Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-08-10

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49, - ~:
Feeling his ,ua!J like blind man on
strange ground
house with quite as much warrant as
the other unless KirkwOod had drawn
rash inference from the incident of
the ragged sentry. The two of them
were mutual If antagonistic trespass-
ers. Neither would dare bring about
the arrest of the other. And then-and
this was not the least consideration to
influence kwood-perhapS the fell
low would die If he got no attention.
| Light upon the subject. actual as
well as tigurative, seemed to be the
first essential. His mind composed.
KirEwood set himself in search of it.
| The floor lie was ON, however. afforded
him no assistance.
After some momentary hesitation he
went upstairs. his ascent marked by
single and grateful incident Halfway
to the top he trod on an object that
clfnked underfoot and, stopping. re-
trieved the lost purse
The rooms on the second floor were
bedchambers. broad. deep. stately, in
habited by seven devils of loneliness.
In one, on dresser, Kirkwood found
stump of candle in china candle
stick. The two charrcd ends of
matches at its base were only an irri-
tating discovery, however-evidence
that real matches had been the mode
in No 8 ut some remote date.
Disguised and oppressed by cumula-
tive inquisitiveness. he took the cam
die end back to the hall. He would
have given much for the time and
means to make n more detailed inyes-
tigation into the secret of the house.
Since his latest entrance his vision
had adjusted itself to cope with the
obscurity to some extent. and the street
lights. meagerly reelected through the
windows from the bosom of u suien
pail of cloud low swung above the
city. had helped him to piece together
many Il detail of decoration and fur
nishing, alike somber and richly dig
nificd Kirkwood told himself that
Il man of wealth and taste inherited
from another age He had found little
of meretricious today in the dwelling
much that was solid and sedate and
homely and Victorian. He could have
wished for more A box of early Vic
torian vestas had been highly accept
able.
Making his way downstairs to the
stricken man. who was quite as he
had been, Kirkwood bent over an(
thrust riding fingers into his pockets
regardless of the wretched sense OF
guilt and sneakishneSs impaired b.
the action. stubborny needless of the
possibility of the mans awakening tt
find himself being searched and rob
bed.
In the last place he sought. which
should. he realized. have been the frs
to wit. the fob pocket Of the whit
waistcoat-he found small gol,
matchbox packed tight with wax YES
tas and, berating himself for cras
stupidity-he had saved deal of tim
and trouble by thinking of this befor
lighted the candle.
AS its golden fame shot up wit
scarce a tremor, preyed upon by per
fectly eXcusable concern. he bent t
examine the mans countenance. Th
arm which had partly hidden it ha
fallen back into natural position.
was young face that cleaned palli
in the candlelight, face unlined,
little vapid and insignificant. with fei
lures regular and neat. betraying fey
, characteristics other than the purel
negative attributes of Il character Il
yet uniformed. possibly unformabl'
much the sort of face that he migf
have expected to see. rememberin
those thin and pouting lips that befor
had impressed him Its owner wa
probably little more than twenty l
/. his attire there was a suspicion of
fop's preciseness, aside from its acc
dental disarray.
81 can't make him out ut ALL" d.
clared Kirkwood. 1t was most eXa
. pcratings the incongruity of the boy
appearance assorted with his doub
role of prosecutor of distressed dal
sells and nocturnal housebreakcr
Kirkwood bent closer above the IN
tionless head. with puzzled eyes stri
ing to pin down some elusive reSel
blance that he thought to trace
those vucuous features. Il rcsemblan
to some one he had seen or known
some past time somewhere somehow
II give 1t up. Guess I'm mistake
Anyhow, five young Englishmen out
every ten of his class are just
blond and foolish Now let's see he
bad he's hurt"
With hands strong and gentle
turned the round, light head Th
"Ah!" he commented in the accent
comprehension. for there was an ang
= looking bump at the base of the ski
q IIirkwood let the head down n
took thought Recalling bathrot
on the floor above. thither he we
unselhshly forgetfu of his predi
ment If discovered, and, turning