Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-10-31
CHAPTER xvl.-(continued.,

tapls, ana sank into a huge leather
armchair with sigh of relief ant
pleasure. 1t was coed to be back ii
ms own place again, the, curtains
drawn, the lamps glowing, the world
shut out. He was happier here thar
anywhere else, after all! 1t was here
in this beautiful room, with it's books
ana pictures, its cultured comfort
that the real events of his life took
place, those splendid hours of solitude
when he set down the vivid expert
ences OF his crowded life with all the
skill and power God had given him
and he himself had cultivated so man.
fully and we'll
Now for It! Tired as his mind was
there lay time OF deep thinking be.
fore 1t. There was the article for to-
morrow to group and arrange. 1t was
probably the most important piece OF
work he had ever been called upon to
do. It would startle the world and 1t
behooved him to put forth all his en-
ergies.
Yet there was something else. He
must consider the problem Of the
cigarette case first. It was immedi-
ate and disturbing.
How had this thing come into Sir
Williams possession! What COM
munication had Gouldesbrough had
with Gerald Rathbone? That they
were rivals for the hand of Miss Poole,
Megbie knew quite well. Every one
knew 1t. 1t was most unlikely that
the two men could have been friends
or even acquaintances. Indeed, Meg
bic. was almost certain that Rathbone
did not know Sir William.
Was that little, shining silver toy
on the table message from the past?
Or was 1t rather instinct with pres
ent meaning?
He took itup again and looked at It
curiously. Immediately that he did
so the sense Of agitation and unrest
retnrned to him with tremendous
force
Megbie was not superstitious man.
But nowadays we all know SO much
more about the nonmaterial things of
life that only the most ignorant people
call a man with with a belief in the
supernatural superstitious. Like many
another highly educated man Of our
time, Megbie knew that there are
strange and Httle-understood forces.
all round us. When our ex-prime min
lister is a keen investigator into
psychic; when the principal of Birm-
ingham university, leading scientist,
writes constantly in dispute of the
mere material aspect of life, the cu1-
tured world follows suit.
4 Megbie held the cigarette case in
his hand; all the electric lights
burned steadily. The door was closed
and there was not a sound in the fiat
Then, with absolute suddenncss,
Megbie saw that man was standing
in front Of him, at the other side of
the fireplace, not three yardN away.
He was tall man, clean shaver, with
light, close-cronped hair, and rather
large face. The eyes were light blue
in color, and surrounded by minute
Fuckers and wrinkles. The nose was
aquiline. the mouth clean-cut and
rather full. The man was dressed in
a dark blue overcoat, and the collar
and cuffs of the coat were heavily
trimmed with astrachan fur. The
room was absolutely still.
Something like a gray mist or cur
tain descended over Megbie's. eyes.
It rolled up like a curtain and egbie
saw the man with absolute clearness
and certainty. He could almost have
put out his hand and touched him.
Measured by the mere material stand
ard of time, these events did not take
more than a second, perhaps only
part Of second. Then the writer be-
came aware that the room was filed
with sound-sudd den. loud and menac-
ing. It was sound as Of sudden
drums at midnight, such a sound as
the gay dancers In Brussels heard on
the eve Of Waterloo, when the assem-
byls sounded IN the great square and
the whole city awoke.
In another moment Megbie knew
what the sound In his ears really was:
his own heart and pulses were racing
and beating like the sudden rolling Of
uFuuH.fAsS LII y udbU ne recognized the
face and form OF his yisitor--this out
ward form and semblance Of a man
which had sprung up and grown con-
crete In the night The phantom
II, indeed, it was phantom wore
the dress and aspect OF Eustace
Charliewood, the we'll known man
about-town, who had killed himself ut
Brighton a short time before!
Megbie had never spoken to Charlie
wood-so far as he could remember
bue he knew him perfectly well by
sight. as every one In the West end
Of London had known him, and he
was member OF one Of the clubs to
which the dead man had belonged.
The Thing that stood there, the
Thing or Person which had snrung
out Of the air wore the earthly SEM
blance Of Eustace Charliewood.
# Megbie shouted out aloud. .s;,i
A great cry burst from his Fps,
CRY; Of surprise and feara challenge
OF that almost dreadful curiosity that