Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-01-10
One Rainy
Night
By CENIEVE 'JLMAR
,ccvyrlght. 1918. Western Newspaper union.)

the BaTLley estate resulted III X US-
clsion validating the claim Of Alb
ner Steele, lawyer. Steele had been
a kind of agent for job BARLEY, the
uncle Of Gerald, had wormed himself
into his confidence, and no n In
Marston who knew of his evil, con-
niving ways. believed he was justly
entitled to the old homestead that had
been In the family for SO many years.
The rlghtful successor TO the prop
erty, 1t was everywhere thought,
should have been Gerald, who assert
ed his claim, but a certain document
of recent date held by Steele seemed
TO cllnch his pr~etenslons. When the
local court so decided, Gerald imme-
diately appealed the case.
The BARLEY. house was closed up
pending the appeal. A creature OF
Steele's. a rough, uncouth, grimly ST.
lent fellow named Ponsonby, was ap-
pointed care-taker. II nettled Gerald
every time he passed the place to SEQ
the slouching. insolent miscreant pa
rading about the porcnes or swinging
In q hammock, smoking a pipe or
drinking from q black bottle, profan-
ing, to Gerald's way Of thinking, the
beautiful home where he had passed
so many pleasant years. More than
once, feeling that he was not strong
enough to battle Steele. he had al
most decided to abandon the case,
when Minnie Dodge, to whom he was
engaged. encouraged him to fight for
his rights TO the last ditch.
ut will be a long, drawn-out battle"
Gerald told her YEARLY, "the costs will
beggar me. Far better to 90 away
somewhere. begin life anew and when
I have acquired a home send for you"
But Minnie prevailed upon him to
remain on the scene of action. She
saw the justice of his legal heirship
as next Of kin, and believed that q
higher court would look differently at
the equity Of the ease than did the
local court.
Minnie lived over at Chester. the
next village, and Gerald went there
twice a week to call upon her. One
evening about ten o'clock Gerald
kissed his faithful, patient falcee
good-by and started to traverse the
four miles to Marston on foot. 1t had
been clouding up since shutdown, but he
had not noted my indications of rain
until a sudden torrent drove him to
the shelter of a wayside shed. Be
tween showers Gerald managed 70
cover about a mile. Then a new dash
of rain caught him crossing n barren
and. pretty well soaked and I'M
he made q dash for the
porch of the old mansion as he neared
{.
Ills sensations were varied and
poignant as he stood within the shell
.er OF the home where he had passed
o many hnppy hours. ThR>.m renA
10. apa~f where he was,
going oyer all the distress
ing events OF the preceding few
months. He felt that he was being
robbed Of his rights by In unscrupu-
lous schemer, and then, as his hand
a pocket CHANGED to touch a key, a
whimsical thought suggested a way
ward impulse. He unlocked the front
door, passed into its spacious hall and
thence into a front room. to stumble
over a heap of debris. Gerald recov-
cred himself. felt for a chair, sank into
II and fared a match.
He was considerably mystlfed as
he made out the obstruction TO be a
lot Of bricks, plaster and tile. This
had been removed from the fireplace.
Gerald wondered why. While Steele
had a custodian In charge Of the
house, the man Ponsonby had no right
to do anything with II until the legnl
status of the case o. settled. The
match went out. Gerald lighted an
other one. His curiosity was aroused.
He advanced to the library.
The gas was lighted. Lying on the
floor, apparently stunned by a fall.
was Ponsonby. the custodian. The
room was reeking with the talnt Of
liquor. There was a bottle on the Ia
Bile. some scattered papers, and Gerald
readily surmised that. engaged In writ
imp under the influence OF liquor, Pan
sonby had fallen from the chair.
But what startled Gerald most was
the fact that in this room. as In the
others. the fireplace had been dis
mantled. What did 1t meant He er-
amined Ponsonby to discover that he
was simply In a drunken stupor. His
eye frightened as he glanced at the
papers on the table.
One was a note Ponsonby had just
scrRwled. II was directed 10 his en-
pleyer. Steele. 81 have found the pa
per-" II ran, "you suspected had been
hidden by BARLEY. 1t is worth so
much more than the measly FIVE hun
dred dollars you offer. that i won't
give II up for less than as many thou
sands"
And beside II lay the document TO
ferred to. Steele must have had a
hint that II existed-that John BARLEY
had hidden II. around some fireplace.
and had employed Ponsonby to search
for Il. The document plainly ex-
planned that any right Steele claimed
70 the property was purely as trustee,
and absolutely placed all the estate
IN the possession Of Gerald Stowe.
II was raining harder than ever; n
was dark, the roads knee-deep with
mud II was late. but with q soaring.
surEing heart Gerald Stowe made his
way back 70 Chester 10 lmpart 10 the
darling Of bis heart bis wonderful dis
~aw@rw ana sha ha0Dv nax,s 81. Ah.f.