Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-10-19


where the house had the appearance
of having been closed for some time.
The furniture was dusty. The luXuri-
ously furnished rooms seemed to have
been without occupants for some time.
When questioned, the gardener could
give little information. There seemed
little he could give until the visitors
reached Il room in what had been Lady
Beltham's own suite. There on ta-
BILE lay an ink stand, pen and some
paper 1t seemed as if they had been
put there within the day. The ink
had not dried in the well, and the pen
had not rusted.
"Are YOU writing your letters in this
room" asked Juve.
Il? No, sir What made you
ask?"
"Some one has been using this pen
within the last two days"
To find that this was known seemed
to embarrass the man greatly.
"I-well, l don't want to say any
thing-but, honestly, sir, l believe the
place is haunted. You may laugh,
but every now and then at night l
think see candle light in the house.
1 know no one can get in. l don't
know what to think, sir"
"a light? That is queer, isn't it.?
Have the ghosts any special nights for
lighting their candles?"
Laugh, if you wish, sir, but I'm
positive that 1 see such Il light every
Tuesday night"
"Have you tried to find out about
the lights?"
The man shrugged his shouldes.
"That is not my business. 1 lock the
doors, and l always find them locked.
l haven't been ordered to do anything
else"
Juve and Fandor exchanged know
ing glances. They then passed to the
other rooms of the villa, but found
nothing to arouse their suspicious. In
the basement everything was in order.
IL large barrel used to collect rain
water bottle was floating. but 1t
could have been there for months. The
only other thing to arrest their atten-
tion was the enormous furnace.
Through any of its pipes man could
easily crawl.
Fandor finally told the gardener
that the matter would be considered,
and the two men left. Yet they car
ried with them knowledge of every
nook and Granny in the house. They
could not have known it better if they
Lad lived in it for years.
The following Tuesday night Lady
Beltham thought that she had arrived
at the villa unobserved, but Juve and
Fandor. had her well in view. After
watching her let herself in through q
small side door, the two climbed over
the fence in the shadow Of a great
tree and jumped into the garden.
Keeping well in the shade they made
their way to the basement Of the, villa,
Meanwhile, the man they sought
had arrived. Upstairs Lady Beltham
was beseeching him to leave the coun-
Try. She promised to go with him and
begin life anew somewhere else.
"Have pity on me-" begged the un-
| fortunate woman. II cannot stand
the constant peril in which you live"
perhaps it would be best" he as
sented. "Sooner or later I shall be
backed into corner again and have tc
fight for my life."
At this the woman shivered.
"Tm cold. Please close that ven-
tilator.'
Fantomas himself felt the chill OF
the long closed house. He closed the
large grating through which current
OF cold air was coming from the base.
ment. Had he looked an instant later
he would have found that 1t had been
opened again. Juve was there, hear
ing every word the couple uttered.
| Every WELL" Fantomas decided
"We'll go away together. But before
days have passed my silent execu.
toner will have killed Juve in his OWE
bed, just as he has killed others.
lshall leave his body as my final pres
lent for the police. Come, let us 60
l. When Juve and FandOr were able
to get out of the house, no one was
| in sight An automobile was whirrinl
away in the distance.
l. Juve gave great thought to thu
| words of Fantomas which were {
threat against him. The words Isl
| lent eXecutioner" reminded him of tn,
body of the woman found in the offict
of DIR. Chalek which Fantomas ha'
sought to make the police believe wa
that of Lady Beltham. From th'
cryptic words Fantomas had uttered
Juve was unable to decide just wha