Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1907-07-18
CHAPTER xvIlI.-continued.

pened?" l demanded.
He put his hand to his head uncer-
tainly and gasped as though trying to
gather his wits.
He was evidently dazed by whatever
had occurred, and sprang round and
helped him to couch. He would not
lie down but sat up, staring and pass
ing his hand over his head. 1t was
rapidly growing lighter, and / saw
purple and black streak across his
temple where bludgeon of some sort
had struck him.
What does this mean, Bates? Who
has been in the house?"
1T was early this morning." he fall
tered, about two o'clock, l heard
noises in the lower part of the house.
| came down, thinking likely it was
you, and remembering that you had
been sick yesterday"
Yes, go on"
The thought of my truancy was no
balm to my conscience just then.
"As came into the hall, saw lights
in the library. AS you weren't down
last night the room hadn't been lighted
at all. / heard steps, and some one
tapping with hammer"
Yes; hammer. Go on"
1t was, then, the same old story!
The war had been carried openly into
the house, but Bates.-just why should
any one connected with the conspiracy
injure Bates, who stood so near to
Pickering, it's leader? The fellow was
undoubtedly hurt,-there was no mis-
taking the wound on his head. He
spoke with a painful difficulty that
was not assumed | felt increasingly
sure, as he went on.
Il saw man pulling out the books
and tapping the inside of the shelves.
He was working very fast And the
next thing | knew he let in another
man through one of the easements
the one there that still stands little
OPEN"
He flinched as he turned slightly to
indicate it, and his face twitched with
pain.
Never mind that; tell the rest of
your story"
Then / ran in, grabbed one of the
big candelabra from the table, and
went for the nearest man. They were
about to begin on the chimney-breast
it was Mr.. Glenarm's pride in all
the house,-and that accounts for my
being there in front of the fireplace.
They rather got the best of me, SIR"
Clearly; l see they did. You had a
hand-to-hand fight with them, and be-
ing two to one"
mo; there were two of us,-don't
you understand, two of us! There
was another man who came running in
from somewhere, and he took sides
with me. I thought at first it was you,
sir. The robbers thought so, too, for
one of them yelled, Great God; Glen
arms come backi' just like that. But
it wasn't you, sir, but quite another
person."
That's a good story so far; and
then what happened?"
81 don't remember much more, ex-
cept that some one soused me with
water that helped my head consider
ably, and the next thing l knew l was
staring across the table, there at YOU"
"Who were these men, Bates? Speak
up quickly!"
My tone was peremptory. Here was,
1 felt, crucial moment in our rela-
tions.
We'll" he began, deliberately, II
dislike to make charges against fell
low man, but strongly suspect one of
the men of being"
Eyes! Tell the whole truth or it Will
be the worse for you"
Il very much fear one of them was
Ferguson, the gardener over the way.
I'm disappointed in him, SIR
Very good; and now for the other
one"
Il didn't get my eyes on him. j had
closed with Ferguson and we were
having quite a lively time of it when
the other one came in; then the man
who came to my help mixed us all up,
he was a very lively person,-and
what became of Ferguson and the rest
of it 1 don't know"
There was food for thought in what
he said. He had taken punishment in
defense of my property,-the crack on
his head was northumberland l could
not abuse him or question his veracity
with any grace; not, at least, without
time for investigation and study. How
ever, 1 ventured to ask him one ques-
ton:
'If you were guessing, shouldn't
you think it quite likely that Morgan
was the other man."
He met my gaze squarely.
81 think 1t wholly possible, Mr..
Glenarm," he replied at once.
"And the man who helped you-who
in the devil was he?"
BLESS me, don't know, sir! He
disappeared. I'd like nightly to see
him again"
'.Humph! Now you'd better do some
thing for your head. I'll summon the
village doctor If you say So"
mo; thank you, sir. I'll take care
Of it myself"
''Very well. Now we'll keep quiet
about this. Don't mention it or dis
cuss it with any one"
Certainly not, SIR" He rose, stag
gering little from weakness, but
crossed to the broad mantel shelf in
the great chimney-breast, rested his
arm upon it for moment, passed his
hand over the dark wood with sort
of caress, then bent his eyes upon the
floor Uttered with books, drawings and
papers torn from cabinets and all
splashed with tallow and wax from
the candles. The daylight had in
4 oraasad until tho havoc wrought by
the nights visitors was fully apparent
The marauders had made sorry
mess of the room, and ! thought