Evening star., 1924-08-31
THE OWLS HOUSE
4 Thrilling Adventure Story
By CrOsbie Garstin
Continued from Yesterdays Starr
Copyright 1924 by Frederick A. Stokes Co.

assess the damage. She stalked sud-
denly into the kitchen one morning
surveyed the ruins of her nephews
comely face, outwardly unmoved. and
then stalked out again without a
word of consolation or regret, barked
instructions that her horse was to be
baited and ready in two hours and
turned up the hill. Up the hill she
strode. over Polmenna Downs and on
TO that haunt of her girlhood, the
Luddra Head. Perched high on it's
stone brows, the west wind in her
cloak and hair, she stared, rigid and
unsecing. over the glitter of the
Channel. She was back in the two
hours, but her eyelids were red--for
the last time in her life Selma had
been crying.
She slept at the Angel at Helston
that night, visited a certain disrepu-
table attorney next morning and left
his office with the Tregellas mort
gage in her pocket.
Mr. Hugh Tregellas of Tregellas
had four daughters and mania for
gambling. He did not fling his sub
stance away on horse racing. cock or
man fights-indeed he lifted up his
of these pursuits--he took shares in
companies formed to extract gold
from sea water. in expeditions to
discover the kingdom of Prester John.
and such like. Any rogue with an
oiled tongue and IA project sufficiently
preposterous could win a hearing
from the squire. But though much
money went out few ships came home.
and the four Misses Tregellas sat in
i L
to nothing. and waited for the suitors
who did not come.
All this was well known to their
neighbor, Selma Donnithorne. She
knew that when the four Misses Ire :
ScllaS were not in the parlor play
ing at ladies they were down on their
kncebones scrubbing floors. She even
had it on sound authority that the
two youngest forked out the cow
bEre ever NmorninS.
She called on the squire one after
noon. going to Tregellas in state,
dressed in her best. and driving in a
cheap from a broken down roySterer
at Bodmin assiZes. She saw Mr.. Tre-
EellaS in his gunlesS gunroom and
came to the point at once. She want
ed his Youngest daughter for John
Penhale. Mr.. Tregellas flushed with
anger and opened his mouth to reply,
but Selma gave him no opportunity.
Her nephew was already man of
moderate means, she said. living on
his own good farm in the Penwith
Hundred. with an income of nearly
f1o0 per annum into the bargain.
When she died he would have TregorS
also. He was well educated. a fine
figure of man and sound in wind
and limb. if a trif1e cut about one
side of the face-one side only-but
then, after all these wars. who was
net?
Here Mr.. TreEellas managed to in
terpoSe spluttering refusal Selma
nodded amably. She ventured to re-
mind Mr. TregellaS that since Arethu-
sina's dowry had sunk off Cape St
Vincent with the Fowey privateer
Gods Providence, her chances of d
distinguished marriage were negll-
Eible-also that she, Selma, was now
mortgag gee of Tregellas and the mort
gage fell due at Michaelmas.
Mr.. Tregellas was gambler. AS
long as there was one chance left tC
him, no matter how long, the future
was radiant. He laughed at~Selina
He had large interests in company
for trading with the King of certain
South Sea atolls. he said, the lagoons
of which were paved with pearl II
had been estimated that this enter
prise could not fail to enrich him a
A rate of less than eleven hundred
and fifty three per centum. a shir
bearing the first fruits was expected
in Bristol almost any day now, was
in fact overdue. but these nor'easter-
ly head winds. Mr.. Tregellas
saw Selma to the door, his good humor
restored, promising her that long be-
fore Micha elmas he would not only
be paying off the mortgage on Ire
gellas, but offering her a price for
TregorS well.
Selma rocked home in her cabriolet
no whit perturbed by the squire's op-
timism. Nor'easteriy head winds,
Three months from that date Mr.
Tregellas returned the call. Selma
was feeding ducks in the yard when
he came. She emptied her apron, led
the squire into the kitchen and gave
him d glass of cowslip wine-which
he needed
Come to offer me a price for Tre-
gors?" she asked
The old gambler blinked his weak
eyes pathetically, like child blink
ing back tears. and buried his face in
his hands. Selma did not twit him
further. There was no need. She
had him where she wanted him. She
Smlle0 TO herSelf.
To the pearl ship had gone the deep
road of the Fowey privateer-and all
the other ventures. She clicked her
tongue, "Tchuc-tchuc,' and offered
him another glass of wine.
"I1l send for John Penhale tomor-
row." said she. Til tell him that if
he don't take your maid he shan't
have TregorS'. You tell your maid if
She don't take my John III put you
all out on the road come Michaelmas.
Now get along wild 'ee."
Arethusina came over to Tregors to
pay Mrs. Donnithorne weeks visit,
and John was angled from his retreat
by the bait of a roam colt he had long
coveted and which his aunt suddenly
expressed herself willing to sell
The sun was down when he reached
the farm: Selma met him in the yard
and. leading him swiftly into the
stables, explained the lay of the land
while he unsaddled his horse, but she
did not tell him what pressure had
been brought to bear on the youngest
Miss Tregellas.
John was amazed and delighted
Mr.. Hugh Tregellas' daughter willing
to marry him. common farmer.
Pretty. too: he had seen her once be-
fore his accident sitting in the fam.
lily pew in Curry Church-plump, f1uf-
fly little thing with round. blue eyes
like a kitten. This was incredible
luck.
He was young then and hot blood
ed sick of the loneliness of Bosula
and the haphaZard minstrationS OF
ing into the house and starting his
love making there and then. but Sc
lima held him. haggling like a fish
wife over the price of the roam. When