The Irish standard., 1898-08-06

y
to see his big rambling den, want to
take you along for company"
Nothing could please me more"
Il have ordered a carriage to meet us
at the One Hundred and Twenty-ffth
street elevated station. Come on, I'm
ready"
AS the carriage! after having passed
through a rather dense wood for about
half n mile, drew up at the old brick
mansion with its three and a half
stories and massive futed columns
reaching from the ground to the rather
fiat roof, Lampkin remarked:
"Rather an isolated place. No bad
place for the gang of robbers of which
you spoke"
ut just suits Kola, as said once be-
FORE" answered Hendricks. "By the
time his hoodwinked customers get here
they ore prepared for anything i'm.
aginative."
Telling the driver to wait for them at
the door they alighted. There was but
one light in sight and that was dis
NAL red one which could be seen
through the old-fashioned side lights OF
the big door on the stone veranda,
There was no bell on the door, but sim.
ply quaint old knocker.
II WISH" observed Hendricks, "that il
were day instead of night. You can
form no idea of picturesque rugged.
ness of the scenery. You see we came
by the old road through the woods, but
just behind the house there is new
n ri 11,ic ,,oipf ~ hoe 1>oo,, a,,X
through solid stone, and there is cliff
within 400 feet Of u.s. over hundred
feet in height. In blasting the stone
away, it was thought that the old man.
sion became unsafe, especially us it i.
believed that there are caverns under
the hill"
Hendricks mounted tho steps and
used the knocker vigorously. The
clatter had scarcely died out when the
tones of a bell US soft and mellow as
cathedral chimes in the distance came
from the house.
"Kola knows my rap and the bell Is
a signal to his attendant to admit me-"
said Hendricks. "If make no mistake
you are going to be repaid for your ride
out here. In psychic tom-foolery and
mysticism you are schoolboy com.
pared to Kola. He imbbed it at the
dusky breast of al eastern mother, and
his very life is stepped in it,"
The door was opened by an Indian in
the costume of his country. He placed
his finger on his lip to indicate that
they were to remain silent, and then
gave salaam that brought his turban
almost into contact with the floor
II want to see your MASTER" whis.
pered Hendricks, handing him his card.
Again the man bowed silently, closed
the great door, and left them in the
spacious hall. With many and profusc
draperics, Kola' had hung the walls and
ceiling SO that the effect was distinctly
oriental. The ornaments, scrolls, paint
ings and statues Were all eastern, but
what struck Lampkin most forcibly,
perhaps because it was so i'll suited to
its environment, was adragon of carved
walnut, which stood at the foot of the
wide curving stairway.i
'"That belongs TO- the house." cx-
planned Hendricks in whisper. "It is
genuine curiosity. The carving is en-
cellent. One would thiak it of japanese
origin, but if you will sotice, tits of the
same material us the bnlustrade, and
that must have been made in this coun-
try"
just then the attendant glided from
between two heavy silken curtains, and
with another salaam, invited them to
pass before him. Doing so, they found
themselves in Kola's big eption-room.
Here their vision was given rare treat.
The lessee of the old ruin had removed
the two floors above the one on which
they stood, giving becoming altitude
to the walls, which were gracefully
draped with long flowing hangings of
different blending cloths. The ceiling
was disguised by filmy mass of white
material, as gauzy as cobwebs, behind
which shone red and yellow lights, like
signal fires in mist.
Lampkin almost uttered an exclama-
ton of delight, but the impressive man
ner of the attendant and Hendricks
unwontcd silence checked the impulse.
The servant gave them seats with their
backs to the door through which they
had entered, and then he stood still in
the center of the room, his head bowed,
his turban held in front of him.
After a moment the melow-toncd
bell, which they had heard before, and
which was suspended somewhere
among the lights overhead, struck three
times slowly. Then a white light blazcd
up and Kola was seen in a hitherto dark
nlcove. He wore his gray gown and
close-fitting cowl, and was seen to be
pacing back and forth Without seem
ing conscious Of their presence so near
him, he picked up an unlightcd electric
bulb and turned the. button. Then
holding the light in his right hand, he
approached black tripod over which
lay red cloth. He lifted the cloth, and
big polished crystal sphere was ex-
posed to view 1t was about ten inches
in diameter and as clear as n diamond. ,
Rejecting the dull, sensllous lights over
head, and the bright rays of the electric
bulb, it was certain]ya marvellous sight.
60 Still Kola seemed unconscious of
their proximity. From the walls near
him the smoke Of incense began to rise,
rosy light pervadad the room, and soft,
seductive music w1s lgard somewhere
above.
Kola held the electric bulb over the
crystal and begati to gaze into it's
depths, uttering in Sing song tones
IL