Billy gave him a superior leer with one eye closed: "You may not know all there is to know about that," he said impudently,

"where did you say he lived?"

The man shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Suit yourself," he said, "I doubt if they'll see you. They have had

nothing but a stream of vagrants for two days and they're about sick of

it. They live on the next estate and the gateway is right around that

corner."

"I ain't no vagrant," glared Billy, and limped away with old trusty

under his left arm.

No one molested him as he walked in the arched and ivied gateway, for

the gate keeper was off on a little private errand of his own at a

place where prohibition had not yet penetrated. Billy felt too heavy

and dizzy to mount his wheel, but he leaned on the saddle as he walked

and tried to get things straight in his head. He oughtn't to have gone

to sleep, that's what he oughtn't. But this job would soon be over and

then he would hike it for home. Gee! Wouldn't home feel good! And Aunt

Saxon would bathe his head with wych hazel and make cold things for him

to drink! Aw, Gee!

The pedigreed dogs of which the place boasted a number came suddenly

down upon him in a great flare of noise, but dogs were always his

friends, why should he worry? A pity he couldn't stop to make friends

with them just now. Some dogs! Here pup! Gee! What a dog to own! The

dogs whined and fawned upon him. Pedigree or no pedigree, rags and

whiskey and dirt notwithstanding, they knew a man when they saw one,

and Billy hadn't batted an eyelid when they tried their worst tramp

barks on him. They wagged their silky tails and tumbled over each other

to get first place to him, and so escorted proudly he dropped old

trusty by a clump of imported rhododendrons and limped up the marble

steps to the wide vistas of circular piazzas that stretched to

seemingly infinite distances, and wondered if he should ever find the

front door.

An imposing butler appeared with a silver tray, and stood aghast.

"Shafton live here?" inquired Billy trying to look business like. "Like

to see him er the missus a minute," he added as the frowning vision

bowed. The butler politely but firmly told him that the master and

mistress had other business and no desire to see him. The young

gentleman had come home, and the reward had been withdrawn. If it was

about the reward he had come he could go down to the village and find

the detective. The house people didn't want to interview any more

callers.




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024