The Washington times., 1920-06-27
Hidden Treasure

there In the gray light, trembling
pitifuily. He heard the tread OF a
policeman on his beat. and for one
tense moment the light from a Ian
tern Mashed on the windows and
across the ceiling.
There would be workmen about!
and milkmen on their early rounds.
They would take notice OF rgure'
In evening dress which was seen
leaving a house at tsat hour. and
would remember II afterward 10 his
undoing. He called 10 mind cases
in which such evidence had placed
the rope round mems necks.
Besides, there was the body-he
could not leave II there staring up
at him. He could just make out
the shapeless hgure on the white
square OF the rug. He knew that
Baxenter had intended leaving for
Paris I'm the morning, and that he
had already sent his servants away
the cook to her home. and his
man to execute a commission for
him IN the country. After all, per
haps the body would be as safe
where II was as anywhere.
But some force was working
within htm, telling him to hide
from the coming day his CHASTITY
handiwork. Vivian told himself
that he had hot meant this-it was
not the first time he had used the
chloroform-pad which he carried
always I'm its little case In his
breast pocket. II had been his in
tention only to drug the solicitor.
and he felt a seething resentment
against the fate which had made
him a murderer in spite OF himself
With noiseless steps he crossed
the room and opened the door,
looking ont fearsomely into the dim
and lofty hall. The staircase, wide
and carpeted. led away up into the
gloom. and, taking his courage in
his hands, Vivian ascended. The
stairs creaked and cracked like pis.
tol shots through the silence.
He passed from ghostly room to
ghostly room, the gray dawn giving
TO the shrouded furniture and
chandeliers strange and unwonted
shapes and cleaning weirdly in the
looking-glasses. Ascending further,
he found attics crowded with lum.
Der. A window grimy with dirt led
out on to the roof, and Vivian saw :
that here was the hiding place he
had been seeking. Among the
ch mney stacks and hidden by the
gables, a body might lie forever
undiscovered.
He performed the task vaguely
and as though in dream. The bur
den was not heavy one, but 1t
seemed an eternity OF unreal life
before Vivian 1eant back against a
chimney stack and said that his
labor was over.
The fog had lifted with the com.
iEg OF the day and the sun now
shone out hazily. Below him Re-
gent Park lay spread out like
gray-green map. From the Zoologi-
cal Gardens came the roar of the
awakening beasts. Two sparrows
fitted noisily past him, chattering
and fighting. and alighting on a
nearby gable. eyed him narrowly
with Their beady eyes. From the
street far beneath him there came
the jingle OF milk-cans, and some
one was whistling a comic song.
Life-awakening life-in all but
the motionless figure which lay be
meath the shelter of a stone coping
at his feet.
Vivian crawled with a shudder
back through the window and so
down to the card-room. The air
here was chill and the fire was long
past dead ashes. The man seemed
to miss the figure that had been
on the rug. He shivered, and had
recourse to the whiskey bottle
again and again.
The thought that was now upper
most in his mind was that he must