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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1928)
HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1928. PAGE THREE (' Id Edison Marshall Illustrations PMF&M WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE Dr. Long, out fishing with Alexander Pierce, a detective, tells of his projected trip to Southley Downs. Pierce advises him to keep his eyes wide open while there. On the way In a train Dr. Long Is attracted by a girl, who later faints. Dr. Long treats her, and looking into her bag, is astonished to And a loaded revolver. Now read on ' CHAPTER H I heard the conductor shout be hind me. I turned from her, even aa her eyes were upon me. It was my station; and I did not stop to realize the screaming folly of leav ing the train. Men who have thrown away the wrong card In the biggest poker hand of their lives might have some Inkling of the way I felt For three minutes I stood fuming, watching the vanishing end of the train. It soon swept out of sight "Is this Dr. Long?" spoke a voice behind me. The voice was deferential; yet It had neither the tone nor the rhythm of our Florida colored men. I think that I expected to turn and see a white servitor one of those gray haired English butlers' of an old and incomparable school. It was a low voice, with a rather peculiar purring quality. And so I was sur prised to see the dusky face that looked into mine. It wasn't black, yet quite dark enough to be that of a mulatto. But in a glance I knew that the man had no African blood whatever. The shape of his features was dis tinctly Aryan. He had a straight fine chiseled nose that was almost classical, thin lips and rather high cheek-bones. He wore the snow white turban of a Mussulman. But most of all I noticed his eyes. They were the eyes of a mystic, very black, and astoundlngly deep. They gave no key to his thoughts, but suggested the Bomber mysticism of the East Of course he was one of Southley's servants, and a native of Hindustan. "Yes, I'm Long," I told him. "I come from Southley Downs, sahib and the car is waiting," he went on in his strange, purring voice. The great black eyes fas cinated me. He took my bag and led the way to the car. I am not usually par ticularly observant of casual ac quaintances; but I found myself studying the dark, straight form In t T . . . .1 . . . : t .. - liuui ui inc. i vuuiuu v ijuiig giaoiJ what It was. I rather think It was the somewhat stealthy way with which he placed his feet a sinuous ness and a grace that one might expect In a dancer. I couldn't hear his footfall on the gravel;, and I fell to conjecturing what a successful hunter he would be In the Western mountains. It usually takes years of practice to learn to stalk. He seemed to know how intuitively. The man walked Just like a cat He placed his feet the same way. "The other must have missed the train," he told me in his correct but hesitant English, as he helped me Into Southley's great touring car. Southley himself met me on the great veranda. The shadows were heavy there, and his face just a white blur. But when we went Into the lighted hall, I saw that the months had changed him. The sight of his line, old face In the soft candle-light was, I think, the first real shock of my stay at Southley Downs. He greeted me with the finest hospitality. He couldn't live In a Southern manor house and do any other thing. It's in the air and the atmosphere, as all men know who have visited the South. It is a tra dition, too. The' voice itself was rather wavering and shrill, rather more aged than I remembered it Then he turned to the Impassive Oriental behind him. "Ahmad Das," . he asked; didn't Joe come?" I didn't hear the answer, for I turned to shake hands with a tall, straight youth that was Southley's son. He was about twenty-one, evi dently an undergraduate at college. "My son Ernest" the old man told me. He tried to straighten up. , "Already taller than his father." We walked Into the great drawing-room; and thero tvio other n en arose to greet us. "Mr. Howard," my host .explained. "And another Mr. Hayward, his son." It was wholly possible that his voice changed slightly when he in troduced these two. But, of course, it was to be expected. An instant before he had just Introduced his sun, evidently the joy and pride of his life. But now it seemed to me that the voice had an alien tone a strain and a nervousness that was not readily explained. I bowed over the older man's hand. He was a huge creature six feet tall and more than a little obese, and perhaps sixty-five years of age. He was closely shaven, and his white hair was clipped close, He had rather peculiar, piercing gray eyes, a firm mouth, and he had the look of overflowing opulence. As I shook his hand, a bell jingled In the hall. For an Instant the Hindu's face showed in the doorway, and Southley went to meet him. They talked together an Instant, and the old man was beside me again by the time I had turned to the young er Hayward. He was a man possibly my own ago. He also was In the newest of dinner garb. He had a rather large dark face perhaps a trifle severe and forbidding. There was a dull light that might have been ambition and might have been a thousand other things in his eyes. "I've heard Southley speak of you, the younger man tola me . i am Vilas Hayward. It may help you to keep us straight to know my given name." "I think that Is Joe now. Then we all stood up. The whole world faded the glittering table, the watchful faces of the men, the dark body of the Hindu servant and left only the slender form at the threshold of tpe door. "Shes been on a visit to the shore, and she was carried past her station like the little stupid that she Is," I heard Southley saying from far away. "I had to send for her In the car. Josephine come up and meet my friend, Doctor Long. Long my daughter, Miss South-ley." The girl at the doorway was the same girl I had carried in my arms that afternoon; and she had not yet removed the intriguing little hat from the fine, brown hair. I hope you don't mind candle light" Southley apologized during the excellent meal. "We have a private lighting plant, but it's seri ously out of order. We're sending for new parts. "I prefer candles, and I'd have em if I had enough servants to keep them trimmed," I replied. "It's the most restful light on eafth." Then the elder Hayward grunted in his place. "I fall all over the house with 'em," he said. "I like bright lights, and lots of 'em. And the worst of it is the plant broke three days after I came. Spite work, I think." I looked at him, expecting to find him In jest There are men that joke like that sometimes. But his face gave no sign. And I was to learn before night was done that such remarks were quite to be ex pected from the elder Hayward. A long, tremulous call suddenly shivered out of the darkness seemingly just below the veranda. It was a plaintive, haunting cry, but except to a naturalist not worth a moment's thought I had been enough In the wilderness to recog nize it as the cry of a certain large species of owl a night-hunter that is often found in our Florida marshes. Those on the veranda with me must have heard the same sound dozens of times... But four of thorn started In their chairs, and one of the four uttered a half smothered gasp of dismay. Something was radically wrong with the nerves of these occupants of Southley Downs. Evidently the swamp air had got into them and left Its poison. The elderly South ley had evidently not heard the sound. At least he gave no sign. His son, the nerves of whose hand some body should have been of steel, gave a scarcely perceptible start Both of tire Haywards turned with a nervous Jerk, and the elder said something that sounded like an oath under his breath. Josephine had been the most affected of all; and when I looked at her again I saw that lingering, haunting sorrow in her dark eyes. She uttered a little, nervous laugh a sound that was joyously musi cal in spite of her embarrassment Did you ever encounter just this atmosphere before?" she asked me. It's these marshes, I think the traditions of this old house." "All it needs is a ghost," I told her. "If you can present a ghost it's going to be the biggest week of my life." "Its here already." "You don't mean It!" "The newest most novel ghost In the world!" She said It lightly; and I kept my eyes upon her. Then we heard the elder Hayward grunting from his chair. "Oh, don't tell that silly story again, Josephine," he muttered. "I've heard it till I'm tired." "Then take him into the library. Joe," her father suggested. "I do want him to hear It and since it bores Mr. Hayward, you'd better not tell It here. I want him to see the house, anyway." Josephine and I went through the long hall, and Into the library. There were other candles here, and the shadows were long and unwa vering. I held a chair for her, and took one myself. - "Of course I know you," she said at once. "I'm glad of that I wsa sure you had forgotten." -1 was watching with Immeasur able delight every change of expres sion In her face, every shadow in her eyes, the delicious rising and falling of tho color in her cheeks. She was in the middle of a sen tence, and all things else were for gotten. Then, slowly as water freezes, the life utterly died In her face. There is no other word. In a moment, the witchery and mystery that men call life was sparkling in her eyeB and dancing In her smile. Her color was at Its height and I was drinking It like wine. In the next It was wholly gone. Probably my first Impression was that her color was fading. She was watching something just over my shoulder. Her gaze was almost trance-llko. "The light went out of her eyes, and they widened, too. And a no less perceptible change came In the set of her lips. Very slowly I turned. I don't know what I expected to see. But I certainly expected nothing ,as commonplace as I saw. Her eyes were fixed on the form of Ahmad Das, the servant who was doing some household task at the end of tho long room. , For an Instant I alsd followed his motions with a senseless fascina tion. He was on his hands and feet on . the rug, evidently cleaning a soiled place on the carpet And even in that awkward position he seemed to move with a strange, feline grace, a lithe slnuousness be yond all words. I did not forget that this was natural In the man. But by some Satanic conniving of fate and cir cumstance, his candle-light, had found a reflection in his eyes. I am a cold-blooded, self-disciplined man, and it was not just imagina tion, not just deluBton or moon-mad ness that revealed to me a strange.e greenish glare, not unlike the light to be seen in the eyes of certain great beasts of prey In the black depths. Ahmad Das left the room and I spoke in the deadly quiet that fol lowed his departure. "What is it, Miss Southley?" I asked her as gently as I could, What has frightened you?" "I must be ill," she said. "It was just Ahmad Das." "I know and that wild light in his eyes was natural. It was Just the glare from his candle." She smiled at me, took me through some of the great down stairs rooms of the manor house. The place was almoat Georgian. There were many little alcoves- the best of hiding places and long corridors and indefinite flights of stairs. I was amazed at the size of it. 'And what traditions it . must have!" I exclaimed. "You forgot Miss Southley. You were going to tell me about the ghost" She paused and looked at me. I've decided I hadn't better." "I'm so sorry. It would give an added zest to this visit " "But you wouldn't believe it " "And you wouldn't want me to! Ghost stories aren't meant to be believed." 'But this story Is a little differ ent Dr. Long. It has one or two rather troublesome points and It isn't to be laughed at even if it isn't to be believed. I hope you'll be able to laugh but I'm afraid you won't. It's been a tradition in this house since my father came, forty years ago. And It isn't nice at all. It's just that Southley Downs needs a doctor even more than I do." "And maybe I'm the one it needs." "Our ghost isn't the ghost of a man," she said. "It isn't the ghost of a lovely girl who died for a sweetheart or even of a little child.'' "I'm glad it Isn't a little child. I can't bear to think of their sleep being so uneasy that they would walk." "Our ghost isn't a human being at all." I couldn't laugh into her earnest face. I didn't feel like laughing." "It isn't very cheerful, is it doc tor?" she went on. "And it is rather embarrassing to sit here and "tell you things I know you can't pos sibly believe. My father came from India forty years ago; and he brought a tiger cub with him. It was a pet a tawny little creature that played and romped and pulled at the curtains. He brought two servants, too a Hindu man and my mother's ayah. Both these two ser vants are dead.- Although you would hardly believe it, Ahmad Das was born after they came to this plantation. "The cub grew into a beautiful, tawny, full-grown tiger, seemingly as gentle as a collie. But one night when the wind blew It seemed to go mad. It attacked the Hindu woman, and she wt.s badly torn be fore my father drove the creature off. In the condition that she was, her wounds were even more danger ous than they otherwise would have been. It was unquestionably the brute's intention to carry her off and maybe you know something about tigers. "They say that they will play for literally hours with their human prey just as a cat plays with a mouse, with the most terrible cruel ty that can be imagined. The beast attacked my father then, and leaped through the window and escaped into the marshes. "When morning came all the negroes and my father and the Hindu tracked the tiger down and finally killed him in the thickets. And when they got back Ahmad Das was born. On the very day, and the same hour, that the tiger died. "Of course that's just a detail. The legend that has grown up deals with the stories that the colored people told about something they saw thereafter." She paused, and In the little si lence we heard some night bird give its sleepy call from the marsh. "At first the stories were rather vague. Now an J again they would JfrlWWkkVartable - See It - Hear It - Here! GORDON'S Buy Happiness Insurance In this easy way. Happiness Insurance is the best Insurance you can buy. . 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Too many people told the same story. And one night a traveler ttopocd ;it the house, simply speech less with fright He said that a tiger, clear and tawny in the moon light, had followed his horse. "The stories all agreed on one point The beast was always seen either on or about this hill on which the house is built And then, one midnight a negro came with a can dle on some errand into the library, the room we are now in. He told rattier a straight story afterward. He couldn't see at first He just heard something bounding about in the shadows playing with the cur tains. His candle-light showed him something big as an enormous hound and yellow and black in color. "That Is substantially the legend, Dr. Long." Of course I don't want you to think twice about it if you do you would take your bag and go. For years and years the story was just told at Intervals, and not even the negroes were afraid. But two years ago But you ve heard en ough. Let's talk of something else.' "If I'm to cure this house of Its troubles, you'd better tell me all." I told her. She braced herself and continued. She was a sensible, cool-headed American girl; and I had no doubt but that the story was hard for her GOOD PAY for young people f Every year we have hun dredi of more calls forhelpthan we can fill fro m big business firms, banks and manu facturers. It requires only short time to train for Pre ferred Potltion . when you attend America'! GOLD MED AL School. Enroll any time. WRITE TODAY for our Free SUCCESS CATALOG juM off the pretl I.M.Waller President on 3138 to tell. Already I was groping for some natural explanation for the legends. "Two years ago Sam, one of our colored men, came wild-eyed into the house and said that he had seen the thing Just below our veranda. and all of us laughed at him. Per haps a month later one of the house-maids came with almost an identical story she and one of the young colored men had been walk ing about the hillside, and it had suddenly emerged from the shrub bery. It makes such a story partic ularly disquieting, doctor, to have two people verify it (Continued next week.) It was quite a vehicle marriage. Now this title none could re proach; For she was a girl of fine carriage; And he was the college coach. Dear Editor: I read In a western newspaper that a man threw a lion In a fight Could it be possible? In all probability what you read is true, as we once heard of an auc tioneer knocking down an elephant There was a young Latin from Mocho, Who got the idea in his Coco, That water was pure In spite of the sewer, That ran right in front of his Loco. Dodge- Broth e-rs Victory ji How do YOU test a motor car? Is tpeed the first test you apply to a motor car? . . . Then drive The Victory Six, for no car in its class is so fast. ... 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