The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 14, 1904, Page 1

CTXIIS IS THE SECOND IN- [ STALLMENT Or MAX J PEMBERTON'S NOVE! o1 MYSTERY, RO- M AN( AN ADVENTURE. VAVIFILT WHICH BE- GAN IN THE SUNDAY €Al AUGUST 7 AND WHICH Wil 81 COMPLETED UTPON LG i S, FOLLOWING Di XAV AND N IRONG CONTRAST TO IT IN n AND ATMENT, WILL COME “ANNA THE AD- NTURESS” BY E. PHIL- EANTIENY A HIGH Y DIVERTING AND THOR- UGHLY ENTERTAINING STORY O MODERN LIFE IN S AND LONDON. N THID CASE OF “IN P BISE CARRIAGE™ IAND DR NAVIER" 701s WULAR NOVEL, SELLING STORES FOR $1 50, GIVEN TO THE DERS OF THE CALL 20 CENTS — = 1) te | ) t iJ I arisen, and the; d % a little, bathing Hall, and you are to gerd it as your own. I have told the will require cis returns I am ) the theater. I n by the end of all go to the Ok these northern m me shiver! It witzerland, chere uch to show i » nothing but vers. So a bientot, ma th much love from your d sister, Julia de Montalvan.” her read the letter with eager in- , and particgiarly the signature, which was new to her. She had un- dérstood the Doctor me to be sim- Navier—which, indeed, was but one Curistian names commonly em- d by him when traveling. But now she remembered that he was a Spaniard by birth and probably the de- scendant of some old Spanish family of note. In this respect Julia's letter was not unsatisfactory. There was so much to do, 50 many surprises awaited her dally in that house of wonders, that she grasped at any straw of argument which would permit her.to remain there with confidence. Xach -day, in the early morning, she went to the bath as will ed Ar food that ¢ ondon and its unadorned reality She liked Bil m to her side peodle h a fine owl at him and show ding teeth 5 “What do you do in this ho —what is your work?” she as jay as he stood biting his s ‘before her. Bil without hesitation h, T bowls at 'em in the park. Me and Dick goes up to the pitch every night except when it's boot-biacking!™ r knew something of cricket he tried to interest Bil “What's your a many runs can you make?” she asked him. Billy seratched his head. “I ought tc make lots, bu. T don't make none,” he said. “Dick, he bowls curly ones. T put the ball in my pocket lart night and come ‘ome. * He thought was lost—but it wasn’ti you see! Fine times, miss, he had, "unting of it ong the babies Oh, but that wasn't honest, Billy. Y 1'll never make a cricketer if you y like that! Does the Doctor ap- e of your being out so much?” Don’t know, miss; never ask him. You see, I'd have to go to foreign countries to do that. Why, he isn't here—no, not three months a year! “Then who takes care of the house when he’s away?” “Why, old Fatty—Spencer, the but- ler.” And is there no ome here but him?” “Well, there was the young women— but they got the sack! )iy eye! they did carry on!” “What young women are you speak- ing of. Billy; who were they?” Billy would have answered, perhaps, but catching sight of the Moor, who was crossing the lawn, he darted away suddenly and left Esther's curiosity ungratified. When she came to think of it she imagined that she had seen the face of one of these girls at the window on the day of her arrlval. It did not alarm Esther so tuch when she remembered that Doctor Xavier had spoken of previous experiments and of his failure. She quite under- stood that disposition and the will to succeed must be given to experiments. The others, he said, had destroyed his work by their own obstinacy. - Esther determined that, in her own case. no ar illy: how ur d or In in the shade t sh not afra f 1. but his presence, none tt ircum de b she had first see ns i cushion hammock books 1o her hand and the note of bird in her ears. Once o1 such charge uld be made. Day by day now her interest in this momen- undertaking increased. Was it was it right, he would at a woman should desire such suce or labor for it. And nst this she would pit the Doctor's iment - and remember t every- rg which contributed to the happi- of ht ity conteibuted also to he laws of health, upon which later day civilization insisted, unceasing battle with disease and th, what were they but instruments nake mankind more beautiful? uld stea its beauty. Sometimes she ror and look at he 1t though afraid of her own ter ce that she beheld there won some gift health and prettiness every ¢ said, had returned to eves were wonderfully 8 a clearness of skin which was in itself a dower of great price. Often when the vision of the was accidental she would start back. from it as from a revelation of beauty which almost bewitched her. Was thi Esther By what miracle h come gla had known? such a change about? KEsther could not belie that it was wholly so. The gowns witk which the Doctc liberality had sup- plied her were, indeed, the master- pieces of a French costumier’s art. From time to time in the privacy of her bedchamber she would put on some perfect melange of silk and chiffon, and, amazed and fearful, would ask herself if any of those who had once known her would say that this was the old Esther. Nevertheless, the question “why” was asked vainly. Why had she been chosen? For what purpose? Ah, if she could but have answered that! We have said that fifteen days passed and found Doctor Xavier still absent. It was upon the fifteenth night that Esther heard of his return, and heard of it in a way that at once star- tled and perplexed her. It had been a wet afternoon, with a heavy thunder- storm about six o'clock. The close air and great heat resulted in such a ner- vous headache as the old time used to give her, and Esther went to bed at an early hour, and for a little while slept restfully. When she awoke, she thought it would-be the middle of the night, for the moon shone full and golden, and the beams revealed the ar- bor of the garden like a glen at a for- would have slept heard a murmur of dist: a wild haunting fitful and weird; and to this there sue- intenation, to the sweeter believing that Dector , and that ined in the hou mmelody arose, gain gave D! but the servants ren away upen the to learn who the singers were, s on her dressing gown, , going tb her she opened d thence into the nor sound rewar jows bf the Doctor’s study for- bade her to gscertain whether he oc near to it, had the v the bhinds drawn. {ect a light anywhere in the hous Esther could not arose upon the fav gutturai exclamation, and then by heavy thud of a falling body. ot at once underst nor could she account for presence of strangers in the She imagined that the serv 5 would be awakened presently and the alarm be raised; but when no one ap- peared and no voice was raised, growing dread of some veiled mystery became a fear surpassing words. did not dare to move from the window; she feared that some one would detect there and resent her presence. Anon, she thought that she observed figures moving among the trees,’ and then, as the greater surprise, she be- held Yussuf, the Moor, carrying a can- dle, which his long bony hand sheltered Her curiosity now was raised to the highest pitch. She re- marked that the Moor crossed the quadrangle to that corner of the gar- den whence the cry had come. Another, and he a stranger, suf’s heels and carried a second silver candlestick; stooped at last as though over some object which lay hidden by th In this supreme moment Esthe learncd the truth. from the wind. followed at Yus- A man had been struck down in the garden, she said; he wus dying, perhaps dead. She could see the Mgpr stanching a wound with a, haudkerchief that fluttered in the ascinated, although her heart y, and her fear remained un- , she did not move from the win- dow. 1t was her ardent hope that Doc- tor Xavier might be in the house; and when she heard his voice, a great ed to be lifted from her What cculd e happened, sh She judged that it must be something terrible. Many minutes passed in this intoler- abi pense. . She perceived figures moving, to and fro between the trees nd anxious messengers running from the house to the garden and back gain. No one appearcd to accuse nother or to defend hi . But once did 3sther identify Docter er; and this was at th ment when the Moor lifted a candle and the whole pictuve stood out like - vignette in the dark- ness. In that instant the scere was fully revealed. A man lay upon the grass and four stood about him. Es- ther ob: ved that he was in evening dress; and that they had torn his shirt open to stanch a wound in his side. The Doctor himself held a zlass in his hand, and put it from time to time to the prone man’s lips. At a little dis- tan-- apart the moon’s beams dis- covered another actor in this grim drama. He appeared to be a foreigner, and a lcose Spanish cloak covered him to the knees. In defiant attitude he leaned against one of the silver birches, as though entirely unconcerned at that which was passing so near to him. Anon, he approached the kneeling figures, and Esther heard him asking questions. This man, she imagined, had struck the blow. The dreadful mystery of it all appalled her. What was this house in which such things were done? Why had she entered 1t? SR e ——————————" In despair of any answer she turnea Esther perceived the soft green carpet and lay shivering upon he thought, for her were possible, to quit the house t she heard her her from the The Doctor called wered him at once, for she was glad to hear his voice. it—who is there?” tioning her to e to have a you cannot sleep—it is imprudent to stand at the window affer rain.” She knew, then, that she had not es- as she always little awed, were called for, would be a shattered nerves and to offer her some reassuring ¢xplanation, herself quickly and went down into the ne little hesitation that she stood upon the threshold of a scene of which every detail She feared courage to she was seated, Esther dressed e e idee happened 1 quite admit, Miss Venn, ung gir! might be alarmed. never good never have that place of death or even to look upon collectedly. summoned her opened the long window giving N discovered that the Doc- tor wus alone and that the others had Not a trace r »nce that two friends quarreled in this house occasion to I do not think that his I am exceed- should have re- A philoso- would remember the old apothegm about a gambler’s folly its consequences. remained of Doctor Xavier himself smoked a cigar with apparent non- deed or actors. he said, approaching her di- [ wish to talk to you. be in your own night air is not should have put a shawl about your 1 say nothing, I regard life as a gambie from to the grave. not play with dangerous tools—men, women, nations, powers and principalities, our own am ies of our friends. Cards sible for many pitiful mis- are not often of I hope they will not Lorenzo, my good for us. ; we find more Esther was too much interested to answer him, and -she fcllowed timidly at his side while he crossed the lawn and lighted a silver lamp in her bou- Here everything was as she had left it but a_few hours ago. eketches lay untouched upon the table; the books she had been reading were The fountain splashed al- most with a weird sound in the silence One fact, however, per- mitted Esther to form an instant con- clusion as to the events which had so greatly agitated her. The door between her own room and the Doctor’s study ‘was no- longer locked as it had been during his absence. one had entered her boudcir and had forgotten to close the door upon leav- It now stood so much open th: the graver kind. prove to be so to-night. cousin, is more frightened thar misfortune but you will that such a thing likely to happen here again.” your sake; be wise to of the night. seemed to be offering her an expected to an- he took refuge in a gen+ sion rather than a specific Evidently some t. heard some one singing in the