The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-01-15
CHAPTER |.
The House of Mystery.

Of the same construction! What Is
there in this to rouse a whole neigh
oorhood and collect before 1t group
IF eager, anxious, hesitating people?
This is Judge Ostrander's place, and
anyone who knows Shelby or the Cos
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 Enclosed
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 we're rumors of another fence, a
second barrier, standing few feet in
side the first and similar to it 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 ajar 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
yer hour, as all must acknowledge,
in spite of every temptation (and 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 before? Money? A bride
from the woman who had entered
there?
What else was there to believe?
There stood the gate with the pebble
holding it away from the post; and
here stood half the neighborhood, in
fascination which had for its motif
the knowledge that they, themselves
if they had courage enough, might GO
and see-why, what she is seeing
now-the unknown, unguessed reason
for all these mysteries-the hidden
treasure or the hidden sorrow which
would explain why he, their first 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 al
corners from the place he called his
home.
1t had not always been so. Within
the memory of many there it had beer
an abode of cheer and good fellowship
Not a few of the men and women now
hesitating before its portals coult
boast of meals taken at the judge:
ample board, and of evenings spent IL
animated conversation in the grea
room where he kept his books and die
his writing.
But that was before his son left hin
in so unaccountable a manner; be
fore-yes, all were agreed on thi!
point-before that other bitter ordea
of his middle age, the trial and con
demnation of the man who had way
laid and murdered his best friend.
Though the effect of these combined
sorrows had not seemed to be immedi
ate Zone month had seen BOTH
though half-year had elapsed befor,
all sociability was lost in extreme self
absorption, and a full one before b,
took down the picket fence which hat
hitherto been considered a sufficien
protection to his simple grounds, an,
put up these boards which had so com
.. pletely isolated him from the rest o
the world, it was evident enough I,
the friends who recalled his look an,
step as he walked the streets with Al
gernon Etheridge on one side and hi
brilliant, ever-successful son on tn,
other, that the change now Observable
in him was due to the violent sunder
ing of these two ties. Grief slowl,
settled into confirmed melancholy. ant
melancholy into eccentricities.
Judge Ostrander was a recluse o
the most incorporating type; but h,
was such for only half his time. From
ten in the morning till five in the after
noon. he came and went like aoy othe
citizen. fulfilling his judicial Quite
with the same scrupulcus care as for
merly and with more affability In
deed, he showed a. lines, and Otter
when it was least expected, a mellow
ness of temper quite foreign to him il
his early DAYS. The admiration