Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1919 — GREEN FANCY [ARTICLE]

GREEN FANCY

By GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON

XstAse s, “CRAUSTARK.” THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND,—THE PfUNCE OF CRAUSTARK.” ETC.

Csi«n**tbr MA MsU sad €«■***?. hs. SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I—Thoma* K. Barnas, wealthy New Yorker, on a walking trip through New England, la caught in a storm mile* from hl* destination. At a crossroads point he meet* a girl .in the aame plight. While they discus* th* situation an automobile, sent to meet th* girl, arrive* and Barne* Is given a lift to Hart's tavern, while th* girl is taken on to her destination, which she tell* Barne* is a place called Green Fancy. CHAPTER IT—At the tavern Barne* falls In with a stranded troupe of ''barnstorming" actors, headed by Lyndon Hugh croft, and becomes interested in them. CHAPTFfiI ITT—As the storm grows, Barne* finds himself worrying over the safety of the? girl, traveling over the mountain roads at what he considers dangerous speed. He learns tnat Green Fancy is something of a house of mystery. Two mounted men leave the tavern tn a manner which arouses Barnes* curiosity. CHAPTER TV—He meets "Miss Thackeray,** leading lady of the stranded theatrical troupe, who is acting a* chambermaid. That night he la aroused by the bringing of a dying man to the tavern, one of the two who had ridden away a short time before. They tell of finding the dead body of the other man. Both had been shot CHAPTER V—The wounded man, registered at the tavern as Andrew Paul, dies, and Barnes is Informed he must not leave Until after the inquest. O’Dowd and De Beto, guests at Green Fancy, visit the tavern, apparently much mystified over the affair. CHAPTER Vl—Barnes advances Rushcroft money sufficient to release the company from its embarrassing position, thereby becoming its official backer. He Visits Green Fancy, and in the grounds meets his acquaintance of the night before, finding her a girl of surprising beauty. CHAPTER Vll—She seems not to be desirous of recognising him, and turns away. *O’Dowd appears and in apparently friendly fashion escorts Barnes (who feels he is unwelcome) from the gfbunds. CHAPTER Vlll—Miss Thackeray warns Barnes that a man stopping at the tavern, ostensibly a book agent, had searched his baggage in his absence. O’Dowd comes to the tavern and with Barnes and others goes over the scene of the previous night’s shooting. Barnes is invited to dinner at Green Fancy. CHAPTER IX—His acquaintance of the storm is introduced as Miss Cameron. The makeup of the house party, particularly a man introduced to him as Loeb, end the number of menservants about the place, somewhat astonishes Hames.

' CHAPTER X. The Prisoner of Green Fancy, and the Lament of Peter the Chauffeur. He envied Mr. Rushcroft. The barnetormer would have risen to the occasion without so much as the blinking of an eye. did his best, however, and, despite his eagerness, managed to Come off fairly well. Anyone out of earshot would have thought that he was uttering some trifling inanity instead of these words: “You may trust me. I have suspected that something was wrong here.” “It is Impossible to explain now,” she said. “These people are not my friends. I have no one to turn to in my predicament.” “Yes, you have,” he broke in, and laughed rather boisterously for him. He felt that they were being watched in turn by eVery person in the room. “Tonight—not an hour ago—l began to feel that I could call upon you for help. I began to relax. Something whispered to me that I was no longer utterly alone. Oh, yon will never know what it Is to have your heart lighten as mine—but I must control myself. We are not to waste words.” “You have only to command me, Miss Cameron. No more than a dozen words are necessary. Tell me how I can be of service to you.” "I shall try to communicate with you in Some way—tomorrow. I beg of you, I Implore you, do not desert me. If I can only be sure that you will—” ’“You may depend on me, no matter what happens,” said he, and, looking into her eyes, was bound forever. “I have been thinking,” she said, “itesterday I made the discovery that I—that I am actually a prisoner here, Mr. Barnes, I —Smile! Say something silly 1” Together they laughed over the meaningless remark he made in response to her command. ‘1 am constantly watched. If I venture outside the house I am almost immediately joined by one of these .men. You saw what happened yes»terday. I am distracted.” “I will ask the authorities to step in and —” < “No I You are to do nothing of the kind. The authorities would never find me if they came here to search.” (It was hard for him to smile at that p “It must be some other way. If I could steal out of the house —but that is impossible,” she broke off with a catch in her voice. "Suppose that I were to Steal into the house,” he said, a reckless light in his eyes. “Oh, you could never succeed!” "Well, I could try, couldn’t I?” There was nothing funny in the remark, but they both leaned back and laughed heartily. •'Leave it to me. Tell me where —” * “The place is guarded day and night. The stealthiest burglar in the world Could not come within a stone’s throw of the house.”

*Tf it’s a* bad as all that we cannot afford to make* any slips. You think you are in no immediate peril?" *T am in no peril at all unless I bring it upon myself,” she said significantly. "Then a delay of a day or so will not matter," he said, frowning. “Leave it to me. I will find a way.” “Be careful I” De Soto came lounging up behind them. “Forgive me for interrupting, but I am under command from royal headquarters. Peter, the king of chauffeurs, send* in word that the car 1* In an amiable mood and champing to be off. So seldom la it in good humor that he—’’ “HI be off at once," exclaimed Barnes, arising. “By Jove, it is halfpast ten. I had no idea —good night. Miss Cameron.” He pressed her hand reassuringly and left her. She had arisen and was standing, straight and slim by the corner of the fireplace, a confident smile on her lips. “If you are to be long in the neighborhood, Mr. Barnes,” said his hostess, “you must let us have you again.” “My stay is short, I fear. You have only to reveal the faintest sign that I may come, however, and I’ll hop into my seven-league boots before you can otter Jack Robinson’s Christian name. Good night, Mrs. Van Dyke. I have you all to thank for a most delightful evening.” / The car was wafting at the back of the house. O’Dowd walked out~ with Barnes, their arms linked —as on a former occasion, Barnes recalled. ‘Til ride out to the gate with you," said the Irishman. “It’s a winding, devious route the road takes through the trees.”

They came in time, after many “hair pins" and right angles, to the gate opening upon the highway. Peter got down from the seat to release the padlocked chain and throw open the gate. O’Dowd leaned closer to Barnes and lowered his voice. “See here, Barnes, Pm no fool, and for that reason I’ve got sense enough to know that you’re not either. I don’t know what’s in yoursnind, nor what you’re trying to get into it if it Isn’t already there. But I’ll say this to you, man to man: Don’t let your Imagination get the better of your common sense. That’s all. Take the tip from me.” “I am not Imagining anything, O’Dowd,” said Barnes quietly. “What do you mean?” “I mean just what I say. Pm giving you the tip for selfish reasons. If you make a bally fool of yourself, Hl have to see you through the worst of it—and it’s a job I don’t relish. Ponder that, will ye, on the way home?” Barnes did ponder it on the way home. There was but one construction to put upon the remark: it was O’DowcTs way of letting him know that he could be depended upon for support if the worst came to pass. O’Dowd evidently had not been deceived by the acting that masked the conversation on the couch. He knew that Miss Cameron had appealed to Barnes, and that the latter had promised to do everything in his power to help her.

Suspecting that this was the situation, and doubtless sacrificing his own private interests, he had uttered the vague but timely warning to Barnes. The significance of this warning grew under reflection. Barnes was not slow to appreciate the position In which O’Dowd voluntarily placed himself. A word or. a sign from him would be sufficient to bring disaster upon the Irishman who had risked his own safety in a few Irretrievable words. The more he thought of it, the more fully convinced was he that there was nothing to fear from O’Dowd. Peter drove slowly, carefully over the road down the mountain. Responding to a sudden impulse, Barnes lowered one of the side seats in the tonneau and moved closer to the driver. "How long have you been driving for Mr. Curtis?” “Ever since he come up here, more’n two years ago. Guess I’m going to get the G. B. 'fore long, though. Seems that he’s gettln’ a new car an’ wants an expert machinist to take hold of It from the start. I was good enough to fiddle around with this second-hand pile o’ junk an’ the one he had last year, but I ain’t qualified to handle this here machine he’s expectin’, so he says. I guess they’s been some influence used against me, if the truth was known. This new see’etary he’s got caln’t stummick me.” "Why don’t you see Mr. Curtis and demand —” “See him?” snorted Peter. “Might As well try to see Napoleon Bonyparte. Didn’t you know he was a sick man?” “Certainly. But he isn’t so ill that he can’t attend to business, is he?” “He sure is. Paryllsed, they say.” “What has Mr. Loeb against you, if I may ask?” "Well, it’s like this. I ain’t in the habit o’ bein’ ordered aroun’ as if I was jest nobody at all, so when he starts in to cuss me about somethin’ a*week or so ago, I ups and tells him Til smash his head if he don’t take it back. He takes it back all right, but the first thing I*know I get a calldown from Mrs. Collier. Course I couldn’t tell her what I told the sheeny, seeln’ as she’s a female, so I took it like a lamb. Then they gits a feller up here to wash the car. My gosh, mister, the durned ole rattle-trap ain’t wuth a bucket o’ water all told. So I sends word in to Mr. Curtis that if she has to be washed, Pll wash her. Then’s when I hears about the new car. Next day Mrs. Collier sends fer me an’ Igo In. She says she guesses she’ll try the new washer on the new machine when it comes, an’'if I keer to stay on as washer in his place she’ll

be glad to have me. 1 says I’d like to have a word with Mr. Curtis, if she don’t mind, an’ she says Mr. Curtis ain’t able to see no one. So I guess I’m goln’ to be let out.” An idea was taking root In Barnes* brain, but it was too soon to consider it fixed. "You say Mr. Loeb is new at his job?" "Well, he’s new uppers. Mr. Curtis was down to New York all last winter bein’ treated, you see. He didn’t come up here till about five week* ago. Loeb was workin’ fer him most of the winter, gtttln’ up a book er somethin’,,l hear. Mr. Curtis* mind is all right, I guess, even If hl* body ain’t” "I see. Mr. Loeb came up with him from New York.” “Kerect. Him and Mr. O’Dowd and Mr. De Soto brought him up.’bout the last o’ March. They was up here visitin’ last spring an* the fall before. Mr. Curtis is very fond of both of ’em." “It seems to me that I .have heard that his son married O’Dowd’s sister." “That’s right. She’s a wldder now. Her husband was killed in the war between Turkey an’ them other countries four er five years ago.” - “Really?” “Yep. Him and Mr. O’Dowd —his own brother-in-law, y’ know —was fightin’ on the side of the Boolgarlans and young Ashley Curtis Vas killed." “Was this son Mr. Curtis’ only child?” (TO BE CONTINUED.)