Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1919 — GREEN FANCY [ARTICLE]

GREEN FANCY

By GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON

Author of "GRAUSTARK." •'THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND.—THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK." ETC. Gvrncbt by Dodd. Mead and Company. Im.

SYNOPSIS.

•CHAPTER I—Thomas K. Barnas, Wealthy New Yorker, on a walking trip through New England, Is caught in a •term miles from his destination. At a erossroade point he meets a girl Ih tne game plight. While they discuss the sitnation an automobile, sent to meet the. Rirl, arrives and Barnes is given a lift to Bart’s tavern, while the girl is taken on to her destination, which she tells Barnes Is a place called Green Fancy. CHAPTER IT—At the tavern Barnes tails in with a stranded troupe of “barnstorming" actors, headed by Lyndon RuShcroft, and becomes Interested in them. CHAPTER Hl—As the storm grows, Barnes finds himself worrying over the •afety of the girl, traveling over the tnountaln 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 in a manner which arouses Barnes’ curiosity. CHAPTER TV— He meets “Miss Thackeray," leading lady of the stranded theatrical troupe, who is acting as chambermaid. That night he is aroused by the bringing of a dying man to the tavern, one of the two who bad 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 tantil after the inquest. O’Dowd and De Goto, guests at Green Fancy, visit the much, mystified over CHAPTER Vl—Barnes advances Rushcroft money sufficient to release the com-_ oany from its embarrassing position, thereby becoming its official backer. He Visits Green Fancy, and in the grounds fcieets his acquaintance of the night before, finding her a girl of surprising beauty. CHAPTER VTl—She seems not to be Besirous of recognizing him, and turns away. •O’Dowd appears and in apparently friendly fashion escorts Barnes (who feels be is from the grounds. CHAPTER Vlll—Miss Thackeray warns Barnes that a man stopping at the tavern, ostensibly a book agent, had searched bis baggage in his absence. O’Dowd comes to the tavern and with Barnes and others goes over the scene of the previous Bight’s shooting. Barnes is invited to dinner at Green Fancy. CHAPTER IX—His acquaintance of the atorm is Introduced as Miss Cameron. The makeup of the house party, particularly a man Introduced to him as Loeb,” and the number of menservants about the place, somewhat astonishes Barnes. CHAPTER X— Miss Cameron informs him she is a prisoner in the house, appealing to him for aid and binding him to secrecy. In conversation with tne chauffeur who drives him back to the tavern. Barnes becomes convinced there Is a conspiracy of moment Hatching at Green Fancy. CHAPTER Xl—At breakfast the supposed book agent introduces himself as Bprouse, a government secret agent. Bprouse tells Barnes he is there to watch the party at Green Fancy, describing them as refugees from a country overrun by the Germans. He-asserts that Miss Cameron” is a relative of the former ruler of the devastated country and that she or “Loeb” have with them the crown jewels, of enormous value, which Sprouse would recover. -> CHAPTER Xll—Barnes agrees to accompany Sprouse on a nocturnal visit to Green Fancy, Sprouse with the object of securing the jewels, and Barnes with the hope of rescuing ‘'Miss Cameron-’ CHAPTER Xlll—They enter the grounds In safety, Sprouse overcoming two men evidently on guard. Reaching the house, Barnes sends up, by means Of a fishing rod carried by Sprouse, a note to "Miss Cameron," informing her of their intention to enter 1 the house. She tries to dissuade them, but Sprouse climbs to her 'room and goes through it on a quest for the crown jewels and state papers. CHAPTER XlV—Barnes becomes uneasy at Sprouse’s long absence and fol-' lows him, climbing Iby means of the ivy attached to the wall. While talking to “Miss Cameron” a commotion in the house warns them that Sprouse has been detected. Barnes, with “Miss Cameron” clinging to him, makes his escape to the ground? He loses his sense of location and they become lost, finally taking refuge in a small shed. “Miss Cameron” explains how she was decoyed to the house, and was to be married against her will to the man “Loeb," whom she reveals as a prince of the house to which she belongs. They are surprised in the darkness by O’Dowd.

CHAPTER XV.

Large Bodies Move Slowly—But Mr. '. Sprouse Was Smaller Than the Average. There wag not a Bound for many Seconds. She was the first to speak. “I am ready to return with you, Mr. O’Dowd,” she said distinctly. “There must be no struggle, no bloodshed. Anything but that.” O’Dowd spoke out of the darkness: “You forget that I have your own word for it that yell be a dead woman before the day 18 over. Wouldn’t it be better for me to begin shooting at once land spare your soul the everlasting torture that would begin Immejlately after your self-produced decease?” A little cry of relief greeted this

quaint sally. “You have jny word that I will return with you quietly if—-” “Thunderation !** exclaimed Barnes wrathfully. “What do you think I am? A worm that —” / “Easy, easy, me dear man,” cautioned O’Dowd. “Keep yopr seat Don’t be deceived by my Jnfernal Irish humor. It Is my way to be always polite, Agreeable and —prompt I'll shoot ln»a second If ye move one step outside that cabin.” “O’Dowd, you haven’t the heart to drag her back to that beast of a —” “Hold hard I We’ll come to the point without further palavering. Where are ye dragging her yourself, ye rascal?” "To a place where she will be safe from insult, injury, degradation—•” "Well, I have no fault to find with ye for that” said O’Dowd. “Bedad, I didn’t believe yon had the nerve to tackle the job. You may be interested to know that up to the moment I left the house your absence had not been noticed, my dear Miss Cameron. And as for you, my dear Barnes, your visit Is not even suspected. How the divil.did ye do It Barnes?’ “Are you disposed to be friendly, O’Dowd?” demanded Barnes. “If you are not, we may just as well fight it out now as later on.” “You are dot to fight!” she cried In great agitation. “What are you doing? Put It away! Don’t shoot I” “Is It a gun he Is pulling?” Inquired O'Dowd calmly. “And what deuce are you going to alm at me hearty? I have a bull’s-eye lantern with me. From the luxurious seat behind this rock I could spot ye In a second. Having said as mqch I now propose arbitration. Wahid ye mind handing over that tin box In exchange for my polite thanks and a courteous goodby to both of ye?” “We have no box of any description, Mr. O’Dowd,” cried she triumphantly. “Thank heaven, he jgot safely arway!” "Do you mean to tell'me you came away without the —your belongings, Miss Cameron?” exclaimed O’Dowd. “They are not with me,” she replied. Her grasp on Barnes’ arm tightened. “Oh, Isn’t It splendid? They did not catch him. He —” “Will you both swear on your sacred honor that ye haven’t the jewels In your possession?” “Unhesitatingly,” said Barnes. “I swear, Mr. O’Dowd.”

“Then,” said he, “I have no time to waste here. I am looking for a tin box. I beg your pardon for disturbing you.” “Oh, Mr. O’Dowd, I shall never forget all that you have—” “Whist, nowl There is one thing I must insist on your forgetting completely: all that has happened in the last five minutes. What I am doing. Mr. Barnes, would be my death sentence if It ever became known.” “It shall never be known through me, O’Dowd. I’d like to shake your hand, old man.” “God bless you, Mr. O’Dowd,” said the girl in a idw, small voice, singularly suggestive of tears. “Some day I may be in a position to—” “Don’t say It! You’ll spoil everything if you let me think you are In my debt. Bedad, don’t be so sure I sha’n’t see you again, and soon.” “Tell me how to find Hart’s Tavern, old man. Til — n

“No, I’m dashed if I do. You ought to be grateful to me for not stopping you entirely, without asking me to give you a helping hand. Good-by, and God bless you. I’m praying that ye get away safely, Miss Cameron. So long, Barnes. If you were a crow and wanted to roost on that big tree in front of 'Hart’s Tavern, I dare say you’d’take the shortest way there by flying as straight as a bullet from the mouth of this pit, following your extremely good-looking nose.” They did not wait for the break of day. Taking O’Dowd’s hint, Barnes directed his steps straight out from the mouth of the quarry and pressed confidently onward. In answer to a question she Informed him that there were no fewer than twenty-five men In Green Fancy, all of them shrewd, resolute and formidable. “I cannot, for the life of me, see why they took chances on inviting me to the house, Miss Cameron;” She was silent for a "moment, and when she spoke It was with great Intensity. “Mr. Barnes, I had your life In my hands all the time you were at Green Fancy. I shudder now when I think of what might have happened. Before you were asked to the house, I was coolly Informed that you would not leave It alive If I so much as breathed a word to you concerning my unhappy plight. Thq. first word of an appeal to you would Mve been the signal so your death. That Is what they held over me. When I .spoke to you on the couch that night, ' I— oh, don’t you see? Don’t you see

that I wantonly, cruelly, ■ selfishly risked your life—not my own—when I—” TThere, there, now!” he cried, consolingly, as she put her hands to her face and gave way to sobs. "Forgive me,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to be so silly.” “It helps, to cry sometimes,” he said lamely. • . . ■ The first faint signs of day were struggling out of the night when they stole across the road above Hart’s Tavern and made their way through the stable yard to the rear of the house. His one thought was to get her safely Inside the Tavern. ' a The door was locked. He delivered a series of resounding kicks upon its stout face. Revolver In hand, he faced about and waited for the assault of the men who, he was sure, would come plunging around the corner o the building In response to the racket. But there was no attack. • At last there were sounds from within. A key grated In the lock and a bolt was shot. The door flew open. Mr Clarence DllHngford appeared In the openipgl partially dressed, his hair sadly tumbled, his eyes blinking in the light of the lantern he held aloft. “Well, what the—” Then his gaze alighted on the lady. “For the love O f •» began the embarrassed 'Dllllngford. “What the dev— I say. can’t you see that I’m not dressed? What the—” “Give me that lantern,” said Barnes, und snatched the article out of the unresisting hand. “Show me the way to Miss Thackeray’s room, Diningford. No time for explanations.” “Well, for the love of—’’ “I will take you to Miss Thackeray’s room,” said Barnes, leading her swiftly through the narrow passage. “She will make you comfortable for the that Is until I am able to secure a room for you. Come on, DllHngford.” Miss Thackeray was awake. Through the closed door she asked what on earth was the matter. “I have a friend here —a lady. Will you dress as quickly as possible and take her In with you for a little while?” (TO BID CONTINUED.)