Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-06-13

It empty. Very likely he was of con
doing with his friend and fellow con.
spirator, the caretsker, and fumed
with rage and disappointment. / was
thoroughly tired,-as tired as on days
when I had beaten my way through
tropical jungles without food or water
but | wished. in my impotent anger
against I knew not what agencies, to
punish myself,--to induce an utter
WEAKNESS that would send me ey.
hausted to bed.
The snow in the highway was we'll
beaten down and 7 swung off country.
ward past st. Agatha's. A gray mist
hung over the fields In whirling clouds.
breaking away occasionally and show
ing the throbbing winter stars. The
walk and my interest in the alterna-
ton of star.lighted and mist.wrapped
| landscape won me to a better state of
mind, and after tramping a couple of
miles, set out for home. Several
times on my tramp I had caught nv.
self whistling the air Of majestic
| old hymn, and smiled, remembering
my young friend Olivia, and her play.
Ing In the chapel She was an anus
Ing child; the thought of her further
! lifted my spirit; and ! turned into the
| school park when I reached the outer
gate with half-recognized wish to
| pass near the barracks where she
spent her days.
At the school gate the lamps of a
carriage suddenly blurred in the mist
Carriages are not common in this re-
gion, and I was not surprised TO fnd
that this was the familiar village hack
that met trains day and night at An
Mandate. Some parent, / conjectured
paying a visit to st Agathas; posi-
bly-and the thought gave me pleas.
ure-perhaps the father of Miss Olivia
Gladys Armstrong had come to carry
her home for strlcter discipline than
Sister Theresa's school Afforded
The driver sat asleep on his box,
and l passed him and went on into
the grounds. A within seized me to
visit the crypt Of the chapel and ex-
anime the opening to the tunnel. As
l passed the little group Of school
buildings man came hurriedly from
one Of them and turned toward the
chapel
] first thought 1t was Stoddard, but
could not make him out in the mist
and in my uncertainty waited for him
to put 90 PAGES between US before |
followed
He strobe into the chapel porch
with an air Of assurance and heard
him address some one who had been
waiting. The mist was now so heavy
that could not see my hand before
my face, and 7 stole forward until
heard the voices OF two men distinctly
Bates"
"Yes, sir"
heard feet scraping on the stone
floor of the porch.
This is devil Of place to talk
in. but IT'S the beat we can do. Did
the young man know l sent for your"
mo. sir. I kept him quite busy
with his books and papers"
"Humph. We can never be sure Of
him"
II suppose that is correct, SIR"
We'll, you and Morgan are fine
pair, must say! thought he had
some sense and that you'd see to it
that he didn't make a mess of this
whole thing. He's in bad now with a
hole In his arm and you've got 20 go
on alone"
I'll do my best. Mr.. Pickering"
Don't call me ny name. you idiot
We're not advertising our business
from the housetops."
Certainly not" replied Bates hum
bly,
The blood was roaring through my
head, and my hands clenched as
stood there listening to this colloquy.
chickering's voice was-and is-un-
mistakable. There was always purr-
ing softness in it. He used to remind
me AT school Of a sleek. csmplacent
cat, and l hate cats with particular
loathing.
rs Morgan lying or not when he
says he shot himself accidentally"
demanded Pickering petulantly
Il only know what | heard from
the gardener here at the school. You'll
understand, hope. that l can't be
seen going to Morgans house"
"Of course not. But he says you
haven't played fair with him. that you
even attacked him few days after
Glenarm came
Yes, and he hit me over the head
with a club. 1t was his indscretion.
sir. He wanted to go through the H.
brary in broad daylight, and 1t wasn't
any use, anyhow. There's nothing
there"
But | don't like the looks OF this
shooting Moreans sick and out OF
his head. But a fellow like Morgan
isn't likely to shoot himself accident
ally, and now that it's done the works
stopped and the time is running on
What do you think Genarm sus
pects?"
II cant tell sir, hut mighty little
| should say The shot through the
window the first night he was here
seemed to shake him tribe, but he's
quite settled down cow, I should say
sir. That shot OF Morgan's was q
great mistake. The young gentleman
isn't to be frightened away as easily
as that"
"Morgan's n fool. But what is Glen
arm doing? He probably doesn't spend