The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-06-01

It! detained Larry, ms voice pourl-
ing loudly in the room. Its all a
great big game, fixed up to try you and
Pickering.-but principally you. vol,
blockhead! Oh, it's grand. perfectly,
deliciously grand,-and to think it
should be my good luck to share in
it,"
"Humph! I'm glad you're amused.
but 1t doesn't strike me as being so
awfully funny. Suppose those had
fallen into Pickering's hands: then
where would the joke have been, l
should like to know"
"On you. my lad. to be sure The
d. old gentleman wanted you to study
architecture; he wanted you to study
his house; he even left a little pointer
in an old book! Oh. it's too good to be
true!"
That's all clear enough" observed
Stoddard, knocking upon the despatch
box with his knuckles. But why do
you suppose he dug this hole here with
its outlet on the ravine?"
ooh, 1t was the way of him!" ex.
planned Larry. "He liked the idea Of
queer corners and underground pas
sages. This is bully hiding place
for man or treasure. and that outlet
into the rav!ne makes it possible to
get out OF the house with nobody the
wiser. It's in keeping with the rest of
his scheme. Be gay, comrades! To.
morrow will likely find us with plenty
of business on hands. At present We
hold the fort, and let us have a care
lest we lose it,
We closed the ravine door, restored
the wall as best we could, and re-.
turned to the library. We made list
of the Pickering notes and spent an
hour discussing this new feature of
the situation and specializing as to the
hiding place of the remainder of my
grandfather's fortune. Larry and
Stoddard both declared their intention
of remaining until my troubles were
ended in spite Of my protests Stod.
dard stayed for dinner, and afterward
we began again our eternal quest for
the treasure, our hopes high from
Larry's lucky strike of the afternoon,
knowledge that the morrow would GER
tainly bring us face to face with the
real crises. We ranged the house from
tower to cellar; we overhauled the
tunnel. for it seemed to me, the hun.
dredth time.
1t va* my watch. and at midnight,
after S;cddard and Larry had recon.
had made sure of all the interior fas.
Jennings. l sent them off to bed and
made myself comfortable with a pipe
in the library.
l was glad of the respite. glad to be
alone.-to consider my talk with Ma
rian Devereux at ST. Agathas, and her
return with Pickering. Why could she
not always have been Olivia, ranging
the woodland, or the girl in gray. or
that woman, so sweet in her dignity.
who came down the stairs at the Arm
stronss'? f1cr own attitude toward
me was SO full of contradictions; she
had appeared to me in so many mno,js
and 5uises, that my spirit ranged the
whole gamut Of feeling as thought OF
her. But it was the recollection OF
Pickering's Infamous conduct that col
ored all my doubts of her. Pickering
had always been in my way. and here.
but for the chance by which Larry had
found the notes. should have had no
weapon to use against him.
The wind rose and drove shrilly
around the house. A bit of scaffold-
Ing on the outer walls ratified loose
somewhere and crashed down on the
terrace. grew restless, my mind in
tent upon the many chances OF the
morrow, and running forward to the
future. Even if won in my strife
with Pickering | had yet my way to
make in the world. His notes were
probably worthless,-I did not doubt
that. l might use them to procure his
removal as executor, but did not look
forward with any pleasure to legal
fight over property that had brought
ME only trouble
Something impelled me to go below,
and, taking lantern, tramped SOM
berly through the cellar, glanced at
the heating apparatus. and. remember
ing that the chapel entrance to the
tunnel was unguarded, followed the
corridor to the trap. and opened it.
The cold air blew up sharply and I
thrust my head down to listen.
A sound at once arrested me. I
thought at first 1t must be the suction
of the air, but Glenarm House was no
place for conjecture and | put the
lantern aside and jumped down into
the tunnel. A CLEAN of light showed
far away for an instant, then the dark
ness and silence were complete.
l ran rapidly over the smooth floor.
which had traversed so often that I
knew its every line. My only weapon
was heavy hickory club Near the
Door of Bewilderment l paused and
listened. The tunnel was perfectly
quiet. took step forward and STUN.
bled over brick. fumbled on the wall
for the opening which we had closed
carefully that afternoon, and at the
instant found it lantern flashed
kliudingly in my face and drew back.