The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-12-15

OF something udu knocked over one
of the endless number of statuettes,
heavy vases or little tables that make
a regular auction shop of the place,
and / struggled into my bath robe in
a minute to go and see what it was.
Dearest's room adjoined mine and l
listened at the door to find out if she
had been awakened, and hearing moth
ing from her, went on my way down
stairs.
didn't much believe it could be a
burglar; had hazy notion that it
might be one of the dogs who had
gotten in there somehow. There are
no end of the big brutes about the
place and sometimes one gets into the
house for the night in spite of Dear
est. So 1 wasn't in the least alarmed
or apprehensive, and was just about
to lay my hand on the drawing-room
folding doors, which were at the foot
of the stairs, when 1 heard the lightest
possible tread on the stairs behind
me and a soft hand clutched my arm.
1T was Dearest, of course. 80 Fred
dy!'' she gasped, what is it?"
zone of the dogs, 1 expect" told
her. ''What made you Gomez"
"Why," she said in an indignant lit
tie whisper, 81 came after you, of
course! Do you think I'd let you go
all alone?"
, "Why not?" I whispered. 'fI'm a
man. Besides, there's nothing to be
afraid off,"
80. but there isl" she assured me,
cts burglars-I know it is! They've
come to steal the Wyckhoff emeraldsi
know they have!"
Burglars nothing!" I answered
tits one of the dogs, 1 say. Besides,
if it were burglar that's all the
more reason why you should go back!"
"And leave you to be killed all
alone? Never!"
Sometimes, admit it with sort OF
fond regret, my wife is unreasonable
cit wouldn't help any if you were
killed, tool" I told her. Besides
you'll catch cold. It's chilly down
here, and l want you to go back"
She caught the tone of authority in
my voice, tone l seldom use toward
her, and fell to pleading with me.
80 Freddy, can't I stay?" she
begged. tits so exciting! See! I've
brought you a pistol and here's an UNI
breHa for mel" She came close up to
me as she spoke and the CLEAN OF
starlight from tle hall windows fell
upon her supplicating face and the
old blunderbuss she had taken down
from some wall and carried in her
right hand, and the other weapon OF
defense she had mentioned in the
other.
l laughed, if one may be said to
laugh in a whisper, and Rugged heI
for her spirit, armament and all. Then
we turned to the folding doors again
Beneath them and through the crack
between a faint light showed.
Making himself pretty much at
home for burglar to light the lamp,
l remember thinking. And ! slowly
and cautiously widened the aforesaid
crack until space of some two or
three inches wide was obtained, the
doors rolling back softly on each side
without any noise at all. Then we
looked in, my wife making it possible
for us to do this at one and the same
time by kneeling on the floor at my
side, and thus obtaining a chink tc
look through all to, herself.
1t was lucky she was SO near the
floor, 1 thought afterward, or she
would certainly have fallen upon il
with surprise when she beheld the
thing our eyes asked of us to believe
For there at the far end of the draw
ing room dimly distinguishable by the
light of a lamp on the table, turned
low, was Agatha First. We recog
nized her even in that light without
fail, dressed as she had been that eve
ming for dinner, and standing with
his back toward us and his arm around
her was a man in an attitude unmis
takably lover-like and possessive. And
through the hush of that late hour
the low murmur of their absorbed
voices penetrated the inmost recess OF
our staggered consciousness. Agatha
First and a man meeting in secret al
that hour!
What could it mean? Who could II
be? The surprise of my discovery in
the woods the day of our trip to North
bury was as nothing to this! But
aIasl We knew only too well this
time who the man was, and without
requiring any further proof such as
we had had on the other occasion
when we had waited until the discov
cry of the checked coat before we felt
sure. In this instance we neither OF
us doubted for moment the identity
of Miss Endicotts companion in her
eQuivocal position.
Freer had said good night and gone
on down to the village at ten o'clock
when the party had broken up. II
could not be he. Then it must OF
necessity be Terhune. Indeed, what
other man would have the opportu.
nifty for such a meeting? Who else
was staying at the castle?
(TO BE CONTINUED
A Sparkling Novelist,