The evening world. Newspaper, July 6, 1914, Page 11

(Copyright, The Frank A, Munsey ©o,) Couyriaht, 1014, ty W. 2. Watt Co.) CHAPTER I. his wife. They were divorced—chiefly because they could not agree as to the upbringing of their only son, Ogden. F ALMER FORD is an American multi-millionaire. Nesta Ford ts The court awarded the a custody of Ogden to the father, who brought the boy along to England on one of his business trips, in- Trenching him with Broster, his tutor, with Mrs. Sheridan, his governess, énd with Mennick, the millionaire's private secretary. M Ford followed, with the avowed intention ot kidnapping her daring son and bearing him away from his sire, Bhe was by no means the only person interested in kidnapping Ogden. For years the hope of regal ransom for the child had tempted America’s cleverest crooks, One effort after another had been made by them to steal him. Sro In fact, to the underworld, Ogden was known as “The Little Nugse"— ym his potentialities as @ ransom earner, Mrs. Ford, ‘aided by her dearest friend, Cynthia Drassitis, actually succeeded once in London fn stealing Ogden. But his father quickly re- covered him; and for safe keeping decided to pack him off to a preparatory School, with Mrs. Sheridan still In attendance,’ Then it was that Cynthia Drassitis had her inspiration, And here is the point at which I come into the story. My name is Peter Burns. T have more money and less ambition than are good for me. Indeed, !t was my stolid sclf-content that long avo led Aubrey Binke to break her engage- ment to me—incidentally breaking all that was best {1:1 my heart—and marrying another man. Later I met Cynthia. I liked her. abe liked me. We became engaged. T trled to forget Aubrey. And now, in rs, Ford's behalf, Cynthia sent for me. I called on her at Mra, Ford's rooms at the Guelph Hotel. Cynthia reccived me alv..o. Almost as soon as she had greoted me she pointed to an oll painting. When I entered the room I had seen @ picture standing on one of the chairs, but had taken no particular notice of it, I now gave it a closer @lance. It was an oll portrait, very Cg done, of a singularly repul- sive looking child of about ten or eleven years old. Cynthia explained: “That is Ogden, Mra. Ford's son. Ive a tragedy"— “Perhaps {t doesn't do bim Justice, Does he really squint like that, or ts it just the artist's imagination?” *Don't make fun of it. It's the loss of that boy that is breaking Nesta’s heart.” I was shocked. “Is he dead? I'm awfully sorry. 1 wouldn't for the world"——~ ‘o, no! ile is alive and well; but ad to her. ‘The court gave him into the custody of his father.” “The court?” Mrs. Ford was the wife of Elmer Ford, the Ainerican millionaire, They divorced a year ago. t we Cynthia was gazing at the portrait. ‘This hoy is quite a celebrity in his him “The «Nugget in Ar ! Why ts that “I's a nickname the kidnappers have for him, Ever so many at- tempts have n made to steal him.” She stopped and looked at me oddly. 7 “[ made one to-day, Peter,” she ‘| went down to the country, tha boy was, and kidnapped ynthia! What on earth do you mean?" “Don't you understand? I did it for Nesta’s sake, She was breaking Fer heart about not being able to see so L slipped down, stole him away, and brought him back here.” T do not know whether f was look- tng as amazed as I felt. I hope not, for I felt as if my brain were giving way, The perfect calmness with which Cynthia spoke of this extraor- inary freak only added to my con- & penal offense, w I aid it. Poor Ms o Fines d aren't fit to have charge o: amid. You don’t know him, but he's just an unscrupulous financ! with- out a thought above money. To think of a boy growing up in that talated atmosprere—at his most impression- ‘able age—it means death to any good in him." still grappling feebly with t! pect of the affair. ‘Sue cyminia, iianapping yes ving you know! The la take any notice of motives, ‘' you' ire t through my babble. vould you have been afraid to do . rel — I began. I had not con- eigered the point before. “I don't potere kd weve. asked you to do it for my sat Cyne thie, fuinapoine, you ‘3 guch ‘an infernally low- despise me?” Pesala think of no eo said, “I understand I know exactly how Jou feel. ps t ou bay tony different from boyy ae ears naturally look on It's just joking ® esd rom surroundings that must pees Ain, back to his mother, who worships him, It's not wrong, It's s endl She paused You will do it for me, Peter e said. ite don't acer et I eaid feebly, ‘sali dy doné. You've kidnapped ourself.” ni. tracked him and took him back, Now | want you to try.” She came closer to me. “Peter, don't you see what it will mean to me if you agres tu try? i'm only human, T can't help, at the bottom of my heart, still being a little Jealous of this Audrey Blake. don't say anything, Words can’t cure me; but if you do this thing for me, I shall be fed. 1 shall know! vl vou do it, Peter? Bay you wil ‘A voice, presumably mine, an- ewere: My dear old bey!" She pushed me into a chair, and, sitting on the arm of it, laid her hand on mine, and became of a sudden wondrously busl~ nesslike, “Listen, P she said, “Pll tell you what we have arranged, It was borne in upon mo, as she began to do so, that she appeared from the very beginning to have been extremely confident that that essential part of her plans, my consent to the noheme, could be relied upon as some- thing of @ certainty, Women have those intuitions, CHAPTER II. OOKING back, I think I can fix the point at whioh this insane venture I had under- taken ceased to be a dis- torted dream, from which I vaguely hoped that I might shortly awake, and took shape as a reality of the immediate future. That moment came when I met Mr. Arnold Abney by appointment at his club. Till then the whole enterprise had been visionary. I gathered from Cyn- thia that the boy Ogden was shortly to be sent to a preparatory school, and that I was to insinuate myself Into this school and, watching my opportunity, to remove him; but it seemed to me that the obstacies tu this comparatively lucid scheme were insuperable. In the first place, how were we to discover which of England's count- less preparatory schools Mr. Ford, or Mr. Mennick for him, would choose? Secondly, the plot whith was to carry me triumphantly Into this school when—or if—found, struck me fs extremely thin. I was to pose, Cynthia told a as @ young man of private means, anxious to learn the business with @ view to setting up a “chool of his own. The objection to that was I held, that I obviously did not want to do anything of the sort, 1 had not the appearance or the man- ner of a man with such an ambition. 1 had none of the conversation of such a man, 1 put it to Cynthia, “They would find me out in a day,” T assured her. “A man who wants to up a school has to be a pretty ort of fellow. 1 don't know ou got your degree.” At any rate, I've for- nail L knew.” Phat doesn't matter, You have gtr? the money. Anybody with money can start a school, even if he doesn't know a thing. Nobody would thnk it strange.” It struck me as a monstrous slur on our educational system, but re- flection told me that it was true, The proprietor of a preparatory school, if he is @ man of means, need not be able to teach, any more than an im- presario need be able to write operas, “Well, we'll pass that for the mo- ment,” I said, “Here's the real ditt- culty. How are you going to find out the achool Mr. Ford has chosen?" ‘1 have found it out already—or Nesta has. She set a detective to work. It was perfectly easy. Ogden im g0- ing to Mr. Abney’s, Sanstead House is the name of the place, It's in Hamp- shire somewhere—quite a stnall school, but full of little dukes and carls and things. Lord Mountry's | younger brother, Augustus Beckford, 1s there.” “Mountey? Do you know him? He was up at Oxford with m She seemed interested, “What kind of @ man fs he?” she asked. “Oh, quite a good sort. Rather an a I haven't seen him for y: “He's a friend of Nesta's, ve only met him once. He |s going to be your referonce.” “My what?” “You will need a reference, At least, T suppose you will. Anyhow, if you say you know Lord Mountry, {t will make {t simpler for you with Mr, Ab- ney, the brother being at the schoo! “Does Mountry know about this hus- ness? Have you told him why J want to go to Abney's?” “Nesta told him. He tI very sporting of you, ih Abney anything we like. By t! Peter, you will have to pay @ pre- mium or something, I suppose; but Nesta will look after all expenses, of course,” On this point I made my only stand of fhe afternoon. a * I said, “it's very kind of are but this Is going to be entire! amateur performance, I'm doing this for you and I'll stand the racket. Good Heavens! Fancy taking money for a job of this kind! She looked at me rather oddly. “That is very sweet of you, Peter,” she sald after a slight pause, "Now let's get to work,” ‘And together we composed the let- ter which led to my sitting, two days later, in stately conference at his club with Mr, Arnold Abney, A. M., of Sanstead House, Hampshire. “As it happens,” he said, "my clas- sical master left me at the end of last term. I was about to go to the agency for a successor when your let ter arrived, Would you consider"—— T had to think this over. Feeling kindly disposed toward Mr, Arnold Abney, I wished to do him as little harm as possible. “I was going to rob him of a boy who, while no molding of his growing mind could make him into a hereditary legislator did un- doubtedly represent a portion of Mr. annual income; and I did increase my offense by being useless assistant master. reflected that, if I was no Jowett, at knew enough Latin eek to teach the rudiments of those languages to science was satisfied: hould be delighted, minor annoyances of life by a sub- stantial income, self to become soft without being awa may be other professions which call for a flercer display for the man with a private who has loitered throurl life at his schoolmastering is brisk enough a wonderful We said good-by at the club front » smiled down at me benevo- ‘ f lently from the top of the steps. J needed tt; and I got tt. Success or failure I consider, very My colleaue, a qualities: that When IT reached my rooms 1 rang for Smith, my valet. I said, “I want you to get s for me the fest thing to- , You had better matter of luck. had most of th muke for success, but erly. backed He motstened his pencil Bay alenoe rt wae “A Latin grammar.” “Yes, ali CHAPTER IV. T was a week from the be- ginning of the term before I made the acquaintance of the Little Nugget. one morning, drew mo aside after breakfast. I fear that I shall be compelled to run up to Lon- Anything else, 0, that will be all.” Ho shimmered from the room. Thank goodness: thought me mad, Y surprised at anything Smith always has nd is conenadently appointment with the father of a boy who 1s coming wishes—ah—to see me.” ‘This might be the Little Nugget at CHAPTER III. ANSTEAD HOUSE I was right. During the interval before school, Georgian style. +) approached me. foursquare, In the midst of about nine acres of land, It had all the qualifications for a It was teolated. ‘The village was two miles from its gates. It was There were fields for He had two claims to popu- He could held his breath longer than any other , and he always got bold of any piece of gossip fl “There's a new kid coming to-night, “an American kid@ 1 near the sea. cricket and house, a number of roome of every air,” he said. class-rooms and heard him taking about matron, The kid's name's For sultable for The household, when I arrived, consisted, besides Mr. Abnoy, of my- self, another master named Glossop, and the matron, of twenty-four boys, the butler, the cook, the odd-job man, two housemaids, a scullery maid and It was a little colony Ogden Ford, that Eldorado of the stead House at a quarter past nino that evening. I only caught a glimpse of Ogden Mr. Abney showed him into bis ly. He seamed a self-possessed boy, very Ike the portrait of htin which Thad seon at the Hotel Guelph, but f@ little less prepossessing, 1f any- @ parlor maid, cut off from the outer world. With the exception of Mr, Abney and Glossop, a dismal man of nerves end mannerisms, with whom I exchanged speech on my first evening was White, the but- There are some men one Iiket * at aight, White wae one of them. Even for @ butler he was a man of remarkably smooth manners, but he lacked that quality of austere aloot- have noticed in other the only person ‘A moment later the door ope and my employer came out, peared relieved at seaing me. “Ah, Mr. Burns, I was about to go in search of you. Can you spare me Let us go Into the din- a boy called Ford, Mr. id, when he had closed He ts an American, a Mr. Elmer Ford. & groat extent the following morning at o'clock my work began, My first day had the effect of en- tirely revolutionizing what ideas! had As he will be to Daily Magezine. should Itke to prepare you for his— ah—pecullarities, “Mr. Ford, tho boy's father, who struck me as a man of great ability, a typical American merchant prince, was singularly frank with mo about his domestic affairs as they concerned his son, I cannot recall his exact words, but the gist of what he suid was that, until now, Mrs. Ford had had sole charge of the boy's upbring- ing, and—Mr. Ford was singularly outspoken—was too indulgent, in fact—ah—spolled him. Indeed—you will, of course, respect my confidence —that the real reason for th vorce which—ah—has unhappily bout. Mr. Ford regards this school as in @ measure—shall | say?—an an- tidote. He wishes there to be no lack of wholesome discipline. So that I shall expect you, Mr. Burns, to check firmly, though of course kindly, such habits of his as—ah—cigaretto smo ing. On our journey down he smoked incessantly, [ found it impossible without physical violence to induce him to stop. But, of course, now that ho ts actually at the school and sub- ject the discipline of the school" —— “Exactly!” I said, He drified away and I went to the study to introduce myself, A cloud of tobacco smoke rising above the back of an easy chair greeted mo as I vpened the door, Moving Into the room, 1 perceived a pair of shoes resting on the grate. I stepped to the right, and the re: mainder of the Little Nugget came into view. Ho was lying almost at full length in the chair, his eyes fixed In dreamy abstraction upon the celling. 1 came toward him he drew at the clgurette be n his fingers, glunced at ine, looked away again, and ex- polled another mouthiul of smoke He was not interested in me “Throw away that cigarette,” 1 said. To my amazement, he did #0 promptly. 1 was beginning to wonder whether [ had not been too abrupt— he gave me a curious sensation of being @ man of my own age-—when he produced a silver case. from his pocket and opened ft, 1 saw that tho cigarette in the fender was a stump. I took the case from his @and and threw it onto a tab For the first time he scemed really to notice my existence, “You've got a devil of a nerve!" he i "And don't use bad langu sai “Who are you?" he demanded, I introduced myself. “What do you want to come but- ting in for?” “Tam paid to butt In, It's the main of an assistant master.” “Oh, you're the assistant master, are yout” “One of them. And, in passing: {t's a smail technical’ point—you're supposed to call me ‘sir’ during these invigorating chats of ours.” “Call you what? Up an alley!” “I beg your pardon.” ! ‘Take a wall! call your tutor ‘str make me jaca vo Mp. ather you havi an over. ing Beals for those In au- "It you moan my tutors, T should say nix! “You uso the plural, Had you a ‘ tutor before Mr. Lrost “ 2 Only about ten milion.” What happened to y commit suleide?" . they quit. 1 don't blame them, pretty tough propositton, and n't want to forget It.” reache out for the clgarette case. I pocketed it. be ju inake me tired!” he sald, sensation’s mutual.” “Do you think you can swell around, stopping me doing things? defined my Job exnetiy." int T know oll about ne hot-air merchant was me about {t on the train.” took the alluston to be to Mr Arnold Abney, and thought it rather a happy one. “He's the boss, and nobody but him owed to hit the fellows, If you try it, you'll lose your job. And he ain't going to, because dad's paving double fees, and he's seared stiff he'll lose me If there's nny trouble." i" t “You seem to have a grasp of the ,, position." “Ret your Ife T have!" T looked at him as he sprawled tn the chair. “You're a funny kid.” T sald He stiffened, outraged. Tis Ittle eyes gleam y, tt Ks to me s if you ne i making a head shorter. You're @ darned sight too fresh, Who do you think you are, anyway?" “Pm your guardian angel! [re plied. “I'm the fellow wh roiling to take you in hand and make you a little ray of sunshine about the home, I know your type backward, I've been in Amertea, and studied it on its na- tive asphalt. You superfatted mill- jonaire kids are all the sane, Tf dod doesn't jerk you tnto the office hefore you're out of knickerbockers, you Juat run to seed You get to think the ly thing on earth. 4 you eo on thinking it till one day somebody possessed as to the lot of an a master in @ private school, My view, tll then, had been that » assistant master had an easy time, had only studied him from the cut My opinion was based on ob servations made as a boy at achool, when masters were an enviable race who went to bed when they liked, hud no preparation to do, and couldn't be It seemed to me then that those three facts, especially the last, formed a pretty good basis on which to build up the perfect life, 1 had not been at Sanstead House two days before doubts began to creep The boy, observing the assistant master standing about difficult an in on this point. does not realize that that unfortunate is really putting in a spell of exceed- ingly hard And “taking duty” ie a thing to be remembered, espectally by a man who, like mysolf, has lived a lif of fatted ease, protected from all the Are You Going Away for the Summer? ‘ou go out of town for the summer ‘you may find It ts costly to provide yourself with the right sort of reading Why send to the city for novels at $1.25 or $1.50 each or buy them at a fancy price in some country store? You can supply yourself with the best, most delightful summer realng for six cents a week. subscribing to The Evening World for the summer months Secure a complete novel each week. Not some old book a country dealer has not been able to sell, brit the finest up-to-date fiction by the foremost living authors, Bear this in mind, not only for yourself but for any of your friends who expect to spend the summer in the country. Next Week's ROMANCE OF A NEW YORK GIRL’S STRANGE BATTLE AGAINST “MAN-MADE LAWS, G7 Next Week's Complete Novel in Complete Novel in comes along and shows you you're not, and then you get what's coming to yougood and hard!" Ile stretched himself. “You talk a lot. What do you reck- y- |, everything's got to have a beginning, T said, “What you seem to me to want most is exercise, I'll you for a run every day. You Ww yourself at the end of a “Whon L grab your Uttle hand, and start running, you'll find you'll soon » running, too. And, yeara hence, when you win the Marathon at the Olymple games, you'll come to me with tears in your eyes, and you'll ‘Oh, slush!" “LE shouldn't wonder.” 1 looked at my wateh, "Meanwhile, you had better go to bed. Its past your proper . what time do you think f wily go te bed? L know what time you go here— nine o'clock.” “You're crany," observed the Little axl hothi xcooped the Little Nugget out of b chair like an oyster and made for the de Outside ha screa incessantly, He Kicked me in the atomach, and then on the knee He continued to ean, He screamed all the way up- irs. He was screaming when we ned his room, hings were getting very complex, CHAPTER V. ITH the war between the Little Nugget and author lty, for instance, the narra- tive haa little to do, It ts fa subject for an epte, but it lies apart from the main channel of the story, and must be avoided. ‘To tell of his gradual taming, of the chaos his advent caused until we became able to cope with him, would be to turn this story Into @ treatise on edu- cution, It 1s enough to say that the process of molding bis character and exoret the devil which seemed to possess him was slow. It was Ogden who Introduced to- baceo chewing into the school, with fearful effects, one Saturday night, on the aristocratic Interiors of Lord Windhail and the Hon, Bdwin Betia- my. It was the ingenious gambling zame Imported by Ogden which was rapidly undermining the moral sense of twonty-four innocent English boys when it was pounced upon by Glossop. It was Ogden who, on the one occasion when Mr, Abney reluct- antly resorted to the cane and admin- istered four mild taps with It, re- his outraged feelings by going upstairs and breaking all the win- dows in all the bedrooms. was the custom at Sanstead se for each of the assistant mas- © take half of one day In every kas a holiday iny was Wednesday; and on nesday of which T write I Med toward the village. one other occupant the local ar when I arrived there, and # glance at him told me that he Was not ostentatiously sober, Hin was lying back in a chair, with hin feet on the side-table, and eroon- ing slowly, {na melancholy volce, the fol rai Kicking my dawg weoun’ tough, clean-shaven man, hen nose, over which Was tilted a soft felt hat. His wiry limbs © clad in what £ put down as J-order suit, 1 could have placed if 1 had not his voles, as an ‘ker. What an Kast y Yorker could be doing In instead, it was beyond me to ex- plain We had hardly seated ourselves when he rose and lurehed out. 1 saw him pass the window, and his asser- tion that no crowned bead should thie dow came faintly to my went dow a, with strong a y're all alike.” vas not late when L start y way but the Wort January day y dark ax U turned in at the yf the sehool and made my dive, ‘The drive at San- was a tine, curvin . about two hundred , flanked on either side se% ad rhododendrons, t 1 out briskly, for {t had begun to freeze, Just a4 T caught sight through the trees of the liehts of the windows, there came to me the sound of runni et The nolse grew louder. two runners, one , ic steps, the in front, taking a Instinetively, In an- viking a eveat clatter 2 wel, the Brat of the pair passed me, and as he did so, there Wax a sharp crack, and somes thing sane theough the darkness Iie a large mosquito The t sound on the man who ba # Immediate, He at to the bushes y on the ‘The whole incident had lasted only fn few weconda, and | was still stand when 1 was aware of th other man opproaching, He had & iven up the pursuit, for he slowly. He at fort of ine, and Th softly to himself, !oried shoroly. wv hite 8 BL “hat on earth do you think you're toing? Have you gone mad? Who ran that ma “TL wish T could tell you, sir. A very toubtful character. [found him prowling at tho back of the house, | By P. G. Wodehouse Author of “The Prince and Betty.” vory suspicious. He took to his heels, and I followed him." “But"—1 spoke querulously, for my orderly nature was shocked—"y can't go shooting at people like that t because you find them at the back of the house, He might have been a tradesman.” “L think not, sir." “We must phone to the police at - tion. Could you describe the m: “C think not, sir, 1 was very dark. And, if 1 may ‘make the suggestion, tt would be better not to inform the police, 1 have @ very poor oyinion of these country constables,” “But we can't have men prowl ing” — “If you will permit mo, sir, T say lat them prowl, It's the only way to catch them.” “If you think this sort of thing ts must tell Abney.” ardon me, alr, I think It would be better not. He impresses mo as A somowhat nervous gontioman, and it would only disturb him.” “What were you doing with # re- volver?” [ asked. Hie hesitated. “May 1 ask you to keop It to your- self, sir, if I tell you something?" he td at last, ‘What do you mean?” pe Hi. detective.” x Winkerton man, Mr. Burus “Lam employed by Mr. Eimer Ford to guard his son, Mr. Burne, Nat- urally he is a considerable prize, Mr. Ford would pay « large sum to get back his only son ff he were kid- Rapped. So it stands to reason he takes precautions.” “Does Mr. Abney know ‘what you are” Mr. Abney thinks T am y butler, You are the only person who knows, and I have only told you because you happened to catch imo in a rather queer position for a butler to be in, You will keep ft to yourself, alr? It doesn't do for It to Ket about, These things have to be done quietly. It would be bad for the school if my presence here wore advertised, ‘The other parents wouldn't like it. ‘They would think that their sons were in dan you noe. It would be disturbing for them. So if you will just forget what I've been telling you, Mr. Burns” I assured him that I would; but I wan very far from meaning It. If there was one thing which I Intended to bear in mind it was the fact that other watchful eyes besides mino were upon the Little Nugget oe 8 e eee ‘The third and last of this chain of curronces, the episode of the genial visitor, took place on the following day, and may be passed over briefly All that happened wan that a woll- dressed man, who gave his name as Arthur Gordon of — Philadelphia, dropped in unexpectedly to inspect the school, Ho made himself exceedingly pleas- ant. He was a breezy, genial man, who joked with Mr. Abney, chaffed the boys, prodded the Little Nugget ‘n a the ribs, to that overfed youth's comfort; made a rollicking tour of house, In the course of which } pected Ogden’s bedr: told Mr. Abney, to be able to report conscientiously to his friend Ford that the son and helr was not belng pam- pered too much, and departed in a whirl of gvod humor, leaving every one enthusiastic over his charming personality. ils last words were that everything was thoroughly satisfac. tory, and that he had learned all he wanted to know. Which, was proved that same night, was the simple truth CHAPTER VI. OWED it to my colleague Glossop that { was in the centre of the surprising things that occurred that night, By sheer welght gf boredom Glossop drove me from the house, #0 that it came about that, at half past nine, th , the affair began, twas the gravel in front of the porch. Tt was still yaing, and, though the stars sh. the trees grow so closely about the house that it was too dark for mo to see more than a few feet in front of 1 I began to stroll up and down, ‘Tho night was wonderfully still. TP could ebody walking up th the maids, [ suppo evening out bird nd of my “beat,” and bad stopped to relight my pipe, when drama broke loose with the awift Unoxpectedness that was characteristic of the place. ‘The stillness of the night was split by a sound which 1 could have heard fn a gale and recognized among a hundred contlicting note It was a seream—a shrill, pt “ squeal that did not rise to a er hut atarted at ity masioum and he the note; a squeal whi from only one throat war cry of the Little Nu It cannot have been few seconds later when x person nearly destre: 1 was standing, and listening to the sounds ston indoors, when somebody, round- the angle of the howe in a des ‘ate hurry, suddenly emerged from » bushes and rammed me squarely was a short man, or he must crouched r rohis | 4 hard, bony shoulder—was from the xround aw my solar “in th brief collision whi sued betw the two, the shoulder had the vantage being in motion, whily the wolit Abs was stationary, and there was no room for any shadow of doubt as to which had the we on it That the mysterious unknown w and pain, Tin stun ned to him after that was not @ matter of Interest t 1 gather that he eseat nt night; but Twas too 0 i AND ‘OF TWO MEN WHO HAD BUT A SINGLE IDENTITY: my own affairs to follow his move. ments, How long it was before my breat returned, hesitatingly, like some th prodigal son trying to muster courage to enter the old home, 1d not know; but It cannot have been many minutes, for the house was only Just beginning to disgorge Its oceus pants as T sat up, Disconnected cries and questions filled the air. Dit forms moved about in the darkness, T had started to strugel feeling very sick and boi it was borne in upon m sensations of this remarkable night were not yet over, As I reached @ sitting position, and paused before adventuring further, to allow a wave of nausea (o pass, a hand was plaeed | on my shoulder and a voice behing mo sald “Don't move!" A minute so later, when I ha@ leisure to observe outside mat 1 perceived that among the of actors in the drama confusion d, There was much scut and much meaningless t= r. Abney's reedy tenor was issuing directions, each of which. reached a dlzzler height of than the last, Glossop was rej and over again the words, I telephone for the police?”’—to which nobody appeared to pay the least at~ tention, One or two boys were dart ing about like rabbits and eq unintelligibly. A female v think it was Mra. Attwell'’e—wae sayin Ly! you see him?" Up to this point my mateh, since extinguished, had been the ‘iumination the affair had recets but now somebody, who proved te Se White, the butler, came from the df tion of the stable yard with a eam lamp, Every one see squealing, Mra, Attwell and Git subsided, and Mr, Abney eald atiafied voice, as if he directed this move and was congratu> \ Inting himself on the success with hit had been carried out. whole strength of the company 1 round the light. you, White,” sald Mr. Ab- cellent! I fear the scoundrel has escaped. “T suspect so, air.” “This is a very remarkable occur- rence, White. actually in Master phone for the pollce?* 4 Glossop. Im voice interrupted him, hs ‘wet strolled easily into the circle of ght. He was wearing a dressing gown and in bis right hand was a smolderi ette, fi fore continuing his remarks, to blow loud of smoke. ‘Say, | guess you're wrong. That wasn't any ordinary porch climber, “How dare you smoke, boy? How 6 you smoke that cigaretia the only one Ive ge sponded the Littio Nugget amiably. 41 have spoken to youE baw warned you=ten bad marks! I will fifteen bad murks. tile Nugget ignored the paln- to was amiling quietly, sk me, something better sir! If you want inale, and what he They're alwaye at It. ime in the fall of 190 ‘Twenty bad marks! “Me. Abn It was the person standin, ps me who spoke. ‘Till now he or had ained a ailent spectator, wadt~ jnu, | suppose, for a lull in the com= versation, They all together, like @ rs cried Mr. Abney, I could tell by the sound of his voles that his nerves were on wires, “Whe was that who spoke?” ull 1 telephone for the police?” 1 you in a pie fact, @ cab.” ! a curious sensation of hat ard the volee before, When 1 told me not to move she bed | 1 ina whisper—or, to me, in my dazed state, it had sounded like @ wh hiapers but now she was raising ind there was a note in it that comet familiar Lt stlrred some chord in my memory, and I watted to hear sain When it came it brought the same sensation, but nothing more definite. o for the clue, f the men, Mr. Abe Burns! — What- tare you doing there? Mr. Burns can give ws mas man w sin," suse “On everything ¢ “Vin a mine of information, haven't the least idea where he went. Ml T know about him is that he has. 1 wh like the ram of a battle- that he changed me with An Twas speaking [thought } t behind me, see this ae nory with her rays of the lantern did and she was a shape 1 lirkness. Somehow 1 felt that she was looking intently at I revtumed my narrative lighting my pipe when I came from the group be- antorn 1" said the Little Nug- 1 scream What if you woke up in the strong-armed roomy mouth, but he only t with my forehead, and Pa is before he could switeh, 7 ss l threw a scare into that gink.” (To Bo Continued.) 8 OOOOO OOOOOO 2 GOOOOOQOOOO THE WOMAN'S LAW 2er°$1.25 32 6 Cents y MARAVENE THOMPSON The acne Evening World