The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-24

dren grow to men and women, and men
and women grow to children-you
wouldn t think it perhapsl"
NO." said /, ...'you don't show it;
but your reputation, if I may. say SO,
goes beyond this place. I was in Pang-
haired man was speaking Of you; who is
he, I wonderq' t
IA tall, yellow-haired mani" he ex-
claimed, putting his finger in the center
Of his forehead as if in aid Of memory;
- didn't know there were such in
Beading, A tall, yellow-let me see,
"You sold him some tabloids Of nj
troglycerin; perhaps that will help to
his identifcationsb said I.
n,Ah, now I know you're wrong,.'
said he; "there 8 only one man within
and he hasn't got yellow hair-ha, ha,
he hash t got any at ALL
'Who is he9'' I asked with growing
curiosity.
"Why, old Jabez Ladd, the miser,
out at Yore Park; he takes that stuff
for his heart, sir. Wonderful weak
heart he has, too; but he hasn't got
vietion that he has no hair at all"
I had learned all I needed, for the
mere mention Of the name Jabez Ladd
was sufficient for me. At the man 8
words a whole freshet Of ideas seemed
to. rush, to my mind. I had known the
JeWel, buyers in the country;. I had
sold him thousands Of pounds worth
OF stuff; I had heard: the strangest ira.
dltions OF his astounding meanness and
elf-denial. They even said that he
forbade himself a candle after dusk,
and that his fare was oatmeal, and
brown bread; while he lived in house
which would not have been poor re-
treat for a millionaire. This I knew,
but the words of the apothecary had
made other things clear to me-one,
that the yellow-haired man had got
his emeralds in box which must have
come from Ladd s house, since he alone
nitroglycerin; another, that the man g
very, shabbiness and obvious shuffing
pointed very strongly to the conclusion
that. he should be watched.
OF these things was 1 sure as I met
Barisbroke, and turned them over in
my mind often during the moderate
that I had any troublesome friendship
for Ladd, who was no sort Of a man to
think about; yet I could not forget
that he was a buyer, and it seemed
both wise and likely to be profitable
to warn him. Possibly I had reared
fine s4Herstrqcture o. Of suspGion
in any, case, 1 could do no harm, I
thought, and might even sell the old
scoundrel parcel Of jewels in the at
tempt: His house, as I then knew, lay
over by the hills Of Caversham; and
remembered that I could take it by
me to Pangbourne, after I had passed
thru Mapledurham and Whitchurch. In
the end, I resolved at least to see the
old man; and when I had dined at a
ridiculously early hour with Baris.
broke, I crossed the river by the white
the gate Of Yore Hall.
lam no Psychologist, and have an
but my first impression Of this hall was
a pleasing one. 1t is true that the
wooden gate of the drive was broken
down, and the garden land beyond it
1Sist5ng but but ta3gle of swaying grass
one for poor things to come; but the
house itself was massive and even a
grand attempt at lowered ano
battlemented structure, built in stout
stone with Norman windows, ane
s5e p stTsnath Of Of a. keep, whft
DUTY: When T came near to it, ]
saw that many of the gargoyles haG
fallen from the roof of the left wing
which seemed to be unfinished, and the
parapet was broken away and decayine
above the porch; while-and this was
single curtain to the house. 1t was
mer Of sunlight shining redly upon the
latticed easements lit up the facade
with greater brilliance than one looks
to see out Of Italy. There were rocks
,, by the moat which ran round three sides
of the house; I could hear the baying Of
a hound in the courtyard by the stable
but of man or woman I saw nothing
tho I rang the great bell thrice ane
birds fled from the caves at the clatter
thicket disappeared in the warren.
Some minutes after the third ring
l and when | was preparing to drive of
and leave Jabez Ladd to his own affairs
the stable door opened, and girl came
: out, dressed, it seemed to me-. curiousllJ
5 in a smart white frock; but with untidJ
!, hair; tho much Of it; and an exceeding
= ly pretty face. which had been. the pref
9 tier for little securing. The creatur,
!! had great dark eyes like grisette o:
f Bordeaux; and when she saw me, stoot
: swaying upon her feet, and laughing al
. my advent was an exceedingly humor
Q Gus thing. Then she said:
8 els it Mr.. Ladd you re wanting9'
2 I told her that it was.
/ "You IL not be a county man?" sh
8 asked.
Q "I'm from London" said I, "an,
2 my name is Bernard Sutton. Tell MI
d Ladd, that I'll not keep him five min
o utes.'
9 "There's no need" said she, shipper
d ing =. again; "he's been abed since tn
!; I'm bedl" cried 7, amazed.
q company: but if We I'll write sometime
!, III I'LL run MI up with it, the h0usokeeper'
it She seemed to think that all this wa
o a good joke, and wondered, I doub
d not, that I did not shipper at her agai1
d T was 'on the very point of whipping u
| the nag, and leaving such a. curiou
% household, when one Of the landing wiz
l. dows went up with a creak, and Lad
j. himself, with a muffer round his throat
q was visible.
n "What aye want in my grognds1
"a We chattering there for9-thought wa
# asleep, did ye-hal'
J: r "Good evening, Mr.. Ladd," said
I quietly; "I'm sorry, but I appear t
q. have disturbed you. I've word fo
=, your ear if you III come down."
q "Hullo,' cried he, in his cracked an
", piercing voice., "why it's you, is. it
~ egad, I thought you were the butcher
a What's your business 9-I'm biding i
a. bed. as YOU can see.'
- IT can't shout said I, "and m
!, business is private.'