The state herald., 1915-09-10
CHAPTER |.
Tho House of Mystery.


high and marrow gate of carefully
Joined boards, standing ajar In fence
of the same construction! What is
there In this to rouse whole neigh
borhood and collect before 1t group
Of eager. anxious, hesitating people
This is Judge Ostrander's place, and
anyone who knows Shelby or the gos.
sip OF Its suburbs knows that this
house Of his has not opened its doors
to any outsider, man or woman, for
over dozen years; nor have his gates
been seen In all that time to cape at
anyone's instance or to stand unclosed
TO public intrusion. The seclusion
sought was absolute. The men and
women who passed and repassed this
corner many times day were as igno-
rant as the townspeople in general OF
what lay behind the gray. monotonous
exterior Of the weatherbeaten boards
they so frequently brushed against.
The house was there. Of course-they
all knew the house, or did once-but
there were rumors of another fence. q
side the first and similar to 1t in all
respects, even to the gates which cor
responded exactly with these outer
and visible ones and probably were
Just as fully provided with bolts and
bars.
And now! In the freshness Of this
summer morning, without warning or
any seeming reason for the change.
the strict habit of years has been
broken into and this gate OF gates is
not only standing unlocked before
their eyes. but woman-a stranger
to the town as her very act shows
has been seen to enter thereto en-.
ter. but not come out: which means
that she must still be inside, and pos
sibly in the very presence Of the
Judge.
Where is Bella? Why does he allow
his errands-But It was Bella. or so
they have been told, who left this
gate aiar he, the awe and
terror OF the town. the enormous. re-
doubtable, close-mouthed negro, trust
ed as man is seldom trusted, and
faithful to his trust, yes. up to this
very hour, as all must acknowledge,
In spite OF every temptation land they
had been many and alluring) to dis
close the secret Of this home of which
he was not the least interesting fac
tor. What has made him thus sud.
denly careless. he who has never been
careless before7 Money? A bribe
from the woman who had entered
there!
What else was there to believe Z?
There stood the gate with the pebble
holding II away from the post; and
here stood half the neighborhood, in
. fascination which had for It's motif
the knowledge that they. themselves.
II they had courage enough. might 70
in, just as this woman had gone In.
and see-why. what size Is seeing
now-the unknown. unguessed reason
for all these mysteries-the hidden
treasure or the hidden sorrow which
would explain why he. their hrst citi.
zen. the respected. even revered Judge
OF their highest court, should make use
OF such precautions and show such un.
varying determination to bar out all
comers from the place he called his
home.
II had not always been so. Within
the memory OF many there II had been
an abode OF cheer and good fellowship.
Not few OF the men and women now
hesitating before Its portals could
boast OF meals taken at the judges
ample board. and OF evenings Hpen, In
animated conversation In the great
room where he kept his books and did
his writing.
But that was before his son left him
In so unaccountable a manner; be
fore-yes, all were agreed on this
point-before that other bitter ordeal
OF his middle age. the trial and con.
demnntion OF the man who had way,
laid and murdered his best friend.
Though the oIee, OF these combined
sorrows had not seemed to be immcdi
ate Zone month had seen BOTH :
though n half.year had elapsed before
all sooinbility was lost In extreme self
absorption. and full one before he
took down the plokc, fence which had
hitherto been considered sufficion,
protection to his simple grounds. and
put up these boards which had 40 com
plciely isolated him from the roat o,
the world. II was evident enough ,o
the friends who recalled his look and
.tcp as he walked the streets with All
gcrnon E,herldro on ono side and h,,
brilliant. eyerhuoeesuful son on the
other. that tho change now obaeryabls
In him was due to tho violent sundot
ing OF these two tie.. Grief slowi,
settled Into confirmed melancholy. and
melancholy Into eccontrioiti.a
Judge oatrander was a reeius. q,
the mos, incorporating type: bu, he
was such for only half his time. From
ten In the morning tlll hyo In the after
noon. he came and went like any othe,
citizen, fulfilling his judicial duties
with the ,amo tordpulouu care an for
mefly and with more airahllIty In
deed ho showed at tipaa a,a go,