement. Later they find It Is to head off Jed, who would marry Isobel. Jed tries to kill John, but the mntler is smoothed over. John, though "engaged" "en-gaged" to Isobel, conceals his love. Mr. Sidney visits a nearby prison and has Dobson, the murderer, pointed out. Jed tells the story of the Dobson murder. The family go to South America for the winter. John is left at home, but the "engagement" "en-gagement" is not broken. John hears the story of a tragedy "that might have happened in Montevideo." Monte-video." The family returns. A mysterious1 Spanish sailor appears. CHAPTER VII. Continued. .Tprl mny hnve suspected I carried a pistol. I linl no more than caught n glimpse of his while, alarmed face when lie sprung at me and grabbed at' my hip pocket'. I had a pistol in the pocket at which he reached, but I intercepted in-tercepted his; movement before he. got the weapon. "Let me have it," he begged. "Just a minute!" I cot a hold of bis wrist, .which stopped hint, and he whimpered. Then lie broke away and showed himself at the window. At this the man on the lawn smiled with a .joyousness that was a triumph. He indicated in a flash that lie had found what he had sought. He smiled so that I could see the white of Ids teeth. He had been uncertain and puzzled when I first saw him looking look-ing up at l he windows of the house. Willi Jed framed in one of the windows, win-dows, he was triumphant and rejoicing. rejoic-ing. Whatever he wanted he had found something which pleased him. Jed was furious, the more furious because he was helpless. lie would have mv.rdered the man on the lawn If he had had any means of doing -so. He was so furious that he dd not care how lie revealed himself to me The man on the lawn stood laughing for a moment and then walked slowlv yJt mi But I Intercepted His Movement Before Be-fore He Got the Weapon. nway toward the brush, into which he disappeared. Jed hung out of the window watching him. "Well, sir," 1 said, "I think we have you under a real restraint at last." "I was mad that the fellow should have come up to the house that way. Some tramp!" "And you dropped tiie coffee-tray and tried to get my pistol. A perfectly perfect-ly natural proceeding on seeing an unknown un-known tramp !" "We don't want strangers about here." lie said. "Voti don't want that man," I said. "And lie is not a stranger. When he Biivv you lie smiled as if lie had found what he. was looking for." Jed was unhappy ami showed It. "1 wlhh you were a friend, doctor," he said. "I try to make you one. 1 'will get you your coffee." lie sent in a maid to sweep up the breakage from the coffee-tray, and presently be came, will) another pot anil cup lie had steadied down, but was not tranquil. "You know that man," I said, "and you wanted to kill him." "I never saw him before," he said. "You have had some sort of dealing with him. He has been hunting for you. He litis found you. I think we are going to find you more interesting, Jed. The man will remain n the neighborhood ; I think you are going to have some unpleasant hours. The thought does not make me unhappy." "I wish I could tind a friend in this house." said Jed. "I wish you could deserve one," 1 said. My description of Hartley house has been so sketchy and indifferent that it may not have included mention of the formal gardens which took in the river side of the place. They were charming at all times but particularly so at sunset, when the radiance was behind the western hills two miles across the water and was reflected in the clouds back off our own eastern east-ern hills. The shore at this1 point was narrow, and the river was wide. Hills, river ami bottom lands formed an intimate sanctuary which evening glorified. Teethe north the gardens terminated at a high brick wall against which hollyhocks grew and now were in gorgeous gor-geous blossom. Jed had joined me in the garden, and we were sitting on a stone bench facing the river not fifty feet from the brick wall and the hollyhocks to the north. Jed was expected within a quarter of an. hour to join Mr. Sidney. Sid-ney. He seemed dejected and worried wor-ried in a fashion timid, I thought. When he came to sit down beside me, I resented the intrusion for a moment; mo-ment; but knowing that he had only a few moments in which to impose his presence upon me, I did not make him feel any more unwelcome than ordinarily he knew himself to be. A schooner deep in the water with brick from up the river had just come in sight around a point above, and with siiis spread to the light wind was caught in the glorification of the water. A catbird was hopping in and out of the shrubbery, and even with Jed by my side I was sentient and content. It was not a noise that attracted my attention. It must have been the sensation of being stared at. I turned my head toward the wall to the north. In line with the bench on which we sat. and just topping the wall, was the head of the Spanish sailor. He and I looked at each other for what seemed to be at least a moment. His earrings glittered. His gaze "was steady and both inquiring and purposeful. pur-poseful. Even in inquiry it seemed malignant, with the malice which comes from a sense of injury. I felt a decidedly unpleasant shock with the creeps which come from a good ghost story. Tf he had appeared suddenly at full length somewhere in the garden, walking about, it would have been different. But just his head appearing above the wall, and he perfectly unexpected, unexplained, motionless and inquiring it gave you the shivers of a child frightened at night in the nursery. "You're poor company," said Jed, "but I am, too, and I have to go to Mr. Sidney." I seemed not to hear him. It was not intended to rebuff him; I was held by the Spaniard's eyes. Jed went into in-to a huff and said: "Oh, go to the devil." Then he also turned and saw the head above the wall. He arose and stood looking at the Spaniard as intently as the Spaniard was looking at him. This situation lasted a full minule, without a movement move-ment or word from one of us. Then the Spaniard's face, graven in lines of malevolent purpose, softened inio a smile which expressed satisfaction with prospects. And then the head disappeared suddenly. 1 was in doubt whether the man's feet had gone out from under him, or whether he had jumped. In disappearing he left the place where he Irad been, charged wC'h Ihe mystery which his presence had indicated. in-dicated. His disappearance intensified, intensi-fied, thickened, the atmosphere which his presence hat! created. While his head was above tie wall, the seivss-tion seivss-tion was one of ne:vous astonishment. When his head disappeared, the suggestion sug-gestion of terror was added. So long as we saw him, it was something unexplained un-explained hut embodied ; when lie dropped out of sight, it was as if a person going down a hall in his house by candlelight at night were to come upon a startling sight, and at the moment when his perceptions and reason rea-son were struggling to explain the object ob-ject and its presence and to sustain his courage the candlelight should go out in a gust of wind and leave him blind, facing a thing he had Hot explained and now could no longer see. Then, with cause, may the hairs crowning even a head with a thinking brain arise in sheer fright. The person's per-son's plight is that of black ignorance, igno-rance, in which superstition and childish child-ish fears ascend and dominate. Jed took a step forward as if in pursuit, but stopped with that one movement. It broke the situation down and made it possible for me to return to animation. Seemingly my powers of movement and speech had been suspended. I looked at Jed. who was as pitifully frightened as a child in the dark. He made every demonstration demon-stration of fright except wailing. Then he braced himself, recovered his courage cour-age and without saying anything went into the house to join Mr. Sidney. CHAPTER VIII. When I saw Mr. Sidney that evening eve-ning he made a remark in joke that Jed was ill and needed my attention. "I have not had the usual satisfaction satisfac-tion of my wine." lie said, "and I know it is because Jed is not in condition." "I'm not well, Mr. Sidney," said Jed. "I didn't want to say anything about-it, about-it, because I didn't want to interfere with your evening, but since you mention men-tion it, I'll admit it." "Go on along then. Jed," said Mr. Sidney. "Go and have the doctor look you over." "I'm not sick," said Jed almost angrily, an-grily, "but I know I'm bad company. I'll go lo bed." "There's something wrong with the man," I said as Jed left, "hut it isn't physical." "So I imagined," said Mr. Sidney. "He's as strong as an ox. He's got the constitution of an onion. However, How-ever, he's not himself tonight, and Unit's all there is to that. Will you read to me?" It was eleven o'clock when I went to my room. I was glad of my release, re-lease, although it had been a pleasant q. ft , Aa Just Then I Was Blinded by the Light of an Electric Flashlight Hitting Me Full in the Eyes. evening. For a dead or a dying man for a living and live man, for that matter Mr. Sidney had extraordinary manners and great charm. He gave a dignity and worth to life by his very manner of leaving it. In going from it, lie proved it to be worth while which. I suspect, is the highest accomplishment ac-complishment of the real gentleman. After I had gone to my room, I found myself restless- and thought I might find rest in a walk. I expected to be joined by my friends the mastiffs and Airedales as soon as I was outside, out-side, but not a dog appeared. This was enough to be noticed, but not enough, at the time, to be given significance. sig-nificance. I walked about for a while and re-entered the house with quieter nerves. I found that I was tired. Ordinarily Ordi-narily I liked at least an hour's reading read-ing just before bed, but this night I wanted sleep. I was grateful for the mood and tl v opportunity, and I yawned once or twice as I got into my pajamas. I do not know when 1 went to sleep or how soon thereafter I awakened. It was possibly only two hours later. I did not look at my watch, for the very good reason that other tilings at the time were more important. A bright moonlight was shining, and whatever had awakened me. the moonlight moon-light showed me good cause to be awake. In a window which the moonlight moon-light touched with full, illuminating force, was a face recognizable as that of the Spanish sailor. Again only his head was visible, hut this time lie was in my bedroom window win-dow and seemingly trying for entrance Into my room. This may seem a more gliaslly proceeding than his appear-' mice above the wall early in the evening, eve-ning, but really it was not. I had the shock of unpleasant astonishment , but I felt, lo my satisfaction, the ability (o handle the situation. I was not frightened by the appearance of the betid' in my window. 1 suppose it is because the appearance suggested b.irglars, and burglars are conven- ; tionnl. I lay quietly in lied and wondered how much more than the head I should see. Just then I was blinded by the light of an electric flashlight hitting me full in the eyes. A second laler the flash was gone, the face in the window was gone and a slight movement on the gravel below showed me that my visitor was gone. I got up and looked out. Although the lawn was bright in the moonlight, no one was to be seen. The Spaniard had disappeared into the woods, i To come to an understanding of the sailor's acts, not much reasoning was needed ; It was not my room he was trying to enter, but Jed's. His flashlight flash-light had not only shown that I was awake but that he had the wrong man, and he had climbed down and run into the woods. One mystery was how he had escape! the dogs. That was explained the next day; they had not been loose the night before; had uot been release from their kennels. They were found restless rest-less frutn an unexpected night of confinement. con-finement. They had not been out because be-cause Ihe stableman who bad charge of them had spent the afternoon and night in the village of Hartley, drunk. It was an extraordinary and not an ordinary proceeding for this stableman, stable-man, who had been a dependable character. char-acter. It did not require much suspicion sus-picion to conjecture that lie had been tampered with in deliberate purpose to free the grounds of the dogs for the use the Spanish sailor made when he climbed up lo my room. The stableman, proved delinquent, was so apparently contrite and innocent inno-cent that it would have been an injustice injus-tice to punish or discharge him. He had gone to the village in the early afternoon on an assigned mission for the house. He had used the opportunity oppor-tunity to drink a few glasses of beer, for which proceeding no one would blame him in Hartley house. It seems that he drank two or three glasses more than he intended to and, even beer being in a fashion intoxicating, got into a condition which made him amiable to the approach of a stranger who succeeded in interesting him in the immediate prospects of life, which then to him were chiefly alcoholic. He and the stranger had much talk and many drinks. The stableman lost all sense of responsibility, which was not strange, and proceeded from beer to strong liquor, forgetting all his duties to the house. In consequence lie did not get home that night, and the dogs were not loose. Naturally one drew a direct line from this performance to the appearance appear-ance of the Spaniard at my window, and there was natural wonder as to what kind of confederate' the Spaniard Span-iard could have so effectually to prepare pre-pare the way for him. The Spaniard had a confederate who was ingenious and resourceful; that was evident. He had made a deliberate play to get the dogs out of the way the night the sailor made his attempt to get into Jed's room, and had succeeded in almost getting into mine. Two days after the strange appearances appear-ances of the Spaniard, I was asked for and was told that a gentleman desired to see me. I went to the office of the house and saw a man who instantly suggested the one who had entertained the stableman so successfully. He was so easily described that it was a crime for even a drunken stableman sta-bleman to have missed his distinguishing distinguish-ing characteristics, but at that, the stableman had made identification possible. pos-sible. The" moment I saw the fellow I thought we were nearer the solution solu-tion of the mystery of Hartley house. He was a significantly insignificant-looking insignificant-looking man ; that was his identifying mark. He seemed timid and insecure of himself, apologetic for his intrusion upon me and withal determined to do whatever it was that was in his program. pro-gram. I wondered how so shrinking an individual had played a jovial part in a village tavern with yokels at drink. His card indicated him to be a lawyer and gave his name as Phil-etus Phil-etus M. Brown. He came directly to his subject for which I thanked him as soon as he had made a brief preliminary pre-liminary of commonplaces of introduction introduc-tion and greeting. "I have asked for you, doctor, because be-cause I know of no one else here who will serve. I do not wish to approach Mr. Sidney directly and cannot trust the factotum you know as Jed. I would not impose upon Mrs. Sidney or her daughter except in extremity. You are here, a rational human being and interested, I am informed, in the fortunes of tli i s family. Therefore I have come to you." "For what purpose?" I asked. He smiled as if to apologize for having any purpose, and pulled at the cuffs of his coat. "I'll be frank," he said. "I hardly know the purpose clearly myself. My client is a sailor. My practice lies considerably along the water front in the city. It has not made me rich. I have lost a good deal of egotism and have become pragmatic. I have to get along and to deal with facts. There are people dependent upon me, and I have not been much to depend upon." "The condition of your finances or your morals cannot be of interest to me." I said. "What have you that is of interest?" He smiled as if he was used frequently fre-quently to rebuff. "What 1 have. 1 assure you. huniiil. ates me to present, because I realize that if I succeed for my client. I shall lie in the way of blackmailing .Mr. Sidney. Sid-ney. My consolation is that I am only an agent and I am sure that I shall he a more considerate and honest one than any other this ignorant sailor would find. It has been necessary for tue lo knosv many languages to make i.-iy small living. My Spnnish client does not know much if any English. He lias been a man of precarious manner man-ner of living, and it seems that several years ago he was In the employ of Mr. Sidney." No wonder Jd is worried. t'l'O Wi (JUiNTlNUED.) |