Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-05-10
THE HOUSE OF A
THOUSAND CANDLES
By Meredith Nicholson


had left him. Bates was not In sight,
but the barking Of q revolver above
showed that he had returned to the
window to wreak vengeance on his en-.
emies.
Stoddard shook his head In depreca-
ton.
They fired irst-we can't do less
than get back at them" / said, be-
tween the blows Of the battering ram.
A panel Of the great oaken door
now splintered, but in their fear that
we might use the broken panel as q
loophole, they scampered out into
range Of Bates revolver. In return we
heard a rain Of small shot on the up
per windows, and few seconds later
Larry shouted that the fanking party
was again at the terrace.
This movement evidently heartened
the sheriff, for, under a fire from
Bates, his men charged again and the
log crashed into the door, shaking it
free from the upper hinges. The low.
er fastenings were wrenched loose an
instant later, and the men came tum.
bling into the hall-the sheriff, Nor
gan and four others had never seen
before. Simultaneously the fiankins
party began smashing the small panes
OF the library windows. We could
hear the glass crack and tinkle above
the confusion at the door.
In the hall he was certainly a lucky
man who held to his weapon a mo-
ment after the door tumbled In. I
blazed at the sheriff with my revol.
yer, but ne stumbled and half fell at
the threshold, 50 that the ball passed
over him, and he promptly gripped
me by the legs and had me prone and
half dazed by the rap of my head on
the floor.
| suppose I was two or three min.
utes at least getting my wits. was
first conscious of Bates graphing
with the sheriff, who sat upon me, and
as they struggled with each other
got the full benefit of their combined,
sWerving, tossing weight. Morgan and
Larry were trying for chance at each
other with revolvers, while Morgan
backed the Irishman slowly toward
the library. Stoddard had seized one
OF the unknown deputies by the COL
lar and gave him a tremendous swing,
Jerking him high in the air and driv.
ing him against another invader with
a blow that knocked both fellows
spinning into corner.
Come on to the library" shouted
Larry, and Bates, who had got me to
my feet, pushed me down the hall to-
ward the open library door.
Bates presented at this moment an
extraordinary appearance, with the
blood from the scratch on his face
coursing down his cheek and upon his
shoulder. His coat and shirt had been
torn away and the blood smeared over
his breast. The fury and indignation
in his face was something | hope not
to see again in human countenance.
My God, this room-this beautiful
ROOM" heard him cry as he drove
me before him into the library. TT
was Mr. Glenarm's PRIDE" he NUT
tered, and sprang upon a burly fell
low who had come in through one Of
the library doors and was climbing
over the long table we had overturned
to serve as a barricade.
We were now between two fires
The sheriff's party had fought valiant.
ly to keep US out of the library and
now that we were within, Stoddard's
big shoulders held the door half closed
against the combined strength of the
men in the hall. This pause was for.
tunate, for it gave us an opportunity
to deal singly with the fellows who
were climbing in from the terrace
Bates had laid one of them low with a
club and Larry disposed of another
who had made a murderous effort to
stick knife into him. | was with
Stoddard against the door, where the
sheriff's men were slowly gaining
upon me.
Let go on the jump when I say
three" said Stoddard, and at his word
we sprang away from the door and
into the room. Larry yelled with Joy
as the sheriff and his men pitched for.
ward and sprawled upon the floor:
then we were at it again in a hand-to-
hand conflict to clear the room.
Hold that position, sir" yelled
Bates.
Morgan had directed the attack
against me and was driven upon the
hearth before the great fireplace. The
sheriff, Morgan and Ferguson hemmed
me In. 1t was evident that l was the
chief culprit, and they wished to elm.
mate me from the contest. Across the
room, Larry, Stoddard and Bates were
engaged in a lively rough and tumble
with the rest Of the besiegers, and
stoddard, seeing my plight, leaped the
overturned table, broke past the trio
and stood by my, side, swinging a
chair.
At that moment my eyes, sweeping
the broken outer doors, saw the face
OF Pickering. He had come to see
that his orders were obeyed, and I re-
member yet my satisfaction, as. hem.
med in by the men he had hired to