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000000 O 0.00... OQQQQOQ .99.... 9000900 .001 member-en wune um ansâ€"s z him a bottle." master to let me “A bottle of what ' “Witch hazel. It was one of my mother’s cures for poison from ivy or sumac." “And that cured him?” Her face bri htened wonderfully. she began to that she had been a m of her imaginatiea. “ mpletely." I anew . “Then it was notâ€"nothing more eerie ens than ordi ry poison.” she added. w! a sigh o relief. as “‘3‘ “arm" lhe a expression feelings in a short laug her ved Th5 - “You come from Afr. Goddard!" nose of it made me turn my head to look at her. The beautiful face had suddenly lighted up so that it seemed almost divine in its expression. Here. I thought. was true love. and I willing- ly adored her for it. “Pardon me," she said after a mo- ment of silence. “I was thinking of something else which amused ms. Ion must take a message to your mas- w.” She walked toward the library table and drew pen and paper from a draw- er. She hesitated a moment and then added: “No; I won't write. I will send a verbal message by you. Charles has trusted you to bring one, and I will return it in the same way." “Thank you. ma’am. I shall endeav- C to prove worthy of the trust.” “Well. tell Mr. Goddard that I an guiterecoveredandthatlexpectto lave him call on me today. Be sure tetell thatImustseehimat use. e must give up eve other engagement to come to me. ow. do Cu understand? Can you put it so can‘t say no?” “I can. ms'am, and I'll venture to give you my word of honor that he Willboherebeforethesunse " “Go. then. and prove your words." As I left her presence I felt that my mission had been one of mercy gist morning. for I had, apparently uncon- sciously, been the means of lift! a burden temporarily from one I: vy heart. I knew-also that I carried a messa . that would bring a ray 4of sunllg t into the life of another. I might have stretched the impon, tance of this interview to my master or I might have given him the literal truth. I know not which now. How- ever, I delivered the message. It was sufficient to make him obeviir. the result or their meeting Was man- ifest at once. Both of them appeared happy and normal again. and the old relationship seemed to be re-estab- lished. How much Miss Stetson ex- plained to him about her fears and knowledge of his case I never knew. but for a time at least she was de- termined to put down all feelings of aversion for my master because other knowledge that he was a doomed leper. 0r perhapsâ€"like another self sacrificing virgin that I have read aboutâ€"she had decided to eonsecrate her life to him. to live by him and nurse him through the coming years of pain and suffering and mental agony which must ever be the lot of a leper. CHAPTER XIII. HAD now been in my position about six months. ing events which I h u v e recorded had kept me from any longing to return to the exciting experiences of my profes. sion. During this time I had grown somewhat stouter. and my counte- nance had begun to assume a kindly. benevolent, well fed appearance. Nec- essarily I had grownra trifie lasier. Several times I had almost decided to return to my old methods of life, but a certain inertin,.undo tedly bred nourished by my new gatenee or éfi always prevenmd. I would keep de- ferring the time until a more conven- ient period. A genuine fear that I would lose my skill through lack of practice occasion-. ally tormented me, but cad: time I put it aside with the thought that my pofession was no longer an absolute necessity. It did not mean bread and buttertomeasitdidatonetime. I was a full fledged butler. and I could some a good recommendation from my master any time I chose to leave. The interest- ' 09”.“OQWOMQ » '. b v Warned by my own experiences. I I never let an opportunity pass to help a young man just starting on the downward road to get back to the 1 main highway. I never entertained i any serious thoughts of getting back there myself. but I hate to see others ‘ straying from it. ~ Nevertheless I now found myself slowly drifting back to an honest life. This had been accomplished through no choosing of my own. ' Circumstances . again were responsible for this change. I did not make any resolves to remain thus for any length of time-4n fact. I rather expected that the time would be . brief. » As I just remarked. I never liked to ' see another. especially a,young man. ‘ taking the downward road. and it was . this strange feeling that gave me a . little wo , as butler or Mr. Goddard. I realized and anxiety in my idle life at my master was leading a double e; that he was pursuing his burglary L tendencies systematically and that he was committing crime even while he as making love to Miss Stetson. This elrcumata‘nco atdrst puzzled me: than it w'orrfe‘d 'anll’i’rrit'dled ind nnally din gustcd me. I could not fathom its meaning. I saw my own rime. illus- him. in its true i ht. and it It'll ; ”Iggy made me ashamed of my I record. I longed to speak of 9 t0: to him. but our peculiar relation- ' shi prevented it. the mat- lle I s mpathiaed with him for the incursbe disease which had al- ways cast a blight over his young life. I soon mod to condemn him for his rash fo y. No man of his tion. in- telligence and opportuni es in the world had any business to stoop to crime. In some cases necessity may drive a man to the commission of a theft and habit may later deaden his conscience. but no such excuse could be held out for my master. He was either had at heart. a crim- inal by instinct. or he had a weak will that had been perverted b others when young and unformed. every- thing else ho seemed a model of strength. self command and intelli- gence. Why should he be so helpless in this respect? Since that drst memorable meeting at the dead of night in the Stetson mansion no word or sign had ever , seed between us which indicated t we knew anything of the other's criminal tendencies. Out of a sense of honor I kept my part of the agreement. and for some reason he remained un- oommunicative about the subject. Nev- ertheless I longed to break the ice be- tween us. If I could once more meet him when robbing a house. I would have the liberty to speak. and I would not again bind myself to silence. Admiration for his skill, love for him as a man when not engaged in his professional work and a certain dis- gust at his deceptive. double existence produced strangel confiicting emo- tions in me. At mes I felt thathis crime should be stoned for and that if he should ever attempt to marry Miss Stetson I would reveal all I knew to her. Gradually his moral disease seemed more terrible to me than his hysical. As a leper he was suffering or the sins of another, but as a crimi- nal he was pursuing dangers and pleasures of his own free will which in time would entail suffering upon others A wave of moral reform swept over me for a time and possessed me so completely that I decided to make amends for my past deeds by trying to convert my master from his evil way . If I could accomplish this. I sho 7d feel that my life had not been spent in vain. Meanwhile I lived in the fear that he would be discovered. I knew from the reports that somebody was conducting a systematic series of burglaries in the neighborhood. and I did not hesitate to attach the blame to my master. De- tectives were constantly prowling around at night to capture the rob- bers, but all their skill seemed to be without avail. A better testimony to the ability of my master could not be CHAPTER XIV. - HEN I reached the ‘con- ‘clusion that some- thing ought to be done to save. Mr. Goddard from him- self, I began planning the best course to pursue. First"! would have to meet him at night under cir- cumstances similar to our. first meet- ing. and then I would have the liberty to speak to him. To accomplish this I watched him every night. often sitting up until nearly daybreak to see if he left the house. For nearly a week I followed this course. and I could swear thathe hadnotlefthisbedaftermld- night. » 0n the seventh night he had an agreement to meet Dr. Squires at his ' once. and. feeling worn out with my unsuccessful vigils, I retired earlyand “1.ng a sound night's. sleep. . ‘t night a big robbery was com- mitted not five miles from the house. ' and following morning everybody was about it. When I heard ‘ self in various ways to keep :" “c1 ,1. ' it; , RIUI. Ins. wees-ins All that day my me lent and worn out. as usual. scantiyattributsdttnewtohiswork of the preceding sight and not to any poison which the doctor was adminis- tering Io him. When this light dawned clearly upon my mind. I knew exactly what to do I slept soundly sud peacefully during the next few nights. but about ten days later when my master announced that he had another appointment with Dr. Squires I prepared to spend the nlght following him. He left the house about 8 o’clock. To my surprise. he did not take his horse, but walked leisurely down the road toward the old haunted mansion that the doctor had so long I followed hi at a tance. but he d not seem nervous er at all auspicious. He walked careless- ly along, without once looking behind him. He reached his destination about half past O and walked lightly to- 13d“ ‘ ward the house and entered. for I supposed that the doctor’s and sort of not astonish me. he really did go to probably submitted to some treatment. His midnight marsuding would begin after he left to go home. I cautiously approached the house and tried to get a glimpse of the in- terior. but the blinds s shades wce so closely drawn that I failed to get a glimpse of even the light. I eon. tented myself with examining the bur- glar alarm. for at some future might find it useful to unfasten it m a window without glvin an a The minutes passed sowly. Not a sound or movement from inside could . Accustomcd to waiting I did not find a m - 00 II. in; nslecp. A few moments of sleep might spoil everything for me. be heard. patience for a long time. my vigil so dltllcult. I cut it must have been shortly after midâ€" . night when I heard the front d crcak on its hinges. I was conceal behind some shrubbery at the time. where I could command a good view of the entrance to the house. The door. I knew. was opening. but no ray of light streamed through the crack. The whole house was. in fact. wrapped in darkness. I saw the shadows of two men on the front porch. and by their general eut- iines I knew that one was my mastc and the other Dr. Squires. Neithc spoke for some time. Then I heard the doctor say in a low. mufiled voice: “Now. Charles. the house is three miles below, and you ought to reach it in half an hour." “Yes; I'll reach it in half an hour.” “You must be extra cautious. for there are many detectives around." the doctor continued. “I shall be' very careful." “Then go and return as soon as pos- They separated. The doctor stole noiselessly back into the house and my master walked stealthny down the gravelly drive toward the main high- way. His manner had completely changed. :Yar! movement a: mane mmcsree suspicion and alertness. He was not nervous. but every faculty was strained. He was now the professional burglar on the scent. The slight breaking of a twig er the ciinking of a pebble. I knew. would arouse and alarm him. My prey was not an easy one to fol- low. He would stop and turn upon his tracks in the most unexpected way. His ears and eyes appeared gifted with wonderful powers of sensation. I had to increase the distance between us to avoid detection. - I managed to keep him in sight for about a mile. and then he suddenly gave me the slip. In some inexplica- ble manner he had dodged away from me and disappeared as completely as if the earth had swallowed him. Cha- grined at thus being thrown oi! the track. I put all my energies at work to regain the lost trail. For two hours I wandered around. vainly trying to catch a glimpse of the man. I became so reckless that I would have exposed my person to him if it would have dis! co pred his whereabouts to me. inally I'gave it up in disgust. I seated myself under a tree near the highway and reflected. Certainly I was bafled for the night. I was on the point of returning home when the words of Dr. Squires recurred to me. The two were evidently engaged in the same criminal practices. and they ' would probably meet again that night somewhere. With this thought uppernlost in my mind I cautiously retraced my steps to the doctor’s house. Once I thought that I had discovered my master again by accident. but upon closer observa- tion I found that I was on the very point of accostin'g a detective. An ar- rest at such a time of the night might lead to unpleasant complications. and soIremainedhalfanhourhlddenln the bushes until the man had disap- when I left it to follow my master. Therewasnotthesignofalivingbe- ing around. I cautiously started to shadowofamanseemedtofittoutof it. I remained perfectb quiet. daring to move or scarcely breathe. .Undoubtedlv tho noise made bv my eI: free with did not disturb me. however. for I knew that somebody besides spirits was awake around the house that night. I was getting tired of watching that immovable figure on the porch. and my eyelids were winking and blinking spasmodically when my ears caught a ' sound directly back of me. I did not dare move my head an inch. but the thought of the bloodthirsty Danes sud- ' cold and clammy. I :wasperf ”11love are many detectives around." feet on the drive. and l gripped my re- volver tightly. determined to make a desperate stand for my life. A moment later mv Minn! were «mummy relieved. 'nl‘steps'ap- preached nearer and nearer -â€" soft, stealthy. delicate steps that might have been made by a child. Then the figure ofamanloomedupwlthinthreeyards of me and moved swiftly toward the hegse. at in that momentary glimpse I caught the features of my master. In his hands he carried a clumsy bundle guilds. which I failed to make out. en for the drst time the shadow on the porch moved. The two met at the top of the steps and quickly disap- pearedinthehopse. thedoorclosing neiseleuly behind them. I would have given much just then to have had the power to penetrate behind those wooden walls or to have raised the shades and looked into the doctor’s ones. where I knew that a light must be burning. But I f‘ei‘ that my quest was ended for the ni and ‘ that further work would be useless. After waiting around another half hour I quietly stole out of the yard and hurried home to refiect over the strange occurrences of the night _â€"-â€"â€"â€" CHAPTER XV. T opinion of Dr. Squires did not improve any after the disclosures Just related. and I was naturally inclined to lay all the blame upon him, arguing that he had misled my master in some way or that he held a price over his head and forced him to do his will. I took this view of the question for several days. upholding my master and revlling the doctor. at- tributing all sorts of evil things to him. Certainly he was as great a criminal as Mr. Goddard. and if one was ever caught in the act of robbery the other would have to be implicated. I felt that the doctor was accepting the easy part of the job. staying home to receive the stolen goods while my master ran the risk of capture and even of being killed. In the event of the latter's arrest I knew that Dr. Squires would suddenly leave the neighborhood, and my mas- ter would be left to suder the penal- ties of their mutual crime. Incidental- ly I decided to prevent any such un- just punishment by being on hand when the doctor found the place too hot for him. I knew enough about their partnership to have him sen- ‘ tenced to the state prison for a good long term. 1 My old hatred of the doctor returned with double force. I had more tangible i reason for disllidng him now than when I first suspected him of attempts to kill my master with poisons. My suspicions that he was not all above I board in his lonely life in the haunted mansion were now confirmed. I would make it a point to investigate the pm lees in spite of all opposiflom- .. Thereafter I cooliy'bot deliberater wenttoworktoetectanentranceinto lncldentnlly. that when (profs-Iona! burglarof my standing makes up his mind to enters buildingAuo looks. bolts. bars or electric alarms ca'n keep him out. Hanover, I felt that I had Justice nailed to tbe'window. and so far I was safe. the cupola. I dashed a Once inst bright ray light from my dark lan- artic es of fur- ectly here 0 not been nd. as I Jagged. ha afiy one or years. Able the fi opened ill below. n'ied door a that it w lock on the i an sier to pl ordinary ock is n a pad! Attached to a staple on the 2m“! e .side of a mo inch ‘ owever. I w I prepared to encoun all sorts of (ii culties. tiv safety I could 9rk in co lathecupo.Solt acodchisel an softly pried up the ends of the sis is driven into the door from the opposite sides. When I had straighb ened these out. I forced them gradual- ly ‘eut of their holes. They fell back with a little clatter that startled me. Would anybody hear the noise? I waited bmthlcsaly for a full half hour. squinting my eye through tile small holes to detect ny ray of It t. But apparently no y slept in bat part of the house. and the noi ad done no harm. I tried the tr pdoor. It stuck a little at the corners, but by prying it up with my chisel I mdnaged to raise it without creating any noise. Ap old ladder led from the trapdoor to the hall below. I tested it with my feet before venturing my whole weight on it. for I was not certain whether it was strong enough to hold me. Then I quietly dropped down into the hall. At last I was actually in doctor" house. but whether I woulEénd wha I wanted was another qu' fore attempting any luv made sure of where the d old servant slept. rooms. I discovered. wge g? the ground door. They open int each other. and both doors were standing on the Jar. This gave me the two upper stories all to myself. and I began my investio gation with an easier mind. The ilrst room 1 entered was empty. with the . blan- more visited gation I or and his exception of a few old clothe kets and discarded furniture. he all} oil was furnished as for a bedroom, I but very little furniture was in it. The ‘ thind and fourth were disposed of in a l few minutes-because of their barren , appearance. ' The large back bedroom which over- i looked the woods was securely locked l and the key missing. With fingers all of a tremble in anticipation of a great , discovery I proceeded to pick the lock. | Fortunately it was a common lock ; which required but little real skill to I open. The spring was a little stiff and . rusty. but otherwise it worked easily. I and I threw the lock back in its sock- et without causing anything more than I a slight grating noise. I l ......| i 1 i I __. -â€".<..._-....... .. ’......_-.-...-. I I Do get one 3;” the Dennis out since in wood and iron, For Pimps. Pump Fixings and Repairs. also Wine, on J. J. WETHERUP, 'lIOLERAlE AID RETAIL DEALER PlANosnnc’lesswmc Bell. Dominion. Mason Risch Bell. Dominion. [ i want to buy the best pump Patent Pumu. They draw ‘ last and work easy. We manufacture these pumps in in and will with them in any depth of well up to 150 feet. iloherty. in Canada ‘9 l’ letlv guarantee satin, perm ' the 9 half ye rev-N List» - FA IONE .l' 88} t L"? mcmm. in.“ . New “Timmy. Standarai‘ . rand Exlmw I) lunatic. Wheeler Wiivr- w m. OTHER MAKES SUPPLIED TO ORDER. . d. d. WETHERUP, Box 415, LINDSAY Own-r: : C n, Sl'Ssni Ah'n PEELSTS. dole W Como J. Assurance l A Business Proposition. 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Here were the gotten gains of both my master and the doctor, and either one would be pro- voked and frightened enough to take my life if he once saw me in the storeroom. Nevertheless I was so fas- cinated by the glittering heaps of gold and silver and precious Jewels that I could not refrain from examining and handling each one individually. I must have run considerable risk in so doing. for some of the pieces rolled out of the heap and fell upon the floor. But the fever of excitement which possessed me could not be controlled. In all my experiences I had never beheld such a sight. It seemed like a glimpse of a Then I entered the room and closed I burglar‘s paradise. the door behind me. 1 flashed the light ! from my lantern on ev'ery side. taking | in the whole room in one circular sweep. and for a moment I was disapâ€" . pointed. There was nothing visible in l the room except piles of old furniture I ness and then pressing covering. It looked as if furniture had been stored in the room and then cov- ered over with the cloth to keep the ' dust from accumulating on the arti- cles. But why should the doctor have l such fine furniture stored away in this I diacloecdtoutcwaoouocttono! "manna. upstairs room? I ralsedoneendof the covering and started back in new [soon = tonishment. I could almost have about- ed in my surprise. Throwing back the do”! in User huts. I soon disclosed tovlewacollectionoftreasuresthat and. I: hand tremble. No robbet’s eaveeverrcvealedaricherstoreof wealth than that which lay spread out before me. There was the silver and gold plate of a dish different families. The jew- els and diamonds that had come down as heirlooms from several (Iterations. small statuettes. gold framed pictures “Id Willi. solid silver knives. forks. spoons and plan... 1' rings and bric-s-brsc of more or less value were piled in heaps and clusters enthefioerandtsbles. lemma was __tug that a ”DJ could cause a'nelmeanimrry away lnsbundld. matfihmm of miscellaneous“ Ltd! db! 1 mum-ammo» mum-wanna»..- l I believe for a short time I was be- wildered and half crazy. I know that I seated myself on the floor and took up one article after another. holding it up to my lantern to be sure of its genuine- it closely against to“ fame Then I filled my pocncts with the. 5 and tried to estimate the wealth that I could carry sway. although I had no intention of removing a single article from the house. My plan was to re trace my stepsgso that the doctor would not know that his storehouse had been visited by a stranger. I had another way to corner him or at least to bring him into my power by holding his sc- cret over his head. When I was‘finaily satisfied in gloat- ing over the stdlen goods, I began to think of returning. I put the articles back in their places just as I had found them and drew the cover over them so as not to excitqiany suspicion. Then I left the room after one longing look behind. locked the door and retreated up the ladder to the cupola. I could not fasten the staple in as securely as be- fore. but by means of a long piece of wire I so into the door so that nobody would no- tics it unless helhappened to visit the cupola. This I judged rarely occurred. and I thought I was safe in leaving matters as they were. I climbed down the plazas post ~a-nd once more found myself on the green lawn without hav- 1 ing aroused any of the inmates of the 3 house. M y night's adventure. had been suc- cessful. and I retired to my bed feeling that I possessed a secret which made ~ me the equal of either my master or the doctor in power. At any time I might use this knowledge to ruin them orto forcethemtodomyblddlig. Altogether I thought I was a pretty lucky dog. . ill In attaching it loosely ; bisln~ the (‘ perm mud: .' merin- W_30n.b' . (trig. ‘ To Citizens of Lillie Britain anc ‘r’vlr been; . 3106:; WINTER IS Bragg; u If you have not s‘ready ordered 3'0: 3 3 WINTER OVERCOAT t is not too late. We can make ya: :; nice stylish fitting Overcoat from $1. $20 Why iuy s r ady-nnsde Sui: vzir ;‘ - you can get a better one made to :Le: ”a,“ nearly the same price. Our goods cage. .. . beaten {or quality, and as for t'} l. a“‘“" reputation as a cutter and tnllor up», as! dual itself. )I ll. Give us a vial before patronizing - several“: Port Perry or Lindsay uxlor: Cam“ .l- J- FRIED ‘1 k‘fli‘l l; ' LITTLE BRITAIN. 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