The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-09
CHAPTER XIV.
His Wife's S Father.

I jumped up and seized the fire tongs.
The cat's tail had aroused Hotchkiss,
who was wide e-awalSc at once. He took
in my offensive attitude, the tougs, the
direction of my gaze, and needed moth
ing more. AS he picked up the candle
and darted out into the hall, ! followed
him. He made directly for the stair
to the right through a small door We
were on the gallery itself; below us
the fire cleaned cbcerfully, the cat
was not in sight There was no sign of
my ghostly visrtant, but as we stood
there the Bokhara rug, without warn
ing. slid over the railing and fell to
the floor below
oman or woman2'' Hotchkiss in.
quired in his most professional tone.
- Neither-that is. | don't know. |
didn't notice anything but the eyes, -
muttered, '''rhey were looking a
hole in me. If you d seen that cat
YOU would realize my state of mind.
That was traditional graveyard
vowl. -
'.I don 7 think You saw anything at
all. he lied chcerfully "Gou dozcd
suit of Il meal on a buffet ear ~
Nevertheless, he examined the Box
hara carefully when VIC went down,
and when | finally went to sleep he
was reading the only book in sight
"Elwcll on Bridge The first rays
of daylight were coming mistily into
the room when he reused me. lie had
his finger on his lips, and he whispered
while ! tried TO draw on my distorted
boots.
81 think we have him he said tri-
umphantlv, GIVE been looking around
some. and / can tell you this much.
Just before We came in through the
window last night. another man came.
Only-hc did not drop, as yon did. He
swung over 10 the stair railing. and
then down. The rail is scratched lie
was long enough ahead OF us to go
into the dining room and get a dccan
ter out of the sidcboard. lie poured
out The liquor into glass, loft the de,
canter there, and took the whisky into
the library across the hall. Then--hc
broke into desk, using paper knife
for u jimmy
Good Lord. Hotcbkiss.'' ex-
claimed; ''why, it may have been Sui
Ivan himself ConfouDd your theories
he S getting farther away every min
ute -
alt was sullivan" Hotchkiss re
turned impcrturbabIy "And he has
not gone, His boots are by the library
Arc. -
"IIe probably had a dozen pairs
WntIc NJ ,oulh Hcl lHtIl, S'outp.
'And while YOU and ! sal and slept.
the very man we want TO get our hands
on lcered at us over that railing.
"Softly, softly, my friend, - Hotch.
kiss said, as ! stamped into my other
shoe. 81 did not say he was gone.
Don Z jump ut conclusions il Is fatal
10 reasoning. As matter of fact, he
s1idu Z relish a night on tho mountains
any more than wc did. After he had
r..
into paralysis, what would my gentle
man naturally do! Go out in the storm
againl Not If | know that Alicc-sit
hy.thc-Gre type. He went upstairs, well
up near the roof. locked himself in anG
went 10 bed
"And he is there now :"
% lie is there now.
We had no weapons. ! am aware
that the traditional hero is always
armed. and that lfOlchkiSs rs the low
comedian should have had a revolver
that missed fire. As a fact, we had
nothing of the sort, llotchkiss carried
The fire iopgs. but my sense of hum0r
was too strong for nc, ! declined the
poker.
"All we want is little peaccablc
conversation with him | dcmurrcd.
- We can I brain him FIRST and converse
with him afteTward. And anyhow while
| can't put my finger on the place,
think your theory is weak. II he would
not run q hundred miles through fire
and water 10 get away from us, then
he is moi the man we want.
Ilotchkiss. however, was certain. He
had found the room aud listened out
side tho door go he slccpcr's heavy
breathing. and so We climbed past lux.
mious suites, cNealcd i'm the deepen
ing daylight past luug vistas OF hall
and boudolr. And we were both badly