The Elevator

UNDER A CLOUD
CLEARING HIMSELF.

The Thrilling and Absorbing Story of a Great Crime.

BY JENNIE DAVIS BURTON,
AUTHOR OF "HER LIFE'S SECRET," AND OTHER STORIES.

Copyrighted, 1888, by the A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Company. All Rights Reserved.

"Ask that brakeman you're in so thick with for a description of the detective that took a ride under his car. There ain't one of the force, as I know of, that's got such a niche out of his cranium as I cover up yet every time I' comb my hair. I've let it grow out o purpose. 'Tain't so becoming a style to me, either, and that's what cuts."

"Are you telling me the truth, Ingot?"

"Well, you're a hard one to convince," grumbled Ingot, in disgust. "Tain't likely I'd acknowledge that much if I'd really been up to the business myself. Do you know why I've never got my mad up at you for thinking as you did? 'Cause I'd pitched on you as the party who got away with Childer's package. I know better now."

"Was that why you followed me—why you tried to pass yourself off on me as Lyman Childer that first night?" questioned Norris, his brain in a whirl.

"That was the reason: and why, further, that my health gave out so as to make me look round for an assistant. I wanted to get you under my eye for a spell, but as I said before, it's all right now."

They had reached the avenue, and Norris paused, waiting for a car which was coming in the distance.

"I owe you an apology if—if you are telling me the truth. But I am as much in the dark as ever. If that package was of as small account as Childer claims, why should you two be taking such an interest in the matter of the express robbery?"

Ingot took the Yankee way of answering the question.

"S'pose it's not of such small account? S'pose Childer only wanted to make it appear so to give him a better chance to work?"

"I don't see yet why you—"

"Oh, yes, you do! You see clearly enough why any thing that's of interest to the Childers is of interest to me. That your car? Well, now that I've let you into a notion of how the case stands, I've just one thing to ask, and that is for you to keep out of the muddle. If you want to stand well with Childers you won't put in your oar unasked, and I guess you know all you've got to do if you want to stand well with me."

The last was spoken with a chuckle, as if Mr. Ingot was enjoying some inward joke.

Norris could not fail to understand him.

To stand well with Mr. Ingot, he must not rival the latter in his attentions to Carol.

"As if she could ever turn to him," thought Bergman, with a thrill of his old repulsion coming back. "I owe him one good turn though for setting me straight. It looks reasonable enough—his story; I don't see why I should doubt it."

He could not help a little soreness, however, that Lyman had not found it possible to trust him. His thoughts were taken quite away from the object of his present journey, and it was not until he stood at Mr. Everleigh's door that he recalled the substance of Althea's note.

All well, Jacob?" he asked of the servant who opened the door.

"All well, sir, except that Miss Althy is powerful nervous this last day or two. Tain't a good sign for a young pusson to get so nervous. If it don't mean one thing it's apt to mean another. Walk right in, she's expecting of you, sir; and I misdoubt if you haven't something to do with her fidgets," communed Jacob to himself, with a doubtful shake of his gray poll. The young fellow was well enough in his opinion but not half the match his young lady deserved.

Althea was alone. She started up with little gasp, and gave both her hands in warm pressure.

"Oh, Norris! Nothing has happened, then? You are here safe? I have been so uneasy—I am so glad to see you again."

The proud voice was broken by a quiver. tears clung to the dark eyelashes, though a tremulous smile was on the red mouth

Norris' heart was warmed by her evident solicitude.

"My dear Althea, what should have happened? A fellow of my brawn should be pretty well able to take care of himself if there had been any thing more formidable to face than my good uncle's fancies. You did not suppose three days at the cottage would have a fatal effect, did you?"

"You have really not been in any danger, then?" persisted Althea, wistfully

Read that. Think, if you can, what I have suffered."

She took a note from her belt and passed it to him. Written on coarse paper, in an evidently disguised hand, Norris read:

"DEAR MISS EVERLEIGH—This is to warn you against harboring a snake. Don't put any faith in Norris Bergman. There are some on his heels who will make short work of him if he goes much further. A word to the wise ought to be enough. He has got off twice, let him look out for the third time. If he goes into the bank it will be worse for you and yours. As surely as he does, he is a doomed man. This is not the warnings of a friend, but of one who knows. Heed it."

The signature was the rude drawing of a hand reaching up through an open square.

Norris fixed his eyes upon it, and his brows knit. The rambling, foolish attempt to frighten him was given its only point in his mind by that strange signature.

What does it mean, Norris? What enemy have you to make such threats?

"I am as completely at a loss about that as you can be, Althea. This note looks like the disjointed ravings of a crazy man to me. Don't let it annoy you. It is not worthy of attention."

"Have you no idea who wrote it?" fixing her glance, searching and intent, upon his face.

You will not let it prevent your going into—my father's service!" with a perceptible pause before the last three words.

"Certainly not. It would take much more than this to make me change my mind on that point; if any thing, it has the effect to strengthen my determination."

"I am glad of that, but oh, Norris! be careful—be careful of yourself. I shall live in misery if any harm comes to you."

There was a deep, excited glow in those great, dilated eyes, which Norris could not quite fathom. He led the conversation away from the exciting subject: by making light of it, he tried to relieve her of further fears. He was glad that she did not know

the thought which had been suggested to his mind.

"It looks as if the villains had spotted the bank, and were afraid of my interesting with their operations. Strange if I should come in the way, for the second time, of that gang. Only one of them would have used that signature, yet it seems a most foolhardy thing to do to warn me in that way. I can't understand it at all; I must be sharp and watchful."

These were the thoughts which clung to him after he had parted from Althea. Could he have looked back through the closed doors, have seen her standing with that drawn look of pain on her brows, he would have known that he had not left her in such entire ignorance as he imagined. There was trouble of her own, too, gnawing at that proud heart.

"Have I been so untrue to myself as to give my heart unasked—and—worse thought!—unworthily? I will not believe it. I have faith in Norris. If there is baseness and treachery, he will discover them. I have done right by putting that note in his hands."

Yet the consciousness of doing right did not bring peace to Miss Everleigh's breast.

CHAPTER XV.
CLOUDS AND PORTENTS.

Carol's fair face wore a most unusual cloud.

She was troubled and unhappy, all on account of that incomparable brother of hers.

Lyman had been acting strangely. In the first place he had called her away from the Everleigh's at an hour's notice, just when every thing was going splendidly, and the match-making plan which her brain had concocted seemed in a fair way for realization, and that without any sufficient reason for his act.

But worse than that had happened, and cut deeper. But the day before this, as she sat reading and waiting for Lyman to come out of his den, in the hour between his home-coming and that for dinner, she heard the door-bell ring, and the steps of the servant go past to answer it. Lyman's door opened the next instant.

"Who is it?" he asked. "'Mr. Bergman to see Miss Carol?' She is not at home—not at home to him, now or in the future. Remember that, Sarah—and shut the door."

Every clearly spoken word was plainly audible to Norris before the door was closed abruptly in his face—plainly audible in the parlor, also, where the listener started to her feet, tingling all over with indignant feeling.

She ran to the window, and Norris, looking up, saw her and lifted his hat. In a moment the sash went up, admitting a blast of wintry air, as Carol leaned impulsively out.

"Please believe that I had nothing to do with that, Mr. Bergman. I shall be very glad to see you if you can ever forgive Lyman. I don't know what he means, but I am sure he will be sorry by and by."

The window went down again before he could answer a word, and Carol faced about to look defiantly into the face of her brother, who had entered in time to overhear the most of her speech.

"It is a shame—a shame! Miss Everleigh will not easily forgive you for this, nor shall I."

Nothing but quiet sadness looked out of Lyman's eyes into the girl's flushed, indignant face,

"Carol, have I ever been unkind to you? Do you think I would give you one pang I could avoid? I am sorry your acquaintance with that young man has grown until the step I have been forced to take became necessary. I have my reasons for wishing him to keep his distance; I would rather he had always been a stranger to us. Have you not faith enough in my judgment to be guided by me?"

Carol flushed and paled with a girl's yielding weakness. She loved her brother dearly, she believed in him utterly; only her heart rebelled now, not her reason. She looked at him in a startled way, dropping her voice unconsciously:

"What has he done, Lyman?"

"He has done nothing, but he is our enemy—my enemy, if you want me to put it in that way. How and why, I can not now explain, but it will be better for him and better for me if our paths lie apart.

Come, little girl, put that grieved look off your face; be the bright little sister who has made my home happy for me. Are not we two enough for each other?";

"I hope not," murmured Carol, with a gleam of roguish light breaking through the clouds; but they gathered again as Lyman went on, seriously:

"I want you to promise that you will not put yourself in Bergman's way. I don't think he will disregard my wishes by coming here again. I may as well tell you that it was because he was there I brought you away from Mr. Everleigh's house, because he is so close a friend of theirs, we must give up their friendship. Now you know how serious the matter is to me."

His voice grew husky, his face pale. He turned abruptly away from her, and the questions which Carol longed to ask were checked. She could only steal her hand into his and promise to do as he wished

The next morning at the breakfast table he gave her quite the old, dazzling smile, which always meant something pleasant for her,

"I am sure that my good little girl wants to hear Kellogg to-night. Put on the best bib-and-tucker when you get yourself ready. I expect to be kept after hours; it may be late when I come home."

"Oh, Lyman, you darling—"

"There, there! I can't afford to be choked," he cried, hastily rising, for Carol was coming at him with outstretched arms.

Was that a shade of remorse that gloomed over Lyman Childer's face after he left her? Some furies were after him, certainly, for while he had affected to be in a great hurry to reach the bank, he took a long circle out of his way simply for the sake of walking past Mike Maloney's place and stealing a dozen furtive looks at its dingy front. The signal for which he watched was not there, evidently, and he drew a long breath of relief.

"Thank Heaven, the rascals are satisfied for once. Stone has been persuaded to go into retirement again, and after his late demands Red Tom will not dare to ask more for some time. I must strike a plan to rid myself of that lot. They would ruin a man much less desperate than I am. Do they think I will always give in like a frightened child? They must be taught their mistake."