Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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--jVy p *i • >-/f‘ W \ : ^4 a 1 Meredith Nicholson rH lUustrKClona by Hspiy J«y L«« * ‘//M V, * "S'/tJji >*' \k COPYRIGHT CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS - RELEASED THRU / PUBLISHERS AUTCC^TLR it.” said the man. “Lights and wate/ Tuiv ven’t' been turned off and if you take the house your folks can step right in. If you don’t find it conven ient to stop here again, just leave the key under door mat.” “I guess you’ll find the place all shipshape,” said the driver, as they set off. “Folks came up early but didn’t stay long. Left in a hurry. Family troubles, I reckon! I don’t know nothin’, mind ye, but there’s talk she had trouble with her husband.” The confidences of the chauffeur household _found here a painful mirror, i’he eyes of the two men met. corroboration. After speculating on the affair for a few moments he went ahead with the preparation iof his supper. He wished Isabel could fcee him and know that for once the routine of his life had been interrupter only to find him self resourceful and the easy master of his fate. ♦ He made a point of washing the dishes and putting them carefdlly away. These matters attended to, he roamed over the house which now had only mildly interested Archie. It was a new interest for him since the Cong- unseasonably warm and the air was don family skeleton had come out cf lifeless and humid. | its closet and danced round the dinner “Think it will rain?” he asked the table. In a drawer of the desk was an ; driver. i automatic pistol and a box of, cart- “Yep,” he replied with a glance at | ridges. This Archie thrust into his the sea. “There’s going to be a lively pocket thinking it not a bad idea to CHAPTER I Mrs. Howard Featherstone spent much time thinking up things for her brother. Archibald Bennett, to do. ani as Archie was the ideal bachelor brothei, he accepted her,commissions in the most amiable spirit and his ser vices were unfailingly satisfactory. *‘Th«» agent who’s been looking up a summer house for us says this is an unusual opportunity, as there arc' a few places to let at Bailey Harbor and this or.* is unexpectedly on the mar ket. Ho ward’s simply swamped with work—and we*d all appreciate it if you couid run up there for us.” The many preoccupations of his hrotht r-in-law, who held a seat in con gress and took his-job seriously,, were well known to Archie, and as Archie had nothing on earth to do, it was em inently fitting that he should assume some c-f -Featherstone's domestic bur dens. Archie had planned to leave for the Car^ulian Rockies two days later, warned that excessive fatigue may have disastrous consequences!” She was not wholly without feeling for her face grew grave for a moment and she met his eyes searchingly, with something of the professional scrutiny to which he had long been accustomed. “Eyes clear, color very good; voice a trifle weak and suggesting timidity and feeble initiative. Introspective; a little self-conscious, and unimpor tant nervous symptoms indicated by the rolling of bread crumbs.” “I’ve paid doctors large fees for tell ing me the same things,” he said. “I wish you would write those items down for me. I’m in earnest about that.” “Your case interests me and I’ll con sider this matter of advising you.” “I shaH expect the document tomor row afternoon!” “You’re a tremendously formal per son, Mr. Bennett. Whait you really need is a good hard jar. Every mom- but he obligingly agreed to take a "ing you know exactly what you’re go- look at the Bailey Harbor house that i n l? to do every hour of the day. It’s had bt^n placed so providentially 1 routine that kills. Suppose you were within teach of his sister. | to hold up a bank messenger in Wall "The wner belongs to that old New street and skip with a satchelful of England Congdon family,” Mrs. Fea- negotiable securities and then, after therstoo* explained; “they date from the papers were through ragging the frhe beginning of time, ahcT some of police for their inefficiency you would them ar? a trifle eccentric.’ drive up to the bank in a taxi, walk If you’re renting a house from that in an d return the money, saying you a littlecryptic, yet something that ai&coi would discourage further confidences without woXinding him—this would solve the problem. Finally she hit up on these lines and copied them in her best hand: He either fears his fate too much, Or his deserts are small. That dares not put it to the touch to gain or lose it all. After reading the lines aloud sev eral times she decided that they would kick-up. before moriiin’.” They reached the house and Archie be prepared for invasion. Then he switched off the lights in discharged the driver. In a moment the lower rooms and established him- he was standing in a big living-room 1 self in the guest chamber. He was that exhaled an atmosphere of com- half asleep wWn he^was roused by fort and good taste. j footsteps on the veranda below. Fully satisfied with his investiga- tions, Archie picked up a book, be came absorbed and read until he w r as CHAPTER III It was close upon midnight ahd the roused by a clap of thunder that seem-! presence of a prowler on the premises ed to shake the world. Hurrying to! caused his heart to gallop wildly. He the window he found that the storm had already broken, and that it would seized the pistol, crept to the window and peered cautiously out, when serve her purpose admirably and dis- be impossible for him to catch the patched it to Mr. Bennet immediately. The note reached Archie just as he was leaving his sister’s house. He had five-eleven. He turned on the down to think. The lights and sat roof and walls sound in the room below renewed his hoped for a long letter in the vein of ( rang under the downpour and he de- the giri’s ehaffing humor, and the size - c ided that after all to spend the night 1 abandoned house would be a of the missive was a distinct disap-; m pointment. t He opened it guardedly, and his face fell as he pondered the verse. It was an lark. The storm show’ed no sign of abat- , .. iing and as nightfall deepened the a neat, well-bred slap al bim as a man he about himse|f without .nmatrve or courage. At the, comf „ rtal , le . Fee i inK twin( , M of hun . dinner table she had expressed much hp exp | ored the kitch( ,„ aljtrvT the same thought that was condensed , Thc Con(!dons had lpft a well-stocked in the verse, but the quotation, unre- j , arder and findi , and heved by her smile, earned a sting.' bread hp decidcd , hat tbe cooki of Perhaps this was, the way Isabel Per-; 8Upper would be a jo || y im . ident of the loser in the ry thought of him. as a .user in me adventurfe . In arranging the table he game of life; but he experienced a. found a telegram under a Iate Rt peasant tingle in the blood when he ! what he assumed to ^ Mrs . Congdon’s reflected that this may have been the place His curiosity overcame his wrong reading and very different, s ,. rllp|es and hl . r( . ad the messnge: alarm. He gained the door in two jumps. He could hear the opening and closing of drawers and see the flash of an electric lamp as the intruder | fortify himself for his journey the gaze of each gripping and hold ing, that of the other. Then swiftly tbe intruder jerked a pistol from his pock et and fired point blank into the mir ror. The report crashed horribly in the room, followed by the tinkle of fragments of glass. Archie aimed at the doorway, but his shot seemed only to hasten the man’s flight. A rug slipped and the fugitive fell with a frightened yell that rang eerily thru the house. In the hall Archie turned on all the lights and gaining the land ing fired at the'retreating figure as it lurched toward the front door. At the crack of the gun the fugitive stop ped short, clapped his hand to his shoulder and groaned, then sprang thru the front door and Bennet heard immediately the quick patter on his feet on the walk. The lock bore no evidence of having been forced. The frame of the photo graph of the young girl that had so charmed him lay on the floor face down. Bennett picked it and found that the picture had been removed. It was a curious business, but he dis missed the subject from his mind to consider the graver business of how to avoid the disagreeable consequences of his encounter. He must leave the house and escape from Bailey Harbor before daybreak, and he went upstairs and hurriedly began dressing. At one o’clock he was drinking cof fee and munching toast and jam to mover swiftly about. Then through the vast silenc£ of the big house the unknown gave voice to his anger and disappointment: “Well, I’ll be damned!” A series of qinck flashes on the wall He had shot and perhaps killed a man, and his mind surged now with self-accusations. He needn’t have fir ed the shot—the thief was running away and very likely would not have molested him further. He was sorry gave warning of thp intruder’s inva- for the fellow—wounded or dead; but (fion of the upper rooms. Archie drew back and waited. His thoughts and emotions in this hour of danger interested him. It was ini- in a moment he was shuddering as he reflected that the bullet that had splintered the mirror had really been meant-for him, and it had struck with mensely gratifying to him to realize srreat precision just where the reflec- that while his heart was boating! t* 00 h‘ s head had presented a fair family ^it’s just as well to look into it had found it in the old family pew at f rom fhe sense she meant to convey. I carefuiiy. All right. May, I’ll inspect Trinity where you went into to say your prayers! Here would be an op- the premises for you.” Art-tie was already mentally plan- ‘ portunity to break the force of habit ning tr.e details of his trip with'his un d awaken your self-confidence.” customary exactness. He traveled con- 1 “Ah I to understand that you prac- stantiy in the interest of his health. tice anything you preach ? I don’t and kr-rv. train schedules by heart. I mean to be pertinent, but really,—” Archie’s condition was always a "Oh, I’m perfectly capable of doing grateful topic of conversation and now anything I’ve suggested. I mean to Mrs. Featherstone. in her most sister- dig for buried treasure this summer, ly tone, broached the subject of his realizing the dream of a lifetime. Talk health. i about romance being dead! My grand- “1 haven’t much faith in this idea father was a planter in Mississippi be- of yc-ur going to the Rockies; you fore the Civil war. In about 1860 he know \v>u tried the Alps, five years trouble ahead, and as he was op- ago ard the altitude nearly killed posed to secession he turned every- you. Archie smiled wanly. *T seem doom ed to sit on the sidelines and watch the gi- o.” he agreed gloomily. thing he had into gold, bought several tracts of land in Michigan and New York and secretly planted his money, father inherited the land, and To >* k at him no one would believe that’s where I m opening my camp.” that h» nad a nerve in his tall frame. | “And the gold hasn’t been found?” Once a friend carried him off to a asked Archie, deeply interested. farm where an autocratic- athletic train*’ rejuvinated tired business men, and Archie survived the heroic treat ment ard reappeared bronzed and hardened and feeling better than he ever had felt in his life. But after a winte- «pent in an office and leisure to think himself as an invalid, he renewed his acquaintance with the waiting rooms of specialists. “There will be a few people in for dinner tonight.” remarked Mrs. Fea- therstone as he arose to go;‘“very simple, you know; and Howard just telepkrned that he can’t possibly i me, if you can arrange it. Archie —:t wiil be a real help to me.” “All righi. May. I was going to “Not a coin so far! Y’ou see grand father made his will in war time and only divided the land, being afraid to mention the buried treasure in a doc ument that would become a public rec ord when he died.” “This is most exciting. It’s only un fortunate that it’s not pirate gold to give zest to your enterprise.” “Oh, the pirate in the story is a cou sin of mine, who inherited the land up near the St. I .aw rence and has dug all over it without results. My father gave the Michigan scenery to me, but this cousin of mine has been digging on my land, most unwarrantedly! He’s rather a dashing young person!” When it came time for Isabel to say His spirits soared as he decided that- ^ ew ^ or ^* ,Iune the last line was intended to I>e read | Mrs. Alice B. Congdon, unbrokenly and that it constituted a Bailey Harbor, Maine. challenge flung at him with a toss of her head, a flash of her brown eyes. Archie was lulled to sleep by the Your letter has your characteristic touch of cruelty. We may as well part encouraging thought that what she dren you cannot have. Remember that had done was to give him a commis- j I relinquish none of my rights on this sion to redeem himself by strange and point. I demand that you surrender moving adventures. * • * * now and be done with it. But the chil- * Edith at once and I will communicate quickly, his pulse was regular. The thief had become more cautious and was tiptoeing up the uncarpeted target to the startled marksman He turned out the lights and, plac ing the key qnder the door mat stole treads of the stair, still sending ec-. through the tgarden. The man he had casionally a bar of light ahead. He! 8 ^ 10 * ^ own m *Kht even now be lying was now coming boldly down the hall ‘ n l 1 * 8 pat! 1 ! and he lifted his feet as though satisfied that the house to avo *d stumbling over the was empty. A flash of his lamp fell! cor P se ' more appalling was the upon the door frame just above Ar-j fthat the lugitive might be ly- chie’s left hand. A flash clipped the l ' n * r ’ n ambush, and he carried his pis- dark for an instant. Then a hand 1 l >e ^ ore a * arms length against groped along the wall seeking for thei 8111 ^ an emergency. switch. Archie could hear its soft rasping over the wall. As the switch ! snapped the room flooded with light. At two o’clock he reached Bailey with you later about the custody of j The bewiIdering R , are , j ou ? of Harold until such time as he is old Harbor. He stepped into the only taxi enough to come to me in sight and drove to the village drug gist’s for the key to the Congdon house. Putney Congdon. The cautious hint of the taxi driver that domestic difficulties were respon- “Just go in and take your time to sible for the'breaking up of tae Cong- the darkness held the man in the door way and he raised h's arrh and passed his hand over his eyes to shield them from the light. The burglar’s shoul ders drooped as he gaped at Archie’s figure which was, reflected in a long He gained the road, glanced toward the house, and set off in the general direction of the New Hampshire bor der. (Continued next week.) WHAT DO P. S. J EANES DOT have dinner with Weld and Coburn, good-night to her hostess, Bennet was but if you really Want me—” hovering near to offer his services in “Oh. that’s perfectly fine of you, calling her car. Archie! And Isabel Perry will be | “Nothing like that for me! But—’’ here: tu know she’s the dearest girl, she hesithted and said with mock am! I always thought you really did gravity, ‘ l if you're not afraid of the like h*r. Her father lost all his money : night air or the excessive fatigue, yt»u l before he died and she’s had a posi- j might take me home. That will add a tion as gymnasium tefccher in Miss j mile to your prescription but you can Gordc-r.’s school. This summer she’s to i ride back!” run a girl’s camp up in Michigan and she car’t help maknig a splendil suc cess of it." When he found himself sitting be side her later at Mrs. Featherstone’s table she said to him: “I passed you on the street the oth er dav and made frantic efforts to at- She spoke of her plans for the sum mer with charming candor as they set off at a brisk pace. Isabel was enthusiastic about the summer camp; if it succeeded she meant to conduct an outdoor school | for girls, moving it from Michigan to Florida with the changing* seasons, tract your attention but you were in ' There was no question of her mak- a trance and failed to see my signab.”! ing a success or it, he said, marveling “I was taking my wolk,” he stain-! at her vitality, her exuberance, the mered. * —r — I confidence with which she viewed the “ *My walk!* ” she repeated. “You future, speak as though you had a'monopoly' “I wish you all good luck,” he sai<k of that form of exercise. I must say . when .they reached the house of the you didn’t appear to be enjoying your- friend she was visiting. “The camp self. Your aspect was wholly funeral | will be a great success—I’m sure of and your demeanor that of a man with j that. This has been the happiest ev ening I’ve spent since—” ‘Since you began taking everything a certain number of miles wished on him." . “Four n dav," Archie confessed, 80 hard? P,ease <l uit looking on your with an air of resignation; “two in hfe as a burden; try to get some fun the morning and two before dinner. By j ou * °* the doctor’s orders," he added wtih the ! L “ 1)01,1 for|tet me in the rus k of wistful smile that usually evoked sym- ! things. And particularly don t forget pathetic murmurs in feminine i udi- tors. “Oh, the doctors!” remarked the girl as though she had no great opin ion of doctors in general or of Mr. Bennett’s medical advisers in p»i tit ular. He was used to a great deal of sympathy and he was convinced that Miss Perry was an utterly unsympa thetic person. v “What would you call a good walk?” he asked a little tartly. “Oh, ten, twenty, thirty! I’ve done that note of instructions. I’m count ing on that. If I don’t get it I will be terribly disappointed.” She surveyed him gravelv, then ans wered lightly. “Oh, very well! You shall have it, sir!" CHAPTER II Archie didn't know that the note caused Isabel a great deal of trouble. She must write a note that would not : require-an answer; this she felt to be j imperatively demanded by the circum-1 stance. She thought Archibald Ben,- fifteen and gone to a dance at the end net a nice fellow and she was sorry of the tramp.” | f or him, but no more and no less sorry / “Bat yon haven’t my handicap,” he than she would piotested defensively. "You can’t oe else.who failed been for any one find the world a very gay abuut walking when you’re pleasant place live in. Something j y \ ttld have iled to t ce to liv ..1. 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