, 1908-02-27

lake"
Thank you, sir" he said. with so
perfect an imitation OF Bates voice
and manner that / smiled in spite of
myself.
And now II you'll promise not to
Are into my back I'll wish you good
day. Otherwise"
He snatched of his hat and bowed
profoundly. It'll suit me much better
to continue handling the case on your
own grounds" he said, as though he
referred to a business matter. Kill
ing a man on your own property re-
quires some explaining-you may have
noticed it?"
Yes; | commit most of my murders
away from home" l said II formed
the habit early in hfe. Good day. Nor
gan"
AS I turned away he closed his door
with a slam,-a delicate way of assur-
ing me that he was acting in good
faith. and not preparing to puncture
my back with a rife ball regained
the lake shore. feeling no great dis
couragement over the lean results of
my interview, but rather a fresh zest
for the game, whatever the game
might be.
The sun was going his rudy way
beyond st. Agatha's as l drove my
canoe into a little cove near which
the girl in the tam-o'shanter had dis
appeared the day before. The shore
was high here and at the crest was a
long curved bench Of stone. boldly
reminiscential OF Alma Tadema. and as
clearly the creation Of John Marshall
Glenarm as though his name had been
carved upon it
II was assuredly a spot for a pipe
and a mood and as the shadows crept
through the wood before me and tho
rater stirred ny the rising wi7l he
AN to beat below. ! invoked tue ala
and yisldsA to the other. Something
in the withsred grass at my feet
caught nay rye. l bent and picked up
q string OF gold beads, dropped there.
NO doubt. by some girl from the school
or careless member of the summer col
ony counted the separate beads
they were round and there were SO Of
them. The proper length for one turn
about q girls throat, perhaps; not
more than that! l lifted my eyes and
looked of toward st. Agatha's.
Child of the red ta~m-o.shanter, I'm
very sorry | was rude to you yester-
day, for l liked your steady stroke with
the paddle; and l admired. even more,
the way you spurned me when you
saw that among all the cad in the
world | am number one in Glass A.
And these golden bubbles 20 girl Of
the red tam-o'shanter!), II they are
not yours you shall help me to ind
the owner, for we are neighbors, you
and |, and there must be peace be-
tween our houses"
With this foolishness | rose, thrus
the beads into my pocket, and padded
home in the waning glory of the sun
set.
That night, as l was going quite late
to bed, bearing a candle to light me
through the dark hall to my room, I
heard "A curious sound. as of some n
walking In the house. At first | thought
Bates was still abroad. but | waited.
listening for several minutes, without
being able to mark the exact direction
Of the sound or to identify 1t with him.
| went on to the door of my room. and
still a muffied step seemed to follow
me,-frst IL had come from below,
then 1t was much like some one going
up stairs.-but where? In my own
o ] still heard steps, hight. slow
but distinct. Again there was a STUN
BILE n a hurried recovery.-ghosts. I
reflected, do not fall down stairs,
-
some distant part of the house. and
though | prowled about for an hour Il
did not recur that night.
Continued Next Week.)