The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-05-17
Mo COMMAS pas: uunna, sars

Mo eonnais pas: uunuo, sare IL
was dock last uigh."
why. that's odd. said Cram Bet
YER bolt n now. or all the cattle along
ihc levee viii Re IN there Non cal 4;
l.ck out the water. though Who had
The key besides Mr. Lasceiies or mad
sme7''
Nobody. ~arc. but there Is muddy
foofs all over the piazza
The devil I'll have to look IN fnT .
moment" nod TO Pierce brought
him too from the saddle. and the Off
GERS handed their reius 10 the order
les Then together they entered me
gate and strobe up the white shelf
walk. looking obviously about then
through the dripping shruhoe-y
Again that dismal howl was raised.
and Pierce, stopping with impatient
exclamation. tore half a brick from
the Welding border of the walk anil
sent il hurtling through the trees
With his tail between his legs, III"
brute dar,ed from behind sheltrring
bush. scurrled away around the corner
OF the house. CHANGING fearfulIN back,
then, hAlting at safe distance. sqratted
on his launches and lifted up ms
ulouruful voice again
Whose dog is tAat"" demanded
Cram
" Nsieu rhiiippcs: he no: GOV here
lie il dc hrudder to monsieur.
At the step, the captain bent and
closely examined them and The floor ~
the In,y vcrauda 10 which they ted
Both were di-Ugurrd 10y muddy foot
prints Pierce would have gone still
farther in the investigation. bu; his
senior held up a warming hand
Two men have been here" he NUT
tered They have tried the door and
tried the blind, Where did you Sleep
last ni-ht boy" and with the words
he turned suddenly on the negro
" Did YOU hear no sound?"
NO, sare ~lccu in my bed,-'way
back No. hear noting, noting. 4"
And now the negro, face was twitch.
ing. his eyes staring Something in
the soldiers stern voice told him that
there was tragedy in the air,
If this door is locked. go around
and open it from within" said Cram,
briefly Then, as Alphonse disap-
pcared around the north side, he
stepped back to the she'll walk and
followed one Of its branches around
the other. An instant later Pierce
heard him call. fastening in his
wake. the youngster came upon his
captain standing under a window, one
of whose blinds was hanging partly
open, water standing in pools all
around him.
Look here" was all he said, and
pointed upward.
The sill was above the level of their
heads, but both could see that the sash
was raised. All was darkness within.
Come with me-" was Grams next
order, and the lieutenant followed
Alphonse was unlocking the front
strobe into the wide hallway straight
to a door of the east side. 1t was
locked. "Open this, Alphonse," he
said.
Il have not the key. 1t is ever with
M'sieu' Lascelles. 1t is his library"
Cram stepped back, gave one vigor-
Gus kick with heavy riding boot. and
the frail door few open with crash
For moment the darkness was such
that no object could be distinguished
within. The negro servant hung back.
trembling from some indefinable
dread. The captain, his hand on the
door-knob, stepped quickly inso the
gloomy apartment, Pierce close at bis
heels. A broad, flat-topped desk stood
N the center of the room. Some
shelves and books were dimly visible
against the wall Some of the draw
ers of the desk were open. and there
was litter of papers on the desk, and
Others were strewn in the big rattan
chair, some on the floor. Two student
lamps could be dimly distinguished,
one on the big desk, another on lit
tie reading Ia bic placed not far from
the south window. whose blinds, half
open. admitted almost the only light
that entered the room, With its head
near this reading table and family
visible, bamboo lounge stretched its
length towards the southwark win
dOws, where all was darkness, and
vague and indistiuguisha-
bic lay extended upon the lounge
Cram marched halfway across the
floor, then stopped short, glanced
down, stepped quickly to one side,
shifting his heavily-booted foot as
though to avoid some such muddy pool
as those encountered without
Take care" he whispered, and mo-
toned warningly to Pierce. Come
here and open these shutters, Al
J,
once again that prolonged, dismal,
mournful howl was heard under the
south window, and the negro, seized
with uncomfortable panic, turned back
and chung trembling to the opposite
wall.
TO BE CONTINUED.