Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-01-07
CHAPTER xIu.-(Continued.)

"A cuuQCA 0AShNA DIS ne ACAN q tNNN~~A
him, and instinctively tried to shake IT
off in dread; and the next instant he was
pinionec, and half a dozen men stood
watching that wild stare of his into the
face Of Mr.. Poynz, who had been the hrst
to seize the murderer, and was now
standing before him in the full light
Mr.. Poynz," shouted the lawyer from
the open lighted doorway, as the armed
constabuIary marched their prisoner
down the avenue, he ought TO have come
in first to see his victim. Shall The Off
GERS bring him back?'
NO." said Mark, coming up to the
door, and wondering much at the strange
exultancy in Mr.. Doyle's tone, whic1
seemed to him untimely.
But he ought, the lawyer went on.
his voice raised as if he would like it to
travel as far as possible. BY all means
he should have seen his victim-shot
through the heart. A man likes to bring
down his game fairly, and always likes
to see how dead it falls. Besides that
the old gentleman's excitement increased
now with every word-''his bullet has
done further mischief, which | would
like him to see. By Joye! his face would
nave Decu a SluQg, l1c 1doNhis NASh -
saw what good he had done US all, in
stead of harm. | long to show him how
the bullet, which was to have brought
down the owner of Traveere. after pass
ing easily through our straw sontrivance,
sped on its kindly way, and revealed to
us the hidden fortune of old Col. st.
George. You look fairly incredulous. sir,
as Englishmen always do over every
thing, but by all the saints in Ireland,
it's truer'
The Vicar of Kiver had rarely been
reused to a state of excitement; but on
the morning after the chance discovery
of old Col st. Georges hidden wealth,
his calm and patient little wife caught
herself watching him in mute astonish-
ment, as he paced restlessly about the
breakfast room, giving no order for the
bell to be rung for prayers, though it was
yearly an hour beyond the usual time.
Perhaps" suggested Mrs. Pennington,
a little amused by this condu CT ''the girls
will not come in until they hear the bell.
Nora has been out for hours, hear, and
when Celia finds her, they will probably
loiter together until they are summoned
cali in good time" the vicar returned.
"Doyle will come down presently. He
warned us he should sleep late after such
night. Did you notice, my dear, what
spirits he was in? You may depend that,
careful as he was not to show it, his
guardianship rested heavily upon him so
long as Nora was unprovided for"
How strange it all was" observed
Mrs. Pennington. II can hardly believe
it even yet"
Nor can 1. And I'm sure Nora can
not"
"Oh, Nora will soon adapt herself to
her new position said Mrs. Pennington,
with a smile Call to mind how often
she has longed for money, and how little
she has ever possessed. The widest of
those old dreams of hers seemed easy OF
fulfillment to her, dare say, just in that
first hour"
Possibly" allowed the vicar, refec-
lively; ''yet something else was more
dominant in her mind, for | never saw
anything more pitiful than her gaze at
that ridiculous straw figure, and the
shudder that ran through her frame at
sight of the spot where the bullet had
pierced it.
Its a pity" observed Mrs. Penning-
ton, in her simple, practical way, that
the shot should have spoiled a coat, but
still"
But STILL said the vicar, interrupting
her with a laugh, lit did so much good
after spelling the coat my dear, that, if
l were Nora l should have felt more in
clined to preserve the bullet than to turn
away from it as she did with such unut-
terable repugnanee. Dear me! dear me-!
he continued, what could have induced
old Col st. George to conceal his saw
ings so effectually?"
There is no difficulty in answering
that was the prompt and unexpected re-
ply, as Mr. Doyle entered the room
through one of the low windows which
opened to the garden. The inherent
suspicion of miser had a lively time of
it, you may depend, in the old mans
brain at the very last; for, from what |
gathered last night, it would be only on
the very night before his death that he
hid his hoardings so skillfully behind the
wainscot that, but for this attempted
murder they must have remained there
undiscovered till doomsday-or, rather,
till the old house fell wholly, as it fell
partially, on the night after he had so
cleverly effected the concealment."
But how" inquired Mr.. Pennington.
"can you tell that he did it on that night
or that he suspected anyone? Whom
could he suspect? He had no one about
him but those two old servants-both as
honest as they are ignorant-and Nora
herself"
HE did not suspect either of those"
said the lawyer. with laugh; 'but Kitty
told US at the time of old Col. St. Georges
death, if you recol}ect, just what she
repeated last night-that on the night
previous to the fall of the chimney. while
lying awake in alarm, she heard her old
master walk many times backward and
forward between his bedroom and the
sitting room-where we found the money
and that DR.. Armstrong was STAYING in
the house that night, and had rather a
stormy scene with the old man before
they separated; especially. l believe.
about Nora's going TO England. Nora
herself told US the rest. and how her
grandfather said he had something to con-
!, tle to her next day"
Then you think he meant to reveal to
Nora the hiding place Of what by his
will she now inherits?"
conscience, a grain of real affection for
the girl-he had determined she should
be rich, and that his pretense of sending
her 10 England was merely TO lead Arm
strong of the scent and also entirely TO
blind Mr. Poynz as to her possessing a
penny. That's my enclusiOn, PenninS-
ton. and I've thought these things wei
over since dawn to-day"
I'm afraid. said the Wears wife,
speaking rather low and timidiy. that
DIR. Armstrong viii Try now even more
than be did at the time Of her grand
fathers death, te assert his right OF
guardianship over Nora"
& Then he must fail again even more
! signally than he failed then" returned
Mr.. Doyle. promptly. Until she is OF
age. / viii stick to the task the old man
left me. | thought last night how much
easier il would Be. now she is wei rro-
viaed for; but | declare the conviction
has Sinca then dayna5 unon mo that z