Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-26

aluICtlFely inclined 10 tatner Ialln
with hope, he felt Supremacy conf
dent that his search would not prove
fruitless, that he would win early re-
lease from his temporary straits.
And thus it fell out that, at the in
slant he was thinking it time to begin
to crawl and hunt, his stockinged feet
came into contact with something
heavy that moved, moaned
and caused his hair to bristle and his
flesh to creep.
We will make allowances for him;
all along he had gone on the assump-
ton that his antagonist of the dark
stairway would have recovered and
made off with all expedition, in the
course of ten Or twenty minutes, at
most, from the time of his accident To
find him still there was something en-
tirely outside of Kirkwood's reckon
ing; he would as soon have thought
to encounter say, Calendar-wou'd
have preferred the latter, indeed. But
this fellow whose disability was due
onably to be counted upon to raise the
very deuce and all of row!
The initial shock, however, shatter-
ing to his cquanimity, soon lost effect.
The man evidently remained uncon-
scious, in fact had barely moved;
while the moan that Kirkwood heard,
had been distressingly faint.
Poor DEVIL" murmured the young
man. HE must be in a pretty bad
way, for sure!" He knelt, compassion
gentling his heart, and put one hand
to the insentient face A warm sweat
moistened his fingers; his palm was
famed by steady respiration.
UNNECESSARILY perplexed. the Ameri-
can rose, slipped on his shoes and but
toned them, thinking hard the while.
What ought he to do? Obviously flight
suggested itself-incontinent flight, an.
ticipating the mans recovery. On the
other hand, individually the latter had
sustained such injury that conscious
ness, when it came to him, would
hardly be reinforced by much agrees
sive power. Moreover it was to be re-
membered that the one was in that
house with quite as much warrant as
the other, unless Kirkwood had drawn
a 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 considera-
ton to influence ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
the fellow would die if he got no at
tention.
Kirkwood shut his teeth grimly
I'm no assassin" he Informed him.
self, 'to strike and run. II I've MAIN
ed this poor devil and there are con-
| 80 II
knows it doesn't matter damn to
anybody, not even to me, what hap
pens to me; while he may be yalu-
able"
Light upon the subject, actual as
well as fgurative, seemed to be the
first essential; his mind composed
Kirkwood set himself in search of it.
The floor he was on however, afford
ed him no assistance; the mantels,
were guiltless of candles and he dis
covered no matches, either in the wide
and silent drawing room, with its
CHASTITY furniture, like mummies in
their linen swathings, or In the small
boudoir at the back He was to look
either above or below it seemed
After some momentary hesitation
he went upstairs, his ascent marked
by single and grateful accident; hall
way to the top, he trod on an object
that clinked underfoot, and, STOPPING
retrieved the lost purse. Thus was
he justify of his temerity; the day
was saved-that is, tomorrow was.
The rooms of the second floor wers
bedchambers, broad, deep, stately, in
habited by seven devils of loneliness
| In i,-ly ~
a stump of candle in china candle
stick; the two charred ends Of matches
at its base were only an irritating dis
covery, however-evidence that rea
matches had been the mode in Numbe,
8, at some remote date. Disguised
and oppressed by cumulative inquisi
tiveness he took the candle-end bach
to the hall: he would have given much
for the time and means to make moro
detailed investigation into the secre
Of the house.
Perhaps it was mostly his hope O.
CHANGING on some clue to the mystel.
of Dorothy Calendar-bewitching rid
die that she was!-that fascinated hi
imagination so completely. Aside
from her altogether. the great house
had stood untenanted, yet in such com
plete order, so self-contained in it
darkened outlet, intrigued him equal.
with the train of inexplicable events
that had brought him within it's walls
Now-since his last entrance-hi
vision had adjusted itself to cope will
!. the obscurity to some extent; and tn
street lights, meagerly reflecte'
, through the windows from the bosom
, of a sullen pail Of clouds, low.swun
above the city, had helped him t.
[ piece together many detail of decoro
ton and furnishing. alike somber an
richly dignifed. Kirkwood told hin
self that the owner, whoever he Nigh
!, be, was man of wealth and taste II
: herited from another age; he had foun
little of meretricious today in tn
dwelling, much that was solid and 81
: date and homely and-Victorian. =
. He could have wished for more;
2 box of early Victorian vestas had bee
= highly acceptable
: Making his way downstairs to th
} stricken man-who was quite as b
J. had been-Kirkwood bent over an
S thrust riflins fingers into his pockets