Show tr ka rt ell 5 L 71 1 MARY 1 R T BY ey A o 0 ims ey OER a b ed SYNOPSIS miss innes spinster an 3 guardant guard an of cert gert ude and halsey estabi sl ed summer headquarters at de amidst nu mero s difficulties the servants deserted As miss innes packed up for the night she was startled by a dark figure on ia tl e veranda she passed a terr ble his night which was filled biti unseemly no ses in the morning M sg ss innes found a strange lin cuff button in a choti ea hamper gertrude and halsey arrived with jack baley ley the house was awak ened by a revolver shot A strange man was found shot to death in the hall it pr proved ved to be the body ot of arnold ar arm ime str stron wl RI ose banker catl er owned the country house miss aliss innes found hal sey s revolver on the lawn he ile and jack ba ley had bad disappeared the ink 1 cuff button mister boualy disappeared de feet ve jam eson and the coroner arrived gertrude revealed that she was ras engaged to jack bailey w th R whom a e had talk talked d in the bill ard room a few mo ments menes before tho the murder jimmeson Jim J leson told miss innes that she was I 1 id ng evidence from I 1 m he ile imprisoned an der in an empty room the prisoner escaped down a laundry chute it developed that tl a e cintr der was ras probably a woman roman ger trude was vm suspected for the intruder left a print of a bare toot foot gertrude re home with her ight r ankle sprained ep rained A negro found the other I 1 a t f of what proved to be jack ba ley s cuff button halsey q ddenny reappeared he ile said he and ba ley I 1 ad left because the chev had rece ved a telegram gertrude aid said that she had riven given I 1 ailed an n loaded revolver fearl g to rive give him hal sey s loaded weapon dishler bl Bs ley 0 of I 1 aul armstron 9 lam 1 ani defunct was R as ar rested charged with embezzlement hal sey said armstrong had wr rr eke I 1 his own bant and was able to c par bailey A telegram contained news ner a that paul arm A rong was dead halsey trapped mrs airs watson the housekeeper alile wl lie she was steal u from the house CHAPTER all continued I 1 reckon recon you battah come in M s fillies he said speaking cautiously its it s got so I 1 dunno what to do and it its s boun to come out soine some time er ruther he threw the door open then and I 1 stepped inside halsey clo close cloe e behind in the sitting room the old negro turned with quiet dignity to habey you battah sit down sah he said its it s a place for a woman sah things were not turning out the way halsey expected he ile sat down on the center table with his hands thru thrust t in his pockets and watched me as I 1 fol followed loRed thomas up the nar row stairs at the top a woman was stand ng and a second glance sl owed me it was rosie she shrank back a little but I 1 said nothing and then thomas motioned to a partly open door and I 1 went in the lodge boasted ot of three bled rooms upstairs all comfortably fir dished in this one the largest and a riest a night lamp ras w as b riling and by its light I 1 could make out a pla n white metal bed A g rl was asleep there or in a half stupor for she muttered something now and then rosie had taken hei courage in her hands and coming in had turned up the I 1 it was only then that I 1 knew fever flushed ill aa as she was I 1 recognized louise armstrong I 1 stood gaz ng down dmn at her in a stupor of amazement louise here h ding at the lodge ill and alone rosie came up to the bed and smoothed the white counter counterpane pano I 1 am afraid she is worse to night she ventured at last I 1 put my hand on the s ck girl s forehead it was burning with fever and I 1 turned to where thomas lingered in the hall way will you tell me what you mean thomas johnson by not telling me this I 1 demanded indignantly thomas quailed mis louise t let me he said earnestly I 1 wanted anted m to she ought to a had bad a doctor the n she came but she wouldn hear to it Is she very bad mis innes bad enough I 1 said co adly send mr innes up halsey came up the stairs slowly looking rather interested and inclined to be amused for a moment he could not see anything distinctly in the darkened room he stopped glanced at rosie and at me and then his eyes fell on the restless head on the p I 1 low I 1 think he felt who it was ras before he really saw her ae I 1 e crossed the room in a couple of strides and bent e over the bed louise he said softly but she did not reply and hei eyes showed no recognition halsey was ras young and illness was new to him he straight ened h aselt slowly still watch ng her and caught my arm she s dying aunt ray he sa d huskily dying V hy she t know linow me fudge I 1 snapped be ng apt to gro grow irritable when my hymi althies athies arci arc aroused roused sl SI e s doing noth ng ot of the sort and don t pinch my arm it yoi yoa yo i want something to do go and choke thomas but at that n ament I 1 ou se routed rouged from her stupor to cough and at the en enl I 1 of the paroxysm as roie rorie laid her back exhausted she knew us that was all halsey wanted to I 1 tin I 1 ii con was recovery he ile dropped on bib knees beside the bed and tried to tell her she m was as all right and we wo id bring brin her around in a hurry and how beautiful she 1001 ed only to T break down dorn utterly and have to stop and at that I 1 came to my senses and put him out this instant I 1 ordered as he hes stated and send rosie here he d d not riot go far he ile sat on the top step of the stairs only leaving to telephone for a doctor and getting in everybody s way in h a eagerness t fetch and ca iv I 1 ent got i ita r il 11 tata W lifshi ly by sending him to fix up the car as a sort of ambulance in case the doctor would allow the sick girl to be moved he sent gertrude down to the lodge loaded with all manner of impossible in possible things include ng an a in ful of turl ish towels and arid a box of mustard plasters and as the two girls had known each other somewhat b fore louise brightened perceptibly when she saw gertrude when the doctor from englewood the casanova doctor dr walker be ip ing away had started for sunnyside Sunny side and I 1 had got thomas to stop trying to explain what he did not understand I 1 itself I 1 had a long talk with the old man and this is what I 1 learned on saturday evening before about ten 0 clock he had been reading in the sitting room do stairs when some one rapped at the door the old man was alone warner not having arrived and at first he was uncertain about opening the door he did so finally and nas ft as amazed at being con fronted by louise armstrong thomas was an old family servant having been with the pi pr sent mrs armstrong since she was a child and he was overwhelmed at seeing louise he ile saw that she was excited and tired and he drew her into the sitting room and made her sit down after a while I 1 e went to the house and brought mrs watson and they talked until late the old man said lou se was R as in trouble and seemed frightened mrs airs made some tea and took it to the lodge but louise made teem both promise to keep her presence a secret she had not known knorn that sunnyside Sunny side was rented and whatever her trouble was this complicated things she seemed puzzled her steffa her and her mother were still in california that was all she would say about them why she had rl nn n away no one could imagine mr air arnold armstrong was atthe at the greenwood club and at last tl TI omas not knowing what else to do went over mer there along the path it wis wag ain aln ost mian part way ovel he met armstrong himself and brought him to the lodge mrs wat son had gone to the house for some bed linen it having been arranged that under the circumstances louise I 1 ouise would be better at the lodge until morning arnold armstrong and louise had a long conference during which he was heard to storm and be come very violent when he left it was ras after two he ile had gone up to the house thomas did not know why and at three 0 clock he was shot at the foot of the circular staircase the following morning louise had been ill she had bad ed for arnold and was ras told he had left town alomas tl omas had not the moral courage to tell I 1 lei ei of the dime clime she ref refused used a doctor and shrank morbidly dl from hai ing her presence known mrs wat son and thomas had had their hands full and at last rosie had been en listed to help them she carried nee essary provisions little enough to the lodge and helped to keep the secret thomas told me quite frankly that he had been anxious to keep lo 10 ise s presence hidden for this reason they had all seen arnold armstrong that night and he himself tor for one was known to hae haie had no very friendly feeling for the dead man As to the reason for louise s flight from call tornia fornia or why she had not gone to the Fitz hughs or to some of her peo I 1 ie le in town I 1 e had no n ore fornia in 4 u that I 1 had with the death 0 A her stepfather and the prospect of the immediate rc burn urn of the family things had become more and wore nore impossible I 1 gathered that thomas was ft as as relieved as I 1 at the turn events had taken isio no she did not know of either of the deaths in the family taken all around I 1 had only buted one mystery for another it if I 1 knew now why rosie had taken the basket of dishes I 1 did not know who had spoken to her and followed her along the drive if I 1 knew that louise R was as in the lodge I 1 did not know why she was there if I 1 knew that arnold armstrong had spent some time in the lodge the night before he was mur dered I 1 R was as no nearer the sol tion of the crime who wa the midnight in bruder who had so alarmed L addy and myself who had fallen down the clothes was gertrudes lover a villain or a victims time was to answer all these things CHAPTER XIII louise the doctor from englewood came very soon and I 1 went ent t ip p to see the sick girl with him hal ey had gone to su supervise pervie the fitting of the car with blankets and pillows and gertrude was opening and airing louise s own rooms at the house her private sit ting room bedroom and dressing room R were ere as they had been when R we e came they occupied the end of the east wing beyond the circular staircase and we had not even opened them rhe file girl herself was too ill to notice what was being done when with the help of the doctor who was a fa N 9 IND I 1 amazed ai at being confronted by louise armstrong atherly man with a family of girls at hon horr hone e we got her to the house and i p the stairs into bed she dropped into a fe sleep which lasted until morning dr stewart that was the engle doctor stayed almost all night g ving he medicine himself and watching her closely afterward he told me that she had had a narrow escape from penu monia and that the cerebral symptoms had been rather a arming I 1 said I 1 was glad it was wasn t an itis of some kind anyhow and he smiled solemnly he ile left after breakfast saying that he thourl t the of the danger was over and that she must be kept very quiet the tle of two deaths I 1 sup pose has done this he remarked I 1 bicking up his case it has been very ceplo able I 1 hastened to set him right she does not know of either doc doe tor I 1 said please do not mention t lem iem to I 1 er he looked as as a medical man ever does I 1 do not know the family he said preparing to get into hia his top bi biggy g y 0 io o ng walker down in casanova has been attending them I 1 under stand he is going to marry this oung young lady you have been misinformed I 1 sad sa d stiffly miss armstrong Is go ing to mrry marry m rry my nephew the doctor smiled as he picked up the reins young ladies are changeable these days he said we thought the wed ding was to occur soon well I 1 will stop in tl is afternoon to see how my patient is getting along some time about noon of that day wednesday mrs ogden nazh gh tele phoned me I 1 have the barest ac a ain alli tince tance with her she managed to be put on the governing board of jhc V alp I 1 1 V 1 14 I 1 1 t I 1 1 ra old ladies home and ruins their di by sending them ice fee cream and cake on every holiday beyond that and her reputation at bridge which is insufferably bad she s the worst player at the bridge club I 1 know 1 atle of her it was she who had taken charge of arnold arm strong strongs s funeral however and I 1 went at once to the telephone yes isaid said this is miss innes miss innes she said volubly I 1 have just received a very strange tele gram from my cousin couin mrs arm strong her husband died yesterday in california and wait I 1 will read you the message I 1 knew whit was coming and I 1 made up my mind at once if louise armstrong had a good and sufficient reason for leaving her people and corn com ng home a reason moreover that kept her from going at once to mrs ogden fitchugh and brought her to the lodge at Sunny sunnyside side instead it ras a as not my intention to betray her louise herself must notify her people I 1 do not justify myself now but re member I 1 was in a peculiar position toward the armstrong family I 1 was connected moat most unpleasantly with a cold blooded crime and my niece and nephew were practically beggared either directly or indirectly through the he head a d of th the e family mr fitzhugh bitz litz hugh had found the mas sage paul died yesterday heart dis ease she read wire at once it if louise is rith you you see miss innes louise must have started east and fanny is alarmed about her yes I 1 said louise is no not aare nere mrs airs ritz fitzhugh hugh went on and none of her friends the few who are still in town have seen her I 1 called you because sunny side was not rented when she went away amay and louise might have gone there I 1 am sorry mrs fitzhugh but I 1 cannot help you I 1 said and was im mediately filled with compunction suppose lo 10 ise grew worse who was I 1 to play providence in this case caseb the anxious mother certainly had a right to know that her daughter was in good hands so I 1 broke in on mrs fitzhugh s voluble excuses for disturbing me mrs urs fitchugh Fitt hugh I 1 said I 1 was go ing to let you ou think I 1 knew nothing about louise armstrong but I 1 have changed my mind louise is here with mith me there was a clatter of ejaculations at the other end of the wire she is ill and not able to be moved moreover she is unable to see any one I 1 wish you wo ild wire her mother that she is with me and tell I 1 er not to worry no I 1 do not know why she came east but my dear miss innes mrs airs fitzhugh began I 1 cut in ruthlessly I 1 will send for you as soon as she can see yo i I 1 said no she is not in a crit cal state now but the doctor says she in at st have absolute quiet when I 1 had hung up the receiver I 1 sat down to think so louise had fled from her people in california and had come east alone it occurred to me that dr walker might be concerned in it might possibly have bothered her with unwelcome attentions but it seemed to me that louise was hard il ij a girl to take refuge in flig it under sich circumstances she had always been high spirited with the well poised head and buoyant step of the outdoors girl it must I 1 ave been much more in keeping with louise s char acter as I 1 knew it to resent vigorous ly any unwelcome attentions from dr walker it was the suitor whom I 1 should have expected to see in head long flight not the jadv in the case the fhe p azle was no clearer at the end of the halt half hour I 1 picked alythe morning papers which were still full of the looting of the traders bank the interest at fever height aga n on oil acco nt of paul armstrong s death the bank examiners were working on the books and said nothing for bubli cation john bailey had been released on bond the body of paul armstrong would arrive sunday and would be b lied from the armstrong town ho se there were rumors that the dead man min s estate had been a corn com ively small one the |