Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-03
CHAPTER XIII.
A Night at the Laurels.


~ he struck up an acquaintance with a
kindly faced old priest on his way home
to his convent school, armed with roll
of dance music and Surreptitious bun
dies that looked like boxes of candy
From scraps of conversation / CLEANED
that there had been mysterious occur
rcnces at the convent-ending in the theft
of what the reverend father called, vague
ly. "a quantity of undermusins. l drop
ped asleep at that point, and when
reused a few moments later. the CONVEX
sation lad progressed. Hotchkiss had a
diagram on an envelope
with this window bolted and that one
inaccessible, and If, as you say, the-er-
garments We're in a tub here at X, then.
you hold the key to the other door,
think YOU said the convent dog did not
raise any disturbance? Pardon a per-
sonal question, but do you ever walk in
your Sleep2'
The priest looked bewildered.
III tell YOU what To do, Hotchkiss
said. cheerfuty. leaning forward, look
around a little yourself before YOU cail
in the police. Somnambulism Is queer
thing. It's question whether we are
most ourselves sleeping or waking. Ever
think of that? Live sanity life all day.
prayers and mathis and all that and the
SlDcplStlOuS nina mixes YOU out VI beu
at night t" steal undermusins. Sub
liminaI theft. to speak. Better eX-
anime the roof.
dozed again. When I Weakened Iotch
kiss sat alone. and the priest. from a
corner was staring at him, dazedly, over
his breyiary.
1t raining VIXEN reached Cres-
son. wind-drven rain. that had forced
the agent at the news stand to close him
self in. and that beat back from the rails
at w
welt up the main street Hotchkiss was
cheerfuily oblivious of the weather, of
the threatening dusk. of our generally
draggled condition. MY draggled condi-
ton. | shond say. for he improved every
moment his eyes brighter, his ruddy
face rllddier. his collar newer and gloss
ier. Sometime. when it does not encir-
Gle the little mans neck. | shall test
that collar with a match.
| growing steadily more depressed
! loathed my errand and its necessity.
had always held that a man who played
the spy on d woman was beneath con
tempt Then. I admit, | was afraid of
what | might learn. For time, how
ever. this promised to BE- a negligible
quantity The streets of the struggling
little mountain town had been clean
washed of humanity by the doWnpour
Windows and doors were inhospitably
shut. and from around an occasional
drawn shade came narrow strips of light
that merely emphasized our gloom. When
Hotchkiss umbrella turned inside out
stopped.
Il don't know where you are going"
snarled, and / don't care. But I'm go
ing to get under cover inside of ten Sec
onds I'm not amphibious."
| ducked into the next shelter, which
livery stable. and shook myself. dog
fashion. Hotchkiss wiped his collar with
his handkerchief. 1t emerged cleaning
and unwilted.
This will do as we'll as any place" he
said, raising his voice above the rattle
of the rain Got to make a beginning.
l sat down the usual chair without
back, just inside the door, and stared
out at the darkening street. The whole
affair had an air of unhealthy. Now that
l was there l doubted the necessity, or
the value of the journey. l was wet and
uncomfortable. Around .me. with Cresson
a center, stretched an irregular cir
conference of mountain, with possibly a
ten-mile radius, and in 1t l was to find
the residence of a woman whose first
name / did not know, and man VINO. so
far, had been a purely chimerical person.
Hotchkiss had penetrated the steaming
interior of the cave. and now MS voice.
punctuated by the occasional thud OF
horses hoofS. came to me.
Something light will do" he was say
ing. "A runabOut perhaps He came
forward rubbing his hands. followed by
a thin man in overalls. Mr.. Peck says.
Peck-says that the place We are looking
for is about seven miles from the town.
It's clearing. isn't IT.?
1T is not" ! returned, savagely. And
we don't want runabout, Mr. Peek
What we require is Theoretically sealed
diving suit l suppose there isn't ma
chine to be had?" Mr. Peck gazed at me
in silence: machine to him meant other
things than motors. Automobile, | sup
plemented. His face cleared.
nriV3tp affairs. IL give
YOU a good buggy with rubber apron
Mike. is the Doctors horse in?
| am still uncertain as to whether the
raw-boned roam we took out that night
over the mountains was the doctor S
horse or not. If it was, the doctor may
be good doctor but he doesn't know
anything about horse. And further
more, I hope he didn't need the beast that
miserable evening.
While they harnessed the horse HOtch-
kiss told me what he had learned.
six Curtises in the town and vicinity,
he said Sort of family name around
ator at the station. Person we are look
ing for is-was-a wealthy widow with
brother-named Sullivan Both supposed
to have been killed on the fiier,'
Her brother" ! repeated, stupidly
You see" Hotchkiss went on, three
people. in one party. took the train here
that night, Miss West, Mrs. Curtis and
Sullivan. The two women had the draw
ing room, Sullivan had lower seven. what
we want to find out Is just who these
people were. where they came from. II
Bronson knew them and how Miss West
became entangled with them. She may
have married Sullivan, for one thing
! fell into gloom after that. The roam
was led unwillingly into the weather,
Hotchkiss and l in eclipse behind the
blanket The liveryman stood in the
doorway and called directions to us.
You can't miss it," he finished Got
the name over the gate, anyhow. The
Laurels' The servants are still there:
leastways. we didn't bring them down..
He even took step into the rain as
Hotchkiss picked up the lines. If you re
going to settle the estate. he baWled,
don't forget us, Peck & Peck. half
bushel of name and a bushel of service"
Hotchkiss could not drive. Born a
clerk he guided the roam much as he
would drive bad pen. And the roam
shattered through puddles and splashed
ink-mud that is---until l was d frenzy
of irritation.
what are we going to say when we
taken the reins In my one useful hand.
Get out there at midnight and tell the
servants we have come to ask a few
questions about the family? It's an
idiotic trip, anyhow; | wish | had stayed
at home.
The roam fell just then. and we had TO
crawl out and help him up. By the time we
had partly embarrassed him our matches
were gone and the small bicycle lamp on
the buggy was wavering only too GER
tainly We were covered with mud,
painting with exertion, and even Hotch-
kiss showed d disposition to be surly.