Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1908-06-26
THE HOUSE OF
A THOUSAND
CANDLES
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Author 81 THE MAIN CHANCE" ZELDA
CAMERON" Etc.
CHAPTER xxv.-contInued.
Copyright 1905 By Bobbs-Msrrill Co.

"Ah, to be sure! You were away
Christmas eve, when those vandals
broke in. Bates merely mentioned it
in the last report got from him in
New York. That was all right. / as.
sumed, of course, that you had gone
off somewhere to get little Christ
mas cheer; / don't care anything
about it,
.'But / had followed her-I went to
Cincinnati to see her-don't you un-
derstand? She dared me to comet
was trick, part of the conspiracy
to steal your property"
The old gentleman smiled. 1t was
an old trick of his to grow calm as
other people waxed angry.
"She dared you to come, did she!
That is quite like Marian; but you
didn't have to go, did you, Jack%
"Of course not; of course / didn't
have to go, but"
/ stammered, faltered and ceased.
Memory threw open her portals with
q challenge. saw Marian on the
stairway at the Armstrong;; / heard
her low. soft laughter; felt the mock
cry of her voice and eyes; / knew
again the exquisite delight of being
near her. My heart told me well
enough why / had followed herl
Jack, I'm glad I'm not buried up
there in that Vermont graveyard with
nobody to exercise the right of guar
dianship over you. I've had my mis-.
givings about you; used to think you
were born tramp; and you disap-
pointed me in turning your back ON
architecture, the noblest of all pro
fessinns; but this performance oil
yours really beats them all DOM
you know that a girl like Marian De
vereux isn't likely to become the agent
Of any rascalf Do you really believe
for a minute that she tempted you to
follow her SO you might forfeit your
rights to my property"
But why was she trying to find
those notes of his? Why did she
come back from Cincinnati with his
party? If you could answer me those
things, maybe I'd admit that I'm q
fool. Pickering, imagine, is a pretty
plausible fellow where women are con
cerned."
For Gods sake, Jack, don't speai
of that girl as women! l put her in
that will of mine just to pique your
curiosity, knowing that If there was 6
penalty on your marrying her yot
would be wholly likely to do it,-fol
that's the way human beings art
made. But you've mixed it all up nov
and insulted her in the grossest way
possible for fellow who is really &
gentleman. And don't want to lost
you; I want you here with mel These
rich Americans, who go to England tt
live, don't appreciate the beauty o
their own country. This landscape Il
worthy of the best that man can do
And I didn't undertake to build |
crazy house out here but one tina
should have some dignity and charac
ter. That passage around the chin
ney is an indulgence. Jack.-Pll admi
it's a little bizarre,-you see tina
chimney isn't so big outside as it Il
inland he laughed and rubbed hi
knees,-"and my bringing foreigl
laborers here was really to make
easier to get things done my way
Wait till you have seen the May-apple
blossom and heard the robin sing il
the summer twilight,-help me t,
finish the house,-then II you wan
to leave I'll bid you Godspeed."
The feeling in his tone, the displa.
of sentiment so at variance with m.
old notion of him, touched me in spit
of myself. There was characteristic
nobility and dignity in his plan; i
was worthy of him. And had neve
loved him as now. when he finishel
this appeal. and turned away to tn
window, gazing out upon the sombe
woodland.
MIR. Donovan is ready to go, sir,
announced Bates at the door. and W
went into the library, where Larry an,
Stoddard we're waiting
Il