The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1907-11-02
THE HOUSE OF
A THOUSAND
CANDLES
BY MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Author d THE MAIN CHANCE" ZELDA
DAhEA0N," Etc.
CHAPTER I.
Copyright 1905 BY Bobbs-Merrili %.

my grandfather's death found me at
Naples early in October. John
Marshall Glenarm had died in June,
leaving will which gave me his prop
-erty conditionally, Pickering wrote,
and 1t was necessary for me to return
Immediately to qualify as legatee. 1t
was by the merest luck that the letter
came to my hands at all. for 1t had
been sent to Constantinople, in care
OF the consul-general instead of my
banker there, and 1t was not Picker.
ing's fault that the consul was friend
of mine who kept track of my wander.
fngs and was able to hurry the execu.
tors letter after me to Italy, where
I had gone to meet an English finan-
cier who had I was advised unlimited
money to spend on African railways.
L am an engineer, graduate of an
American institution Familiarity known
as The Tech" and as my funds were
running low l naturally turned to my
profession for employment.
But this letter changed my plans,
and the following day cabled Pick.
ering of my departure and was out
ward bound on steamer for New
York. Fourteen days later l sat in
Picker,ng's Office in the Alexis Build.
Ing ar1 listened intently while he
read, tn much ponderous emphasis,
the pre- 'isions of my grandfather's
will. " len he concluded / laughed.
Pickering was serious man, and
was glad 20 see that my levity panied
him. b ID, for that matter, always
been a Sc irce of annoyance to him,
and his K TX of distrust and rebuke
did not tro Die me in the least.
l reached across the table for the
paper, and l. gave the sealed and be-
ribboned copy of John Marshall Glen
arms will into my hands. read It
through for myself, feeling conscious
meanwhile that chickering's cool gaze
was bent inquiringly upon me. These
are the paragraphs that interested me
most:
q give and devise unto my said
grandson, John Glenarm, sometime a
resident of the city and state of New
York, and later a vagabond of parts
unknown, a certain property known as
Glenarm House. with the lands and
Entertainments thereunto pertaining
and hereinafter more particularly de.
scribed, and all personal effects, goods
and other property that may be
located in the premises and on the
land herein described-th said realty
lying in the county of Wabana in the
state of Indiana,-upon this condition,
faithfully and honestly performed:
rl.nN n I'll
main an occupant of said Glenarm
House and of my lands appurtenant |
thereto, demeaning himself meanwhile |
In an orderly and temperate manner. |
Should he fail at any time during said |
year to comply with this provision, |
said property shall at once revert to |
my general estate, shall become, with
out reservation and without necessity |
for any process of law the property,
county and state of New York"
WELL" he demanded, striking his
hands upon the arms of his chair,
what do you think of it?"
For the life of me could not help
laughing again. There was, in the
first place, delicious irony in the
fact that / should learn through him
OF my grandfather's wishes with re-
spect to myself, Pickering and | had
grown up in the same town in Yer.
mont; we had attended the same pre-
paratory school, but there had been
from boyhood a certain antagonism
between us, He had always succeeded
where | failed, which Is to say, | must
admit, that he, had succeeded pretty
frequently. When ] refused to settle
down to my profession, but chose to
see something of the world first, Pick
ering gave himself seriously to the
law, and there was, knew from the
beginning, no manner of chance that
he would fail.
| am not more or less than human,
and remembered with joy that once
had thrashed him soundly at the
prep school for bullying smaller boy,
but our score from school days was
not without tallies on his side. He ,
was easily the better scholar grant
him that; and he was shrewd and
plausible. You never quite knew the |
extent of his powers and resources,
most amazing good luck,-as witness
the fact that John Marshall Glenarm 9
had taken a friendly interest In him. ,
1t was wholly like my grandfather {
who was man of many whims, to (
give his affairs into chickering's keep I
ing; and ! could not complain, for | [
had missed my own chance with him. G
1t was, ! knew readily enough, part of
my punishment for having succeeded I
so signally in mourning my grand.
fathers displeasure that he had made /
IL necessary for me to treat with /
Arthur Pickering in this matter of the
will and Pickering was enjoying the h
situation to the full.
But there was something not wholly Z
honest In my mirth, for my conduct O
during the three preceding years had
been reprehensiblei had used my y