The Donaldsonville chief., 1912-01-13


Will charge you for your breakfast
here, anyway. Don't you forget that
Il will be home at nine o'clock, the
usual Sunday breakfast hour I re
turned in an unruff1ed tone. He
snorted and rang off without deigning
to reply further, and hung up the
receiver with the feeling that / had
done my part towards a reconcilia
t1on. For the present at least, the
matter must rest where 1t was Then
calling up the hotel Office and leaving
an order for them to awaken me at
seven o'clock, locked the door and
turned out the light
At the ringing of the call bell the
next morning at the hour | had des.
ignated, arose and began my toilet
| had slept but little. and that little
was more like the semi i-consc ciousness
which comes from exhaustion rather
than the slumber Of Erepose I felt un-
refreshed, despondent, self-angry. Nor
was my appearance in the glass sat
isfactory as / ran my eyes over my
reflection. had little desire for
breakfast, but inasmuch as | had told
Uncle Abner that would be present
at that occasion, paid my bill and
took car horneward. The morning
was a midsummerday dream The
foliage had been bathed by night
shower and the air was perfumed with
the incense of growing green things.
AS Itpassed up the walk among the
oaks could not but realize how beau
tiful the grounds were despite their
unkemptness, and that 1t would cost
me pang after all to leave this
place permanently should my quar-
rel with its owner develop to that
acute stage. For it was under these
trees that had passed so many pleas
ant hours with Glare, or wandering
through the marble halls of my air
castles. Mrs. Tebbets admitted me
upon my summons; but no sooner
had | entered the sleepy halls than
my fondnes for the place vanished
in the old depression which always
came upon me as I viewed their
loneliness. It was like passing into
q vault, cheerless, gloomy, the echoes
mocking my footsteps. I went straight
to my own room. The door was closed
between where was and my uncle's
apartment, and stood listening. Usu-
ally he was up and could be heard
puttering around before this, but now
all was silence beyond. opened the
door that separated our quarters and
stepped forward. But on the
threshold I stopped with my eyes
sweeping the scene that lay before
me.
The room was In state of disorder.
Everywhere was to be seen the hand
of violence Bureau drawers had been
ransacked and left yaWning; the bed
was a twisted tangle of sheets and
crumpled pillows; clothing was scat
tered about the floor. But what was
more startling than anything else was
the condition Of the iron safe. Its
combination had heen shattered by
some powerful explosive and its door.
ssssi
its looted interior. it'll the sweat
starting from my forehead 4 rushed
forward.
inspected it with a glance. No
money remained in it, but the papers
looked as though they had not been
disturbed beyond a general overhaul
ing. I swept my eyes about the room
and under the bed. No glimpse Of my
uncle rewarded me and ran from the
room with loud calls for Mrs Teb-
bets. It was her custom not to dis
turb us of Sunday mornings until she
announced breakfast, and that she
knew nothing OF the condition OF af-
fairs in the upper part Of the house
had been evidenced by her ordinary
demeanor as she admitted me. From
room to room of the upper story
went In rapid search Of the missing
one, and at last, in one of the dark
closets found him and dragged him
forth. He was bound hand and foot,
and I bent over him and shook him.
He seemed to be rather more uncon-
scious than otherwise, but he certain
ly was alive
Pulling up the stairs in response to