Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-11-15
THE HOUSE OF
A THOUSAND
CANDLES
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON d
Authsr At THE MAIN CHANCE ZELDA
CAMERON" Etc.
Copyright 1905 81 Bobbs-Msrriil CO.
CHAPTER l.

PICKERING lGIIEE UlIn6kA6 hVWS va
my grandfather's death found me at
Naples early In October. AJohn
Marshall Glenarm had died in June,
leavinga will which gave me his prop
erty conditionally, Pickering wrote, I
and it 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 it 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 |
ings and was able to hurry the execu-
tors letter after me to Italy, where |
| had gone to meet an English f1nan-
cier who had, was advised, unlimited
money to spend on African railways.
I am an engineer, graduate OF an
American institution Familiarity known
as "Tle Tech," and as my funds were
running low 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 | sat in
Plcker.ngs office in the Alexis Build
ing ar listened intently while he
read, " tn much ponderous emphasis,
the pre- isions of my grandfather's
will V len he concluded / laughed.
Pickerin. was serious man, and /
was glad 20 see that my levity panied
him. / d, for that matter. always
been a sc irce of annoyance to him,
and his l. k of distrust and rebuke
| did not tro Die me in the least.
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: eM
II 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
hereditaments 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 said realty
lying in the county of Wabana in the
state of Indiana,-upon this condition
faithfully and honestly performed:
THAT said John Glenarm shall re
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 tc
my general estate, shall become. with
out reservation and without necessity
for any process of law the property
absolutely. of Marian Devereux. of the
county and state of New. York"
We'll" he demanded, striking his
hands upon the arms of his chair
what do you think Of it?"
For the life OF me could not hell
laughing again. There was, in the
first place. a delicious irony in tht
fact that | should learn through hin
of my grandfather's wishes with re
speet to myself Pickering and hat
grown up In the same town in Yer
mont; we had attended the same pre-
paratory school. but there had beer
from boyhood a certain antagonist
between us. He had always succeeded
where failed, which is to say, mus
admit, that he had succeeded prett,
frequently. When l refused to settli
down to my profession, but chose Il
: see something of the world first, Pick
ering gave himself seriously to tn
law, and there was, l knew from tn
beginning, no manner of chance tina
he would fail
/ am not more or less than human
and remembered with joy that ono
/ had thrashed him soundly at tn
} prep school for bullying a smaller boy
but our score from school days wa
not without tallies on his side. H
was easily the better scholar-I gran
} him that; and he was shrewd an
) plausible. You never quite knew tn
extent OF his powers and resources
6nu ne MAUI always AHAnldiu6us Tn
most amazing good luck.-as witnes
. the fact that John Marshall Glenarr
/. had taken a friendly interest In hin
It was wholly like my grandfathe
who was a man of many whims, I
. give his affairs into chickering's keel
ing; and I could not complain, for
had missed my own chance with hin
} It was. knew readily enough. part {
my punishment for having succeede
so signally In mourning my gran.
fathers displeasure that he had mad
/ t necessary for me to treat wit
Arthur Pickering in this matter OF tn
will; and Pickering was enjoying th
} situation to the full.
. But there was something not who'll
honest In my mirth. for my eondu,
during the three preceding years ha