Evening star., 1933-10-03

dropper to be hidden anywhere.
And they were cluttered with
huge pieces of useless furniture
in a bad state of repair that seemed
to be mourning hopelessly for the re-
turn of a bygone day. One felt that
there was never quite enough light any
where by day or night. The trees were
croWding too close to the house Tor the
sun to do its full service during the
day and the glass chandellered OIL
lamps were certainly not adequate en-
tirely to dispel the gloom OF those man
made cavernS by night.
The house was obviously intended Tor
a large family, attended by tremen-
dous retinue Of servants. Just tWo
people in any one of the rooms seemed
like a couple Of marbles IN the COLI
scum.
Their very footsteps reused creak-
ing echo and their merest Whisper
seemed to run around the dusty, high
holdings gathering force as 1t travelled
and rushing outside like frightened
bat disturbed from its noon-day SUM
bers.
The dining room was perhaps the
gloomiest of all the apartments on the
main floor. Finished in black walnut
which had grown dull from lack OF care
and designed to accommodate a three
generation family assembly, 1t now hao
a forlorn air of discouraged grandeur.
Probably 1t had been wonderful once
when snowy linen and bright silver
had relieved its polished dark surface,
and with scores of candles and WOOD
blaze in the fireplace furnishing warm
illumination. But it certainly was not
cheerful now with the dimly hltered
light of day disclosing its ranks OF
empty chairs and only the ghost OF an
ancient fire betraying itself by faint
odor of musty wood smoke.
The kitchen was a little better, be-
cause there was a fire smolderlng IN
the tremendous cook stove but 1t, too
was lonesome for the bustling crew
which had formerly filed it with cheer
full confusion.
The kitchen conveniences. If they
could be called such, were mostly OF
by gone pattern. Apparently there
was, or had been, storage tank 1or
water somewhere because there were
huge, complicated faucets over great
drain boards. At one end OF the sink
was cistern pump evidently supplying
soft water direct.
Back from the kitchen were the
quarters for the help, numerous little
cabins now almost entirely strangled by
the second-growth forest.
At one side was a dog kennel which
looked more as If it had been used
lately. But there was no dog In eVl-
dence.
what kind Of dog have you?" Vern
| asked idly. One does ask that question:
| Sandy was an Airedale but he died
colorless. From that Vern gathered
that she was moved by considerable
emotion and that Sandy in his life
time had been well beloved.
Died while you were away?"
"Yes."
Vern forbore any further question
He knew without having the picture
painted for him that Sandy had not
cared much for Dummy or Pete and
| that they had killed him while his mis-
tress was not there to protect him.
| A dog was something the landscape
needed Now that his attention was
called to it by the empty kennel Vern
realized that there was no live stock
of any sort around the place. Usually
an isolated dwelling like that has a
| hum of its own, the contented n1utter-
ing of fowl, pigs discussing the menu
pups and kittens playing ferocious
! Jungle games underfoot and bees sup
! plying a diapason accompaniment To
| the entire symphony.
But something had laid finger OF
silence on Cane Key. It did not stir
Even the wind Of the storm passing
overhead did not disturb the fearful
| tranquility which prevailed below.
The gayety Of the occasion. If there
had ever been any, was completely
dampened by the reference to the
death of the Airedale and Vern and
the mistress of Cane Key assembled to
the second floor in a depressed silence
At last even the pretense of small talk
had deserted them.
On the stairway she put her hand
ON his arm. Never mind. I'd really
rather he were dead than to leave him
! to an uncertain existence. If I could
be sure that he did not suffer much
| ~
She did not finish the trailing SEN
tence but Vern completed the idea fol-
himself She was quite sure that
Sandy had suffered and suffered much
| for his devotion to the family, sure
that he had died lingeringly in defense
of rights which had been crudely vio-
lated.