The Mena weekly star., 1909-06-03


 "Ch, nothing unbeftting a soldier and a gentleman, dear boy; just this: Cary has to have some money. I meant to give 1t to Stoves, but you hustled him off in such a rush that I didn't get at him. You know where he Is. don't you? You haven't sent him straight back?"
 "I can find him, I reckon"
 Then I'll give you the money, at once"
 How weak thing is man. Here was an eminently cool-headed, req. sonabe man of affairs who knew that paws which had escaped from the fire unsinged had no excuse to venture back for other peoples chestnuts; he had expressed himself clearly to this effect to young Tracy; now, behold him as unable to resist the temptation of conflict and the chance to bafTie Atkins as if he were a hot-headed boy in plain shoulder-strapsl
 "I'l do better for you, Aunt Rebec- ca" said he. I'll not only take Fire less the money, I'll go with him to the
 
 and Atkins is safely downstairs at this moment. He may be shadowing Priceless; if he is, perhaps I can throw him off the track"
 Thus 1t befell that not an hour later Rupert Winter was guiding the shabby and noisy runabout second time to- ward the haunted house.
 Nothing doin'." said the joyous ap. prentice to crime; T called old Cary up and got furious slating for doing it; but he said thepe wasn't watch dog in sight and the old man had sur rendered.. He was going to let him into the library on parole"
 You need guardian" growled the colonel, where did you telephone? Not in the drug store?"
 "Oh. dear, no. not in such a public place; I've q shrinking nature that never did intrude it's private, personal affairs on the curious world. used the phone of that nice quiet little res taurant where they gave me lovely meal but were so long preparing t used up all the literature in sight. which was the Ladies Home Journal and a tract on the virtues of Knox's gelatine When I couldn't think of anything else to do I routed out Cary I'd smoked all my cigarettes and all my cigars but one which was keep. ing for after dinner. And Cary rowei me good and plenty. There wasn't soul in the room.'
 Has any one followed you?"
 Not man, woman or child. not even yellow dog. l kept looking round. too"
 "It was dreadfuIly risky thing to do; you don't deserve to escape; but perhaps you did. Atkins may have come 10 the Palace for some other purpose and never have noticed yon."
 My own father wouldn't have got on to me in that dinky rig
 Winter was not so easy in his mind. But he hoped for the best, since there was nothing else for him to do. They were in sight of the house now, which loomed against the dim horizon, dark CT, grimmer than ever. Where the upper stories were pierced with semi circular arches, the star-sown sky shone through with an extraordinary effect of depth and mystery. All! the. lighter features of the architecture, carving on pediment or lintel or archi- volt. delicate iron tracery of rejas. re hef of creature and colonnade-all these the dusk blurred if 1t did not obiterate; the great dark bulk of the house with It's massive buttresses, It's pyramidal copings and receding upper stories, was the more boldly sill houetted on the violet sky; yet be- cause of the very flatness of the pic lure, the very lack of shadow and pro lection, 1t seemed unsubstantial, hard Nmoreof reality than the giant shadow II cast upon the hillside. Electric hghts wayered and bristled dazzling beams on either side of the street; not a gleam, red white or yellow. eaked through the shuttered windows ol the house. In it's blackness, it's si- iehce, It's determined isolation 1t re- newed, but with greater force, the hrst sinister thrill which the sight of mad given the man who came toI rine 1t of it's secrets.
 Lonesome-looking old shanty, isn't IL said the Harvard boy; seems all most indecorous to speak out loud. here's where we cache the car and make gentle detour by aid of the shrunDery up ito the arroyo to the north side of the patio. See?"
 He directed the coloners course through an almost imperceptibie open ias Tn the hedge along sharp turns and oonque and narrow ways into small vacant space where the vines covered sh adobe hut. Jumping out. Tracy un- 'ocked the door of this tiny building so mat the colonel could run the car 'uslde; and after Winter had emerged asain he re-locked the door. AS there was no window. the purpose of the hut vas enectually concealed
 very neat" the colonel approved; "hefeat Tracy flashed his smile at aim Tn the moonlight and owned with .asenuous pride that he himself was '"e contriver of this retlcent garage. from this point he took the lead. N'i.her spoke. They toiled up the hill, .u enis part of the grounds less of the Aa'ure Of hill than of an arroyo or a'ihe through which rocks had thrust sH'lf rugged sides and over which sp'hed semttropical cacti had