The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-06-20
CHAPTER XIV.

On Monday morning the whole
neighborhood was alive with the
news that Mr.. Birley was to be
sold up." An execution had been put
into his house under a bill OF sale' ana
an agent or auctioneer person (actlng
of course by Instruction. had stuck
notices announcing a sale of "furni-
ture and effects" on boards in the
front.garden. Steinhardt knew there
would be no redemption of the bill,
but In his haste to be as peremptory
with his old friend as possible he had
overlooked the fact that by an act
which had come in force in the be-
ginning Of that year, he was bound
to give Birley FIVE days opportunity
to pay off the bill. Birley, therefore,
plucked up the notice boards and
threw them into the lane, and then
went and talked to the man In pos
session.
But that afternoon I had business
of my own on hand: / had deter
mined to settle to my own satisfac-
tion the exact spot Indicated by
Fraulein Haas's vision as that where
Lacroix's remains were inferred.
mentioned the ruined mill in the be-
ginning Of this story, which occupied
part of a dreadfully Uttered little pc
ninsula formed by a curve OF the
stream. More than one of its walls
had fallen, but had particularly no.
ticed frequently in passing, and had
wondered at one wall which lay as
fiat as the walls Of Jericho; 1t seemed
from the public side of the stream to
cohere as completely as when it had
been standing, except at its outer
edges where the bricks were broken
and dislocated. This l suspected was
the wall; and was resolved to visit
It to see whether | could make sure
my suspicion was correct.
To get to the mill had to pass
round to the head of the peninsula Il
wondered whether Steinhardt had
taken that route on his journey with
his horrible burden, or whether he
had boldly forded the stream opposite
one of the side gates to the grounds
of his works.. This led me between
two old rafting mills of some sort,
past piles Of lumber-broken wagons
and fragments of old machinery rust
ing away-past some flourishing pig
sites. constructed of old boards and
old sacks. had to pick my way very
carefully, for 1t was beset with gull
lies and holes worn out by rain tor
rents, and with entrenchments of Gin
ders and "clinkers." At length
came out upon the open space round
the mill. | approached the wall with
a shudderlng but fascinated sense. In
the middle of 1t, toward the edge
which had been the top, was bolted
iron plate, answering exactly to the
requirements of Fraulein Haas's Wis
lon,
My eye was at once attracted to a
part of the wall, near its base, which
was altogether unlike the rest. Most
Of the wall was as bare Of anything
like vegetation as a mill-wall com
monty is, but this part was covered
with fine yellowlsh-green fungus or
the bricks, and grass in the mortar Of
the interstices. This, l was satisfied
was the spot. Under these bricks
had lain. for eighteen months, the
mutllated remains OF the unfortunate
Lacroix, probably at no great depth;
hence the eagerness of Stelnhardt t.
cover them with so widespreading {
tomb-slab as this fallen wall. anC
hence. also. probably. this traitorou'
growth Of green. AS | looked, won
dered how mich Steinhardt woulC
give now to be able to move his I'll
tanic tombstone and remove his dead
The wall was too secure covering
II was the grand mistake Of a strong
resolute and originl criminal,-th'
enormous blunder of the bold, uncom
promising villain. entirely confiden
in his security against every risk o
discovery!
| hurriedly withdrew TO conside
my course OF action. I began to finC
that was in an awkward dilemma
Ny promise to Fraulein Haas forbad,
a public examination Of that spot, We
how could my promise TO Louise. tina
her fathers remains should be prop
erly interred-how could that be ful
hlled without the discovery becoming