Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-08-29
CHAPTER XIV.

Harvey and his transformed uncle sat
alone that night, and the elder JethrOe
INDUCED in a good deal of rough mirth
over the trap he had laid for his enc
mics
"You must play 'em," he said, rub
bling his hands gleefully together. you
must make 'em think they've got the
clue never heard of finer sport in my
life. And what a lark it is to think that
they're all come down to the funeral
the funeral"
He burst into boisterous laughter, and
returned to the theme again and again
Harvey felt the mirth crate upon him.
He was of another world and another
material, and he saw no Jest in the bust
ness. 1t was all ugly and repellent to
him, and he was glad to escape his I'M
cle's constant repetition of instructions,
which had already been pressed upon
him to WEAKNESS.
He escaDed under pretense of great
fatigue, but when once he had got clear
of that oppressive gown and slippers to
think. he reviewed the whole singular
story, and went over it from the begin
ning-the time when he had gone out to
meet Constance by the side of the COM
mon, and, while waiting for her, had
heard the last groans of the murdered
man. All the events which had so rap
idly followed seemed to have pressed
Constance quite apart from him.
But, after all, il was not his fault that
he had been caught up into so strangely
romantic a series of events, and he tried
TO find excuses for himself. And while
he was thus musing he sat looking at
the door knob of an unused door, and he
was absolutely certain that he saw il
move. His bedroom was one of a suite
of three and occupied the central place.
so that three doors communicated with
1.-THE one by which he himself entered
and the locked and bolted doors on each
side of the apartment. 1t happened that
the door at which he was looking was
locked and bolted on his side, so that it
did not seem as though a very hopeful
enterprise had been undertaken by whom
soever was seeking an entrance TO his
chamber that way.
Harvey rose on stealthy tiptoe and
walked softly toward the door, keeping
his eye upon the knob, which was being
very quietly and slowly twisted this way
and that He could see that a certain
amount of pressure was being used upon
the door itself, whenever the catch was
withdrawn; and he knelt down closer to
the keyhole and noiselessly withdrew the
key. No light came through; but on his
own side Of the door there was a china
keyhole guard, and it was ten TO one
that the same thing existed on the other
side also. But while he was peeping into
the darkness of the keyhole he saw a
slant light suddenly appear within it,
aud Withdrawing swiftly he allowed the
guard to fall He listened with great in
tentness, but his heart throbbed with ex-
element. and he was at such pains TO
control his breathing that his pulses
drummed in his ears.
This all passed away in a while, and
he could hear an asthmatic wheeling be-
hind the door. and. after a considerable
time of waiting and liSlering. the pad
ding ABOUT of heavy and inelastic foot
step.
Now, if l were a brave man." said
Harvey to himself. II should lust go
round to that room and ask what all
this means.
He was a good deal less of coward
than he fancied himself to be. but his
young courage was only to be aroused by
action, and stood in need of leadership
BY and by he settled back to his
thoughts. His mind reverted to Con-
stance. He had more money now than
he ever expected 70 handle as his own
since his uncle had chosen to quarrel
with him. His uncle had a. .doned his
opposition, had loaded him with money.
and promised TO make him 1eir to vast
fortune; but all this brought hiia no near
er to Constance. and carried him farther