WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER ij, 1903.
TIIE MORNING 'ASTOItlAN. ASTORIA, OREGON.
THE "IRON HOUSE"
By Willis Emery, Copyright, 19005, by Charles B. Etberlngton,
III Arf spent the evening at a theater
with my clients, Mm. Icborougb
ml her dsnghtcr. and we hud
tried, with fair success, to exclude
fi'ttin our conversation all reference to
the very thrilling Jmm of real life la
whk'b we threw wire out tut, leading
role. Miss Desborough, Indeed, seem
i to shako her ml ud free of It with
iHM and heartily to cujuy the play up.
on the stage, but there were long Inter
val when I beheld the actor with ne
'oiuirt'hrnston of what they were
it was mt fahxm, four naaiMoirD.
about and It waa the same with the
elder of my companion. Often I waa
aware that she shuddered and started
aa If waking from no pleasant dream.
Then 1 knew that aha bad been think
ing of our adversary, Richard Blend
ball, whom ahe feared with the sim
plicity of auperaUtloii as though be
were the devIL Sometimes In auch mo
ments eh would caat a quick glance
at no aa If i were btr aole rvllauco lu
thla Juat contention.
I'pou the wbolt, It waa a highly emo
tional evening fur mo and for Uil rea
son keenly delightful
WUi I bad parted from Mra. Des
borough and pretty Ml Alice after a
bit of aupper It waa past midnight,
mild, clear and with growing noon
stow falling toward the weet 1 waa In
do mood for Bleep. My mind refreshed
Itself upon Its own delight, and so It
happened t ! took a long detour to
aaa by Htendball'a borne the "Iron
lout," aa It Is called, because of the
abundance of that strong metal In and
round It
Tltere la a tall Iron fence upon the
arrnut aide, and the black arvb over
the great gate rises twenty feet at
least The cumbrous bolts were al
moat on a level with my eyes. The up
right bars which I took bold upon were
bigger than my bauda could clasp.
This formidable atructure, seemingly
designed for giants, dwarfed mo lu
body, yet enlarged my spirit, for lo
the dark mass of that great bouso there
was a single lighted window In the
second story, snd I believed that Btend
ball bnrncd bis lamp ao late to seek for
refuge against my attack.
Tills was by no means the first time
I bad stood before bla gate. Ilia house,
o ponderously defended, the courtyard
alwaya deserted by day and crowded
wllh black shadows by night, bsd ex-
ervlscd a strong fascination upon my
mind long before I dreamed that the
nan blinself would erer bo more than
name to me. Ills homo fitted him si
well! Ills Iron hardness of heart, bla
long defiance of the law, bis Incredible
wealth locked up In steel behind the
doors of buiiks, the mystery of bla
ways these and ninny other linage I
bad enjoyed years ago, when the scene
was new to ins and Rteudball charmed
my fancy as a type of the most mon
strous product of our era, the throued
brigand of Induatry.
The broad window whence cams the
light In a wavering tracery around the
edges of the curtain bad one been
pointed out to me as belonging to the
room where Btendhall received the most
Intimate of bla visitors and concocted
bla most Intricate conspiracies. He, In
deed, formed many alliances and aeem
sd to bavs no need of caution, distrust
Ing all men, but fearing none, scorning
treschery, often betrayed, yet never to
bis hurt , -As
I watched, tbt light waa atowly
lowered. Frugal 8temlhall, being about
to leave the room for a little while, bad
turned dowu the gns. Presently I saw
a gleant through a panel of stained
glass uon a stairway. Then the door
of the house was, opened and two men
appeared. They were no more than
Shadows under the overhanging, heavy
roof of the atone pillared portlfo, yet
one of them was so tall that It must
Is titendball. The other disclosed no
recognisable characteristic. They walk
d slowly along the portico, which end
ed at the wall of an adjoining build
ing. For perhaps two minutes they
were Invisible to me. Then Btendhall
returned alone and entered the bouao.
What bad become of the other mail
It was an Interesting puzzle, but oni
that I despaired of solving. I contin
ued to stars Idly at the bouse until
Btendhall bad turned up the light la
bis room. Then I abandoned my posi
tion and faced toward home. At the
corner of the next cross street I looked
westward, attracted by the brightness
of lbs moon, and so I chanced to see a
man coming out of a bouse upon that
street-the third from tho corner. It
was my partner, John Hammond.
If bis manner bud been ordinary fj
should have followed and hailed blm,
but be was so obviously dsunted by
the brilliancy of the night and made
auch haste to pull bis bat down so that
the shadow of It brim might ahleld bis
face that I was thrilled with a sudden
monstrous suspicion, and I let blm go
upon his wsy.
It seems certain that soma revelation j
must bavt come to mt before In order
that I should bavt been prepared to
condemn Hammond upon auch evi
dence. There was merely tbt physical
possibility that a secret passage might
lead from Rtetidhall't portico to this
bouse upon the street below, and yet
my mlud would never bavt accepted ao
readily the suggestion of my partner's
treachery unless unnoticed bints of Us
Inception bad been accumulating In the
remoter regions of my brain during the
past month of oar joint labors with the
I'esliorough case.
In the succeeding portion of tbt night
I slept little and thought much, and as
a result of It all I went next morning
at the earliest possible moment to the
Central Safe Deposit vaults, where we
kept certain documents of capital Im
portance to our affairs. Among them
was the original contract drawn near
ly twenty years ago between Clarence
Desborough and Richard Btendhall.
whereby the former ceded a part of the
control of hi business to the Utter. A
dosu other wen In the same field of In
dustry bad committed a similar Indis
cretion, snd then Btendhall had exe
cuted the first grand coop of the career
which raised blm to such heights of
wealth and power. How It was done
bss lever been dlsclosed-probsbly by
a trick as simple aa the commoucst
sleight of band. Tbt salient fact la
that Hteudhall began at once to arro
gute to himself powers not delegated
In these agreements, and when. the
victims perceived his Intent aud turned
to study their contract not one of
those documents could bt found. Then
began Interminable lawsuits, marked
by Incredible scandals, disgracing
many courts, but Btendhall'a grip upon
that Industry which be bad planned to
aelse grew always tighter. Borne of bla
opponents became bla tools and waxed
rich; others were ruined. Two suc
cumbed to the stress of the unequal
battle and died Insane. One of these
waa Clareuce Desborough,
Dy what meana the Desborough con
tract eeraued destruction I do not
know, but It was offered to the widow
by a wretched creature who bad long
served Btendhall aud had been discard
ed. My partner, Hammond, bad Juat
formed the acquaintance of the Des
borough snd Had lost bis heart to Al
ice, who waa never la the least attract
ed toward blm. The affair waa put
Into bla bands. I naturally took part In
the Investigation which followed. We
satisfied ourselves of the genolneuess
and Importance of the document and
advanced to Mrs. Desborough the mod
erate price demanded. Its value was
In the millions, but the man who sold
It csred little for money, knowing him
self to be on tho brink of the grave.
If Hammond was to play us falas
this document would be the nucleus of
bis treachery, snd Jos lousy rather than
money the true motive. He fancied
that I had displaced hlra with Alice,
but this was Impossible for the reason
which I bsve stated. Indeed, no one
knew this better than he did In bis
calmer moments, but Jealousy is a kind
of madness.
Supposing blm to have bsd a trea
sonable Interview with Btendhall, there
was a fair probability that the con
tract bad been exhibited, aud with tbt
thought In mlud I weut to the safe de
posit box that morning. The result
seemed to Justify my suspicions, for
the precious document was not there.
I took post In a convenient doorway
and within ten minutes saw Hammond
enter the Central company's vaults
When bs had gone away oguln I re
examined our drawer. The contract
waa In Its proper place.
My plan was already formed. It
would hnve Involved a baxardoua re
posal of confidence except for one for
tunate circumstance the man whom I
must trust wss my own father. He
was a manufacturer of the costlier
kinds of paper and Imperishable parch
ments aud an expert In Inks and sigua
tures and all detalla that mark ths
authenticity or expose the frandnlency
tit documents. It was UDon his oDlnlon
i that we bad chiefly relied In the matter
of the genuineness of the Desborough
contract It waa to him I now carried
It with the alngular request that he
should prepare for me the beat possi
ble forgery.
During the time necessary for this
work Hammond once visited the aafety
deposit box and missed the document
but I satisfied blm with the falsehood
tbut It hnd bceu In my possession. On
the evening of the same day my father
laid two cm'lM 0 Desborough con:
I tract before me and asked me to Judge
j between them; but though I bad learn
' ed many secrets (ro.ro blm. I ootid no
distinguish the neV ffonf the d.a, .
After I bad substituted the false for
the genuine contract It was necessary
only for mt to visit the Central's vault 1
at the clost of every day. When Ham
mond should be ready to consummate
his corrupt bargain I could not fall to
know.
It fell npoa a Satorday, and at mid
night I followed Hammond to the bouse
upon tbt cross street whence I bsd seen
him emerge, aa I have described. I
waa dressed In shabby clothes and die-
raised aa an old man with a white wlf
and board. When Hammond entered
tbt suspected bouse I waa quite close
to blm, and 1 observed that be gave.no
summons. There was no visible at
tendant The door seemed to open of
lUelf, and I observed a similar phe
nomenon a few mluutes later when a
shadowy form which I could not doubt
to be Ilammoud'a passed along the dim
arcade to the uullghted portal of Btend
hall's residence.
Immediately an almost Insane curl-
salty took bold npon me. My desire to
set tbt meeting between Btendhall and
Uammond was so strong that It re
lieved me of the necessity of planning.
I proceeded upon pure animal Instinct
It waa no great feat to climb tne iron
fence, but I will not describe, and, In
deed, shall never clearly know, bow I
scaled the side of Btendhall'o bouse.
Once at the window, my difficulties
were over. There were a fair footing
and a bold for my bands, but I could
s nothing. The window waa a little
way open, and the draft waa outward,
so that the curtain's edges aeemed
glued to the casing. My excitement
waa maddening, and the minutes were
endless. Then suddenly the current of
air changed. The curiam swung some
Inches inward, and I could see Into the
room.
8tendhali stood with bis back toward
me, looking across a broad table to the
door, which an III favored fellow who
seemed to be a servant bad Just open
ed. There was a folded paper In bis
band. He advanced and gave It to
Stendhal!, who glanced at It and nod
ded several times. The servant with
drew, and not a word bad been spoken
upon either side.
I slid down from my perch without a
thought for my neck, ran round Inside
the yard to the front door and pressed
the electric button. I'pon the front the
bouse bad a conventional and Inhabited
look. I expected a prompt response to
my ring. Instead there waa a long
wait during which I bad a strange
sense of being scrutinized by bidden
eyes.
Upon the farther side of Stendball's
bouse there waa a carriage way closed
by heavy gates, which suddenly were
rolled aside. A closed carriage rolled
out Into the road, and I thought I heard
1 muffled cry from within It Clearly
they were taking Hammond away, hav
ing robbed aad gagged blnu SVhat fur
ther violence was meditated I knew
not bat a strange survival of loyalty
to this traitor swept over me, and I ran
to his relief.
Through many dark streets I pursued
the vehicle, and at last It stopped be
side the curb. I ran up to It and
wrenched open the door. The coach
man npon the box remained absolutely
motionless, paying no attention to me.
The carriage was empty. I had been
neatly tricked.
It was useless to return to Stend
ball's, and upon a chance I went to
the house In which my partner had his
rooms. I bad removed the wig and
beard. The attendant at the outer door
knew tne and stared at my shabby at
tire. ' Mr. Hammond, be said, had Just
returned. I went to his apartment and
knocked, and be answered in a hoarse
voice, -Who's tberer
"Let me In," I called. "I most see
you at once."
There was a brief silence and then
a loud, sharp sound. I set my hand to
of bla house were nndlscoveraDtt. -toe-yond
my own evidence aa to Ham
mond's entry by the private way
could offer nothing. That did not prove
the manner of the assault npon bins.
VThen Btendhall found that be bad tan
go a worthies document from Ham
mond be offered a satisfactory aettl-v
ment of the Desborough stilt and wit
that I waa forced to be content Tb
facte about Hammond found tlieV way
Into print, but that they frightened or
even annoyed Btendhall In the slight
est degree I cannot give myself the
pleasure of strpposlng, but I know npon
excellent suthotity that the trick of tbt
forged contract cut blm to the marrow.
' CAPTAIN EXAMINED
Tells Hew Accident to the Steamer Koa
soke Occurred.
Han Francisco. Dee. 12. Captain Dun
ham and other officer of the steamer
Roanoke who were imeprilled by sn ac
cident on the Eureka, bar November 27,
carne before Captain's 1JJV and Bul
ger today to explain the accident. Dun
ham mid when be Beared the entrance
to the roadstead at Eureka be eould see
trie bar breaking heavily, but that b
the oual stato of affair in rough
weather. He did not ftI that be was
imperiling hi ship by trying a pas
sage. Jut as the eel made t'
crossing,, be said, a wave struck them
that wrecked Cue rudder. He tonkler-
ed be bsd more of a chance at sea than
in the rough water near shore and back
ed the ship outwde.
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HENBY SHERMAN, Manager
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433 Commercial Street
Phone Main 121
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the door and found It unlocked, but in
structed by the body of the man who
for ao many years I had called my
friend.. He lay dead at my feet a re
volver upon the floor beside blm.
I learned subsequently that be bad
received a blow upon the head, doubt-
leas In Stendball's house, and that be
bad been found wandering In the
streets not far away. While being led
home he had recovered and bad Insist
ed upon going on alone.
By no exercise of Ingenuity or pa
tlence or use of such Influence bs
could command have I ever been sbie
to Involve Stendhal! In any trimln.
ntlnn for thhvaffalr. The aecn't
JUST A MOMENT!
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