Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-20

| tongue of flame leaped up, glisten-
ms on a heavy coil of silvery hair
which hung to the floor. 1t was
Miss Jerusha Drake!
Holding his breath and moving
silently inch by inch Miles slipped
through the curtains and into the
shadow behind a tall cabinet. froil
around the farther side of which
he could gain a more direct view
! of the crouching form. 1t was sway
ing back and forth and now a low,
indistinguishable mutter not unlike
some weird incarnation issued from
her lips.
The flame died and Miss Jerusha
drew a deep breath.
Gomez" The mutter resolved it
self into dull. monotonously intoned
speech at last. Ashes, every one!
If only the first had never been con-
ceived this horror would not have
descended upon us. They are de-
stroyed, but their very fumes
breathe poison!"
Her hands clutched at her throat
as though she were indeed choking
and for a moment the woman
seemed on the verge of collapse.
Then catching up a small object
which had laid on the III by her
side she rose and turned. A tiny
pin-point of light shot out before
her and Miles saw that the object
she carried was an electric torch,
it's every CLEAN distorting her face
with the wisps of gray hair falling
| about it into the semblance of the
veriest witch.
He shrank back fearful lest she
discover his presence, but Miss
Jerusha stared straight before her
with the wild blank gaze of one who
looks upon the hideous visions of q
mind distraught n slowly, CROP
ingly she passed from the room.
CHAPTER VII
A soft rain was falling when
| Miles awakened the next morning
| and In the clear, gray light the
drawing-room seemed vague and
unreal. That creature with dis
heveled hair and crazed eyes could
not have been ythe dignifed. self
contained Miss Drake, nor could
hat cryptic speech have issued
from her lips!
fastening out into the hall he
opened the door of the closet under
the stairs. The mail bag was hang
ing in its accustomed place n the
handy mans first task of the morn
ltlS was TO lake II " IL pOSeoiiSS'1
There was no sign of life about
the house and Miles soon had a ket-i
tie boiling and expertly steamed
open two of the envelopes.
The first felt so bulky that ne was
not surprised to take from it a
folded inner envelope inscribed:
"Mr. Richard Kemp" 1t was unad-
dressed but the accompanying let
ter was explanatory:
"Millie, dearest:
II am going to ask a most -trc-
mendous favor. I am not allowed
to see or even write to Dickie any
more-it isn't that he has done any
thing, he is the darlingest boy
alive, but both our families nave de-
| cided to break up our happiness and
Aunt Jerusha watched me X a
lynx! Will you put the enclosed let
ter in one of your w envelopes
and address it to Dickie for me?
For heavens sake don't fail me for
| am simply heartbroken!
Hastily but with fondest love-,
Pat"
Miles smiled to himself as ne
resealed the letter with its enclosure
but his gravity returned when he
opened the final envelope:
"My dr.. Brother" he read.
Il take my pen in hand to let o
know that l am well and hope you
and all are the same but l can't say
as much for the folks. The house
has not been the same since Andrew
came back from foreign parts moro
noisy and fresh like than when he
was a boy only different but up to
his old tricks. He played a joke on
the houseman Monday and scairr
him so he left. Hobart has took to
liquor and made a holy show of
himself in the town. Roger has got
himslef il a mess too over a speech
he made in the schoolhouse last
week. am commencing to think
they are all getting queer again
like they was years ago when they
first come into the money. Do you
reoollect what / told you about their
actions? Seems like it was yester-
day. Miss Jerusha has not been
herself lately and no wonder with
the gossip and all and she has put a
stop to Pat going out with h a nice
Young man | wrote you about but
| CUES it will come u all right.
Kitty"
Slowly Miles replaced the letter
and gummed the flap of the en-
velope together once more. He
had heretofore regarded the lugu-
brious Mehitabel as negligible. but
he realized now hat she might be
we'll worth c~ultivating. She thought
they were all getting queer again"
like they were when their inheri-
lance anne That was the out
standing phrase in her letter which
struck him with the greatest force.
Miss Jerusha was her calmly re-
served self at breakfast, and Miles
could perceive no trace of the emo
ton which had possessed her at
midnight.
Il wonder if you will go on an er.
rand for me-, William" asked
Roger. II know 1t is raining, but l
have an important letter which
must go in the next mail"
'I'll go at nee, sir"
Absorbed in his thoughts the de-
| tective had plodded mechanically
along the path and 1t was with a
start of surprise that he saw the
raincoat and bedraggled, broad
brimmed hat of Andrew Drake just
ahead. He was walking rapidly be-
side a taller, more distinguished
figure. Miles recognized him as the
visitor on the night of his arrival,
the next door neighbor. Enslee
Grayle.
What could these two, so widely
dissimilar in character and proclivi-
tiles, have in common? Miles has
tened his footsteps and was almost
at their heels when they turned
abruptly off at the head Of a lane
between two tall hedges. He was
about to continue to the village
when he turned to find a woman be-