HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
15
By
Geo. Barr
McCutcheon
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION SERIAL.
A Fool and His Money
Copyright, 1913,
By Geo. Barr
McCutcheon.
f 3
SYMOPSIS OF PEEVIOCS
INSTALLMENTS.
& In the opening installments of "A
Fool and Money," Geo. Burr Mc- 3
0 Cutcheon's charming novel, aerial
4 rights for which have been specially Ji
S obtained for Ihe Homo and Farm $
Magaiine Section, we learn of John
Bellamy Smart, the young man whii 3
it telling this story. He haa just
0 written hie first novel, and at the 4
same timo has fallen heir to an im-
4 mense fortune left him by his uncle. $
$ Ho is 35 years of age.
J After a visit to London, Smart 4
takes a (rip on the Hiver Danube.
After finding an old-world town, he
J disonvers ui ancient castle, which be
purchases from its owner, the Count.
With his secretary, Poopcndyke, he $
takes possesion of the immense
structure, which is supposed to be
Q tenanted only by the caretaker and .$
4 his family, tho Srhmicks. To Smart's
J aniaiement, the first night, he hears
4 the cry of a baby. $
Looking out at a balcony one night
Smart sees the white figure ol l 41
woman silhouetted.. He immediately J
4 begins a hunt for Bchmick, the eare- J
S taker, to solve the mystery of who J
the woman may be. Wit the
Srhmicks he endeavors to break down
a heavily barred door into that sec-
$ tlon of the castle, but fails. Smart J
s$ learns that souvenir hunters from
J New York are demanding to buy the
J castle heirlooms. Smart's visitors
demand to buy the curiosities of the $
castle although he assures them time t
sj and time '.gain they are not on sale.
They think be is holding out for a
higher prica. The would be buyers $
J are insuhii,g. nnd are roughly eject-
ed from ths castle. Smart discovers
w a woman ft at .. i
Ho u too much interested to attend i
to his oorrespondenee, as is desired by 4
his secretary. Smart determines to
V soive me mystery of the east wing of
the castle and enters a window by J
J means of a ladder. Ho is blocked by
t a stout door on which is pinned a ?
0 note reading: "Please keep out. Tbi 4.
is private property." j,
HvSe$$4
I HAVE no patience with the so-called
eccentricity of genius. It is merely
an excuse for unkempt hair, dirty
finger-nails, unpolished boots, opes
placquets, bad manners and a tendency
to forget pecuniary obligations, to say
nothing of such trifles as b:sottedness,
vulgarity and the superior knack of
knowing how to avoid making Bui table
provision for one 's wife and children. All
the shabby shortcomings in the character
of an author, artist or actor are blithe
ly charged to genius, and we are eon
tent to let it go at that for fear that
other people may think we don't know
ny better. As for myself, I may be
foolish and inconsequential, but heaven
will bear witness that I am not mean
enough to call mvself a genius.
80 wo will call it stupidity that put
ate where I might be rained upon at
auiy moment, or permanently interrupt
ed by a bolt of lighting. (There were
low mutterings of thunder behind the
hills, and faint flashes as if a mon
itrous giant had paused to light his
pipe on the evil, wind-swept peaks of
the Caucasus mountains.)
I was scribbling away in serene con
tempt for the physical world, when
there came to my ears a sound that
gave me a greater shock than any
treak of lightning could nave pro
fluced and vet left sufficient life in me
to appreciate the scnation of being elec
trified. A woman's voice, speaking to me out
of the darkness and from some point
quite near at hand! Indeed, I could
have sworn it was almost at n.y elbow;
elio might have been pecritg over my
shoulder to read my thoughts.
"I beg your pardon, but would you
Bind doing me a slight favorf"
Those were the words, uttered in a
clear, sweet, perfectly confident voico,
s of ono who never caked for favors,
but exacted them.
I looked about me, blinking, utterly
bewildered. No one was to be seen.
Bho laughed. Without really meaning
to do so, I also laughed nervously, of
eonrse.
"Can't you see met" she asked. I
looked intently at the spot from which
the sound seemed to come a perfectly
solid stone block less than three feet
from my right should r, It must have
becB very amusing. She laughed again.
I flushed resentfully.
"Where ire youf" I cried out rather
tartly.
"I can see yon quite plainly, -tnd you
are very ugly when you cowl, sir. Are
you scowling at met"
"I don't know," I rcplieo truthfully,
still searching for her. "Does it seem 1
so to youf"
'Yes."
'Then 1 must be looking in the right
direction," I cried impolitely. "You
must be Ah!"
My straining eyes had located a
small, oblong blotch in the curve of
the tower not mors than twenty feet
from where I stood, and on a direct
line with my balcony. True, I could
not at first see a face but as my eyes
grew a little more accustomed to the
darkness, 1 fancied I could "distinguish
a shadow that uiight pass for one.
"I didn't know that little window
was there," I cried, puzzled.
"It isn't," she said. "It is it secret-
loop hole, and it isn't here except in
times of great duress. See! I can close
it." The oblong blotch abruptly dis
appeared, only to reappear an instant
later. 1 was beginning to understand.
Of course it was in the beleaguered
oast wing! "I hope I didn't startle ou
a moment ago."
I resolved to be very stiff and formal
about it. "May I enquire, madam,
what you are doing in my hou my
castlef"
'You may."
'Well," said I, seeing the point,
"what arc you doing here!"
'I am living here," she answered
distinctly.
'So I perceive," said I, rather too
distinctly.
"And I have come down to ask a
simple, tiny little favor of you, Mr.
Smart," she resumed.
"You know my name!" I cried, sur
prised. "I am reading your last book Are
yon going!"
"Just a moment, please," I called
ut, struck by a splondid idea. Beach
ing inside the window t grasped the
lanthorn and brought its rays to bear
upon the perfectly blank wall! I
stared open-mouthed and unbelieving.
'Good heaven! Have I been dreaming
all thisf " I cried aloud.
My gaze fell upon two tiny holes in
the wall, exposed to view by the bright
light Of my lamp. They appeared to be
precisely in the center ot the spot so
recently marked by the elusive oblong.
Even as I stared at the holes, a slim
object that I at onca recognized as a
finger protruded from one of them ana
wiggled at me in a mrry but exceed
ingly irritating manner.
Sensibly 1 restored the lanthorn to
its place inside the window and waited
for the mysterious voice to resume.
"Are you so homely as all thatl" I
demanded when the shadowy lace look
ed out once mere. Very clever of me'
I thought.
"I am considered rather good-looking,"
she replied, serenely. "Please
dont do that again. It was very rude
of you, Mr. Smart."
"Oh, I've seen something of yon be
foro this," I Baid. "You have long,
beautiful brown hair and a dog."
She was silent.
"I am sure you will pardon me if I
very politely ask who you arc!" I went
on.
"That question takes me back to the
favor. Will you be so very, very kind
as to cease bothering ni, Mr. Smart!
It is dreadfully upsetting, don't you
know, feeling that at any moment you
mav rush in and"
"I like that. In my own castle,
tnol"
"There is ample room for both of
US," sue saia Bimrpiv.
here for more than a month 01 six
weeks, and I am sure we can get along
very amiably under tho same roof for
that length of time if yon '11 only for
get that I am here."
"I can't very well do that, madam,
You see, we are making extensive re
pairs about the place and you are prov
ing to be a serious obstacle. I cannot
grant your request. It will grieve me
enormously if 1 am compelled to smoke
you out, but I fear"
"Smoke me out!"
"Perhaps with sulphur," I went on
resolutely. "It is said to be very
effective"
"Surely you will not do anything so
horrid."
"Only as a last resort. First, we
shall rely on smoke. Yon will admit
that you have no right to poach on my
preserves."
'None whatever," she said, rather
plaintively. .
I can't remember having heard a
sweeter voice than hers. Of course, by
this time, I was thoroughly convinced
that she was a lady a cultured, high
bred lady and an American. I was
too densely enveloped by the fogginess
of my own senses at this time, however,
to take in this extraordinary feature of
the case. Later on, in the seclusion of
my study, the full force of it struek
me and 1 marveled.
That plaintive note in her voiee
served its purpose. My firmness teemed
to dissolve, even as I sought to rein
force it by an injection of harshness
into my own maBHcr of speech.
'Then you should be willing to va
cate my premises r or" here is
began to show irresoluteness "or ex
plain yourself."
"Won't you be generous!"
I cleared my throat nervously. How
well they know tho cracks in a man's
armour!
'I am willing to be amenable to
reason. That's all you ought to ex
pect." A fresh idea took root. "Can't
we effect a compromise! A trust, or
something of the sort! All 1 ask is
that you explain your presence here.
I will promise to be as generous as
possible under the circumstances."
"Will you give me three days in
which to think it over!" she asked, af
ter a long pause.
"No."
"Well, two davs!"
"I'll give you until tomorrow after
noon at five, when I shall expect you
0 receive ine in person."
"That is quite impossible."
' ' But I demaud the right to go where
ver I please in my own castle. You "
"If you knew Just 'how circumspect
I am obliged to be at prescut you
wouldn't inipoBe such terms, Mr.
Smart."
"Oho! Circumspect! That puts a new
light on the case. What have you been
up to, madam!" I spoke very severely.
She very properly ignored the banal
ity. "If I should write you a nice,
agreeable letter, explaining as much as
1 can, won't you be satisfied!"
"I prefer to have it by word of
mouth."
She seemed to be considering. "I
will come to this window tomorrow
night at this time and and let you.
know," she said reluctantly
"Very veil," said I. "Well let it
rest till then. "
"And, by the way, I have some
thing more to ask 01' you. Is it quite
necessary to have all thiB pounding and
hammering going on in the castle! The
noise is dreadful. I don't ask it on my
own account, but for the baby. You
see, she's quite ill with a fever, Mr.
Smart. Perhaps you've heard ber cry
ing." "The baby!" I muttered.
"It is notning serious, of course.
The doctoT was here today and he re
assured me "
"A doctor here today!" I gasped.
She laughed once more. Verily, it
was a gentle, high bred laugh.
"Will you please put a stop to the
noise for a day or two!" she asked,
very prettily.
"Certainly," said I tco surprised to
say anything else. "Is is there any
thing else!"
"Nothing, thank you," she replied.
Then: "Good night, Mr. Smart You
are very good."
"Don't forget tomorrow
But the oblong aperture disappeared
with a sharp click, and 1 found myself
staring at the blank, sphynx-like wall.
Taking up my pad, my pipe and my
pencil, and leaving all of my cherished
ideas out there in the cruel, darkness,
never to be recovered at leas'; not in
their original form I scrambled
through Ue window, painfully scraft-
ng my knee m passing just in time to
escape the deluge.
I am sure I should have enjoyed
tTrific drenching if she had chosen to
subject me to it.
(To Be Continued.)
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