The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-05-26
THE HOUSE OF
A S
CANDLES
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Author Of THE MAIN CHANCE" ZELDA
CAMERON" Etc.
CHAPTER xVIII.-contlnued.

see III Inere was any chance OF break
ing in. Have you seen the room
Well,"-he gave several turns to his
right wrist, as though to test tive
all had a jolly time there by the fire.
place. Another chap had got in some
where, so there were two of them.
Your mani suppose it's your man
was defending himself CALAMITY with
a large thing of brass that looked like
the pipes of a grand organ-and
sailed in with a chair. My presence
seemed to surprise the attacking party,
who evidently thought l was you,--
catering | must say, to mel"
You undoubtedly saved Bates life
and prevented the rifling Of the house.
And after you had poured water on
Bates, he's the servant,-you came up
here"
That's the way of it."
You're a brick, Larry Donovan.
There's only one of you; and now"
And now, John Glenarm, we've got
to get down to business,-or you must.
AS for me, after a few hours of your
enlivening society"
you don't go a step until we go to-
gether,-no, by the beard Of the
prophet! I've a fight on mere and I'm
going to win if l die in the struggle,
and you've got to stay with me to the
end"
But under the will you dare not
take a boarder."
"Of course l dare! That willis as
though it had never been as far as I'm
concerned. My grandfather never ex-
pected me to SIT here alone and be
murdered. John Marshall Glenarm
wasn't a fool exactly!"
mo, but a trifle queer, l should say.
l don't have to tell you, old man, that
this situation appeals to me. It's my
kind of a job. If it weren't that the
hounds are at my heels I'd like to stay
with you, but you have enough trouble
on hands without opening the house to
an attack by my enemies"
Stop talking about it. l don't pro-
pose to be deserted by the only friend
l have in the world when I'm up to my
eyes in trouble. Let's go down and
get some coffee"
We found Bates trying to remove
the evidences of the nights struggle.
He had fastened a cold pack about his
head and llmped slightly; otherwise
he was the same-silent and inexplica-
BILE.
Daylight had not improved the APP
pearance of the room. Several hun
dred books lay scattered over the floor
and the shelves that had held them
were hacked and broken.
Bates, If you can give us coffee?
Let the room go for the present"
Yes, sir"
And Bat0s-"
He paused and Larry's keen eyes
We're bent sharply upon him.
MIR. Donovan is a friend who will
be with me for some time. Wen Ak
up his room later in the day"
He limped out. Larry's eyes follow
ing him.
What do you think of that fellow"
I asked.
Larry's face wore a puzzled look.
What do you call him,-Bates?
He's a plucky Fellow.
Larry picked up from the hearth the
big ~candelabrum with which Bates had
defended himself. 1t was badly bent
and twisted. and Larry grinned.
THE fellow who went out through
the front door probably isn't feeling
very we'll to-day. Your man was swing.
Ing this thing like a windmill"
Il can't understand it," | muttered.
II can't, for the life of me, see why he
should have given battle to the enemy.
They all belong to Pickering, and
Bates is the biggest rascal of the
bunch"
AS we ate breakfast | filled in gaps
| had left in my hurried narrative, with
relief that | can not describe filing
my heart as l leaned again upon the
sympathy of an old and trusted friend.
| dismissed Bates as soon as possible
that we might talk freely.
Take 1t up and down and all around,
what do you think of all this? ?" l asked.
Larry was silent for a moment; he
was not given to careless speech In
personal matters.
There's more to it than frightening
you off or getting your grandfather's
money. It's my guess there's some
thing IN this house that somebody
Pickering supposedly-is very anxious
to find"
YES; l begin to think so. He could
tome in here legally if it were merely
B matter of searching for lost assets"
yes; and whatever 1t is it must be
well hidden. AS l remember, your
grandfather died in June. You got a
letter calling o home in October"
TT was sent out blindly, with not
one chance in a hundred that it would
ever reach me-"
Certainly. You were a wanderer
on the face of the earth, and there was
nobody in America to look after your
interests. You may be sure that the
~Sce was thoroughly ransacked while