The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-11-05
promptly. what Is it you want m. to

dc? ~
I want you to put a cot in the half
way outside the door of the ante room
ana sleep there tonight. Tomorrow
l Will decide what further precautions
are necessary"
Very good, sir" said Parks. 'Tll
get the cot UP at once"
There is one thing more" I went
on. i have given the coroner my Per-
sonal assurance that none of the serv-
ants will leave the house until after the
inquest. / suppose | can rely on HEMP"
oh, yes, sir. I'll see they under
stand how important it IS.
Rogers. especially" l added. look
ing at him.
I understand. sir said Parks
quietly.
Very well. And now let us go down
and lock up those rooms
They We're still ablaze with light, but
boeh of us faltered a little, I think. on
the threshold of the ante room. Fol
IN tho middle of the floor stood a
cred with a sheet, it's outlines hor-
ribly suggestive, But / tool myself
In hand n entered. Park followed
me and closed the door,
The ante room had two windows and
the room beyond, which was a cor
- oihS' eo SitAS0. Nj NJ iiSii
locked, but a pane OF glass seemed to
me an ~absurdly fragile barrier against
any one who really wisfed to enter.
Aren't there some wooden shut
ters for those windows?" l ,.sked.
Yes, sir, they were aiken down yes
terday and put in the basement. Shall
| get them?"
Il think you'd better" l said. "tTill
You need my help?.
No, sir. they're not heavy. If youll
wait here, you car map the bolts into
place when I lift them up from the
outside"
Very well," 1 agreed. and Parks
hurried away.
entered the inner room and stopped
before the Boule cabinet. There was
a certain air of arrogance about 1T.
as it stood there in that blaze of lighl,
its inlay aglow with a thousand sub
tie reflections; a Haunting air. he air
of a courtesan conscious of her beauty
and pleased to attract attention-just
the air with which Madame de Monte
span must have sauntered down the
mirror gallery at Versailles, ablaze
with Jewels, her skirts rustling, her
figure swaying suggestively. Some
thing threatening, too; something sin
lister and deadly
|, There was a rattle at the window,
and | saw Parks lifting one of the
shutters into place. l threw up the
sash and pressed the heavy bolts care
fully into their sockets, then closed the
sash and locked it. The two other win
dows were secured in their turn, and
with a last look about the room, l
turned out the lights. The ante room
windows We're soon shattered in the
same way and with a sigh of relief
| told myself that no entrance to the
house could be had from that direc-
ton. With Parks outside the only
door, the rooms ought to be safe FROM
invasion.
Then, before extinguishing the lights,
l approached that silent figure on the
stretcher, lifted the sheet and looked
for the last time upon the
face OF my dead friend. 1t was no
longer staring and terrible, but calm
and peaceful as in sleep-almost smil-
ing. With wet eyes and contracted
throat, / covered the face again, turned
out the lights n left the room. Parks
met me in the hall, carrying q cot.
which he placed close acros the door,
way.
There he said; nobody will get
into that room without my knowing
it,"
No / agreed; and then a sudden
Thought occurred to me. Parks" 4
said, is it true that there is a burglar
alarm on all the windows? q"
Yes sir. 1t rings a bell in Mr.. Van
tines bed room, and another in mine,
anu SGIluS III Il call 10 the ponce.
rs it wCrking?"
Yes, sir; Mr.. Vantine himself tested
it this evening just before dinner
Then why didn't it, work when /
opened those windows just now?" ]
demanded.
Parks laughed.
Because I threw off the switch, cir"
he explained, when l came out to get
the shutters. The switch is in d little
iron o on the wall just back Of HI
stairs. sir. It's one of my duties to
turn it or every night before 1 go to
bed"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
rs it on again, now"
1T certainly is, sir. After what you
told me, I'd not be likely to forget It,"
You'd better have a weapon handy,
too l suggested.
Il have a revolver, sir"
That's good. And don't hesitate to
use it. I'm going home-Im dead
tired"
Shall I call a cab, sir?"
mo, the walk will do me good. ia
see you tomorrow"
Parks helped me into my coast and
opened the door for me. CHANGING
back, after q moment. ! saw that he
was standing on the steps gazing after
me. [ could understand his reluctance
to go back into that death-haunted
house; and l found myself breathing
deeply with the relief Of getting out of
it.