The Washington times., 1916-11-04
Copyright. 1915. By the star Company. Al
Foreign Rights Reserved)
CHAPTER v.
The Jacobean House.

TN the pile of letters awaiting him on
his table Christopher found a queer
telegram. II said: please come at
once with your car and try solve
mystery at old house now used as hotel
patronized by motorists. Same rate
per day for necessary time as for au.
tomobile tour.-Sydney Chester. Wood
House. New Forest. References. London
and Scottish Bang" And the message
was dated two days back.
Christopher did not see why he should
be applied to as a solver OF mysteries.
However. the telegram sounded inter-
esting.
gram" he wired. Am I still wanted'
n so, can come" 80.
when an answer arrived he had Scar
let Runner ready for another start.
yes. urgently wanted ran the reply.
Hope you can start this afternoon:
But don't come to Wood House. VIII
meet you at the Sandboy and Owl. with
in q mile of Ringhurst as you come from
London. Please let me know probable
Christopher wired again: Hope to
reach you about T." And his hope was
justified. as 1t usually was when he had
to depend upon Scarlet Runner.
The landlord opened door at the end
OF q dim corridor, and said respectfully
to some one out Of sight, The gentle
man with the motor has arrived" Then
he backed out OF the way, and Chrlsto-
pher stepped over the threshold. He
ling a telegram which she had been
reading by the light Of a shaded lamp.
VI beg your pardon" exclaimed Christ
opher. "Ive come from London to see q
Mr.. Sidney Chester, and was told /
should find him here, but"
I'm Sidney Chester, said the girl
1T was l who telegraphed for you to
come and help u.s."
Christopher was surprised, but he kept
his countenance. and pretended to take
this revelation as matter OF course.
Sydney Is a woman's name as well
as q mans" she went on, and there
was no use explaining in a telegram.
Please sit down, and Ill-no. ! can't
promise to make you understand, for the
things beyond understanding; but I'll
tell you about II. First, though. ia bet
ter explain why sent for you. don't
mean to fiatter you, but II there's any
can only be done by a man OF your sort
--clever and quick of resource, as well
as an accomplished motorist. That's
my reason; now for my story; But per,
/ the strange happenings there? We've
tried to keep the talk out of the papers,
but II was impossible, and there'ye been
paragraphs In most of them for the last
fortnight"
Christopher had TO admit ignorance.
. though he guessed from the girls tone
that the place must be famous. apart
from its mysterious reputation.
Its a beautiful old house." she went
on, the harassed expression Of her face
softening into tenderness: There are
pictures and accounts Of II in books
about the country. We've got the love-
Hest oak paneling In nearly all the
course We love 1t, dearly-my mother
and ]. the only ones Of the family who
are left-but we're disgustingly poor;
our branch Of the Chesters have been
to see everything going to pieces, and
there was no money for repairs. There
were other troubles, too-oh, l may as
well tell you. since you ought to know
everything concerning US II you're to do
love with a man who ought to marry
an heiress, for he's poor. too, and has
title. which makes poverty harder and
more grinding. He's let his house,
show place-and because he won't give
me up and look for a rich girl (he
wouldn't have to look far or long, he's
trying to get q fortune out of a ranch
in Colorado. That made me feel as II
let Wood House, Because there's a
clause in fathers will against our doing
so. We're obliged to live there. or for
felt II to the person, who would have
inherited It Is the place had been en-
tailed and had had to go to a male
.'But no such thought came to poor
father as that mother and I would
dream of making the house into an
hotel. SO It didn't occur to him to pro-
vide against such a contingency. II was
I who had the idea-becahse was des-
perate for money; and heard how
people like old houses In these days
Americans and others who aren't used
TO things that are antique. At last
summoned up courage to propose 10
mother that we should advertise TO en-
tertain motorists and other travellers.
preposterous," said Miss Chester.
"People come to our house. perhaps for
dinner or lunch. or perhaps for several
days. But whichever It may be. during
one of the meals-always the last "
they're having more than one-every
piece OF jewelry they may be wearing.
and all the money In their pockets and
purses-except small silver and copper
disappear mysteriously."