| Show r 3 11 IV aft HOUSED jeby I 1 I 1 I 1 MN COPYRIGHT CHAPTER XIII C continued 20 clint climbed the th c ladder he stopped with his head level with the sill since there was no light in the room he could not see whether the shade was drawn or not but he waited striving to peer into the blackness behind the glass once he looked down cautiously and saw sav topes round figure huddled at the foot of the ladder topes tapes round face watchfully he then saw june and airs tame taine come in june with a lighted candle behind them he saw rab and asa in the hall and mrs airs bowdon bogdons Bow dons s ample form and then his heart suddenly was in his throat for mrs taine had bad a glass of milk in her hand mrs airs leaford had drunk a glass of milk that night she died the hur ders too there was to clint something hideous and sinister in this innocent beverage now he took an impulsive step higher his hand raised to break the window in but tope tape below him hissed a warning and clint leaned down to whisper desperately mrs taine is giving her a glass of milk I she wont drink it tope tape promised 1 I warned her not to drink anything or eat anything except what the others did and mrs taine suddenly still tal talking lung withdrew june did not move she watched the door clint waited his pulse racing then after a long minute tope tape whispered dowal clint was on the ground in an instant and tope tape breathed in his ear car the door clint it at first did not under understand stan d then lie he heard the click of a latch and toward the rear of the house a figure did appear mrs mainc he guessed she walked briskly away they saw her figure in silhouette against the light when she opened the kitchen door of her own home yonder and went in then clint started to climb the ladder again careful the old man warned him doret dont show yourself above the windowsill window sill she might see you from over there but clint could not resist look looking ing once to be sure june was unharmed he saw her carefully propping a chair under the doorknob door knob saw that the milk stayed she secured the door and then blew out the candle and so came to the window and opened it she leaned here above him and he whispered all right june yes she said slowly but aunt evie gave me a glass of warm milk to make me sleep she said I 1 promised to drink it when I 1 was in bed ashes gone home clint told her reassuringly home the girl exclaimed she said she was going to stay with him hes all alone im going in no clint insisted rab and asa arc still in the house and ashes coming back give me that milk june I 1 want tope tape to taste it she brought the glass and gave it to him he said ill be right here all night poor darling she whispered in the rain near you he told her 1 I shant shan I 1 t feel it he took the milk down to inspector tope tape the old man dipped a finger into it touched the finger to his ups lips cant taste anything he said but ill send rand to have it tested right now and he directed you stay here clint nodded and tope tape started away he moved past the corner comer of 0 the house and suddenly when he was six paces off he stumbled over something lying alyin in the uncut grass and fell heavily clint cint heard th tha breath go out of him with a grunt the young man moved swiftly toward him but before he could come to topes side the inspector was on hs hat hands 1 ds and knees clint whispered hurt and tope tape said gravely theres another ladder here I 1 tripped over it he added ruefully spilled the milk bad another ladder clint echoed there was a dreadful clamor in his cars his own pulse was pounding so then from the window above them june called very softly k 1 4 1 mrs airs taine mainc is giving tier her a glass of milic clint dear are you there are you all right yes sweet he whispered what happened she asked the inspector fell down he said reassuringly hurt him he climbed to her window and her arms held him fast tier her lips trembling against his own you be afraid he urged im coming back to you tomorrow she declared I 1 for good and all he agreed she said wistfully you could come in here out of the rain and she urged left grandpa hurder all alone I 1 want to go to him but he said sternly no maybe what they want vant you to do you stay here t anyone tries to open your door f he kissed her again good night sweet he said and sleep sound sod he descended to ali the ground once more mr air hurd Hurder ers alone salone he reported to tope tape she wants to go to him I 1 let her then june spoke whispering above their heads beads and clint was up the ladder in a bound rab and asa have gone into grandpas room she explained ats asa wants wa to stay with grandpa but arguing about it I 1 can hear them talking she turned her head at some sound in the hall whispered hush and crossed to listen at the door clint cyan even from where he was could hear the murmur ot of their voices then this sound receded and june returned to him going she reported asa said he had to go to town later tonight and he wanted to stand his bis turn with grandpa now and let rab and aunt evie evic sleep B but ut rab insisted it was all right to leave grandpa insisted that they both go 90 home ill tell tope top clint assured ssu cd her and nd looked down but tope tape had vanished she urged in shaken tones 1 I want to see it if grandpas all right if they did anything to him please clint hesitated ill come in with you he decided then he climbed over the sill and with their hands entwined they crossed the room very quietly she removed the chair braced under the knob and opened the door hes sleeping so peacefully like a child when he descended the ladder tope tape had not reappeared but clint was content in the certainty that june was safe he stood by the foot of the ladder tense ready for any alarm and minutes drifted by once there was a sound toward the tame taine house a rumbling sound as though a garage door had been beef rolled back on its track if asa were departing for town now then rab or uncle justus or aunt evic might presently come this way clint was in a sweat of tense fearful anticipation he began to wonder why asa did not start the car and go but it must have been a quarter of an hour after he heard the garage door roll back before he saw a light in the garage then he heard a starter grind and a car backed out of the garage its headlights swinging as the car turned sharply clint stood frozen in attention the car followed the drive around the house on this side the lights for an instant shining almost directly toward where clint stood then it went on toward the road so asa was gone clint felt a faint relief he wondered what had become of in inspector tope and he hissed a signal but he received no reply then he heard the car returning he saw no lights but he did see dimly a dark moving bulk as the car rounded the corner of the house yonder it moved fast dangerously so he heard a great crash a shattering of glass a tinny crumpling of metal a great crash then silence and then topes tapes voice yonder in imperious summons clint quid here and a police whistle shrill and long CHAPTER XIV after that crashing impact and topes cry and the shrill blast ot of his whistle silence descended clint took one bound toward where here he guessed tope tape to be then he checked and turned june from the window above him spoke softly clint you all right better come he said hoarsely it was a matter of see seconds only until she stood beside him her fingers caught his here you take she bade him and pressed topes tapes old revolver into his hand he saw tope tape kneeling beside a man who lay here on the ground the flashlight illumined his countenance rab taine his check was smeared blood from a cut on his head had flowed out over his ear and trickled down hi his brow and face he lay limp and lifeless dead clint asked hoarsely tope tape shook his head his hand was on wrist feeling for th faint pulse that fluttered there nol dead yet he said TO BE CONTINUED |
