The Brain Jungle by Edward Mott Woolley Read online

  forbidding old place, with flowers and turrets

  found himself, creeping in the protection of

  that had no apparent part in the scheme of life, hedges and shrubbery, until he gained a piazza

  except architecturally. The grounds covered

  that extended beneath the drawing-room

  five acres that were set with trees of dense

  windows. Having explored the premises on

  foliage, many of them sempervirent and the previous evening, he now proceeded softly beautiful, but long neglected. Here and there a to the darkest end, where, with a tool of his

  huge weeping willow reared its ghostly form

  own invention, he deftly found the window

  and gave a graveyard aspect to the place.

  lock through the crevice between the sashes.

  Abburton himself was as gray and A minute later, he was inside.

  melancholy as the great house—a widower

  To explore a strange house in the dark

  living alone with his servants. Of the latter he was not an agreeable task, but Nast was

  kept only three, all of them as old as himself, accustomed to doing it in the interests of

  and as unapproachable. For thirty years he had

  justice. In the present case he had no

  lived thus, in growing seclusion, and although

  compunction, for was he not working to dispel

  not wholly a recluse, he spent most of his time the nameless terror that hung over Litchfield?

  at The Turrets. He had no intimates, and only

  On his hands and knees, he crept across the

  occasionally did any one call on him. Such

  immense room toward an uncertain light that

  calls as he had were usually connected with

  shone from the corridor. Here, on

  requests for contributions to charity and the

  reconnoitering, he found he had reasoned

  church. Of late, a number of persons who

  correctly in timing his visit; Abburton was at

  solicited such funds of Abburton had met with

  dinner. From the keyhole of an adjoining

  very ungracious rebuffs, and it was gossiped

  room Nast saw the somber old man sitting

  that the old man’s fortunes had suffered in

  alone in state, while an infirm and white-

  some way.

  haired man-servant attended him.

  In early life, Abburton had inherited

  This much determined, the detective

  the family property, married, and thrown open

  lost no time in exploring the upper part of the the house to the most brilliant functions ever

  house, and especially Abburton’s personal

  seen in Litchfield. For a few years The Turrets apartments. Guided by his electric torch, he

  was the social centre of the city, during which surveyed the bedroom and dressing-room off

  period a son was born; but then came disaster

  it, the appointments of which were, with a few

  of the blackest sort—the death of wife and

  striking exceptions, such as a gentleman of his child in a runaway accident. After that, the

  refinement and station would have. The chief

  house was never opened to any one except in

  difference lay in the presence of a baby’s bed, the most formal way.

  finished in snow-white enamel apparently

  Some of the ruder children of quite new. Laid out upon the counterpane Litchfield called the lonely man “Old Hawk

  were the freshly laundered garments of a small

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  child. Scattered about the rooms were other

  witnessed extraordinary things. I am sending full evidences of strong philoprogenitiveness,

  details by mail. Important to keep a close shadow although decades had passed since the small

  on Abburton day and night. Send three more men

  son had slept in that crib for the last time.

  at once and have Louise Dennison here by to-

  Proceeding to the study farther down

  morrow afternoon. Indications are that the trap will be ready to set by to-morrow night. If Miss the upper hall, Nast cast the rays of his Dennison is willing to act, your plan is likely to searchlight upon a large mahogany desk. It

  work out. Diabolical things brewing anyway.

  was locked, but he opened it with the third key he tried. The first thing that met his eyes was a NAST,

  small gold object, which he scrutinized closely but did not disturb. In one of the recesses of

  To this Hazard answered by wire, in

  the desk he next unearthed some papers, the

  the Agency cipher:

  inscriptions upon which he copied rapidly into

  his note book.

  Louise Dennison is game and will put our theory He had scarcely finished this task to the test. Run no chances but have her well when his alert ears caught the shuffle of guarded. If it comes to a showdown, take footsteps on the carpeted stairs. Closing the

  Abburton dead or alive.

  desk, he concealed himself behind some

  draperies and watched Abburton switch on the

  light, open the desk, and take from it some of

  V

  the papers. Then turning off the light,

  Abburton left the room.

  JUST before dusk the next day a stylishly

  It was a hazardous situation, but Nast

  dressed young woman rang the gate bell of the

  followed, risking the danger of discovery. The

  Abburton mansion, and, to the manservant

  hall was dimly lighted, anyway, and he might

  who answered, presented a card bearing the

  pass for a servant should Abburton turn name of Mrs. Louise Merton, special financial unexpectedly. This he did not do, but kept

  agent of the Society for the Extension of

  straight ahead except for a jog in the corridor.

  Religion in America. The footman gravely

  Nast, at a judicious distance behind, paused a

  ushered the caller into the drawing room,

  moment at this turn to avoid getting too close.

  requested her to be seated, and glided out. He

  Then he followed—but Abburton had was quite accustomed to callers of this class, if disappeared. Nor could an hour’s search of the

  not to social guests.

  premises reveal any trace of him.

  The room bore ample evidence of its

  erstwhile magnificence, with its immense

  IV

  gilded mirrors, its paneled walls, rich

  hangings and massive mahogany furniture;

  A WEEK later Felix Hazard, pondering some

  and time had scarcely dimmed the splendor of

  mystery in his skull room, was handed a code

  its decorations, though the air was heavy with

  telegram which, on being translated, read as

  the oppressiveness one finds in rooms long

  follows:

  unused to sun and air. The tragedy of the

  Abburtons hung over it.

  I have at last discovered the secret of

  The caller shivered a bit, and sat for a

  Abburton’s nightly disappearance within his own minute watching the door where the man had

  house. Last night I gained access to his turret room disappeared. Then she arose and moved

  through a panel door, and, in concealment, silently over to the side of the room where a

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  massive divan stood against some draperies.

  the divan, could avert it!

  Seating herself on the divan, she said in a

  But it was a woman’s impulse, and she

 
; whisper, apparently to the tapestry hangings:

  conquered it. The die was cast, and she

  “I rely on you, Nast!”

  waited. Now she could not distinguish the

  “Keep up your nerve, Louise,” came

  objects in the room, though she could see the

  the whispered answer. “The whole game is

  opening into the reception hall. How many

  now up to you—but have your barker on tap!”

  doors were there in this drawing room, she

  She was back in her chair a moment

  wondered. Straining her eyes, she tried to

  later, waiting for the expected development.

  discover—and suddenly sprang to her feet, for

  Hazard had reasoned it all out—that in the last vestige of light, she saw the Abburton, on getting her card, would come

  powerful though gaunt form of a man before

  down to see her. She was inclined to be her. It was not the servant. She knew it was skeptical herself, but she knew that her chief

  Abburton himself.

  had good analogies from which to reason. He

  He spoke, in tones that were singularly

  was not working blindly. Abburton would deep and melancholy: come down, he had said. Perhaps it was well

  “You represent the Society for the

  for her state of mind that she did not know

  Extension of Religion in America, I believe.”

  what he was doing upstairs at that moment.

  “I do,” she replied, pulling her

  However, some of Hazard’s spies were up

  faculties together and keeping her right hand

  there, watching. She knew that.

  in her coat pocket. “The Society counts on

  She waited five or ten minutes, and

  your benevolence and generosity.”

  found herself uneasily watching the darkening

  “If you choose,” he said, after a

  shadows of the room and wondering if the

  moment’s pause, “you may tell me about the

  crystal chandeliers bore any possibilities of

  aims of this organization.”

  light. The day was not entirely gone outside as The girl shuddered. The day before, in

  she could see through the chinks in the time-

  the skull room, Hazard had prophesied almost

  checked window shades; but here in the these very words. Abburton would utter them, drawing room night was already at hand. The

  he had said. And now, as she strove to see the

  silence in the house was deep and oppressive,

  features of the man before her she recalled the and she started as a gust of wind swept under

  description of him as given her: the beak of an the roof of the piazza. For a moment she

  eagle, a sinister mouth with a tortuous curve,

  arose, and her hand went quickly to the pocket

  and eyes that protruded slightly from their

  of her coat, but she sank back, with a little

  sockets and had the power to glare with the

  laugh, upon the cushion of the chair. Had she

  hate of a tiger. She imagined they were glaring not often braved the uncanniest of dangers in

  at her now, and that the cruel fingers were

  the pursuit of her calling? Then another gust

  clutching for a spring at her throat. With an

  rattled a window, and despite herself a chill

  effort, she fought off her terror and spoke

  fright swept over her. If Felix Hazard theory

  calmly:

  was true—and she well knew that it never

  “The Society,” she said, “stands for

  worked on idle guesses—then were not the

  one of the noblest movements ever undertaken

  horrors of this house sufficient to terrify any in the name of Christianity. It is a God-given

  woman? She revolted at her profession, and

  work we are doing—a work with heaven on

  felt the impulse to flee from the house, one side and Satan on the other. We are screaming. Here in the darkness, the thing

  fighting Satan, sir, with all the might of

  might happen before even Nast, hidden near

  goodness!”

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  Hazard had written out these words for

  afraid who works in the great cause I serve?”

  her, and she had learned them by rote. It was

  She backed away from him and passed

  quite a speech Hazard had composed for her,

  into the vestibule, and, as he opened the door

  up there in the skull room, and she had for her, she brushed against him. It seemed to rehearsed it to him until he was satisfied. She her as if a pair of demoniac eyes were burning

  went through it now to the end, incongruously

  into her back as she went down the path to the

  toying with the trigger of her automatic pistol, gate, and her knees were weak under her. Had

  concealed in her pocket.

  she really done the thing so far and escaped?

  “We are fighting the devil through the

  At the gate she followed his directions,

  underlying power of the church,” she repeated

  and again at the turning of the wall, passing on at the end, as Hazard had told her to do.

  into the deeper shadows that lay under an

  He stood in silence for a few moments,

  overhanging willow projecting from the

  when she had finished, and she could hear him

  walled yard.

  breathing as if he had exercised. She imagined

  that his face worked in contortions, though she VI

  could not see it. Suddenly he stepped toward

  her, and she backed away quickly, half No SOONER was the girl out of the house drawing the pistol. Whatever his impulse, he

  than Abburton turned, and, with extraordinary

  did not follow it up, but, turning, went to the agility for a man of his age, ran lightly down

  side of the room. Evidently he touched an

  the corridor to the back of the house, thence

  electric button for the shade of a man descending a flight of steps to a door that led appeared in the doorway.

  him outside. Skirting a row of lilacs that

  “A light!” said the master of the place.

  bordered the carriage drive, he made a detour

  Then, to his caller: “This room is seldom used, to keep in the deepest shadows, and reached

  and the fixtures are not in order.”

  the wall just back of the garage. This he

  The servant reappeared, bearing a followed, proceeding rapidly despite the lamp with a red shade, which he put on the

  darkness, until he reached a small door in the

  table. Abburton stood where his profile was

  wall. Pulling the bolt, he opened it and,

  revealed and perhaps accentuated. His mouth

  crouched inside, peered out in direction from

  seemed distorted momentarily, and his great

  which the girl would approach. She was

  oval eyes rested on the girl for a full minute

  coming! Against the dim light of a gas lamp

  before he spoke:

  far up on the corner, he could see her skirts.

  “You are staying in the city, I take it!”

  Across the road was vacant land and clusters

  “At the Grand Hotel.”

  of trees—the night was quite dark.

  “Very well. If on contemplation I

  He breathed now in gasps that were

  decide to contribute to the extension of hideous to hear, and some metallic thing he religion in America, I shall mail you a check.

  held i
n his right hand beat a little tattoo on the You have a cab waiting?”

  bricks against which he huddled. She was very

  “The distance is short; I came afoot.”

  close now.

  “Then you will find the best path to

  Abburton rose suddenly and stepped

  your right as you go out of the gate. Follow

  abruptly into the path, with his hand uplifted, the wall around the corner and proceed when suddenly he uttered a cry and staggered straight ahead. You are not afraid of the back, blinded by the glare of some brilliant darkness?”

  light that shot out of the darkness into his

  “I have no fear, sir. Why should one be

  eyes. A moment later Felix Hazard was on

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  9

  Abburton’s back and three policemen had him

  and women.”

  in their clutches. A dagger fell from his

  From a cell below came Abburton’s

  loosened fingers, and then a pistol was taken

  solemn voice, crying:

  from him by the Chief of Police of Litchfield,

  “Satan’s curses upon you!”

  together with all the other contents of his

  “The logical course,” Hazard went on,

  pockets.

  “was to study the people of Litchfield and, by

  “Curses upon you!” said Abburton, as

  a process of elimination, round up the possible they shackled him. “I am the Devil, working

  paranoiacs, for in paranoia alone was it

  evil upon everything good. How dare you put

  reasonable to look for the source of these

  bonds upon Satan himself? Release me, or my

  deeds. We found six possible subjects. They

  curse is upon every one of you!”

  were all investigated, but from the start

  “An extraordinary case of paranoia!”

  Abburton presented the best clews. His family

  said Hazard, to the men about him at the