Richmond planet. [volume], August 03, 1907, Page 2, Image 2

About Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938

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CHAPTER III.
The Houae of a Thousand Candles.
tance from the faet thit two railway
line* ? e The Chicago ex
preea paused <?? moment whtle
<- ed my tblnics bpside
n the platform. Licht strpamed
from the open door of the l
few idlers par-ed the plat form. ?
Into * wg of th*. r;i^
lage hackman languidlv soliclft?d my
bu*!nese. the shad
ows came a tall. eurlous f.
man elad ln a
lt is with a quick<Milic of I
tion I rec
flrnt
?
and I hear his de*>:
BKhlag his hat respectful
aald:
M
arm" I am Bates 1
I
?
s. and I
che?
-
ful ai
?
?
?
il tall t:
and
wav
ln? his hand at tl
?
business."
asked. as
? are
basM a nv it lUt*>s ?
? re was a man w I
human l*v
I was ti
a y?>ar. and he w?:
l
a gra
villar
the
"It's the lak
l was d
"ly. I im;
rta. and I
was r
all rheerless ;
land. The wlnd I
aharply upon Bfl off the wal
?od ln sea
Mr. Glenarm
pleasure in lt. r
Glenarm 1 hing quite
equal to ?
I li*
my grandfather. He was evldently a
loyal retalru r. No douht he could
summon from the past many pictures
of my grandfather, and 1 d?termined
to encourage his conflder. ?
Any reaeatmeat I f?-lt on flrst hear
lng the terms t>f my grandfather's will
had pass :.ad treated me as
well as i 1. and the least I
could do was to acoept the penalty he
had lald upon me ln a sane and amta
ble spirit. This tram of thought oocu
pied me as we tramped along th?
way. TL. r-ud now led away from
tha lake and through a heavy
Presently. on the rlgbt loomed a dark
barrier, and 1 put out my hand and
tour-hed a wall of rough ston?
roae to a height of about eight '
"What ls this. Bates?" I asked.
"This is tilenarm land. sir. The
wall was one of your grandfather*
Ideas. It's a quarter of a mi'e long
and cost him a pretty penny. I warrant
you. The road turns off from the
lake now. but the Glenarm property ls
all lake front.''
So there was a wall about my prla
on house* I grinned rheerfully to
myself. When. a few moments later.
my guide paused at an arehed gateway
ln the long wall. drew from his over
coat a bunch of keys and fumbled at
the lock of an Iron gat,?, I felt the
aplrtt of advenlure quieken wlthin me.
The gate cllcked behlnd us and
Batea found a lantern and lighted it
with the ease of custom.
"I use this gate because it's nearer.
The regular entrance is farther down
the road. Keep close. sir, as the tlm
ber lsn't much cleared."
The undergrowth was lndeed heavy,
and I followed the lantern of my guide
wtth difficulty. In darkness the place
aeemed as wlld and rough aa a tropl
cal wllderness.
"Only a llttle farther," roae Batea'
volce ahead of me; and then: "There's
the Ught, sir."?and, liftlag my ajaa.
aa I stumbied over the roots of a
great tree, I aaw for the flrst time the
dark outllnea of Glenarm Houae.
"Here we are. sir!" exclalmed
Bates. Btamplng his feet upon a walk.
I followed him to what I assumed to
be the front door of the houae. where
a lamp ahone brlghtly at e'ther side
of a maasive entrance. Bates flung lt
open wltbout auo, and I stepped qulck
ly Into a great hali that waa Mghted
dimly by eaadiaa faaUned lato brack
n th?? wafl
ivp not expec'ed too
narra," aald Rates. with
aBgy ? lt> very In
for llvlna: pu
eot to make the beat
of it." I an- loujch without
"he sound of our steps
a great -
case. m not. as far as I could
- ?
?
i B the
ball 3- .oor.
of Hirht ln what I f*>lt BO be a lance
?
rren u?
heart ng, for the alle&t
?al a dreary prU
-
"whlle I make a b- ?
room
with perf?H-t ease
? an-I w?-nt -
frutn
the dark a fata
- I
?
'
clalmed in wonder an I
hand.
l
I tarinp In
11 ?>
?
:
v out and I exam
nazed an
half a
e rugs;
of furnlture was qualnt or lnter
etitlnR. Carvadta t! .ak panel
Ing above the fireplace. In larK
English letters. was the inscription:
Ch< Splrlt of ITtas it io< Gandlt of the Cor4
and on either side great candelabra '
aent long arms acrcss the hearth. All
the books aeemed rssBted to an :
turo; German and French wurks atood
side by side aniong th- Bgllah
Amerlcan aut:
archaeology represented ln a dlvlslon
? all the tltles :n or Ital
lan. I oaeaed several cabinets that
contalned sketches and drawlBgB, all
in careful order; and ls .. r^und
an elaborate card cata!' ;ently
the work of a practiced hand The
rolnute examlnation was too much for
me; I threw myself lnto a great chalr
that might have been spoll from a
cathedral, satlsfled to enjoy the gen?
eral effect. To find an apartment so
handsomo and so marked by good
taate in the midst of an Indlana wood
staggered me. I waa so lost in con
templation that I did not hear a door
open behlnd me. Tbe respectful.
mournful volce of Rates announced:
"There's a blte ready for you. alr."
I followed him through the ball to a
small high wainscoted room where a
table was almply set.
'Thla is what Mr. Glenarm ealled
the refectory. He took his own meals
here. Tne llbrary was the maln thlng
with him. He never lived to flnish the
house.?tnore's tbe pity, alr. He would
have made something very hand some
of lt lf he'd had a few years more. Hut
he hoped. slr, that you'd see lt cora
pleted. The work was near his heart,
slr."
"Yea. to be sure," I replled.
He brought cold fowl and a sal&d,
and produced a blt of Stllton of un
mlatakable authentlclty.
"I trust the alo is cooled to your 11k
lng. It's your grandfather's favorlte.
lf I may aay It, slr."
I llked tho fellow's humillty. He
served me with a grave deferer.ee and
an accustomed hand. Candles ln crya
tal holdara ahed an agreeable llght
upon the table; the rootr waa snugand
comfortable, and htr'.ory loga In a
small flreplace crackled cheerlly t If
I Liked the Fellow's Humllity. He
Served With Great Drference.
uniab
less as his weapon. his
shade. if it lut. bm, muat have
1 I had
Oftea ean ? -le, and I
fovad a i?"? the quiet of the
strange, unknowrt honee. Th^re stole
over me. too. tho satisfaction that I
l wlah of my
is dolng -
thing
?
him tha
art of arts; thero was somethlnn
flne li
ad Its air of ci
was ?? Btloa.
<ys said in the
faoall] DBBtcaJ or
arcblb
and n and <har
I
and he
I
CHAPTER IV.
A Voice from the Lake.
I
of a |
was I ? tha
became awar>
-
n ralm angerM m??
<h a
?! the
1 >m<*
'hat s
all." I snld. ln a
ealm! I was ?till fumbling
wlndow.
h<? thrrw
wtth an case that Increaaed
flnd some
was a s! without, was
lt. atr
? aa didn't sup
:
:ane and
picked up the hullet from the table.
a rifle ball, I should H
y 1U
t with the wall. It was a cart
? r that might
have been flred fi
BiatoL
? unusual. sir*" I wl.
upon him angrily and fouad him fum?
bling with the Mt ? '
Ha at oaca cou
1. as though anxioua to allay my
i fears. "Qnita Bcddeatal most likely.
, Probabry boya on tha laka are shoot
i Ing ?;
I laughed out so suddenly that Bates
started back in alarm.
"You idi ing him
by the collar with both hands and
shaking him flercely. "Vou fool, do
( the people around here shoot ducks at
night? Do they shoot water foa
elephant guns and flre at people
through windows just for fun*"
I 1 threw him back against the table
so that it leaped away from him, and
be fell prone on the floor.
"Get up'" I comnmnded, "and fetch
a lantern."
! He eald nothing but did as I bade
him. Wetra\. long, cheerless
hail to the front door, and I sent him
before me into the woodland. My no
tions of the geography of tl ? reglon
were the vaguest. but I wlshed to ex
amine for myself the preraiaes. that
evldently contained a dangerous prow
ler. I was very angry and my rage
increased as I followed Bates. who
had suddenly retired wlthin himself.
t We stood aoon beneath the llghta of
the refectory wlndow.
The ground waa covered with leaves
which broke crlsply under our feet,
I "What lles beyond here?" I de
manded.
"About a quarter of mlle of wooda.
sir, and then the lake."
j "Go ahead," I ordered. "straight to
tbe iake."
I was soon stumbllng through rough
underbrush simllar to that through
which we had approached the house.
Bates swung along confldently enough
j ahead of me. pauslng occasionally to
| hold back the branchea. I began to
feel. as my rage abated. that I had set
' out on a foolish undertaking. I waa
J utterly at sea as to the character of
the grounds; I was following a man
whom I had not seen untll two houre
before. and whom I began to suspert
of all manner of deslgns upon me. It
j was wholly unlikely that the person
' who had flred into the windows would
I lurk about. and. moreover. the llght of
: the lantern. the crackle of the leaves
Iand the breaking of the boughs adver
tised our approach loudly.
A bueb slap: ad me sharnly and 1
stopped fo ruB tt,e stlng froal my face
"Are you hurt. aii aakad Hates ao
"isly. turnlnc with the lant.
tras not. I snapped. 'Tm
havmg the tlme of n?y | there
no paths In thia >iugle?"
' Ju8t her. was Mr. Glen
arm'a idea not ? rh ihe wood at
all. He was vrn foud of walklug
throuR.li the
' at nlKht. bopal Where are
we now*"
"Quite near the lake. slr "
"Then go on."
I was out of | with liatea.
with the pathb woodland. and. I ?
must confesa. a ^pirlt of John
Marshall Glenarro my grandfather.
Wa came out > upon a trav
elly heach. and uea stamped sud
(bniy on plank
This ls the GlenaraB dock. alr; and
that'a the boat 1
He waved hi toward a low
structure that re-' dark beside ua. Aa
we atood sllen* "r!ng out lnto the
8tarll?cht. I hear. llaUBa
a paddle and th* - ft Kllding moti
a can
"It'a a boat. ? " whlspered Batea.
hidliiR the lantc i;nder hla ?
1 brushed pas' m and crept tO the
end of the ' The paddle dlpped
on sllently aa ln the stlll
water but the i nd grew falnte
? is the n graceful. the most
? lnexph<
trlvance of mar Wlth lta paddi
itiiet shorea or
steal lnto tae >f dreams.
I knew tha* | instantly.
and knew thal i << har
the Malne w, r, i nn,i
The owaar i ? ? ? ha
f the
.. ich 11
? ?
I as
ol
' at my
In my rai-.
I bt 'iand
when ^ the
il and
If l
Wha'
tramjull
? Ira.
dlp ??'?'? and saw
it W..
w ^f- world.?
ireams. Then
agah
II itea.
aftet
mtn
are!" i
"I BUp| la<!;.
"It w
into
the la
1 foli.
land
;
!
1 al
Whtch
that
carrl.
ea that it inlnht I.
lake; it had er
. ;ss with too much :
ne so far; and, BB
coui<! | haaajtaa araa ? rtaa ball
flndlt.t: un i<ht of way
tarooi . ..se a Btrlp of wood. I
found It fflcu. ld of th.
that oom one had taken a poi shot
The a man's mocklng voice from
my perplexity. It
*'&? : l. auch a voice aa
BXaaal ba hear from a coun?
try glr nor could I imaglne any
errand ? it would Justify a
ibroad on an October night
>l air baspirad flrst confl
h flre and lamp. There was
haunting ln that last
water; lt kept repeating lt
self ovi md over ln my ears. It was
f quakty, of breeding and
charm
<ht, merry gentlem
In ln . kna, I reflected. rustics, young
or oM. raaa or woraen, were probably
not greatly glven to aalutatlons of Ju.t
thla
Datt-s now appeared.
irdon. slr; but your room'a
ready w; ,-never you wlsh to retire."
about ln search of a clock.
"Ther" are no tlraepieces ln the
hous. Mr. Glenarm. Your grandfather
was qulte opposed to them. He had
a them-. dr, that they were conducive,
as he aald, to idleness He considered
that a mao ahould work by his con
acience. mt. and not by the clock.?the
one being more exacting than the
other.'
I smlled aa I drew out my watch,?
Bs much Bl Bates' aolemn tone and
grlro. lean vlsage as at hla quotatlon
from my grandalre. Dut the fellow
puzzled and annoyed me. His unob
truslve blaek clothea. his smoothly
brushed hair, his sbaven face, awak
ened an antagonism in me.
"Batea, if you dldn't flre tbat shot
tbrough the window, who dld?will you
answer me that?"
"Tea. sir; if I dldn't do K, lt's qulte
a large questlon who dld. ril grant
you that, air."
I stared at him. He met my gaae
wlthout flinchlng; nor was there any?
thing inaeJent la hia tone or attttade.
He continaed:
"I dldn't do lt. slr. I waa to the
pantry wbea I heard the craah la the
wlndow. TKe bufTet came
from out of doors, aa 1 idge,
sir."
Thefaotn and eoneluslons were un
?*ith Bal I t fell that
I had not acqultted myself rreditably
'.n my atataH to tit tha eriaaa <>u him.
My abuse of him had been tactless, to
aay tl?? >nd I now tried an
Uue of attack.
"Of course, Bates. I was merely Jok
Ing. What's your own theory of the
matte
"I have no theory, sir. Mr. Glenarm
always warned me against theorles.
He said?lf you will pardon me?there
was great danger ln the specu'
mind."
Th? man spoke with a sllght Irish
t. wMch in itself pu?!.
have always been attentlve to the
peculiantles of speerh. and his was
not the brogue of the Irtsh servant
class. Larry Donovan. who was Eng
lish born. affected at times an ?
gerated Irish dialect that was *I
dlfferent from the smooih llq
of Bal more thiiiKs than his
speech were to poasle me in this man
"The p*>rson In the canoe" How do
you account for her?" I ask
"I haven t accounted for her. sir.
There'* n> inds.
or any sort our
' there are nelghbors,?farmers.
ilong
the la.
"A few. sir; and then tl
all."
torahii <? ri wall. as ba put it.
pleased n.
a school ?pirls??
?
sir. from all ?
I the t are all
I
?
"and I
lf.
' Thi* arai aaraaa habtl
with
?
He :
The hail abora s1
llnes of tl..
"I :
?
I him
is. In
es fllled ?
.
?? a small flre
: a calun. I
was a long table with wrltlng i
rials in nloe order. I op< n< i a
<ase and found that it
eata.
>rking. nts were
?vn. sir'"
"The devil t! I ezclall
atched a book from the
st shelf and threw lt open on the
table. It was "The Tower: Its |
.rposes oi ;don:
I ejoaad lt with a slam.
"The aleeplng-room ls beyond, sir. 1
hope?"
't you hope any BWra!" I
growled; "and lt doesn't make any dlf
- aathar i'm disap;
not."
'Certainly not, sir!" he replied in a
le me ashamed of my
The adjolning bedroom was small
and meagerly furnished. The walls
and were relieved only
by pnnts of the Engltsh cathe
French chateaux, and llke suggestions
of the best things known to archlteo
ture. The bed was of the commonest
lron type; and the other artleles of
furniture were chosen with a strict re
gard for utllity. My trunks and bags
had been carrled in, and Bates asked
from the door for my commands.
"Mr. Glenarm always breakfasted at
thirty. sir. as near as he could
hit lt without a timeplece; and he was
quite punctual."
' My grandfather's breakfast hour
wlll sult me exactly, Ba*
"If there's nothing further. alr?"
"That's all;?and Batea?"
"Yes, Mr. Glenarm."
"<)f course you understand that I
didn't really mean to imply that you
h~d flred that shot at meT'
"I beg you not to mentlon lt, Mr.
Glenarm."
"But lt was a llttle queer. If you
should galn any light on the subject,
let me know."
"Certainly, sir."
"And I believe. Bates, that we'd bet
ter keep the blinds down at night.
These duck hunters hereabouts are
apparrntlv reckless You might at
tend to them now,?and every evenlng
hereafter."
He gravely bade me good night and
I followed h:m to the outer door and
watched his departlng flgnre. llghted
by a slngle candie that he had pro
duced from his pocket.
I stood for several mlavtes listening
to bls step. traclng lt through the hal]
balow?aa far aa my knowledge of the
hoaae wouW pernlL Then. ta aa
known reglons. X could hear the
iug of doors and drawlng of
| Verlly. my (ailer was a person of
palnatakin< habits.
I opened my llBiallaaj case and dls
tributed its c< 1 the dn
table. I had carr Q my
adventures a
, graph hotder, Obadalatag portraits of
! my father and BaOther and of Joaa
?arm. my grandf?
and this I set up on th
| little sittlna; room It was with a new
and curloua interest that I paarild into
my Rrandfather's shrewd old eyes He
to come and go fltfully at my
fathers house; but my father had dls
pleased him ln larloaa ways that I
BOf reclte. anJ my father's
had left me with an eetTBBgWBlBBl
which I had widened by my own acts.
id reached Glenarm. my
mlnd rerertad to Piekerlng's estlmate
Of raevaloaof my grand father's estate.
Althougb John Marshall Glenarm was
an aooeatra. man. he had ueen Bl
accumulate a large fortune
I had tam the exec::
tell me that he had dled eOBI
poor. In ao readily accepting tha
terms of the wiii and burying m
in a reglon of which I knew ?
had cut myself 0ff from chan
If I left t! .
retan Tork i aaoald almply
-lf. At Glenarm I
and there I mu i to the end of
tter Bgala
with
''.of rid . I had
alwaya aati>fied myself that
? : ?
l bad t myaell
CHAPTER V.
A Red Tam-o'Shar>ter.
II
?
ahoat my
still wearlng their
?f and bl
-
I
1 r, with battle
?
| the
I
raa toa
Two
aaed tha
BB near the front . ntrance,
My gi
plaa, but ' lt was among the
lt auffei
.! tbe
rall I saw a llt
stin farther, Ib
oatllnt
le la
trip of w
le nuns and
oeigl
All I askad was that taej boald
I B4
:.]. I trust
you rested qui ir."
his tone '
M as by night.
Baoralag llghl .
He saffl
iKh; his ?
thlag about him.
may bff yoB like.
slr,"?and thus BdaaOalahed I went lnto
the r' ?
A m lay at my plate; lt was
irnliiKs lssue of a Chlcago daily.
I was. then. not wholly out of the
world, I reflected, scannlng the head
Haea.
? ? bad Btaeed me so that I *
the windows. an attention tc my com
fort and safety that I ai)pr<>ciated. Tbe
? paae told the tale <>f taa shot
that had so narrowly mlsaed me the
night bef.
'"I'll retialr that to-day, slr." I
' seeing BJ upon tho
window.
'You know that I'm to spend a year
on this place; I assmm- that you are
acquainted with the clrcumstances." I
said, feeling lt wlse that we should
understand each other.
"Quite so. Mr. Glenarm."
'"I'm a atudent. you know, and all I
want is to be let alon
This I threw in to reassure myself
? than for bls lnformation It
was just as well. 1 reflected. to assert
a llttle authority, even though the fel
low andoubtediy j. ,j picker
lng and received orders from him.
"In a day or two, or aa soon as I
have got used to the place, I shall set
tle down to work ln the llbrary. You
may give me breakfast at seven thlrty;
luncheon at one-thirty and dinner at
n."
"Those were my late master's hours
air.'1
"Very well And I'll eat anything
you please. except mutton broth, meat
ple and canned strawberries. Straw
bernea ln tlna. Rates. are not well cal
culated to 11ft the splrlt of man."
"I quite agree with you. slr. lf yon
will pardon my opinion."
"And the bllls?"
"They are provided for hy Mr. Pick
erlng. He sends me an allowance for
the household expensea."
"So you are to report to him. are
you. aa heretofore?"
I blew out a niatch with which I had
lighted a cigar and watched the smok
Ing end mtently.
"1 belleve that's the Idea, air."
It ls not pleasant to be under com
pulalon,?to feel your freedom cur
talled, to be conscioua of esplonage.
I aroee without a word and went lnto
tbe ball.
"Tou may like to bave the keya."
said Bates, followlng me. "There's two
for the gates In the outer wall and one
,ior the 8t. Aaatha'a gajtej U.ey'^ij
1. as you see. And here's the"
hail door key and the boat house key
that l for last night "
r an hour spent ln unpacklnc I
tbe gronada I thoueht
H well to < v- arrival.
and I sot out for Antv sentf
him a telegram.
I found the gate through whrch we
had entered the grounds the night be
it dlfloalty, bj -i off
In an ami:> . o.r mind. My per
plexity over tl ms shot was.
passing away under the benlgn in
I blue sky aad warm sun
shlne A few fam> |
chway and Balnted me In tho
taablon af the ctlng my
| knlcK. Wltu
frank dlsapproval. When I
the lake I gased bal upon its
waters with satlsfartior
Bf \nnandn!e* maln *?reef was a
dock where several gtna eraft
and a number of eatboata w<
utled for the win*, r As I p .
a man approacbad tbe dock in a
landed and tiod his boat He passed
at a quick pace. then turned and eyed
me with rustie dlrei ?
?1 morningr" I said. Any dacka
about ?"
He paused. nodded and fell Intostep
with ?
-not enough to pay for the
?le."
"I'm sorry for that 1'd hoped tn
ptch Up a f
"I gm-Hs you re r.
?
an allen.
'"Q": arm.
and
"1 ibi : might be him. v.
n expectli |n the
vtllage I'm John Morgan. caretaker
?
did. or yoa mlrmt s:
' just ih. ? next
'
!,ave trou
klpd
it In
* the
?
?f his. 'I
m the l | .'iits.
nnd U> | whll ! hope the
! any
ry or
thiug for tho
1 the
but tbal ? the
troabl
l
' ?
ballt
l all. and '
sl le for half a ye.ir. He dtdal
; aad whaa
'
bal waa qulte lik?- titm. rm
I aald. .
ak all rlght,"
l! vv did not care>
h friendly relaUons with tne
..trin 1(.
ll^ht. with a yeliow l. palo
H
hat.
"Well. [ i ? , aaaaaaa
:i> for him and hi !
ptfqoad. by tha felk>w*B surii
aaaa
Vv''' ' ? f the vll
aad he ;? iruptly. c
in?r tl ,
continiie.l ,>n to t?
and paid for my
.lefully a:
for ehatiKe.
"You want your lelSjJBIIH
i aaawarad, arv!
turned away to hb Iicking in
Btnuneata aithont lookla
It BB BBBd wi
with the pooti : made m
kaowa to tha giri whoatood at thi
"You already have a box." she ad
trries the
matl to your house; Mr. Bates hlres
him."
Bates had himself glven me this in
formatlon, but the | , flnd
n impartlng it with a
tain severity. I th< n liought a ca
soap at the prlnripal drag BtOffa and
purchased a package of smoking to
whlrh I dlii not need. at a
T
NewR of my arrival had evldently
reached the villagera; I was conceited
enough to imaplne that my pre
was probably of lnterest to them; but
the statlon master, the girl at the post
offlce and the elerks tn the shops
treated me with an unmistakable aold
raaarve. There was a certain i
neaa of the chill with which they vls
ited me. as though a particular degree
of frigidity had been agreed on ln ad?
vance.
I shrugged my shoulders and turned
toward Glenarm. My grandfather had
left me a eheerfui lepaey of dlstrust
among my nelghbors. the result. prob?
ably, of importing foreign labor to
work on his house. The surly Morgan
had intimated as much; but it did not
greatly matter. I had not come to
Glenarm to cultlvate the rustlcs. but
to fuifill certain obligations lald down
ln my grandfather'* wlll. I was, so to
speak. on duty, and I much preferred
that the vlllagers should let me alone.
Comfortlng myself with these reflee
tious I reached the wharf. where I saw
Morgan stttlng with his feet dangling
over the water. smoking a plpe.
I nodded tn his directlon. but he
felgned not to see me. A moment later
he jumped Into his boat and rowed out
upon the lake.
When I returned to the house Bates
waa at work In the kltchen. Thla was
a large square room with heavy tlm
bers showing In the walls and low
ceiling. There was a great flreplace
In an enormous chlmney, fltted with
a crane and hohs. but for practlcal pur
poses a small range was j>rovlded.
(Continued on Slxtb Page.)