Show What the Gray Hid House 4 The Die 1 e Mystery of ofa a Haunted Mansion by b Wyndham Wyndhan Martyn A ALAA W lv N U Service Copyright by Wyndham Martyn THE STORY Hilton Hanby hn has purchased II a country the place place the Gray house near Pine Plains Plane Miss R former tenant warns him that the tho house bouse Is Je under onder a curse Further alarming details are aro Im- Im Impressed im pressed upon Adolf Adolt secretary by a man who to have been chauffeur for tor Sir Stanford Seymour former oc- oc occupant occupant oc occupant ot of the tile place paco The Tho lInn lInn- bya bys by laugh auGh oft off the warnings they arc aro shocked when the they har h ar that the caretaker r of ot the Gray a man named Kerr hae ha been mysterious mysteriously murdered Hanby consults consult his bis friend Pet Pet- Petham bam Pel-bam ham The family starts for the new home Appleton a n clerk of Douglas and Smith the from whom Hanby bought the Gray house bouse urges Pelham to die die- dis dissuade suade Hanby from occupying the Gray house considers ask asking ask ask- asking ing Leslie Barron long an ad- ad admirer ad admirer of ot Celia Cella to Join the house party Mrs Hanby declares she eke likes the house Pelham becomes a member of ot the tho household Les Lee Leelie Leslie lie Barron Darron arrives making four bodied bodied able members of the han han- hanby Han Hanby b by household A phone call from froID froma froIDa a man who declares he Is anold an anold anold old acquaintance of Hanbys Hanby's and Interested In ornithology but whom lInn Hanby by cannot identify urges him to preserve e a part of the grounds as a bird sanctuary The Idea appeals to Hanby and he makes the promise The Han Han Han-bys bye bs take possession of ot the Gray house A stranger Introducing himself as Frederick Appleton cas calls at the Gray house and Is welcomed because of his Interest In bird life Hanby foresees trou trouble his ble In connection with work to tobe tobe be tobe done on tho the estate with which he Is unfamiliar and gladly en- en engages engages en engages gages A Appleton as na h his hia 18 agent t CHAPTER Continued VI-Continued VI Continued 11 1101 11 01 Kill Bill said Les Lea presently you you give gin me roe the Idea of being constantly on the watch What do I get five find a quarter a day ay forT for Seriously Kill Hill what maIes you look loik as If you thought there was something menacing around Do Io I give pire myself away to that ex extent extent tent tent How flow artless of me mel I I thought I was Just registering firm determination tIon Ive I seen you yon stalking around at night Why Let me In on It It You know Im I'm not likely to spill It Dill Bin Killas as man to man what makes you look so darned anxious Bill Pelham lowered his voice As As man DJan to man Les there Is dan cjan danger danger ger 1 F r have made some very ery remark remarkable remarkable remarkable able discoveries erles You mustn't tell even Junior because Dma Dina has bas some psychIc way of knowing when bet ber children are worried and this Is not oot nota nota a matter for Joking Beres Bere's Junior now flow Ul LII Bill I Junior shouted coming toward them Theres a n In lawyer wyer lady aU all the way from trots New York Dad wants you to come Bill mil Pelham looked at Les wIth triumph You see that everyone every one ot oX my mJ has bas been I l stat stul stated ed distinctly that she ehe had hud come from New v York to see me tier Her shoes were bought at the one city In America where they are sold tier Her gloves glo could only have p come from on the Avenue I recognized the crumb of cake cale on her bet second chin as wade made only by Mary Elizabeths Elizabeth's New v NewYork NewYork York branch bronch The house bouse detective made mae his way wa to the The TIle brisk profession professional al woman was Introduced as os Doctor Dyers I 1 bold hold degrees In medicine and law she said I really cant can't say whether Im I'm here today as ns a lawyer or as a Ps psychopath Bill said the great grent Sel Sd Sel-enos Sel enos mystery Is Ia about to be cleared up I 1 can cnn hardly o agree ree that It Is a mys- mys mystery mys mystery tery objected th the visitor At all nil events Im I'm glad you yon came nn and not your ven vengeful client She SlIe Is Isa Isa Isa a dynamo of unpleasant energy ener y hiow little you know her heri 1 Doc Doe Doctor tor tot commented If one may re-garli re regard her as a n dynamo Sue she Is the kind of or dynamo which uses nil alt Its for force e for a 3 few moments arid and th then n has long periods of Inertia during which current Is being generated for forBorne some Borne future use 1 I am not sure that my knowledge of dynamos Is sound but you no doubt get my meaning After her ber Interview Inter with you my cli client ent was prostrated for a month She Is Intensely nervous too now now too nerv nervous ous Qua In fn fact fact t even cen to come here Im bound to SHY Buy she made a u ver poor Impression on me roe said suM all I It Is her unfortunate way She L 1 suffers Intensely ly from froin delusions of persecutIon She particularly loathes and despise unjustly men men unjustly I believe What la Is her Interest In this house from which she was evicted for non nonpayment nonpayment nonpayment payment of rent That the vera thing rye Ive come about Mr AIr Hanby t mInd If I 3 smoke moke a cigarette do you I I must aik uk you to be pa heat for a few tew moments It Is la a truism to soy say that everything Ii I rela relative tIre tive Isn't It Very ery well then It If you or I I or MIss Ulsa believe In our hearts that some Bome one thing or an another other apparently Insignificant In It Itself self self Is the most vital rital thing In our lives that thing Is 1 actually the most Important This Is III 1 modern modem teaching The trouble Is 8 that wo we Judge the In- In Interests In Interests of others by our own ards aland-ards stand stand- standards ards She turned to Bill Pelham Jazz music to you may be he the most important thing since Tubal CaIns CaIn's time I despise it It To me a fine symphony orchestra represents music at Its apotheosis I I knew v If It It declared Bill gratified I 1 said so l I 1 dont don't think you quite under understand stand said Doctor flyers Byera a 8 little puzzled I 1 thInk we do remarked I you mean Is that the thing motivating moth your client trill seem very ery Insignificant to us IS Is her I in interest terest In wy my house bouse and why did shE hp I t Undoubtedly the Poor Creature Is Mad Said Hanby desIre me not to live here I should like to know how my famIly can dese desecrate crate It I think that was the word she used All sIte she wants to do said Doctor eyers Is to be nil allowed owed to removE something she burled buried here She has bas had great grett trouble It seems that Douglas Smith referred her to a aMr aMr aMr Mr Appleton who had complete charge of houses and properties list listed ed ell eu In this county A most conscientious man Han Uan Hanby by said warmly I 1 know him bUn well Perhaps too conscientious My client having vivid dislikes Immedi Immediately declared him to be a libertine scoundrel and thief Your cilento client asserted Hanby should be In the county asylum forthe for forthe forthe the Insane I disagree She Is neither danger danger- dangerous dangerous ous nor likely to become a charge on the community She believes that Appleton arranged the eviction In or order der tp spite her Certainly It need not have e been so drastic She dId not refuse to pay the rent because she was without means She fused rl-fused cause because certain vermin alterations were not nol carried out These alterations were not embodied In the contract that Appleton drew up Legally she had no case nse She Is sure that Apple Apple- Appleton Appleton ton Apple ton deliberately tricked her She was wasso wasso as asso so upset that she went to to live When she came hack she made another effort to rent the place through Douglas Smith They re reo referred her to Appleton again and be refused Pel Pelham barn asked It lt stood empty long enough Appleton would not Dot recommend her to old Miss Coryell who owned It it as a n suitable client Miss Cor Coryell yell believed bt In hIm him Implicitly It seems amazing that Air Mr Douglas can Illuce such reliance on him Not amazing to those who ho know him retorted unable una hie to seewhy see seewhy seewhy why Appleton should be criticized thus MJ 61 client appealed to successive tenants to allow her ber to remove what she had hod burled hurled but again the ton Apple Apple Appleton ton Influence e Intervened One ten toSe toDe ant ant a Mr Mi Seymour seemed med likely to Se De agreeable but Appleton stopped that He lie thata Informed Mr Seymour that a tenant has baa no legal right to allow any excavation without the consent I ot of the owner Miss Ulsa Coryell LIke float Englishmen Ur lit Seymour was afraid of offending against an any such auth statutes CB ne hedge about landowners and had to retire refuse He De laid the blame squarely on Appleton A AI Uy My client having no le legal al adviser at lit the time behaved with great eat She hired men to g go ge there by night and Appleton bobbed In up op time to pre pre- pre pre- vent prevent them from entering I 1 regret to say that MIs Ml made mode a 8 re to r- r regrettable scene l 1 am bound to I dra 1 drawn nto say am not DOt n to her ber flashy Hanby remarked I 1 had avery a avery very er unpleasant Interview with her What has she buried burled Wh Why did she sheI I bury It Mr Doctor Byers flyers said In her pleasant voice olce forget forJet for a min minute mm ute t that she offended you ou ConsIder ner her as a lr lonely ni i old n woman ri rr i iio io ner as a ni i old n woman ri rr i iio io grievously deceived by a man forty years ago ngo Is she the first to become embittered Is she the tile first to turn to what we call the lower animals You iou m mean man an those dogs I 1 mean those dogs The dog Is the only orly animal that has ever er made an alliance with man sian the only animal that will brave bra death for Its owner the only really thing In the world Doctor Byers Dyers looked about her You have bave one everythIng everything one of the lie loveliest lo women In America for a wIfe beautiful children riches and thIs home My client has hns nothing hut but huther buther buther her love for dogs The second shock of her ber life was when four of her bet dogs were poisoned bere here I suppose It If I Itell Itell Itell tell you she believed that Appleton did It you will smile Undoubtedly the poor creature Is mad said Hanby His Ills voice was not so BO vindictive now It was true be thou thought ht that he had bad health everything everything health happiness freedom from monetary care a friend like Bill Pelham Insensibly his mood softened She had leaden caskets made and burled buried them out on a little littie lawn where a sundial stood It shocked her Immeasurably to l learn arn that Mr Seymour had bad removed the dial and made a tennis lawn She Is now v In a position to pay for any damages I Imay Imay Imay may say eay I am here to make you nn an offer olTer for this house considerably In excess of ot what you paid for It Il It Is not In the market n replied Then will you let her ber have ha the little lead lend coffins collins removed smiled a little I suppose you know that my fam family fly ily who are devoted to that grass court will be singularly pleased She Is prepared to pay No money will buy a ready made ready grass tennis court he reminded her bet I Is that a refusal Does It mean menn so much to that old woman coma It means so much that you yon would not believe It All right rl ht 1 I Hanby said sIghing Go ahead 1 I But ut the tile lawn was not wrecked With a sharp steel probe the house detective discovered ed the leaden lenden boxes They were Immediately under onder the thenet thenet net The removal was skillfully done dOM Even Junior did not know It had talc tuk taken en place Now v that It Is all over said Doc Doc- Doctor Doctor Doctor tor Dyers Byers ers I am commissioned to ask Mrs rs Hanby If It she will accept this emerald Hanby could see that the stone set In a pendant was of great value We couldn't think of It he be de de- declared de- de declared dared Why not My client now that her California property Is clear 1 Is certainly worth She Is a avery avery avery very remarkable woman Please no notice notice tice that she did not offer this as os a 0 bribe If It you yon do not take It her dl are ore explicit I am to throw v It Into the lake Oh Hill HIlI I said Dma Dina later This Is Ii another of the things gs Ive I've always al wanted Its It's the most gorgeous stone Ive I've ever seen I You ruu never oever told me so he be replied Jealously It would woud have made you to know there was something rou could not DOt give g me So that's the mystery I said he said meditating Poor old soul She SIte couldn't hear boar the Idea of young barbarians at piny play on 00 her ber burying ground Well If she's happier now V Im I'm glad but as a mystery It ba has hadiS TO BE lIE CONTINUED |