JRGB&&S
IUUSTRAWNS BY
CA vtnTita fr eao
SYNOPSIS.
Minn Tnnr.i , spinster nml cimrillrui of
nortrtido find 1 In lacy , established nutmner
hoadaimrtfrs tit Sunny.slde. AmltlHt mi-
nicrnud < llinciiltles thu miivantu deserted
As MlM Inni'B locked Ui for the ulhlit ,
Blic wan tnrtle l by u dark HKIIIO on t n
VernnJa. Ulio pnssed u lorr.hlo nlj.iit ,
which wus Jlllcd with unseemly noises
, CHAPTER II. Continued.
" ' death ! " nho
"Thoro's going to bo u
wnllotl. "Oil , Mlsa Ilachol , there's going -
ing to bo n death I"
"Thoro will bo , " I Raid Rvlmly , "if
you don't keep quint , l.lddy Allen. "
And HO wo sat there until morning ,
wondering H tlie candle would laat
until dawn , and arranging what tialns
wo could take back to town. If wo had
only .stuck to that decision and gene
back before It was too lalcl
The BUU came finally , and from my
window I watched the trcoa along I ho
drive take shadowy form , gradually
lose their ghostlike appearance , become
*
come gray and then green. The
Orronwcod club showed itself a dab
of white against the hill across the
valley , and an early robin or two
hopped around in the dew. Not un
til the milk-boy and the BUU came ,
about the came tlmo , did 1 date to
open the door Into the hall and look
around. Everything wan an wo had
left It. Trunks vroro heaped hero and
there , ready for the trunk-room , and
through an end window of stained
pinna came a streak of rod ami yel
low daylight that was eminently
cheerful. TUo milk-boy was poundIng -
Ing somewhere below , and the day
had bcRtm.
Thoinau Johnson came ambling up
the drlvu about half-past six , and we
could hear him clatk'iing around on
the lower floor , opening shutters. I
had to take Llddy to her room up
stairs , however she was qulto sure
cho would find something uncanny. In
fact , when she did not , having now
the courage of daylight , she was actu
ally disappointed.
Well , wo did not go back to town
that day.
I warned Llddy not to mention what
had happened to anybody , and tele
phoned to town for servants. Then ,
after n breakfast which did more
credit to Thomas' heart than his head ,
I went , ou a short lour of investiga
tion. The sounds had come from the
east wing , and not without some
qualms I began thoro. At first I found
nothing. Since then I have developed
my powers of observation , but at that
time I was a novice. The small card-
room seemed undisturbed. I looked for
footprints , which is , I believe , the con
ventional thing to do , although my
experience has boon that as clews
toth footprints and thumb-marks are
moro useful In fiction than In fact.
But the Blairs in that wing offered
something.
At the top of the flight hall been
placed a tall wicker hamper , packed
with linen that had come from town.
i It stood at the edge of the top etop ,
almost barring passage , and on the
Htep below It was a long , fresh
ocratch. For three stops the scratch
fwns repeated , gradually diminishing ,
as If some object had fallen , striking
each one. Then for four steps nothing.
On the fifth step below was a round
dent in the hard wood. That was all ,
and It scorned little enough , except
that I was positive the marks had not
been there the day before.
1 It bore out my theory of the sound ,
which had been , for all the world like
the bumping of a metallic object down
a flight of steps. The four steps had
been skipped. I reasoned that an iron
bar , for instance , would do something
of the sort strike two or three stops ,
end down , then turn over , jumping a
few stairs , and landing with a thud.
, Iron bara , however , do not fall
down-stairs In the middle of the night
alone. Coupled with the figure on the
veranda the agency by which it
climbed might be assumed. But and
hero wan the thing that puzzled mo
roost the doors wore all fastened
that morning , the windows unmolest
ed , and the particular door from the
card room to the veranda had a com-
blnatlon lock of which I hold the key ,
find which had not been tampered
with.
I fixed on an attempt at burglary ,
as the most natural explanation an
attempt frustrated by the falling of
the object , > yhatovor it was , that had
roused mo. Two things I could not
understand ; how the Intruder had es
caped with everything locked , and
why ho had left the small silver ,
which , In the absence of a butler , had
remained downstairs over night.
In the afternoon a hack came up
from Casanova , with a fresh relay of
oorvaots. The driver took them with
a flourish to the servants' entrance ,
and drove around to the front of the
house , where I was awaiting him ,
"Two dollars , " ho said in reply to
my question. "I don't charge full
rates , because , bringln' 'om up all
Bummer as I do , It pays to make n
special price. When they got off the
train I BCZ , soz I : 'There's another
bunch for Sunnysido , cook , parlor
maid and all , ' Vos'm six summers ,
kind a new lot never less than ouco a
month. They won't stand for the
country and the loucsornenoss , 1
teckon. "
i But with the preson- f the
fV )
/ / If
I Was Roused by a Revolver Shot. "
"bunch" of servants my courage re
vived , nnd lute in the afternoon came
a inesmiga fiom Gertrude that she and
llnlscy Would arrive that night at
about 11 o'clock , coming In the car
from Hlchflold. Things were looking
up ; nnd when Deulnh , my cat , a most
Intelligent animal , found some early
catnip on a bank near the house and
rolled in It in a feline ecstasy , I de
cided that getting back to nature was
the thing to do.
While I was dressing for dinner ,
Llddy rapped at the door. She was
hardly herself yet , hut privately I
think she was worrying about the bro
ken mirror and Us augury , more than
anything else. When she came in she
was holding something In her hand ,
and she laid it on the dressing table
carefully.
"I found it in the linen hamper , "
she said. "It must bo Mr. Halsoy's ,
but It seems queer how it got there. "
It was the half of a link cuff but
ton of unique design , and I looked at
it carefully.
"Where was it ? In the bottom of
the hamper ? " I nskcd.
"On the very top , " she replied. "It's
a mercy It didn't fall out on the way. "
When Llddy had gone I examined
the fragment attentively. I had never
scon it before , nnd I was certain it
was not Ilalsoy's. It was of Italian
workmanship , and consisted of a
mother-of-pearl foundation , encrusted
with tiny seed-pearls , strung on
horsehair to hold them. In the cen
ter was a small ruby. The trinket
was odd enough , but not Intrinsically
of great value. Its interest for mo
lay In this : Llddy had found It lying
in the top of the hamper which had
blocked the east-wing stairs.
That afternoon the Armstrongs'
housekeeper , a youngish good-looking
woman , applied for Mrs. Kalston's
place , nnd I was glad enough to take
her. She looked ns though she might
ho equal to a dozen of Llddy , with her
snapping black eyes and heavy jaw.
Her name was Anne Watson , nnd I
dined that evening for the llrst time
In three days.
CHAPTER III.
Mr. John Bailey Appears.
I had dinner served in the break
fast room. Somehow the huge dining
room deprcsbcd me , and Thomas ,
cheerful enough nil day , allowed his
spirits to go down with the sun. Ho
had a habit of watching the corners
of the room , left shadowy by the can
dles on the table , and altogether it
was not a festive meal.
Dinner over I wont Into the living
room. I had three hours before the
children could possibly arrive , and 1
got out my knitting.
The chug of the automobile as It
climbed the hill was the most wel
come sound I had heard for a long
time , nnd with Gertrude nnd Hnlsoy
actually before mo , my troubles
seemed over for good. Gertrude stood
smiling in the hall , with her hat quite
over ono ear , and her hair In every
direction under her pink veil. Ger
trude is a very pretty girl , no matter
how her hat is , and I was not sur
prised when Hnlsey presented a good-
looking young man , who bowed at
mo nnd looked nt Trude that Is the
ridiculous nickname Gertrude brought
from school.
"I have brought a guest , Aunt Ray , "
Hnlsey said. " 1 want you to adopt
him Into your affections nnd your Sat-
urday-to-Monday list. Let mo present
John Hnlley , only you must call him
Jack. In 13 hours he'll bo calling you
"Aunt1 : I know him. "
Wo shook hands , and I got a chnnco
to look at Mr. Ilalley ; ho was a lull
follow , perhaps 30 , nnd ho wore a
small mustache. I remember wonderIng -
Ing why ; ho seemed to have a good
mouth nnd when ho smiled his tooth
wore above the average. Quo never
knows why certain men cling to a
messy upper lip that must get Into
things , any moro than one under
stands some women building up their
hair on wlro atrocities. Otherwise ,
ho was very good to look nt , stalwart
and tanned , with the direct gaze that
I like. I am particular about Mr. Bai
ley , because ho was a prominent fig
ure in what happened later.
Gertrude was tired with the trip
nnd went up to bed very soon. I
made up my mind to toll thorn noth
ing until the next day , and then to
make as light of our excitement as
possible. After all , what had I to toll ?
An Inquisitive face peering In at a
window ; n crash in the night ; a
scratch or two on the stairs , and half
n cuff-button ! As for Thomas and his
forebodings , It was always my belief
that n negro is ono part thief , ono
part pigment , and the rest supersti
tion.
It was Saturday night. The two
men went to the billiard room , and I
could hear them talking as I went up
stairs. It seemed that Hnlsey had
stopped at the Greenwood club for
gasolene and found Jack Dalloy there ,
with the Sunday golf crowd. Mr. Dal
loy had not been hard to persuade
probably Geitrudo know why and
they had carried him off triumphant
ly. I roused Llddy to get them some
thing to eat Thomas was beyond
reach In the lodge and paid no at
tention to her evident terror of the
kitchen regions. Then I went to bed.
The men were still in the billiard
room when I finally dozed off , and the
last thing I remember was the howl
of a dog in front of the houso. It
wailed a crescendo of woo that trailed
off hopefully , only to break out afresh
from a now point of the compass.
At three o'clock In the morning I
was roused by n revolver shot. The
sound seemed to come from Just out
side my door. For a moment I could
not move. Then I heard Gertrude
stirring In her room , nnd the next
moment she had tin own open the con
necting door.
"O , Aunt Ray ! Aunt Ray ! " she
cried hysterically. "Somo ono has
been killed ! "
"Thieves , " I said shortly. "Thank
goodness , there are some men In the
house to-nlfiht. " I was getting into
my slippers and a bath-robe , nnd Gertrude -
trudo with shaking hands was lighting
a lamp. Then wo opened the door
Into the hall , where , crowded on the
upper landing of the stairs , the maids ,
white-faced and ttombllng , wore peer
ing down , headed by Llddy. I was
greeted by a series of low screams
and questions , and I tried to qnlot
them. Gertrude had dropped on a
chair and sat there limp and shiv
ering.
I went nt once across the hullto
Halsey's room nnd knocked ; then I
piibhcd the door open. It was empty ;
the bed had not been occupied !
"Ho must bo in Mr. Halloy's room , "
I said excitedly , nnd followed by Lld
dy , wo wont theie. Like Halsey's , It
had not been occupied ! Gertrude was
on her feet now , but she leaned
against the door for support.
"They have boon killed ! " she
gasped. Then she caught me by the
arm and dragged mo toward the
stairs. "They may only bo hurt , nnd
wo must IIml them , " she said , her
eyes dilated with excitement.
I don't remember how wo got down
the stairs ; I do remember expecting
every moment to bo killed. The cook
was nt the telephone upetnlrs , calling
the Greenwood club , and Llddy wne
behind mo , afraid to come and not
daring to stay behind. Wo found the
living room nnd the drawing room un
disturbed. Somehow I felt that whatever -
over wo found would bo In the card-
loom or on the staircase , and nothing
but the fear that Halsoy was in dan
ger drove mo on ; with every step my
knees scorned to glvo way under mo.
Gertrude was uuoiul nnd In the card-
room she stopped , holding her can-
die high. Then she pointed silently to
the doorway into the hall beyond.
Huddled there on the lloor , face down ,
with his arms extended , was a man.
Gertrude ran forward with a gasp-
lug nob. "Jack , " she cried , "Oh , Jack I"
Llddy had run , screaming , and the
two of us were there alono. It was
Gertrude who turned him over , final
ly , until wo could see hla white face ,
and then she drew a deep breath and
dioppod limply to her knees. It was
the body of a man , a gentleman , In a
dinner coat nnd white waistcoat ,
stained now with blood the body of
a man I had never seen boforo.
CHAPTER IV.
Where Is Halsey ?
Gertrude gazed at the face In n kind
of fascination. Then she put out her
hands blindly , and I thought she was
going to faint.
"Ho has killed him ! " she muttered
almost Inarticulately ; and at that , be
cause my nerves were going , I gave
her a good shake.
"What do you mean ? " I said fran
tically. There was a depth of grief
and conviction In her tone that was
worse than anything she could have
said. The shako braced her , any
how , and she seemed to pull herself
together. Cut not another word would
she say ; she stood gazing down at
that gruesome figure on the floor ,
while Llddy , ashamed of her flight
and afraid to come back , drove before
her three terrified women servants
Into the drawing room , which was as
near as any of them would venture.
Once In the drawing room , Gertrude
collapsed and went from one fainting
spell Into another. I had all I could
do to keep Llddy from drowning her
with cold water , and the maids hud
dled In a corner , as much use as so
.many sheep. In a short time , although
It seemed hours , a car came rushing
up , and Anne Watson , who had waited
to dress , opened the door. Three men
from the Greenwood club , In all kinds
of costumes , hurried in. I recognized
a Mr. .Tarvls , but the others were
strangers.
"What's wrong ? " the Jarvls man
asked and wo made n strange pic
ture , no doubt. "Nobody hurt , ( Is
there ? " Ho was looking at Gertrude.
"Worso than that , Mr. Jarvls , " I
said. "I think It Is murder. "
At the word there was n commotion.
The cook began to cry , and Mrs. Wat
son knocked over a chair. The men
were visibly Impressed.
"Not any member of the family ? "
Mr. Jarvls asked , when ho had got
his breath.
- "No , " I said ; and motioning Llddy
to look after Gertrude , I led the way
with n lamp to the cardroom door.
Ono of the men gave an exclamation ,
and they all hurried across the room. '
Mr. Jarvls took the lamp from uio I
remember that and then feeling myself -
self getting dizzy and light-headed I
closed my eyes. When I opened them
their brief examination was over , and
Mr. Jarvls was trying to put ino In a
chair. v
"You must get upstairs , " ho said
firmly , "you nnd Miss Gertrude , too.
This Ima been a terrible shock. In
his own home , too. "
I stared at him without comprehen
sion. "Who Is it ? " 1 asked with dif
ficulty. There seemed a band drawn
tight around my throat.
"It is Arnold Armstrong , " ho said ,
looking at mo oddly , "and he has been
murdered In his father's houso. "
After a minute I gathered myself
together nnd Mr. Jarvls helped mo
into the living room. Llddy had got
Gertrude upstairs , and the two
strange men from the club stayed
with the body. The reaction from the
shock and strain was tremendous ; I
was collapsed and then Mr. Jarvls
asked mo n question that brought
back my wandering faculties.
"Where la Ilulsey ? " ho asked.
"Halscy ! " Suddenly Gertrude's
stricken face rose before mo the
empty room * upstairs. Where was
Halsoy ?
"Ho was hero , wasn't ho ? " Mr. Jarvis -
vis persisted. "lie stopped at the club
ou hlbay over. "
"I don't know whore ho IB , " I said
feebly.
Ono of the men from the club came
In , risked for the telephone , and I
could hoar him excitedly talking , sayIng -
Ing something about coroners and de
tectives. Mr. Jarvis leaned over to
mo.
"Why don't yon trust mo , Miss In-
nes ? " ho said. "If 1 can do anything
1 will. But toll mo the whole thing. "
I did , finally , from thov beginning ,
nnd when I told of Jack Dalley's be
ing in the house that night ho gave a
long whlstlo.
"I wish they wore both hero , " ho
said when I finished. "Whatever mad
prank took thorn away , it would look
bettor If they were hero. Especially "
( TO BU CONTINUED. )
For Infants and Children.
ALCOHOL-3 PER CENT
AYegefablc Preparation Tor As
sirmlating ilieFooclandHegula-
ling iheSlomachs and Bov eis of
Promotes DigcstionChccrful-
ness and Rcsl.Contains neither
Opium.Morpliinc nor Mineral
NOT "NARCOTIC
Atil * Slid
flpftmint
QO /ft Cnrimat
Warn Suit
iltinlrrymn
Apcrfccl Remedy forConsllpn
lion , Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea ,
Worms .Convulsions .Feverish-
ness and LOSS OF SLEEP.
'Facsimile Signature of'
B *
f. )
TKE CCNTAUR COMPANY
NEW YORK.
Guaranteed under tlio Food and
Exact Copy of Wrapper. ncwroiiiieim
MADE PROMISE OF SECRECY
Therefore Caller Could Only Guess
Who Had Taught Youngster to
Stand on His Head.
"Tho venerable countess of Cardi
gan , the author , you know , of that
wicked book of memoirs , thinks the
modern girl Is too athletic and hoy-
dentsh , " said an English visitor to
New York.
"Tho countess of Cardigan often
tells of n young man who was drink
ing tea with n beautiful girl when her
little brother slipped Into the room.
" 'Mr. Mannerlng , ' the boy asked ,
'can you stand on your head ? '
" 'No , said the visitor , laughing , 'I
don't believe I can. '
" 'Well , I can , ' said the boy. 'Look
hero. '
"And ho stood on his head very
neatly in the corner.
' "Ha , ha ! ' laughed Mr. Mannerlng.
'And who taught you that ? '
"The urchin frowned.
" 'Sister , ' he said , 'told mo I muat
never tell. ' "
Wedding Fee Counterfeit.
A well-dressed stranger entered the
office of Justice William B. Williams ,
Montclalr , N. J. , nnd after shaking
hands astonished the justice by sayIng -
Ing : "I'm hero to redeem that coun
terfeit $10 bill I passed on you. Two
years ago I called on you with my
girl and two witnesses and you mar
ried us. I handed you a $10 bill. I
had a counterfeit in my pocketbook
that I'd carried for several years. I
never missed it until yesterday. Then
I remembered that I'd accidentally
handed you the bill. " The caller pro
duced a good $10 bill , but the Justice
refused to take 1L "Don't let that
worry you , my dear fellow , " ho
laughed. "I never know it was a
counterfeit. No kind of money sticks
to mo over night. I'm married , my- ,
self. "
They Surely Would.
A Httlo American boy with his fa
ther was visiting a market In n Mex
ican city. He saw a little native girl
with a small basketful of red peppers ,
of which she was eating ono. His fn-
[ ther was about to say : "She thinks
she Is very smart , " ns the son called
his attention to it. The boy spoke up
quickly , knowing what was to be said :
"Pa , would those red peppers make
you smart if you eat all of them ? " Ills
father icplled : "Yes , son. "
Desplsery.
Little Girl Mother , that's such n
nasty little boy ; whenever he passes
mo he makes a face.
I Mother Very rndo of him. I hope
, you don't do it back.
Little Girl Oh , dear , no ! I simply
turn up my nose and treat him with
desplsery.
There is a reason
I
Why Grape-Nuts does correct
A weak , physical , or a
Sluggish mental condition.
i The food is highly nutritious
' And is partially pre-digested ,
So that it helps the organs of
the stomach
To digest other food.
It is also rich in the
Vital phosphates that go
Directly to make up
The delicate gray matter
of brain and nerve csntres ,
Read "The Road to Weliville"
In pkgs. "There's a Reason , "
OKIUIAL , COMPANY , Ltd. ,
BatUo Crook , Mica ,
Constipation
Vanishes Forever
Prompt Relief Permanent Core
CARTER'S LITTLE
LIVER PILLS neve/ ,
foil. Purely veget
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but gently on
the liver.
Stop afier
dinner
distress I
curetndi- '
- - %
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the eye ) . Small Pill , "tall Doie , Small Prica
GENUINE must bt < ir signelure : f *
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centrtampUo
cover tnalHni : ) aua
vnnr dnalnr's nam for
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has \ ' "ivf' * * - ' \ nm uni cxlor and will not
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LoaliDrJongedCo. . 53Dtun 8t.HY.
B Ei a
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THE STANDARD
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W. L. Douglas $5.00
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Bays'Shoos , 93. $2.60 & $ S
W. U Donglaa tnmmnttc.i tlielr value hy gtamMng
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