The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-31


In one. on a dresser. Kirkwood found
a stump of candle in a china candle
stick; the two charred ends OF matches
at its base were only an irritating dis
covery. however-evidence that real
matches had been the mode in number
at some remote date. Disguised and
oppressed by cumulative inquisitive-
ness. he took the candle end back to
the hall; he would have given much
for the time and means to make a
more detailed investigation into the
secret OF the house.
Perhaps il was mostly his hope of
CHANGING on some clew to the mystery
Of Dorothy Calendar-bewitchin rid
die that she wasi-that fascinated his
imagination so completely. Aside from
her altogether, the great house that
stood untenanted, yet In such complete
order. so self contained IN its dark
ened quiet, intrigued him equally with
the train OF inexplicable events that
had brought him within its walls. Now
since his latest entrance-his vision
had adjusted itself 10 cope with the
obscurity to some extent; and the street
lights. meagerly reflected through the
windows from the bosom Of a sullen
pail OF cloud. low swung above the city.
had helped him TO piece together many
q detail or decoration and furnishing.
alike somber and richly dignifed. Kirk
wood told himself that the owner.
whoever he might be, was q man of
wealth and taste inherited from
another age; he had found little of the
meretriclous today in the dwelling,
much that was sordid and sedate and
homely and-Victorian. He
could have wished for more; a box of
early Victorian vestas had been highly
: acceptable.
- Making his way down stairs to the
stricken man-who was quite as he
had Kirkwood bent over and
thrust rihing fingers into his pockets.
regardless OF the wretched sense of
guilt and sneakishness impaired by the
action, stubbornly needless Of the pos
sibnity OF the. mans awakening to
find himself being searched and robbed.
-. In the last place he sought which
should Che realized) have been the
first. TO wit, the fob pocket OF the white
. -waistcoat, he found a. small gold
matchbox. packed tight with wax YES
: tas; and berating himself for Grass
stupidity-he had saved a deal of time
and trouble by thinking of this before
lighted the candle.
=. AS its golden fame shot up with
:scarce a tremor. preyed upon by a
.. perfectly excusable concern, he bent
ito examine the mans counte-
nance. The arm which had
partly hidden it had fallen back into
a natural position. 1t was a young
face unlined. a little vapid and insig-
. ni6cant, with features regular and
neat, betraying few characteristics
other than the. purely negative attrl-
butes Of q character as yet uniformed,
possibly unformable; much the sort of
a face that he might have expected to
see. remembering those thin and pout-
ing lips that before had impressed him.
=. Its owner was probably little more than
20. In his attire there was a suspi-
cion OF a fop's preciseness, aside from
its accidental disarray; the cut of his
waistcoat was the extreme of the then
fashion. the white tie twisted beneath
one ear an exaggerated butterfly"
his collar nearly an inch too tall; and
he was shod with pumps suitable only
e. for the dancing loor-a within Of the
young bloOds Of London OF that year.
4 can't make him out at ALI" de-
: ~cIared Kirkwood. The son Of g gen.
:, tIeman too weak to believe that cubs
: need licking into shape? Reared to
. mans estate, so sheltered from the
: wicked world that he never grew a
bark? The sort that never
had a quarrel in his life, 'cept with
his tailor? Now what the
devil is this thing doing IN this mid
. night mischief? Damn"
1t was most exasperating. the in
. congruity Of the boys appearance as
Z sorted with his double role of perse-
. cutor Of distressed damsels and noe
turnal house breakeri
/ Kirkwood bent closer above the mo-
= tionless head. with puzzled eyes striv-
> ing to pin down some elusive resem-
. blance that he thought to trace in
=. those vacuous features resemblance
TO some one he had seen or. known, al
some past time. somewhere. somehow.
Il give il up. Guess I'm mistaken.
= Anyhow, five young Englishmen out OF
every ten Of his class are just as blond
and foolish. Now let's see how bad
he's hurt"
With hands strong and gentle he
turned the round. light head. Then.
"Ahr he commented in the accent Of
comprehension. For there was an an
cry looking bump at the base OF the
skull: and, the skin having been
broken. possibly in collision with the
sharp edged newell post. little blood
had stained and matted the straw col
ored hair.
Kirkwood let the head down and
took thought. Recalling a bathroom
on the floor above, thither he went,
foroa+f,-1 - r,f- --oafo-