Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-12-07
The House of the
Pines

ana sat down side by size in the
chairs Sweetwater had so carefully
passed by. There were five persons
in all-two men and three women.
Only two interested h%im-Zadok, with
whom he had already made a super
fetal acquaintance and had had one
bout. and a smart, bright eyed girl
with a resolute mouth softened by an
insistent dimple. who struck him as
possessing excellent sense and some
natural cleverness. A girl to know
and a girl to talk to was his instan-
taneous judgment.
During the services Sweetwater
found himself watching, with anx-
ious curiosity, the attitude and alb
sorbed expression of a good looking
young man whom he was far from
suspecting to be the secret representa-
tive of the present suspect, whom no.
body could forget, yet whom nobody
wished to remember at this hallowed
hour.
Had this attitude and this absorb
ton been directed toward the casket
oNSi "LlSA hC NiClS u , "OIuS
rose and fell with ever increasing i'm
p~ressiveness he might have noted the
man, but would scarcely have been
held by him. But this interest. sin
cere and strong as it undoubtedly was.
centered not SO much in the services.
corous attitude toward the same, but
in the faint urmur which now and
then came down from above. where
Inconsistencies reigned and the
stricken brother watched over the de-
lirious sister with a concentration
and abandonment to fear which made
him oblivious Of all other duties and
almost as unconscious Of the rites
then being held below over n who
had been as a mother to him as the
sick girl herself. with her ceaseless
and importunate Lila. Lila!" The
detective, watching this p~reoccupied
stranger, shared in some measure his
secret emotions and thus was pre-
pared for the unexpected occurrence
of a few minutes later.
The final words had been said and
the friends present invited to look
their last on the calm face which to
many there had V worn so sweet
Il smile in life. Some had hesitated.
but most had obeyed the summons,
among them Sweetwater. But he had
! not much time in which to fix those
features in his mind. for the little
girls. who had been waiting patiently
for this moment. now came forward,
and he stepped aside to watch them
as they filed by, dropping as they did
so a tribute of fragrant flowers upon
the quiet breast. They were followed
by the servants, among whom Zadok
had divided his roses. AS the last
cluster fell from the coachman's trem-
bling hand the undertaken advanced
with the lid and, pausing a moment
to be sure that all were satisfied. be-
gan to screw it on.
Suddenly there was a cry, and the
crowd about the door leading into the
main hall started back as wild steps
were heard on the stairs and a young
man rushed into the room.
Take it off, he cried, pointing at
the lid which had just been fastened
down. II have not seen her! l must
Pee her! Take it off"
1t was the brother, awake at last to
the significance of the hour!
The clergyman, aghast at the sacri.
legious look and tone Of the intruder,
stepped back. raising one arm in re.
monstrance and instinctively shielding
the casket with the other. But the
undertaken saw in the frenzied eye
fixed upon his own that which warned