Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-11-08
CHAPTER III.-continued.

/ Mrs. Dolman would have stepped
aside in the doorway, to allow him
to precede her, but he waved her for
ward impatiently, and she went on
ahead, and up the broad staircase,
+, with her gown held up delicately in
1.-TWO mittened hands.
4. NOW" thought Philip Crowdy,
4 with chuckle, II shall know where l
/ am to sleep"
The old lody went before him, and
softly opened the door of a room on
the left hand, Crowdy taking careful
note of Its position. 1t was a beauti-
fully-furnished room, with huge, old
fashioned presses in 1t, and with
everything arranged with a view to
comfort.
There couldn't be better room,
Master Dandy" urged the old lady,
"and you've slept in it as long almost
as l can remember. There's your
dressing room opening out of it, and
your bathroom beyond that-nothing
could be more convenient, Master
Dandy. If you moved into the yellow
room, the outlook is pretty, tit can't
be denied-but it amt to be compared
to this. OF course, Master Dandy,
you'll do as you like-but l."
! Philip Crowdy had achieved his OBJ
ject. He looked around the room for
a moment, and shrugged his Shout
ders. "No-after all, think you're
right. 1t was only within of mine;
I'll stay here"
AS he seemed disposed to remain In
the room the housekeeper quietly
! door. Crowdy threw himself into an
armchair and laughed softly. He felt
| that he was advancing rapidly; every
fresh pair Of eyes which met his, and
which he saw no CLEAN of suspicion,
gave him confidence. His one desire
was to do everything which the late
Dandy Chatter had been In the habit
of doing, and, on the other hand, to
do nothing which would seem strange
or unusual. And here, again, luck was
with him.
Mrs. Dolman, on retiring from the
room, had not closed the door so care
fully as she had imagined the sound
of two voices, in low converse, came
to his ears
What's brought i'm 'ome in such a
'urry?" asked the first voice, evidently
that of woman. II thought e was
goin' to be away about week"
In the second voice, which replied
In the same low tone, but somewhat
aggressiyely, Crowdy recognized that
of the young man servant who had al
ready waited upon him: ''Well,
suppose the master can do as he likes,
can't he?"
"Lor', some of us soon gifts put out,
don't we, Mr.. 'Arry?' replied the
woman
Good. Now know his name,"
muttered Crowdy to himself. Whis-
ting loudly, he strobe across the
room and pulled open the door abrupt
ly. The distant fltter Of skirts an
nounced that the woman had taken
fright and fled.
Harry" he said, turning back
when he reached the head Of the
stairs, I'm going OUT
The man seemed. he thought, to
look at him rather ly-almost
|frowningly, in fact '"To the Chatter
Arms, sir?" he asked.
Eyes, may look in there" replied
Crowdy, carelessly, and wondering
somewhat at the evidently well-known
habits Of the late Dandy Chatter. 81
shall be back in time for dinner"
Mr.. Philip Crowdy took his way
down stairs, selected a cigar with
much care, and strolled out, after TAX
Ing a walking stick from it's place in
the hall.
"a dead mans house a dead mans
cigar--a dead mans walking stick!a
he said to himself, as he went down
the long, drive. 81 don't like it; it
smothers me. And yet-and yeti
He did not finish the sentence
some thought was evidently running
In his mind, to the exclusion of every
thing else. He turned away from the
village and made his way across some
fields, and sat down In the winter
sunlight, on the footstone of a stile.
Looking cautiously about him he
pulled from his pocket the papers he
had taken from the body. Of Dandy
Chatter.
There was check book, with one
check filled up, even to the signature,
but still remaining in the book. There
was a pocketbook, with various en-
tries in regard to betting, and to
sporting events generally. And there
was one or two letters, in the same
hand writing as that seen BY him that
Iday. These last he read carefully.
They were couched n terms Of
friendly advice. and even Of remon-
STRANGE with sometimes a little note
of anger to be read between the lines.
/ Yet they breathed a very true and
/ very disinterested affection, ana were,
In every way, full OF true womanly
feeling.
& All Margaret Barnshaw (some-
times she signs herself 'Madge,' I
see), that's the lady who's going to
marry mewhich y more than I bar
gained Tor when i stepped into Dandy