The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-18

dominate her, savored strongly of mystery.
And mysteries appealed to Bristow.
II will await Dr. Seldom here he said,
removing his gloves and outer coat and
advancing to the fire.
As he seated himself the housekeeper
hurried from the room. He heard her
ascend the stairway and rap door on
the floor above.
Then, after moment her voice, lifted in
a piercing scream of horror, rang wildly
through the old house.
For single instant fraught with startled
apprehension Bristow stood transfixed by
the appalling cry. Then he recovered
from his stupefaction and sprang into the
hallway. His first thought was that some
accident had befallen the woman. The
presence of the stranger in the grounds re-
Cured to him with sinister significance.
The next moment he dismissed the idea that
the. mysterious man in gray, suspicious as
his actions had been, could be responsible
for Miss Wrightson's cutlery Burglar the
stranger might be, but it seemed beyond
the range of probability that he had en-
tered the house in broad daylight. He
would, the lawyer felt, have to look further
for solution of the mystifying situation.
The house was wrapped in silence. Evil
IDENTIFY the woman's scream had reached no
ears other than his own.
"Miss Wrightsonp' he called, moving
slowly forward, his mind filled with in
applicable misgivings.
There was no reply. Only the hollow
echoes of his own voice came to him from
out the stiffness. When his eyes accus-
toned themselves to the uncertain light he
perceived that he had reached the foot of
the stairway, which began its ascei.t half
way down the hall. As he placed a hesitant
foot upon the lower step he beheld the
housekeeper standing on the landing above.
The woman appeared dazed and stunned.
As Bristow looked she swayed helplessly
and seemed about to swoon.
The lawyer foresaw serious if not fatal
injuries for her If she fell With this
thought uppermost in his mind, he bounded
up the steps to her assistance. In that mo-
ment she tottered weakly, thrust out her
hands. in mute appeal and, with gaspng
moan, plunged headlOng into his arms. Her
not uncomfortable weight, the velocity Of
her descent and Bristow's insecure footing
on the stair combined to overthrow him.
Fortunately his fall was broken by heavy
tiger-skin rug and he suffered nothing
more serious than a severe shaking up.
Struggling painfully to his feet, the at
torney lifted the unconscious woman from
the floor She lay limp and passive in his
arms, her eyes closed and her face chastity
in the dim light.
'Swoonedr' muttered Bristow in con-
sternation.
Restraining an impulse to summon as
sstance from the street, he bore the house,
keeper into the library, where he placed
her on a couch. Returning to the foot Of
the staircase he called loudly in the hope of
arousing other occupants of the house.
There was no response and the faulty of
the proceedings gradually dawned upon
him.
Had there been anyone else about the
place Miss Wrightson's terrified scream
undoubtedly would have summoned all
within earshot to the scene ere this. Evil
IDENTIFY both Dr.. Selden and his daughter
were out, unless it might be some serious
mishap had befallen the former or perhaps
both. To Bristow this thought occasioned
more anxiety than the fact that he was left
to cope unaided with the predicament in
which he found himself involved. But he
realized that there was no time to waste in
idle conjecture. The housekeeper must be
restored to consciousness without delay.
When he reached the library he saw that
there had been no improvement in the