Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-25
ontinued from our last issue)

Wells is an old fool!' Andrew
continued. II say, there is nothins
any of us a do for Roger; he'll
sleep like a baby tonight and be al
right in the morning. I'm going on
n / shan't be back until late bui
I'll take my key and l won't disturb
you if you'll tell Carter not to pui
the chain on the door"
He strobe heavily from the room
and in another moment Miss Drake
and Hobart followed.
Its work for nothing to set the
table for them; they don't hardly
touch a thing!" Carter mourned, as
he and Miles cleared away the final
debris of the meal. I'm sure ]
1ndon't know what's come to this
house. nor where it's going to end!'
whats there to be scared of p
Miles asked stoutly. i've seen noth-
ing barring that fainting spell OF
Mr.. Rogers today. Is he often tool,
like that?"
Carter shook his head.
"Only once before and that was
just a day or two after-after the
constable brought Mr.. Hobart home
when he'd been walking in his sleep
That's what you heard, amt it.
William" He asked the question
with almost pathetic eagerness.
NO" William replied bluntly. "ff
you want the truth / heard he was
either drunk or crazy
mot a thing had he touched that
night, for / had the only set of keys
to the wine cellar!" Carter asserted
solemnly. 1--WE yet to see Mr.. Ho-
bart in liquor but 1 can't say as
much for Mr.. Andrew! Mr.. Andrew
was a trial to the rest of the family
when he came back, though he's
toned down considerable, especially
in his language. 1t was shocking
to hear, William!'
II shouldn't be surprised" Miles
observed. did he bring those fits
back with him, too, from Austria
lia?"
you mean what happened last
Monday" Carter lowered his voice.
IF you want to know my opinion
from what I could get out of Ed
ward / think Mr.. Andrew was
shamming, though the Lord only
knows WHY"
Miles glanced sharply at the old
man but his tone was casual as he
remarked:
"He was playing a trick on Ed
ward, maybe, but there was no fake
about Mr.. Rogers faint today"
mo, and as for Mr.. Hobart, Tn
lad he's given up the stock market
Dbefore-before he los everything,
though sometimes I've wished thai
the money never came in the first
place! 1t was that made all three
of them act queer long ago, and
though / almoA forgot about it in
the years between, perhaps they've
been wrong in the head ever since"
"How do YOU mean they acted
queer when they came into their
money" asked Miles.
II remember when the news came
and though they were excited it
struck me then that not one of them
seemed really happy about it or
even surprised. Mr. Hobart seemed
to think only of getting back dit
other folks for all the years of
hardship they'd been through; get
ting rich by making other folks
poor. 1t gave me the shivers to
hear him. You would have thought
mat there was a death in the
sH0Sset" continued Carter. "They
didn't talk to each other any more'n
they had to, didn't scarcely look at
each other and it seemed as though
there was almost hatred between
them! Mr.. Andrew had ugly fits of
temper hat he'd never showed be-
fore and other times Mr.. Roger
WOulu DItdh uOWi anu 30 all 10
pieces right out of a clear sky; only
MI. Hobart kept a level head on his
shoulders and all at once l noticed
that the hair at each side of his
forehead was turning gray-and
him only twenty-three! But quiet
years came after, and comfortable
ones, and I forgot until this trouble
now brought it all back to me-"
CHAPTER XIV
Like two housebreakers, Sergeant
Miles and Scottie stole up the back
stairs that night and halted before
.the door at the end of the hall.
As he drew the skeleton keys
from his pocket Miles indicated the
traces of wax which still adhered 10
the lock, then whispered: Andrew!
He wanted to get in here mighty
bad, didn't hep"
Scottie nodded, not trusting him
self to speak, and his companion
oiled the lock and key-hole careful
~ before setting to work. He made
no noise but the minutes dragged
out interminably while the other
watched and listened tensely for a
possible interruption. The key
clicked family in the lock and the
door swung slowly inward.
"Wait till I close the door" Miles
commanded; then as a tiny light
cleaned out: Good! There's a bolt
on the inside and we can't be sur
prised. Andrew may come home at
any time and I have a bunch that
he'll try TO finish then what he
started this afternoon
ton was his object" Scottie COM
mented dryly a. the rapier-like
thrust of light played about the
dense blackness of the room. MAY
the dell take us if we're not in n
museum
They were in a huge, low-ceiling-
ed room which had evidently been
long unused for human occupancy.
On the left trunks and packing
cases of all shapes and sizes were
heaped pell-mell with broken hasps.
From their depths a heterogeneous
mass of relics and manuscripts had
been scattered in all directions.
Naughty, though fragmentary
Idols and humble cooking pots. fear
some weapons, bits of crumbled
carving, and among them all roll
latter roll of ancient parchment to-
gether with notebooks of a more
modern day.
Scottie approached a long, metal
lined box and after one glance with
in promptly retreated.
Its a mummy" Miles gazed
briefly down at the small, tightly
swathed form and then turned in
differently away. "If Andrew found
what he was looking for this after
noon. we are wasting u time, but
I don't think he was successful.
FTt-