Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-02-28

theirs. Some one must have left win
dow open on the balcony. A cold puff
of outside air greeted and chilled him
as he stepped over the threshold. but
by this time he had himself well In
hand. He found the matches and re-
lighted his candle.
| 1t was not his first visit to his IA
theirs room. He had gone there
straightway on his agonized hoUie COM
ing. 1t was there he had wrestled with
the first sharp pangs Of his bereave-
ment, kneeling by the bed and clamor-
ing piteously for one word Of recogni-
ton from It's pale and unresponsive
sleeper.
He had passed through it since when
it had looked decorously desolate, with
the cold. white, tenantless bed and its
handsome furnishings primly set to
rights. On neither one Of those pre-
vicus visits had he observed the con-
spicious object that now arrested his
attention Immediately on entering the
room.
His mothers Bible, the one out Of
which he had read his Sundays task,
an unwilling little rebel, many weary
Sabbath afternoon at his fathers knee,
was propped upon the center table un-
der the dimly burning radiance Of a
night taper. 1t was open. A single
blossom Of white cosmos marked the
passage:
"Put not your trust In princes nor in
any son of man."
He did not reason about the presence
of the Bible. He did not cast second
look at it. Whether he was to brand
himself everlastingly as coward did
not cost him one anxious thought he
descended the long spiral stairs that
divided him from human companion
ship with feet that seemed to have
suddenly grown old and very tired.
The distance between him and the liv-
ing seemed to stretch out intermina-
bly,. He was at one only with death
and mystery.
With covering aspect he crept into
the long parlor where his father lay In
lonely state. One look at the noble,
calm face within the casket covered
him with q sense Of littleness and con-
fusion.
"Father, father! To think that !
should know fear in your presence
you, who had such high scorn for cow
ardice and towards! am not worthy
to be called your son."
A voice came to him in greeting from
the other end Of the long room. 1t
was old Mr.. Braddock, who had insist
ed upon sitting up with his old friend
Rufus. He shuffled toward the young
mourner now with face from which
every vestige Of color had fed. He
nodded nervously toward his three
companions, who came In slow pro-
cession In his rear.
"These gentlemen and l have been
going over the premises, Thomas, to
see If any doors or windows had been
left open. 1t grew quite chilly sudden
ly." The old man rubbed his hands
nervously about each other.
"Quite So" the man nearest his right
elbow echoed.
1--WE distinctly felt cold pun of
air." the man on his left added.
"Some window open on the veran-
d." Thomas suggested.
1--WE have made thorough inspec-
ton. We find neither door nor window
left unbolted. But the house Is very
large and very drafty."
"The library may have been over
looked"
Tom glanced toward the heavy
chenille portieres that fell between the
parlor and the library. On the other
side of them were the folding doors,
paneled with ground glass, which
gave the soft effectiveness Of moonlight
when lights burned on the library side.
Emboldened by the manifest fears Of
his companions, he drew the curtains
and fell backward with a low cry.
Then Indignation smothered his fear.
"Some one In the library, standing at
my fathers desk"
He essayed to slide the glass doors
backward into their sockets. They
would not yield.
81 locked them myself from the IL
brary side" said Mr.. Braddock chat
teringly- 81 did not want any one to
intrude here without our permission or
knowledge" He glanced toward the
casket.
"Then we must 60 around by the
middle parlor." said Tom curtly.
He led the way hurriedly. The older
men kept pace with him valiantly.
With their own scandalized eyes they
had corroborated the boys startled
announcement that his fathers desk
was being tampered with.
A dim light showed through the
ground glass doors. A STOPPING figure
was plainly discernible in front Of the
large table in the center Of the study,
the table at which Tom had seen his
father sit through what seemed to his
childish fancy interminable hours Of
pen work.
smaller door to the study was
reached by the crcuitous passage Of
the drawing room suit. 1t yielded to
Toms impatient touch upon its knob
and opened lnward-upon a room wrap
ped in utter darkness!
Have any Of you matches" he ask
ed sharply.
Three matches were responsively
struck against as many boot heels. and
the room was soon well lighted.
Scattered in reckless confusion over
the open desk were papers that had
been hastily drawn out from the pl-
geonholes for inspection. by whom and
for what purpose were the mysteries
that confronted Thomas aud his