The west shore., June 28, 1890, Page 809, Image 9

WEST SHORE.
809
Swift and Reg promptly obeyed, Daymer stood as
if rooted to the spot, and I watched him.
Evidently there was some mystery here, something,
too, of which this man was cognizant. I remembered
his strange looks at Madge's question; I remembered,
still further back, that when this trip was planned he
had opposed it for himself and wife had suggested
that they go elsewhere and visit Tahoe in thefuture;
but she and " our girls " had become fast friends, and
she begged to come at this time. With evident reluc
tancethough he tried to hide it he had consented;
and now
It required but a few seconds for all this to pass
through my mind, and then Reg was saying
" Giles, Daymer, come here."
I had only removed my eyes from my companion's
face a moment to look at Reg, whose excited counte
nance was visible around the corner; but when I
looked again he was calm and collected, even the pal
lor was giving way to his usual healthy color.
" Come," he said, moving to join the others. Me
chanically I followed, completely dazed by the meta
morphosis. " See!" said Reed Huntley.
One glance through the broken pane of glass and
torn curtain sufficed me; the next was bestowed upon
D wight Daymer, who showed no more signs of horror
and perturbation than did the others, save that hie
hands trembled and his knees shook.
" Shall we go in ? " Ted Huntley's pale lips asked.
If our actions appear cowardly, please remember
we were not " to the manor born." We were young
men born and bred amid the tamest civilization; noth
ing dramatic had ever before come our way, off the
stage. No wonder, then, the intrusion of this weird,
old house, with its overgrown, neglected garden, and
its ghastly occupant on the kitchen hearth, into our
day of pleasure made us hesitate and tremble.
No one answered Ted's question for a little, and
then it was Daymer who said, lightly
"Why not?"
" Suppose you lead, then," said Swift, whose love
of nature had never reached out to the supernatural.
" Certainly."
We followed him to the door, which he tried in
vain.
" Maybe we can open a window," somebody sug
gested. Reg and Ted tried them, but with no better
success.
" If none of you have any scruples against entering
a sarcophagus by force, we can break this door in,"
laughed Daymer, pressing his knee against it.
He was a strong, well-built man, and at the second
push with knee and shoulder the rusty lock yielded,
and we were in the presence of the dead.
The room was low and furnished only with a stove
given over to rust, a cupboard built in the wall, a table
and some chairs. The table seemed to have been pushed
hurriedly or violently aside, and one chair lay on its
side, while close beside another lay tho skeleton of a
man. His mildewed clothing was dropping away
from the dry bones, and his attenuated faoo showed
ghastly in the dim light. Some one wrenched tho
curtain down just as some one elso caught Daymer
falling to the floor. Quickly he was carried out.
" Got nervous," was Reed Huntley's brief com
ment, but he revived almost immediately.
" Foul air," he muttered. " Go on, boys; I'll soon
bo all right."
" I say, fellows, there's been an awful crime hero,"
said Swift, solemnly, when onco more wo assembled in
the kitchen.
" Looks like it," said Ted.
" Shall we lift him up ? " I questioned.
At this moment Reed Huntley remembered that ho
was a lawyer, and, some of his legal knowledge com
ing to his aid, he interposed
" No, no, gentlemen, we must not touch him nor
anything elso here; wo ought not to have broken in
the door. We must send to Truckco for tho proper
officers."
We all recognized the force of his words at onco,
and, hurrying out of tho ghoulish place, fastened tho
door as best we could
Shooting had lost its charm; accordingly wo took
our way back to the tents, perfecting our plans in
regard to the dead man, and agreeing, under no con
siderations, to tell tho ladies of either party tho dread
ful story.
As for myself, I could not sleep that night, and
Dwight Daymer tossed restlessly tho long hours
through. The ladies, emerging from their tent in tho
morning, laughed at us for our weary looks, declaring
that they believed wo were afraid. That day Huntley
sent a messago to Truckco by tho stago driver, and on
the following day three of tho town officials came out,
ostensibly shooting, and wo joined them, leaving tho
ladies of the two camps to entertain each other.
" I'll bet it's Kail-old Kail Quimby," said ono of
the dignitaries, and when onco more we stood in tho
presence of the dead ho exclaimed, emphatically:
" 'Tie Kail hisself."
4 You see," he went on, " ho cuino hero nigh on
thirty year ago and built a shanty right here. I guess
ho lived in it fer ten year or more and then put up
this house Nobody knows why he come, or why ho
lived alone, no more'n they knowed why ho built scch
a big house jist fer hisself alone. Homo called him
luny, soino a miser, some one thing and hoiiio another,
and no un really cared either. I kept tho Truckco