BANNE
She
A sioAty 0$ h
SYNOPSIS
Richard Exon. a poor young Englishman,
befriends elderly Matthew Gering. who at
his death, gives him a statement claiming
he. Gering. is Rudolph Elbert Virgil. Count
of Brief, of ancient Austrian nobility who
was betrayed 20 years before by his twin
brother. Ferdinand, whose sentence for forgery
he himself served Ferdinand appropriated
nis title, property and daughter. Before
he dies. Gering tells Exon there is a
family secret, known onlv to the head of
the house, to be found in the great tower at
Brief, by a doorway none can ever find.
rExon inherits his uncle's fortune and sets
out to right Gering's wrongs En route he
j encounters Percy Elbert Virgil, son of the
viliainous Ferdinand and jees mm in con
ference with Inskip. a diamond merchant
He engages a valet. Winter, who hates
Percy and meets by chance at a garage.
John Heirick. who is a linguist and who
as a youth served as a page at Gering's
wedding, and had visited Briet Herrtck.
due eventually to tall into an inheritance.
Is at present unemployed and seeking pleas
ant work to while away n few months.
CHAPTER 11?Continued
-3?
The woman smiled.
"I think vou are Enclish." she
I said. I
I could hardly believe my ears
and I think my look of amazement
made her laugh. Be that as it may.
the two of us laughed together as
though at some excellent jest, till
a bright-eyed girl came running, to
see what the matter might be.
Her mother addressed her in German,
still shaking with mirth, and
the two of them laughed together
before returning to me.
"My mother," said the girl, "can
only speak two or three words, but
I am better, sir, if you will say
what you want."
"She's better than 1 am," said I.
"And you are extremely good. Have
you ever been in England?"
"Oh, no. But every summer an
English family stays here. They
come in August to fish. And they
have been good to teach me as
much as 1 know.
"Do you mean that they stay .
here?" said I. "That they lodge
with you?"
"Always," said Brenda, proudly? j
for I later learned that that was her
name. "They have made us a beau- ,
tiful bathroom two years ago."
"Listen," said 1. "From nine
o'clock this morning my friend and I
I havo hppn cpaiirinr? tho r?aimfr?. I
side to try and find an inn at which
we could possibly stay. We could
not even find one at which we could
break our fast."
Brenda nodded sympathetically.
"The inns are no Rood," she said.
"Will you receive us?" 1 said.
"We shan't be any trouble, and my
servant here will do all he can to
help."
The girl consulted her mother. X
watched them with my heart in my
mouth.
Then?
"We shall be pleased," she said
imply, "until the end of July."
As may be believed, we did no
more that evening than minister to
our needs and stroll in content about
our heritage. The house, which had
been s bailiff's, was full of fine
rooms: our apartments were all that
two men could ever desire: and the
Rolls was lodged in a coach-house
which would have accepted three
cars. All this was well enough, but
the honest goodwill that was shown
us was such as a man remembers
as long as he lives. With it all, no
questions were asked and we were
left to ourselves.
After breakfast the following day,
we returned to the map. We found
Oui heaiings at once, for the farm
was marked. The name of it was
Raven: and Brief lay 11 miles off.
Such a distance was very convenient,
for while we could have gone
to the castle in 20 minutes or less, we
were out of the range of such gos
sip as comes to a servants' hall.
The estate was large, but the castle
stood to one side: and that, ot
course, was something, (or if it had
stood in the middle, unless we were
ready to trespass, we could have
seen nothing at all. About the estate
stood mountains ? so much was
clear. But whether, by climbing
one. we should have a fair view of
the castle was more than we could
divine. Still, we carefully penciled
the roads which, so to speak, bypassed
Brief on the southern side,
for ihai was the side upon which the
castle was built. And then we set
out to prove them. Unless the map
was lying, if Brief could be commanded
from any point, that point
could only be reached bom one of
our penciled roads.
At half past ten that morning the
three of us entered the Rolls, and
I drove leisurely westward, while
The Cherokee Sc<
R SERIAL F1C1
Painfe
we curd udufyue .
O Dornford Yates
| Herrick and Winter regarded the
countryside. It seemed as well to
get our surroundings by heart.
At every side road, I stopped, and
we studied the map. so that, though
our progress was slow, we all of
us knew continually where we were.
And then I turned north and on to
our penciled roads.
It was half past twelve and we
were among the mountains, when
the way which we were using began
to rise very steeply, after the way of
a pass. This was so much to the
good, but hereabouts the map and i
the country agreed together so ill
that we could not determine the
heights which we were beginning to
climb. As though to confuse us <
still more, the road bent to and
fro and doubled upon itself, while
ine wooas mrougn wnicn we were
moving were very thick and the
trees upon either hand met over our
heads. Though we were not lost,
we were as good as blindfold and
alivi uve uiiuuurs hau passed we
knew not which way we were go- i
ing nor whence we had come.
We must have threaded this nat- i
ural gallery for nearly two miles, i
when we heard, at first very faint,
the roar of falling water some dis- '
tance ahead. I
"And very nice, too," said Herrick,
cocking an ear. "This means ]
a break in the trees. Stop when we i
get there, my boy, and I will re- 1
turn to the map. I need hardly
say that it shows no sign of water, i
In fact, I'm inclined to think that !
they guessed this bit. The tempta- 1
tion, no doubt. wa3 great. Nobody
seems to come here: so who on
earth was ever to say they were i
wrong?" I
Whilst he was speaking we had I
been rounding a bend, and, though 1
we could not yet see it, the song of i
some great cascade was growing
more impressive with every yard, i
Then we floated over a crest, and
there was a bridge before us. some i
forty yards off. I
I am sure that neither Winter nor <
I will ever forget the moment when i
we walked on to that bridge. We <
had never before encountered so tre- \
mendous a head of water falling c
from such a height; and what with i
the terrible might of the sheaves s
and tresses of foam, the everlasting <
roar and the definite quaking of
the ground upon which we stood, we \
felt both dazed and abashed and t
looked the one to the other, as men
in the presence of something they
cannot conceive.
I do not know how long I stood
staring, but I suddenly found that
Herrick had hold of my arm. Because
of the tumult 1 could not hear
what he said, but I let him turn me
about and bring me up to the parapet
of the bridge.
I now had my back to the fall and
at once I leaned over and down to
see if the splendor below us compared
with the grandeur above, but
Herrick would not allow me to do as
1 wished, jerking my arm and shouting,
until in some impatience I lifted
my head.
And then I saw he was pointing?
not at the raging water, but out of
the gap in the trees.
A crow's mile away stood a castle,
built on the spur of a foothill against
the green of the woods. With the
naked eye I could see four staircaseturrets,
and towards the left of the
pile was rising one great, round
tower.
Ten minutes later, perhaps, I
made Winter a little speech.
Herrick and 1 had strolled on, out
ot sound of the fall, and Winter had
taken the Rolls and had caught us
up.
"I want you to know." said 1,
"why we three are here and what
we are out to do. In that castle you
saw I believe there to live three
people. One is the present owner,
the Count of Brief: the second, his
only child: and the third, a nephew
of his?a Mr. Percy Virgil, by
name."
"The same, sir?" said Winter,
shortly.
"The same," said I.
"Thank you, sir," said Winter,
between his teeth.
"Now though Mr. Virgil lives
there, he is not the son of the house
and the castle is not his home. It
is his cousin's home?and yet he
lives there . . .
"I have reason to think that the
Count of Brief prefers Mr. Virgil,
his nephew, before his only child:
and since the Count is about as big
a sweep as Mr. Virgil himself, I
think it more than likely that, between
the two, his cousin has a very
put, Murphy, N. C., Thu
[ ion
d Her I
.. h dornfoi
WNU Service
thin time. And his cousin is a girl?
the Lady Elizabeth VirgU, just twenty-four
years old."
If that was as much as I said, it
was more than enough to fan to a
flame the embers of Winter's zeal,
and from that time on he was heart
and soul in the business, as I shall
show.
The astonishing chance which led
us straight to the viewpoint to which
we had hoped to come was the only
stroke of good fortune we met that
day. To he sure, it was handsome
enough: but the fact remains that,
so far as we could discover, the
bridge from which we had sighted
the Castle of Brief was .he one and
only point on the roads we had ,
marked from which that remarkable
pile could be fairly surveyed.
We now had our bearings, and,
the map proving faithful once more,
we never lost them again.
By four o'clock that day we had
compassed the property twice and | J
naa never seen so mucn as tne top
of the tower, but, for what it was |
worth, we knew the lie of the land
and had marked the two entrance- \
drives and three or four tracks ,
which would have accepted a car.
ro a great extent we had the ways ,
to ourselves, and, except in one vil- |
lage, called Gola, I do not think our ,
passage excited remark. But we ,
ran through that twice, which was ,
foolish, and the second time, look- j
ing back. I saw a smith and his helpjr
run out of the forge and stand |
staring after the Rolls, with their (
tools in their hands. ,
When I told Herrick, he sighed. j
"Can't be helped." he said. "But ,
t blacksmith's forge is as bad as a
aarber's shop. Gossip. And that's |
the worst of using a notable car. ,
We'd better give Gola a miss for ,
as long as we can."
It was after that that we climbed |
again to the bridge and, berthing the ,
Rolls beyond it, turned to the ardu- |
aus business of proving the woods j
through which the cascade fell ,
iown. Except by entering these,
ve could not possibly tell whether
>r no they were hiding some coign ,
vhich commanded Brief, for we ,
aould only survey them by looking ,
tp from below?an angle which ,
>howed us no more than a billowing
juilt of leaves.
For three full hours we fought ,
vith that mountainside, and for all ,
he good we did we might never .
lave left the car. We could not even
'each the head of the fall, for after ,
aerhaps 250 feet I came to a hidden ,
:ornice of blue-gray rock, and ,
hough, in view of the tales which j
iicu cia me iiiuuiiiciins ten, i naraiy
ike to say that this could not have
3een climbed, 1 should like to see
he man that could have climbed it
ind, better still, the manner in
which he went to work. As for findog
a point of view, but for the roar
if the water, we should not have
tnown where we were, and, until I
:ame back to the road, I never
'ound so much as a rest for the sole
>f my foot.
Going down, I met Winter past
speaking, clinging to the roots of a
seech, but of Herrick I saw no sign
ill I came to a brake of brambles
rot more than 60 feet up. Here his
rat was hanging, caught up on a
venomous sucker that sprang from
i monstrous bush, and, since he was
lot to be seen, I supposed that I
lad passed him in my descent?for
lad he been coming down, he would
lot have left his hat. I, therefore,
shouted his name with all my might,
:o be answered from the midst of
.he brambles by which 1 stood.
"1 trust." he said gravely, "that
you have enjoyed your stroll. I'm
lot going to ask if you've viewed
the promised land?first, because I
enow the answer, and, secondly, because
I am not interested in posts
it observation to which only an anthropoid
ape can conveniently repair.
And now, it Winter's alive,
you might procure my release. I'll
direct the operation?I've had nothing
to do for ten minutes but work
it out."
"You're not hurtT"
"No. Merely disabled. If I don't
breathe, I hardly suffer at all. But
to move means laceration. You see, (
I'm embedded in briars which sim- <
ply must not be touched. Transgress <
this law, and you're savaged beyond i
belief." 1 heard him sigh. i
So thick and fierce were the briers I
and so deeply was He trick involved I
that a quarter of an hour went by i
before we could haul him out. <
That was enough tor us all, and i
we made our way home, proposing i
upon the morrow to assault the I
neighboring heights. i
irsday, November 3, 1938
B3nn
Face
KD YATES
The burden of the next three days
will hardly go into print. Enough
that we fought like madmen to wrest
from the mountains and forests a
secret which, if they had, they would
not disclose. Such harsh and unprofitable
labor I never did, and
when Herrick at last declared that
he would no longer abuse his longsuffering
flesh, I must confess I was
thankful to throw in my hand.
At four o'clock on a Thursday he
leaned against a fir and stated his
case.
"I am tired of unseating rny intestines
by efforts no goat would be
such a fool as to make, and I'm
sick of straining my eyeballs in an
eflort to see through cover which
is just about as transparent as a cellar
of coal. In a word, I have had
my till of futility. I, therefore, suggest
that we enter the enemy's lines
without further delay. I may say
that this suggestion belongs to the
spirit alone: if I took the advice of
the flesh. I should enter a nursinghome."
With that, he began to retire by
the way we had come, and Winter
and I came after without a word.
As we drove back to Raven, we
summed up what we had learned
from going about the estate, and
after an excellent supper, of which
we were very glad, we studied the
map we had marked and laid our
plans.
These were, very shortly, to make
tor the mouth of the northern entrance-drive.
There Winter would
set us down and then go off for
petrol, of which we were running
short. How long our visit would last,
we could not tell, but when Winter
aad taken in fuel, he was to return
with the Rolls and berth her in one
af the tracks.
With that, we went to bed early,
[or we were to rise at dawn, more
jr less content that the country had
[orced our hands and little dreaming
of the ruffle which the morrow
was to bring forth.
The sky was cloudless, the world
was drenched with dew and the sun
was net yet upon the mountains,
wher. Winter set us down a hundred
fards from the mouth of the en:rance-drive.
To this there were no
nHffP.MtPS anri * nnlv q
narked "Private" distinguished its
-ough, brown surface from that of
in ordinary road.
"The first track on the right. Win;er.
Back her down and take her
veil into the wood. You may have
o wait some time, but don't go far
!rom the car and keep out of sight
>f the road."
"Very good, sir," said Winter, and
set a hand to his hat.
Five minutes later the Rolls was
.hree miles off and Herrick and 1
were padding along the drive, one
lpon either side of the ill-kept road.
For a furlong the drive ran
straight: then it bent to the left and
die woods upon either hand began
:o close in: but the bracken held on
ind was growing tall and thick?
we could see the green flood stretchng
beneath the trees. And then the
Irive curled to the right and ran
nto the woods.
We had covered more than a mile
ind the sun was up, when, somediing
to our surprise, we heard the
sound of a car. This was behind us,
roming the way we had come, and
it once we whipped into the bracken ind
kneeled down among the green
items, to let it go by.
After a moment or two, a closed
:ar, traveling slowly, slipped into
ind out of our sight. The blinds of
die car were drawn, and a chaufeur,
wearing black livery, sat at
die wheel. A glance at the numberplate
showed that this was obscured.
"The return of Percy," said Herrick,
"after a heavy night. I know
lust how he's feeling. And I'm
;lad I'm not his valet, if what you
tell me is true."
With his words, the car disappeared,
and we rose out of the
aracken to hasten along in its wake.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Coal Gas. Carbon Monoxide
Normally, coal gas is harmless.
Dnly when it contains carbon monaxide
is it deadly. It forms when
:oal burns with too little air, such
is when furnaces have been banked
it night, drafts tightly closed. Odorless,
carbon monoxide warns only
ay increasing a victim's pulse, making
his breath more rapid. But it
aonfuses the mind, makes these
lymptoma unrecognizable. Artificial
respiration is the first cure. Merely
opening the windows is seldom
lufflcient.
"Quotations" 1 |
The best of prophets of the future
is the past.?Lord Byron.
Pride is at the bottom of all
great mistakes.?John Ruskin.
Custom reconciles us to everything.?Edmond
Burke.
Every hero becomes a bore at
last.?Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Liberty exists in proportion
to wholesome restraint.?Daniel
Webster.
Let any man speak long
enough, he will get believers.?
Robert Louis Stevenson.
I will find a way or make
one.?Hannibal.
The public is an old woman.
?Thomas Carlyle.
Pillow and Chair Set
Spend spare moments profitably
with your crochet hook and some
string and add charm to your
home with crocheted accessories
that match! Interesting to make
and inexpensive, too, you could
make either chair set or pillow
alone or make a pillow with
matching scarf ends. Can't you
see what attention they'd attract
at a bazaar? Pattern 6168 contains
charts and instructions for making
the set; illustrations of it and
stitches used; materials needed.
To obtain this pattern, send 15
cents in stamDs or coins frnins
preferred) to The Sewing Circle,
Household Arts Dept., 259 W. 14th
St., New York, N. Y.
Beware Coughs
from common colds
That Hang On
No matter how many medicines
you have tried for your common
cough, chest cold, or bronchial irritation,
you may get relief now with
Creomulslon. Serious trouble may
be brewing and you cannot afford
to take a chance with any remedy
less potent than Creomulslon, which
goes right to the seat of the trouble
and aids nature to soothe and heal
the inflamed mucous membranes
and to loosen and expel germladen
phlegm.
Even if other remedies have failed,
don't be discouraged, try Creomulslon.
Your druggist is authorized to
refund your money if you are not
thoroughly satisfied with the benefits
obtained. Creomulslon is one
word, ask for it plainly, see that the
name on the bottle is Creomulslon,
and youH get the genuine product
and the relief you want. (Adv.)
Taking Pains
When we are young we should
take pains to be agreeable; when
we are old we must take pains
not to be disagreeable.
OUT QF SORTS?
Her# Is Amazing Relief for
Conditions Due to Sluggish Bowels
. tnvlcoraUz*. Expendable relief finom
nek beodechee. bilious vpeQa. tired feeilac wbeo
umdsted wtth no imlpetlnn
WitiMMt Risk
If Dot delighted, mum the box to ua. We will
refund the purchase
BS^BaaffiS
QUICK RELIEF
wmm ingestion
Recommeui ,;lon and Credit
A good fact a letter of recommendation,
as a good heart ia ?
letter of credit.?Bulwer.
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