Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 114, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1914 — WHERE THERES AWILL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WHERE THERES AWILL

MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

Qp-’ TST/io STAJELCA^E;, T3/Z& MA^ SLOWER TEN, WHEN A MAN JMARR.IB© ILLUSTRATED /SF EDGAR BERT SMITH i capyp/a*tr

\ SYNOPSIS. v - 5 r* - -y' Minnie, tpring-house girl at Hope sanatorium, tells the story. It opens with the arrival of Miss Patty Jennings, who is reported to be engaged to marry a prince, and the death of the old doctor who owns the sanatorium. The estate is left to a scapegrace grandson, Dicky Carter, who must appear on a certain date and run the sanatorium successfully tor two months or forfeit the inheritance. A case of mumps delays Dick's arrival. Mr. Thoburn is hovering about in hopes.of securing the place tor a summer hotel. Ptobe, a college man in hard luck is prevailed upon by Van Alstyne, Dick s teroth-er-in-law, to impersonate the missing heir and take charge of the sanatorium until Carter arrives. Dick, who has eloped with Patty's younger sister, Dorothy, arrives, and the couple go Into hiding in the old shelter house. Rearing to faoe Dorothy’s father, who ie at tho sanatorium, Dick arranges with Pierce to continue in the management of the property. Julia Summers, leading lady of Pierce s stranded theatrical company, arrives. She is suing Dicky for breach of promise. The prince, under the Incognito of Oskar von Inwald, arrives at the sanatorium. Barnes, character man with Pierce’e show and a graduate M. D., takes the place of sanatorium physician. Pierce, who is very much interested in Patty, shows a strong dislike for von Inwald. CHAPTER Vlll.—Continued. The rest of the evening waa quiet, and I needed it. Miss Patty and Mr. 1 von Inwald talked by the fire and I think he told her something—not all — of the scene in the springhouse. For she passed Mr. Pierce at the foot of thefbtairs on her way up for the night and she pretended to eee him. About twelve o’clock, Just after I went to my room, somebody knocked at the door. When I opened, the new doctor was standing in the hall. ‘Tm sorry to disturb you," he said, "but nobody seems to know where the pharmacy clerk is and I’ll have to get some medicine." “If I had my way, we’d have had a bell on that pharmacy clerk long ago,” I snapped, getting my keys. "Who’s sick?" “The big man,” he replied. “Biggs is hie name, I think, a senator or something." I was leading the way to the stairs, but I stopped; "I might have known it,” I said. "He hasn’t been Natural all evening. What’s the matter with him? Too much fast?” “Fast?” He laughed. “Too much feast! He’s got as pretty a case of indigestion as I’ve seen toy some time. He’s giving a demonstration that’s almost theatrical.” Well, the pharmacy was locked, and we couldn’t find a key to fit it. And when I suggested mustard and warm water he jumped at the idea. “Fine!” he Bald. "Better let me dish out the spring water and you take my job! Lead on, MacDuff,.to the kitchen.” Well, I goj the mustard and water ready, put out the light, and he took the things and started out, but he came back in a hurry. “There’s somebody outside talking,” he sat'd. 1 went to the -door with him and listened. “The sooner the better,” Mike was saying. “I’m no good while I’ve got it on my mind.” And Mr. Thoburn: "Tomorrow 1b too soon; they’re not in the mood yet. Perhaps the day after. I’ll let you know.” I didn’t get to sleep until almost morning, and then it was to dream that Mr. Pierce was shouting "Hypocrites” to all the people in the sanatorium and threatening to throw glasses of mustard and warm water at them. - When people went down to breakfast the next morning they found a card banging on the office door with a half dozen new rules on It, and when I went out to the springhouse the guests were having an indignation meeting in the sun parlor, with the bishop in the chair, and Senator Biggs, eo wobbly he could hardly stand, making a speech. I tried to see Mr. Pierce, but early as It was, he had gone for a walk, taking Arabella with him. So 1 called a conference at the shelter-house—Miss Patty, Mr. and Mrs. Van Alstyne, Mr. and Mrs. Dick and myself. We were in a tight place and we knew it. “He is making it as hard for ns as he can,” Mrs. Sam declared. “The idea of having the cardroom lights pui out at midnight, and the breakfast room closed at ten! Nobody gets up at that hour.’’ “He was to come here every evening for orders,” said Mr. Dick. "He came just once, and as for orders—well, he gave ’em to me!” Bpt Miss Patty was always fair. “I loathe him,” ehe asserted. "I want to quarrel with him the minute I see him. He —he Is presumptuous to the point of impertinence—but he’s honest; he thinks we’re all hypocrites —those that are well and those that are sick or think they are—and he hates hypocrisy.” . “You and bid Pierce would make a fine team, Pat,” Mrs. Dick remarked with a yawn. "I like hypocrites myself. They’re so comfy. But if you’re not above advice, Pat, you’ll have Aunt Honoris break her neck or some.thing—anything to get father back to town. Something ie going to. explode, j and Oskar doesn’t like to be agitated.” She curled up on the cot with that and went sound asleep. The rest of us had coffee and talked, but there wasn’t

anything to do. AS Mr. Sam said, Mr. Pierce didn’t to stay, anyhow, and as likely as not if we went to him In a body and told him he must come to the shelter-house for instructions, and be snave and gentle when he was called down by the guests about the steam pipes making a racket, he’d probably prefer to go down to the village and take Doctor Barnes’ place washing dishes at the station. But he settled it by appearing himself, He came across the snow from the direction of Mount Hope, and be had a pair of skees over bis shoulder. (At that time I didn’t even know the name of the thingß, but I learned enough about them later.) I must say he ..looked very well beside Mr. Dick, who wasn’t very large, anyhow, and who hadn’t had time to put on his collar, and Mr. Sam, who’B always thin and sallow and never takes a step he doesn’t have to. I let him in, and when he saw us all there he started and hesitated. “Come In, Pierce," Mr.. Sam said. “We’ve just been talking about you.” He came in, but he didn’t look very comfortable. “What have you decided to do with me?” he asked. “Put me under restraint?” Of course, he had to be set'right about the/sanatorium, and Mr. Sam began it. Mr. Pierce listened, sitting On the floor and looking puzzled and more and more unhappy. Finally he got up and drew a long breath. "Exactly,” he agreed "I know you are all right and I’m wrong—according to your way of thinking. But if these people want to be well, why should I encourage them to do the wrong thing? They don’t want to be well; they’re all hypocrites.” “That’s not the point, Pierce,” Mr. Dick broke In importantly. “You were to come here for orders and you haven’t done it. You’re running this place for me, not for yourself." Mr, Pierce looked at Mr. Dick and from there to Mr. Sam and smiled. "I did come,” he explained. “I came twice, and each time we played roulette. I lost all the money I’d had in advance. Honestly,” he confessed, “I felt I couldn’t afford to come every day.” Miss Patty got up. "We are talking around the question,” she said. "Mr. Pierce undertook to manage the sanatorium, and to try to manage it successfully. He cannot do that without making some attempt at conciliating the people. It’s —it’s absurd to antagonize them." “Exactly,” he said coldly. “I was to manage it, and to try to do it successfully. I’m sorry my methods don’t meet tyith the approval of this —er — executive committee. But it might as well be clear that I intend to use my own methodsr-or none.” Well, what could we do? Miss Patty .went out with her head up and the rest of ub stayed and ate humble pie, and after a while he agreed to stay if he wasn’t interfered with. He said he and Doctor Barnes had a plan that be thought was a winner—that it would either make or break tjie place and he thought it would make it. And by that time we were so meek that we didn’t even ask what it was. Doctor Barnes and Miss Summers were the first to come to the mineral spring that morning. “Curious old world, isn’t it?” she said between puffs. "Here we are—the three of us—snug and nice, having seven kinds of hell-fire water and not having to pay for it; three meals a day and afternoon tea ditto, good beds and steam-heat ditto—and four days

ago where were we? Pierce, you were hocking your clothes! Doc, you— ’’ "Washing dishes!” he said. "I never knew before how extravagant it is to have a saucer under a cup!” “And 1!” she went on, "L Julia Summers, was staring at a ceiling in the Finleyvllle hotel, with a face that looked like a toy balloon.” "And now,” said Doctor Barnes, "you are more beautiful than ever. I am a successful physician. And my young friend here —Pierce—Julia, Pierce has now become a young reprobate named Dicky Carter, and to ay the Lord have mercy on his soul!” I tried to get out in time, but I was

too late. I saw her rise, saw the glass of water at her elbow roll ov?r and smash on the floor, and saw her clutch wildly at Mr. Pierce’s shoulder. “Not —not Dicky Carter!” she cried. "Richard—they call him Dick," Mr. Pierce said uneasily, and loosened her fingers from his coat. Ob, well, everybody knows it nowhow she called Mr. Dick everything in the calendar, and then began to cry and said nobody would ever know what she’d been through with, and the very dress she had on was a part of the trousseau she’d had made, and what with the dressmaker’s bills — Suddenly she stopped crying*.. “Where is he now?” she demanded. “All we are aware of," Mr. Pierce replied quietly, “Is that he ie not in the sanatorium.” She looked at us all closely, but she got nothing from my face. “Oh, very well,” ehe said, shrugging her shoulders, “I’ll wait until he shows up. It doesn’t cost anything.” Then, with one of her easy changes, she laughed and picked up her muff to go, “Mhmie and I,” she said, “will tend bar here, and in our leisure moments we will pour sulphur water on a bunch of Dicky’s letters that I have to cool ’em." She walked to ’the door and turned around, smiling. j “Carry nre insurance on ’em; all the time," she finished and went out. leaving us staring at one another. CHAPTER IX. I went Ho bed early that night. What with worrying and being alternately chilled by tramping through the snow and roasted as if I was sitting on a volcano with an eruption due, I was about all in. I guess it, was about four o’clock in the morning when a hand slid over my face, dpd I sat up and yelled. The hand covered my mouth at that, and something long and- white and very thin beside the bed said: “Sh! For heaven’s sake, Minnie!” It was Miss Cobb! I lighted a candle and set it on a chair beside the bed and took a good look at her. She was shaking all over, which wasn’t strange, for I sleep with my window open, and she had a key in her hand “Here,” she gasped, holding ofet the key, “here, Minnie, wake the houee and get him, but, oh, Minnie, for heaven’s sake, save my reputation!” “Get who?” I demanded, for 1 saw it was her room key. “I have locked a man in my room!” she declared in a terrible voice, and collapsed into the middle of the bed. Well, I leaned over and tried to tell her she’d make a mistake. The more I looked at her, with her hair standing straight out over her head, and her cambric nightgown and a high collar •and long sleeves, and the hump on her nose where her brother Willie had hit her in childhood with a baseball bat, the surer I was that somebody had made a mistake —likely the man. I eat down on the side of the bed and put on my slippers. “What did he look like?” I asked. "Could you see him?” She uncovered one eye. “Not—not distinctly," she said. “I-*-think he was large, and—and rather handsome. That beast of a dog must have got in my room and was asleep under the bed, for it awakened me by snarling.” There was nothing in that to make me nervous, hut It did. As I put on my kimono I was thinking pretty hard. I could not waken Mr. Pierce by knocking, eo I went in and shook him. “Mr. Pierce! Mr. Pierce!” It was two or three minutes at least before I had him sitting on the side, of the bed, with a blanket spread over his knees, and was telling him about Miss Cobb. After he seemed pretty well wakened I went out I waited in the sit-ting-room and I heard him growling as he put on his clothes. He was quiet when_ we got to the bedroom floors, however, and when we stopped outside Miss Cobb’s door he was as sober as any one could wish him. I gave him the key and he fitted it quietly in the lock. Arabella, just outside, must have heard, for she snarled. But the snarl turned into a yelp, as it she’d been suddenly kicked. Mr. Pierce, with his hand on the knob, turned and looked at me in the candle-light Then he opened the door. Arabella gave another yelp and rushed out; she went between my feet like a shot and almost overthrew me. and when I’d got my balance again I looked Into the room. Mr. Pierce was at the window, staring out, and the room was empty. “The idiot!” Mr. Pierce said. “If it hadn’t been for that snow-bank! Here, give me that candle!” Me stood there waving It lif circles, ‘but there was neither sight nor sound from below. After a minute Mr. Plerae put the window down and we stared at the room. All the' bureau drawers were out on the floor, and the lid of poor Miss Cobb’c trunk was open and the tray upset. We brought her hack to bar room.

and she didn’t know whether to be happy that she was vindicated or mad at the state her things were in. She drew my head down to her and her eyes were fairly popping out of her head. "I feel as though I’m going crazy, Minnie!” she whispered, “but the only ' things that are • gone are my letters from Mr. Jones, and —my black woolen tights!” I slept late the next morning, and when I'd had breakfast and waded to the spring-house it was nearly nine. As\.l floundered out I thought I saw somebody slink around the corner of the spring-house, but when I got there nobody was in sight. I was on my knees in front of the fireplace, raking out the fire, when I heard the door close behind me, and when I turned, there stood Mr. Dick, muffled to the neck, with his hat almost over hie face. “What the deuce kept you so late this morning?" he demanded, in a sulky voice, and limping over to a table he drew a package out of his pocket and slammed ,lt on the table. 'T was up half the night, as usual,” I Said, rising. “You oughtn’t to be here, Mr. Dick!” He was pulling something out of hiß overcoat pocket, an Inch at a time. "For God’s sake, Minnie,” he exclaimed, “return thin—this garment to —whomever It belongs to!” He handed it to me, and it wae Miss Cobb's black tights! I stood and stared. “And then,” he went on, reaching for the package on the table, "when you’ve done that, return to ‘Binkie’ these letters from her Jonesie. “Don’t stand and stare,” he continued irritably, when I didn’t make a' move, “at least get that —that infernal black garment out of sight.” "So it was you!” I gasped, putting the newspaper over the tights. “Why in the name of peace did you Jump out of the window, and what did you want with—with these things?” “Want with those things!? he snarled. “I suppose you can’t understand that a man might wake up in the middle of the night with a mad craving for a pair of black woolen* tights, .and—” ; . ; “You needn’t be sarcastic with me.” I broke in. “You can save that for your wife. I suppose you also had a wild longing for the love-letters of an insurance agent—” And then it dawned on me, and I sat down and laughed until I cried. “And you thought you were stealing your own letters!" I cried. "The ones she carries fire insurance on! Oh, Mr.' Dick, Mr. Dick!" “How was I to know it wasn’t Ju — Miss Summers' room?” he demanded angrily. "Didn’t I follow the dratted dog? I gave her the beast myself. Oh, I tell you, Minnie, if 1 ever get away from this place—” “You’ve got to get away this minute,” I broke in, remembering. “They'll be coming any instant now.” '' He got up and looked around him helplessly. "Where’ll I go?” he asked. "I can’t go back to the shelter-house.” I looked at him and he tried to grin “Fact," he said, "hard to believe, but —fact, Minnie. She’s got 'the door locked. Didn’t I tell yon she- is of a suspicious nature? She was asleep when I left, and mostly she sleeps all night. And just because she wakes when I’m out, and lets me come in thinking file’s asleep, when she has one eye open all the time, and she sees what I’d never even seen myself—that the string of that damned garment, whatever it is, Is fastened to the hook of my shoe, me thinking all the time that (he weight was because I’d broken my leg jumping—doesn’t she suddenly sit up and ask me where I’ve been? And I—l’m unsuspicious, Minnie, by nature, and 1 said I’d been asleep. Then she Jumped 'up and showed me that—that thing—those things, hanging to my shoe, and she hasn’t spoken to me since. I wish I was dead." And just then a dog barked outside and somebody on the step stamped snow off his feet We were both paralysed for a moment. “Julia!” Mr. Dick cried, and went white. I made a leap for the door, just as the handle turned, and put my back against it “Just a minute," I called. “The carpet is caught under it!” Mr. Dick had lost his head and was making for the spring, as if he thought hiding his feet would conceal him. I made frantic gestures to him to go into my pantry, and he went at last leaving his hat on the table. I left the door and flung it after him—the hat of course, not the door—and when Miss Summers sauntered in just after, I was on my knees brushing the hearth, with my heart going threefour time and skipping every sixth beat “Hello!” she said. "Lovely weather —for polar bears. It the natives wade through this all winter it’s no wonder they walk as if they are ham-strung. Don’t bother getting me a glass. 131 get my own.” She was making for the pantry when

I caught her, and I guess I looked pretty wild. "HI get it” I said. "I—that’s one of the rules.” She put her hands in the pockets of her white sweater and smiled at me. “Do you know," she declared, "the old ladies’ knitting society isn’t so far wrong about you! About your making rules—whatever you want, whenever you want ’em.” She put her head on one side. “Now,” riie went on. “suppose 1 break that rule and get my own glass? What happens to me? 1 don’t think I’ll be put outl” ' I threw up my hands in despair, for I was about at the end of my string. “Get it then!” I exclaimed, and sat down, waiting for the volcano to erupt. But she only laughed and sat down ou a table, swinging her feet. “When you know mo better, Minnie,” she said, “you’ll know I don’t spoil sport. 1 happen to know you have somebody in the pantry—moreover, I know it’s a man. There are tracks on the little porch, my dear girl, not made by your galoshes. Also, my dearest girl, there’s a gentleman's glove by your chair there!” I put my foot on it. “And just to show you what a good fellow I am—” She got off the table, still.smiling, and sauntered to the pantry door, watching me over her Bhoulder. ' My heart was skipping every second beat by that time, and Miss Julia stood by the pantry door, her head hack and her eyes almost closed, enjoying every minute of it. If Arabella hadn’t made a diversion just then I think I’d have fainted. She’d pulled the newspaper and the tights off the table and was running around the room with - them, one leg in her mouth. “Stop It, Arabella!” said Miss Julia, and took the tights from her. “Yours?” she asked, with her eyebrows raised. “No —yes,” I answered. “I’d never suspect you of them!” she remarked. Mr. Sam and his wife came in at that moment, Mr. Sam carrying a bottle of wine for the shelter-house, wrapped in paper, and two cam of something or other. He was too busy trying to make the bottle look like something else —which a good many people have tried and failed at—to notice what Miss Summers was doing, and she had Miss Cobb’s protectors stuffed in her muff and was standing very dignified in front of the fire bjR the time they’d shaken off the snow. “Good morning!” ehe said. . “Morning!" said Mr. Sam, hanging; up his overcoat with one hand, and try* ing to put the bottle in one of his pockets with the other. Mrs, Sam didn’t look at her. "Good morning, Mrs. Van Alstyne!" Miss Summers almost threw it at her. “I spoke to you before; I guess you didn’t hear me.” “Oh, yes, I heard you," answered Mrs. Sam, and turned her back on her. Give me a little light-haired woman for sheer devillshnees! I’d expected to see Miss Summers fly to pieces with rage, but she stared at Mrs. Sam’s back, and after a minute she laughed. “I see!” she remarked slowly. "You’re the sister, aren’t you?” Mr. Sam had given op trying to hide the bottle and now he set it on the floor with a thump and camp over to the fire. “It'S—you see, the situation is embarrassing,” he began. “Under the

circumstances, don’t yon think it would be—er—better form if—er —under the circumstances —" “I am not going to leave, If that Is what you' are about to suggest,” she said. “I’ve been trying to see Dicky Carter the last ten days, and HI stay here until I eee him. I'll stay right here, and I’ll have what’s coming to me or I’ll know the reason why. Don’t forget for a minute that I know why Mr. Pierce is here, and that 1 can spoil the little game by calling the extra ac«, If I want to." When she was safely gone *1

brought Mr. Dick out to the lira.' His sister would not speak to him. Mike went to Mr. Pierce that day and asked for a raise of salary. He did not get it. Perhaps as things have turned out, it was for the best, but it is strange to think how different things would have been if he'd been given it. He was sent up later, of course, for six months for malicious mischief, but by that time the damage was done. CHAPTER X. That was on a Saturday morning. It had stopped snowing and the Sbn was shining, although it was eo cold that the snow blew like powder. By S| eleven o’clock every one who could walk had come to the springhouse. About twelve o’clock Mr. Thoburn came in, and as he opened the door, in leaped Arabella. The women made a fuss over the creature and cuddled her, and when I tried to put her but everybody objected. So she stayed, and Miss Summers put her through a lot of tricks, while the men crowded around. Mr. von Inwald and Miss Patty came in just then and stood watching. “And now,” said Mr. von Inwald, “I propose, aB a reward to Miss Arabella, a glass of this wonderful water. Minnie, a glass of water for Arabella!” “She doesn’t drink out of one of my glasses,” I declared angrily. “It's one of my rules that dogs—” “Tut!" said Mr. Thoburn. "What’s good for man is good for beast Besides, the, little beggar’s thirsty.” Well they made a great fobs aboU. tbe creature’s being thirsty, and so finally I got a panful of spring water and it drank until 1 thought it would burst I’m not vicious, as I say, but I wish It had. - Well, the dog finished and lay down by the fire, and everything seemed to go on as before. "Just what is the record here?” the bishop asked. “I’m ordered sight glasses, but I find it moss than a sufficiency.” “We had one man here once who could drink 25 at a time,” I said, "but he was a German.” "He was a tank,” Mr. Sam corrected grumpily. He was watching something on the floor—l couldn’t see what f|§ “Consider,” said Thobum, standing and holding his glass to the light, “how we are at the mercy of this little eprlng! A convulsion in the bowels of the earth, and its health-giving properties may be changed to the direst poison. How do we know, yon and 1, some such change has not occurred overnight? Unlikely as It is, it’s a possibility that, sitting here salmly, we may be sipping our death potton/'feplj Some of the people actually out down their glasses and everybody began to look uneasy except Mr. Sam, who was still watching something 1 could not see. He suddenly straight* ened up and glanced %t Miss Summers. "Perhaps I’m mistaken," he bald, “bat I think there is something the matter with Arabella.” Everybody looked. Arabella was ly* ing on her back, jerking and twitching and foaming at the mouth. "She's been poisoned!” Miss Sam-1 mere screeched, and fell on her knees beside her. “It’s that wretched war ter!" There was pretty nearly a riot In a minute. Everybody jumped up add stared at the dog, and everybody remembered the water be or she had just had, and coming on top of Mr. Thobum’s speech, it made them babbling lunatics. Well, I did what I could. The worst of it was, I wasn’t sura it wasn’t the water. I thought possibly Mr. Pierce had made a mistake in what he had bought at the drug store, and although I don’t as a rule drink it myself, I began to feel queer in the pit of my stomach. Mr. Thoburn . came over to the i spring, and filling a glass, took it to the light, with every one watching anxiously. When he brought it back he stooped over the railing and whispered to me. ’ "When did yon fix it?” he asked sternly. “Last night,” I answered. It waa na 1 time to beat about the bush. jj “It’s yellower than usual,” he said. “I’m inclined to think something bar gone wrong at the drag store, Minnie. 1 * Mr. von Inwald was watching lik« the others, and now he came over and caught Mr. Thoburn by the arm. “What do you think-—” Jto asked nervously. "I—l have had three giaae ee of it!” “Three!” shouted Senator Biggs, coming forward. *Tv» had eleven! I tell you, I’ve been feeling queer for *4 hours! I’m poisoned! That's what am.” v (TO BE CONTINUED.)

“Not—Not Dicky Carter!" She Cried.

If Arabella Hadn’t Made a Diversion I Think I Would Have Fainted.