Part 21 (1/2)

Bates presented at this moment an extraordinary appearance, with the blood fro down his cheek and upon his shoulder His coat and shi+rt had been torn away and the blood was snation in his face was soain in a human countenance

”My God, this room--this beautiful room!” I heard him cry, as he pushed me before him into the library ”It was Mr Glenar upon a burly felloho had ca over the long table we had set up as a barricade

We were noeen two fires The sheriff's party had fought valiantly to keep us out of the library, and now that ithin, Stoddard's big shoulders held the door half-closed against the coth of the ave us an opportunity to deal singly with the felloere cli in from the terrace Bates had laid one of them loith a club and Larry disposed of another, who had made a murderous effort to stick a knife into hiainst the door, where the sheriff's o on the ju away from the door and into the room Larry yelled with joy as the sheriff and his men pitched forward and sprawled upon the floor, and ere at it again in a hand-to-hand conflict to clear the rooan had directed the attack against reat fireplace The sheriff, Morgan and Ferguson hemmed me in It was evident that I was the chief culprit, and they wished to eliminate me from the contest Across the rooh and tu ht, leaped the overturned table, broke past the trio and stood ata chair

At thatthe outer doors, saw the face of Pickering He had come to see that his orders were obeyed, and I remember yet my satisfaction, as, hemmed in by the men he had hired to kill me or drive me out, I felt, rather than saw, the cowardly horror depicted upon his face

Then the trio pressed in upon me As I thren my club and drew my revolver, soh the rooht for an instant, and then, while Stoddard stood at reat chandelier, loosened or broken by the shots, fell with aaway from Stoddard's club, was struck on the head and borne down by the heavy glass

S floated in clouds across the room, and there was aand cursing under the debris of the chandelier At the door Pickering's face appeared again anxious and frightened I think the scene in the rooainst us had half-paralyzed hi our second wind for a renewal of the fight, with Morgan in coone down early in the struggle, were noling back for revenge I think I , for Bates wheeled like a flash and before I realized what happened he had dragged the executor into the roorate!” howled the servant

The blood on his face and bare chest and the hatred in his eves made him a hideous object; but in that lull of the store, I heard off somewhere, above or below, that same sound of footsteps that I had remarked before Larry and Stoddard heard it; Bates heard it, and his eyes fixed upon Pickering with a glare of host,” yelled Larry

”I think you are quite right, sir,” said Bates He thren the revolver he held in his hand and leaned upon the edge of the long table that lay on its side, his gaze still bent on Pickering, who stood with his overcoat buttoned close, his derby hat on the floor beside him, where it had fallen as Bates hauled him into the roo, of a careful foot on a stairas quite distinct I even reht stumble that I had noticed before

We were all so intent on those steps in the wall that ere off guard I heard Bates yell atHe had drawn a revolver from his overcoat pocket and thrown it up to fire at h the air

”Only a entle past ht end of the fireplace There see Even Morgan and hisready for a rush at lanced nervously from one to the other of us It was the calm before the storm; in a mole, and yet aited In the wall I heard still the sound of steps They were clear to all of us now We stood there for what seemed an eternity--I suppose the ti, while I felt that so, were intolerable I grasped an, with the overturned table and wreckage of the chandelier between ; and every man in the room was instantly on the alert

All but Bates He reid--that curious smile on his blood-sreat fireplace back of me

That look on his face held, arrested, nuan; a tacit truce held us all again I stepped back till my eyes fastened on the broad paneled chiht of the hearth, and it was there now that the sound of footsteps in the as heard again; then it ceased utterly, the long panel opened slowly, creaking slightly upon its hinges, then down into the rooown in which I had seen her last, and a cloak was drawn over her shoulders

She laughed as her eyes swept the roo her head, as she viewed our disorder, ”retched housekeepers you are!”

Steps were again heard in the wall, and she turned to the panel, held it open with one hand and put out the other, waiting for some one who followed her

Then down into the roorandfather, John Marshall Glenarm! His staff, his cloak, the silk hat above his shrewd face, and his sharp black eyes were unmistakable He drew a silk handkerchief from the skirts of his frock coat, with a characteristic flourish that I remembered well, and brushed a bit of dust fro at any of us Then his eyes fell upon aze swept the rooan, I think, who screamed these words as he bolted for the broken door, but Stoddard caught and held him

”Thank God, you're here, sir!” boomed forth in Bates' sepulchral voice

It seemed to me that I saw all that happened with a weird, unnatural distinctness, as one sees, before a storht of day scarce discloses

I was myself dazed and spellbound; but I do not like to think, even now, of the effect of ; of the shock that seeered, then collapsed, his head falling as though to strike his knees Larry caught hied hi hands at his throat

”Gentle yourselves Who is this person?”

He pointed with his stick to the sheriff, as endeavoring to crawl out from under the mass of broken crystals

”That, sir, is the sheriff,” answered Bates

”A very disorderlyto cause the sheriff so much inconvenience? Didn't you know that that chandelier was likely to kill hientleuson, too! Well, well! I thought better of both of you Good , Stoddard! A little work for the Church entleman?”--he indicated Larry, as, for once in his life, without anything to say

”Mr Donovan--a friend of the house,” explained Bates

”Pleased, I'entleman ”Glad the house had a friend It seeh,” he added dolefully; and he eyed the wreck of the rooood huue-tied wonder, staring at hi!” John Marshall Glenarm's voice broke with a quietunpleasant ”Well, Arthur, I' the interests of my estate At the risk of your life, too! Bates!”

”Yes, Mr Glenarht to have called me earlier I really prized that chandelier immensely And this furniture wasn't so bad!”

His tone changed abruptly He pointed to the sheriff's deputies one after the other with his stick There was, I rereeable and final about randfather's staff

”Clear out!” he coh the wall Mr Sheriff, if I were you I'd be very careful, indeed, what I said of this affair I'reat deal that I didn't know before I died Nothing, gentlemen, fits a man for life like a temporary absence from this cheerful and pleasant world I recommend you to try it”

He walked about the rooer step that was peculiarly his ohile Stoddard, Larry and I stared at hian and the rest of the foe were crawling and staggering away, ainst an evil spirit

Pickering sat silent, not sure whether he saw a ghost or real flesh and blood, and Larry kept close to hi off his retreat I think we all experienced that bewildered feeling of children who are caught in randfather went about peering at the books, with a tranquil air that was disquieting

He paused suddenly before the design for the memorial tablet, which I had made early inwith soainst a shelf for entlelasses and stood with his hands behind his back, reading When he finished he walked to where I stood

”Jack!” he said, ”Jack, my boy!” His voice shook and his hands trembled as he laid the her, but the girl had vanished ”Just as well,” he said ”This rooht for a woht hurried step in the wall

Pickering, too, heard that faint, fugitive sound, and our eyes ht of her tore lad