Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-21

was in a bad way. I took him down to
| the lodge. sir, and did what could for him.
He's In my bed now, sir"
did he wake up at all7" serancs asked
| istlessly
"IIe was tryln' TO, sir, when found him.
| But he couldn't remember nothin'. l soused
his head with cold water, sir---ice cold
and gave him some black coffee and put
| him to bed TO sleep IL of He must ha'
had rare tight last night"
HE was drueged," sevrance explained.
so we were-save that we must have been
given a smaller dose Of the stuff"
Indeed, we seemed to have gotten Oft
cheaply. Neither sevranoe nor myself was
conscious OF any particularly I'll effects but
Grady when VIC saw him, showed up as
broken as any man who ever put In a full
week of hard drinking His head was split
ting lie assured us, and his mouth tasted
desperate bad. As for his nervous system
II was an utter wreck, evidenced beyond
question by his lncoherence, his restless
eye and the palsy OF his hands.
Lave me slape till avenin'," he begged,
IAN tis meself who will be a new man
Twas thot Dootch diyvle. Fritz, thot egged
me on to tn drink, sor Shure, an I'll niver
forgive meself till twist his ugly neck
may the black rot seize himl Will yer honor
be afther forgivln' me, sor7"
ut is no matter, Grady, Severance told
mn hlilulS' INesI ana get yourself IN
shape We return to the Rainbow tonight"
Thompson had prepared a meager break
fast--meager although he plainly set be-
fore us the best of his larder; and of this
we ate, more from sense of duty than
from desire. Later-it was then perhaps
half after three-Sevrance proposed a re-
turn to Saltacres Hall.
I'm our hurry to get out" he said, II left
my watch under my pillow. 1 want that
and-well we might as we'll as not look
about. II is not inconceivable-"
'what2"
That her ladyship may have left us some
thing whereby we might trace her. She
took that trouble once before. The house,
keeper may have been ntrusted with a note
for you. Che may have returned or be
now on her way
"Confound it!' cried exasperated. why
tantalize me with false hopes, Tony?"
Nevertheless, his suggestion served 10
rouse me out of my gloom. / followed him
with more interest up the carriage road to
the hall 1t was q bare possibility-what
he had limited.
We opened the front door and stepped
into the shadowed interior OF the great,
paneled, main hail.
The chill desolation of the place struck
Into my heart. lnstinctively 1 felt assured
that our quest was to prove fruitless. On
the contrary, Sevrance debated aloud over
Now, 1 asked Thompson again." he pom
dered, and he is positive that he heard
the door locked upon their backs. 1t was
unlocked when we came down this morn
ing Doors don't unlock themselves, Cor
don. Ergo, some one returned-eh?"
HE is mistaken" doubted honestly
Before the cold ashes of the great fire.
place we paused by common consent. We
were both keyed up to an usually high
nervous pitch, and something in the bleak
nil NhaN hall ~ 81 a..
serted building rendered us strangely ap-
prehensive. We felt, and for while acted
like two frightened children who had. on
exploration bent, strayed into such a place
'Wel?" l said finally. smiling forlornly
into Sevrance's face.
'Listenr
I fairly held my breath for a full minute.
but beyond the beating of my heart heard
nothing. Still, Sevrance seemed unsatis-
fled, restraining my impatience with a
commanding gesture.
wait !" he whispered. wait but a
moment longer, Gordon. I am sure"
The scampering of mouse within the
wainscoting startled me.
THAT !" sneered contemptuously
'TNot-not that-but that! :"
And then I, too, heard the sound which
had caught his keen ears frst-a faint.
far, shrill tinkling. Our eyes questioned
one another fruitlessly as we waited in q
breathless silence for its repetition.
II came again, a mere thread OF clear,
fine sound. 1 could have ina agined II the
ghost of a telephone bells sharp sum-
mons, had 1 not known that such thing
did not exist in the Hall. A slender, trem-
ulous shiver of sound, II echoed again and
again, now seeming to seep up from the
very bowels of the edifice. beneath our feet.
now to come from the upper regions Of the
great house, now to be near at hand. now
far distant
We made nothing of It at all. and we
stared one another almost out of counte-
nance. bewildered, well-nigh alarmed
What can 1t be?" asked, guarding my
voice.
God knows" said sevrance devoutly. He
stood for a moment. listening and medi-
tating profoundly "But I. for one, am
ing"
I'm with you there"