Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-14
CHAPTER XVII.
Some Startling Documents.

The desk was naturally the first thing
| to which we turned. Above it hung g
large picture, which had attracted my at
| tention almost as quickly as the expanst
| Of mirror when / stepped into the room
1t was an Oil painting as wide as the
| desk, and fully five feet high IN it's mas
| sive gilt frame. 1t showed a park, witt
the tesselated turrets Of a medieval-look.
| Ing palace silhouetted against an evening
sky. The background was a ruddy stretch
of sunset horizon, and the rose-tinted twi
| light seemed to filter through the gauni
| leaf'ess trees that rose bleak and stark
in the foreground. Around the trunk OF
one of. the larger trees a man peered-a
man with a handsome, we'll bred face, 8
high white forehead and q Vandyke
beard. Then one saw that through the
well cared for hair on his hatless head
two tiny horns rose up. and that the nails
on the fingers Of the shapely hand that
chung to the trunk Of the tree were curved
and clawlike. The lips of this man were
parted. Was it in q smile?
Remarkable as was the conception. the
execution was little short Of marvellous
| for looking from one side of the picture
one saw q smile, Sardonic, cruel, bitter
on those parted lips. From the other side
the mouth showed q wistful pity as the
man looked down upon a gruesome, grin
ming skeleton before him.
Above the picture a point of light high
up indicated the ventilating shaft. Be-
low was q picture in q walnut frame
with it's face to the wall. turned II
carefully, and as I did 80 Milbrath ut
tered an exclamation OF surprise 1t was
a water-color likeness of the little boy
who had died in youth. and once it had
hung above the rolltop desk in the IL
brary. Had something been done in this
room that Peter Somhers could not do.
or see done, with the merry, candid eyes
Of his loved, lost son upon him? Surely
any one but Peter Somhers would turn
that face TO the wall-unless, indeed. this
child were, somehow connected with the
secret OF Peter 4Somhers' association with
Philander Summarized.
"Wtr you examine the desk! l asked
Milbrath shook his head.
IF you are willing to do it 1 will not, .
he answered.
| / took my seat in the swivel chair be-
fore the desk. the only chair In the room
and Milbratl seated himself on the couch
close by me.
At a touch the half-raised top Of the
desk rolled swiftly into its place, and a
blue blotter. literally covered, with, prints
lay before us. At the back of it stood
an inkwell-a deer's head with branching
horns. on which lay three pens in hold.
ers. One after another picked them ul
and examined them. Two of them were
old and rusty and showed long disuse
| The third was comparatively new
h The ink was writing fluid. snch as had
been used on two Of the warnings that
had received; and on one side Of the desk
were half q dozen sheets of lined fools
cap paper of the kind used by my anony-
nous warner.
The pigeon holes we're empty, save fol
| A bottle OF muciiage, ball OF twine and
| paper Of pins.
TO the left of the blotter was q year
reference calendar for that year: and
| observed with interest that the date up
permost was september 1.-The previous
day-when Philander Summerfield had
persisted in inquiring for me at the doors
Of Overlook.
Gaspard's assertion that the old man
after each inquiry had gone to the gar
den and presently had disappeared, sud-
denly assumed new significance. He
had waited until he believed Gaspard had
ceased to watch him and had slipped
terranean passage and thence to this
I did not pause to acquaint Milbrath
with this revelation. but, having seen all
| there was to be seen on the desk opened
one of the drawers.
| 1t contained only. pack of PLAYING
cards in the pasteboard case in which
| they were purchased. They showed con-
siderable use. some OF :, them being ben,
at the. corners. and all OF them were
| soiled. .zl9
Were these MI. Soulhers or are they
| the property OF Philander Summerfeld?
! L asked Miibrath. .,,,,5.-.,
| Uncle enjoyed cards." he answered
Solitaire was great game with him
Often he play one game or another far
| into the night
The second drawer held only readins
glass with q lens remarkable for its
strength The third drawer was as deep
as the other. two together. and was di-
vided lensthwise through the center. On
one side was a pair of bright-hued car
pet slippers at sight of which Milbrsth
uttered the single word: ''Jncle's ;.