Arizona republican., 1909-05-23

But there was someone here last night" Hillard shouted back.
 Last night? Guess you've got the wrong street and wrong house, young man."
 But this is the Sandford place."
 Nothing else"
 'I was here last night"
 Dreaming. That house has been empty since November. I happen to be the caretaker."
 Hilard went back to his cab, dazed. No one there last night? Come, come; there was mistake somewhere. It was out of the question that he had been in another house. He would soon find out whether or not he had dined there the night before.
 "A cable-o -office." he cried to the cabby. Hurry"
 once there he telephOned down town and secured SandfOrd's cable address. Then he filled out blank which cost him ten dollars. Late 1 that night at the club he received his reply. It was terse. | You are crazy. House absolutely | empty. SANDFORD. CHAPTER VII | The Toss Of a Coin. ! Hllard made an inexcusably care | less shot. IL was under his hand to ! have turned an even forty on his | string He grounded his cue and | stood back from the table. That was | the way everything seemed to go; | at tennis. at quash, at fencing, at bill | lizards, it was all the same. The mo- ment victory was within his grasp his | interest waned. only last night he | had lost his title as the best fencer | in the club; disqualified in the pre- | liminaries, too, by a tyro who would never cease to brag about the acci- | dent
 ''I say. Jack, what's the matter with | you anyhow" asked Merrihew, out of | patience. "A boy could have made | that three-cushion, his hands tied be- | hind him."
 Tt was bad Hillard agreed. Per | haps I am not taking the interest in 1 the game that l formerly took. 'I should say not. You lost me fifty | last night. Corlis has no more right
 to cross foils with you than I have;
 and yet he goes in for the finals 1 while you are out of it. Where's your
 eye? Where's your grip?" | Hillard chalked his cue silently
 And when l make a proposition D | pursued Merrihew, ito ride to the | CatskiIls and back-something you would have jumped at year ago | you shake your head. Think of it, | Through unbroken roads, nights at farm houses, old feather beds, ice in | the wash basin, liver and bacon for | breakfast, and off again, Snow or
 rain, By George. you had a bully | time last year; you swore it was the | best trip we ever took on the horses Remember how we came back to town hungry and hardy as Arctic explorers | Come on; everything is dull down | town. Where's you spirit of adven- | ture?"
 1 I'm sure I don't know where it is Shall we finish the game?"
 Not if you're going to throw il
 like this" declared Merrihew. He was proud of his friends prowess in
 games of skill and he was wroth to
 see him lose all interest unaccounta-
 bly,
 Ten and a string against your halt ! a string" said Hiilard studying the l score. I'll bet a bottle that I beat
 you"
 'Done!" said Merrihew Being or
 his mettle, he made a clean score Of | twenty, five to go. 'I can see you
 paying for that check, Jack
 But the odds tingled Hillards blood
 He settled down to a brilliant play
 and turned sixty-one in beautiful
 form. There were several shots which
 caused Merrihew to gasp.