The Arm Chair Library No. 79: The Haunted Homestead — page 58: what you’re looking at

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164 CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIBENCE. aes eee scene In the shut heirt of the flower. Richard, but the greatest kindness you can |‘ ‘Tis the Sex, no doubt! And still, me is to leave me to myself, 3 . Some may lack the means, the power; Of course, upon this request, I eoulc agile There’s not one that lacks the will.” less than goaway. Ifelta little angry < 7” bade him good-afternoon, but this hat qui : melted away before I reached the foot of 4 stairs, where his otfic--boy sat, sucking rey orange and reading a newspaper; I could 0 remember the gray, quiet, colorless misery i Chester’s face, and that we had been friend. for years, _ ‘ Charlie,” said I to the boy, ‘* Mr. Cheste1 4 certainly quite sick. He will not Jet. me «: any ching for him, and ke will no. go home. , don't like to lave him so. You must keep a eyeupon him. Do not let him see that eee e on guard; but do you watch bim. I oe j perhaps, be is threatened with fever, and FS might become delirious, you understand. : Charlie was an intelligent boy, very aut : atiached to the gentleman whom he serv an [ knew not why Finake to him as I did; etic thing impelled ine, and I obeyed the impulse. He looked at me anxiously: - PI * I saw that something was wrong, Sir, keep a sharp eye on him,” he said Ee ee: * T hope he will go home before long, Coe iwarked, and, passing into the street, sor Sesion back to my own ouice, a mile lower dow town, tar. Having the papers ip a cuse of unusual o oll est to look over, [ had quite forgotten the la ‘ ness of thehour, and even my concern for F y triend, when, just as the twilight compe liz me to lay aside my reading, and 1 was * I ee ing that 1t was dinner-time at the St. Nichulas, Cuarlie burst into my apartment. : ith- ‘I’m so glad you are here,” he cried, ¥ 'm out excuse on preliminary. ‘‘ You see ar afraid there’s something very bad the matte with Mr. Chester.” : his He was out of breath with running, and hi eyes were biz with fear. ‘* What has happened: ’ Ske Ten ‘‘ 1 don’t know as anything has, sir; = aoe suspicious, About two hours agu Mr. C a9 asked me to get him a bottle of aeons | : his headache, He wrote the note to the ¥ - gist and signed his name, so that it sey at given to me. He was. laying on the oe - * when I brought it to him, and said he s < 80 home as seon as he felt a little better; ‘gaa be sent me off on an errand, which ae sor ugh an hour, and whenI got back t > pet was bolted on the inside, and I smelt the ¢ 4 form clean ontside, I knocked and aga sa but he gave no answer, and I’m mighty "ata he’s taken too much. All the other gentler vil gray pallor w@#hich sy and the | haa left their rooms, and I didn’t like tv cont vinched lips and nostrils, the police, because, you know, be might not ' began to see that he had some great mental Lke-it—so I run to you as fast asmy legs wou trouble; I was afraid of the consequences, he | carry me,” nt was evidently ill; and naturally suppusing| [ snatched my hat, and the next momen’ wre to be the best place, and his wife his bec: wis clinging tc the steps of an up-town stage. *vunsellor, t again so wr him tolet me call a| Never did the worn out horses seem to me e somveyeuce and see him safely to his own drag a vehicle at so slow a sary -_ > aM Ome, good could make by W@ “ Tam not at all sick, and there is nO ocva- ne Wier ine ow befure the building sion for my going home,” he answered ue, iim- containing Chester’s office, Charlie was a? x patiently. “Ihave had some bad news to- before me, At first I thought of calling day, but it is not of a nature to allow of my bartie the , then [resolved to try thedoor, Cher! troubling my friends with it, Excnge wie, * bung mae ictal fis we gajyes uld not make [ was no admirer of Owen Meredith’s elegant skepticisms;on the contrary, [ was an old- fashioned devotee at the sbrine of woman’s di- vinity ; but these lines, as I then chaneed upon thein, struck a chill through me. I did look wt the face of my friend’s wife as if it had been iers wuich I was commanded to search. To we it Was ouly beautiful and noble, and my eyes sank wbashed before the sweet candor of her sunile, [ Jeft their house that evening almost envious of Chester’s good fortune. The next day, about two p. M., I made it con- venieat to drop in at his office to inquire after Mrs. Chester’s health, and thank him for the pieasure | had experienced as their guest. He was notin. The boy sail that Mr. Chester had not seemed very well, and had gone ont fora walk. I waited perhaps half an hour, when, as he did not return, I left a message ani wentaway., The next day,a little later, I again culled. Running hastily upstairs, and entering, after my usual fashion, without Wwait- ing for au answer to my knuc , [| surprised Chester alone, sitting by his ta |j. », With bis head bowed upon bis fo'd d arus. He raised it slowly at the sound of my heart, greeting, anil saw a face which [ should not bave known as my friend’s bad I met it inauy other lace. Ishrauk back a step, unable to speak, is Jipp moved and he tried to sinile, ‘* You are sick: why are you net at home?” [ said, assoon as I found my voice, coming forward and taking hisclammy band. ‘Pm not very well; but not ll enough to giveup. Itis only a bad headache.” ‘* But bad headaches are often forerunners of serious maladies. Get up and look at youf- self in the glass, Chester. Your wife would hardly know you. Tim afraid you will frigh- ten her, even more than you did me, when she sees you with that countenance.” Au indescribable expression swept over his features—a smile worse than any sneer—and the more painful that it was in such contrast with bis usual genial mood, Of all the men I knew, Cuester had the bealthiest tempera- ment, sunuy and hopeful as a child’s; but at that moment he seemed changed into Mephis- vopheles. I dropped his hand, falling back be- fore that mocking look as if it had been levelled vt myself, But my indignation turned to pity as I noted | ene eee —- €comicbooks;com