Show thi B V BY A yf ca IMS ma 10 V eakas SYNOPSIS M ss innes sp anster and guardian ot of gertrude and halsey sl st ed summer headquarters at side amidst nu cerous d I le u it c es s t e servants deserted 1 As miss aliss innes n n es lo 10 loci el ed up for the n s e was a startled t by a dark egure on the lera pla la unseemly no ses sea d stubbed I 1 er dur ng the n in the morning 11 ss 83 innes found a strange I 1 nl cut butto I 1 a I 1 an per gertrude and halsey arrived with jd ja k ba ley the I 1 ouse was awak ened by a revolver shot and arnold arm strong V as found a ot to deahl in the hall it 1 q innes found halsey a revolver on tl a e lawn he and jaci jacl bailey had dis appeared the I 1 n t c cuff button bously d sapp eared detects e jamieson arrived gertrude reNe revealed aled she was en to jack jck bailey with whom sl e talked in the bil ard room a few mo ments bedora the birder jamieson ami eson ac aused al M ss as innes of hold ng back evi dence he imprisoned an intruder in an empty room tl TI e prisoner escaped down a la laundry adry chute gertrude was wag suspected A negro found the other halt half of wl at proved to be jack ba ley a cuff button halsey reappears and says he and bailey left in response to a telegram gertr da de said aid she had given bailey balley an se revolver olver fearing to give him hin a loaded capon caslier casi ler bailey of paul arm strong strongs s bank defunct was arrested for embezzlement halsey said armstrong wrecked his own bank and could clear bailey paul pau 1 armstrongs death was an bounced halsey s fiancee louse lou se arm strong was found at tl e lodge the lod lodge keeper said louise and arnold had a long talk the night of the murder lou ise was prostrated louise told halsey that while hile she sti ti I 1 loved him she was to marry another and that he would desp se her w when hen he learned the whole story it d developed evel aped that dr walker and lou se were to be marr ed A prowler was heard in the house louse lou se was found at the bottom bollom of the circular staircase louise bald said s she he had hear hearl a knock at the door and a ed it ing brushed past her on the sta arway and she tainted fainted bal ley Is suspected of armstrong a murder CHAPTER continued why was mr lur bailey not present at the inquest 7 9 the detective detectives s expression was pe culiar because his physician testified that he Is ill III and unable to leave his bed UP I 1 exclaimed why neither halsey nor gertrude has told me that there are more things than that miss innes that are puzzling bailey gives the impression that he knew nothing of the crash at the bank un til he read it in the paper monday night and that he went back and sur rendered himself immediately I 1 do not believe it jonas the watchman at the traders bank tells a different story he ile says that on the thurs day night before about galley bailey went back to the bank jonas ad bitted him and he says the cashier was in a atao almost of collapse bailey worked until mian then he closed the vault and went away the occurrence was so unusual that the watchman pondered over it all the rest of the night what did bailey do when he went back to the knicker bocker apartments that night he packed aled a suitcase suit case ready for instant departure but he held off too long he waited for something my per bonal opinion is that he waited to see miss gertrude before flying from the country then when he had shot down arnold armstrong that night he had to choose between two evils he did the thing that would immediately Immediate lv turn public opinion in his favor and surrendered himself as an innocent man the strongest thing against him is his preparation for fl and his deciding to come back after the murder of arnold armstrong he ile was shrewd enough to disarm suspicion as to the graver charge the evening dragged along vly mrs watson came to my bedroom be fore I 1 went to bed and ed ft if I 1 had any arnica she showed me a badly swollen hand with reddish streaks running toward the elbow she said it was the hand she had hurt the night of the n arder a week before and that she had not slept well since it looked to me as it if it might be serious and I 1 told her to let dr stewart stew art see it rhe next morning mrs watson went ent up to ton town n on the 11 tra n and was admitted to the cha ity hospital she was suffering from blood poison ing I 1 fully meant to go ip i p and see her there but other things drove d rove her entirely from my mind I 1 telephoned to the hospital that day however and ordered a private room tor for her and whatever what eier comforts she might be al lowed mrs armstrong arrived monday evening with her husband husbands s body and the services were set for tie tle next day the house on chestnut street in town had been opened and I 1 lues aes ues day morning louise left us t to 0 go 90 home she sent for me before she went and I 1 saw she had been crying how can I 1 thank you miss innest she said you have taken me oil faith and you have not asked me any questions some time perhaps I 1 can tell you ou and when that time comes you will all despise me hal sey spy too I 1 tried to tell her how glad I 1 was to have had her but there was some thing else she wanted to say she said it finally when she had bade a constrained good by to halsey and the car was waiting at the door I 1 miss innes she said in a low tone it if they if there is any attempt made to to have you give up the hoase do it if you possibly can T am afraid to have you stay that was all Ger gertruce went into town with her and saw her safely home ahe rep reported a decided decol ness riess in the greeting between betwee il louise ami and I 1 er no rio ri n o her and that di walker I 1 0 A ta y of ay it was thomas was there apparently in charge of the arrangements for the funeral halsey disappeared shortly after louise left and came home about nine that night muddy and tired As tor for thomas he went around dejected and sad and I 1 saw the detective watching him close ly at d liner even now I 1 wonder what did thomas know what did he suspect 7 at ten clock the household had settled down for the n liddy who was taking mrs airs watson watsons s place had finished examining the tea towels and the corners of the shelves in the ec cooling oling room and had gone to bed alex the gardener had gone heavily up the circular staircase to his room and mr jamieson was examining g the locks of the windows halsey dropped into a chair in the living room and stared moodily ahead once he roused what sort 0 of a looking chap is that walker Gertr Gertrude tide 7 he asked rather tall very dark smooth shaven not bad 1001 ing gertrude said putting down the book she had been pretending to rad halsey kicked a viciously lovely place this village must be in the m winter inter he said irrelevantly keirl girl would be buried alive heie it was then some one rapped at the knocker on the heavy front door hal sey got up leisurely and opened it admitting warner he ile was out of breath from running and he looked halt half abashed I 1 am sorry to disturb you he said but I 1 didn dian t know what else to do it its s about thomas IN hat abo it thomas I 1 asked mr jamieson Jam had come into the hall and we all stared at warner he s act ng queer ivainer arner ex he s sitting down thre there on the edge of the porch and he says he his has seen a ghost the 0 d man 1001 s bad too he can scarcely speak ile hes s as full of superstition tion as an egg is of meat I 1 said halsey bring wine wl isky and we will all go down no one n oved to get the whisky from wl ch I 1 j aged there were three I 1 locket bocket flasks ready for eberg ncy gertr de videw a shawl around ma m sho alders and we all started down over the hill I 1 had made so many nocturnal elc around the place that I 1 knew my N ay perfectly but thomas was mas not dot on the eranda nor was vas he inside the hoise the men exchanged ig filant glances and arar got a lantern he ile can t have g ne far I 1 e said he ile was trembling so that he co ilan t stand when I 1 left jamieson Jam leson and halsey together made the round of the lodge occasionally calling the old man by name but there was no response les fo no thomas came bowing and showing his white teeth through the darkness I 1 began to be vaguely uneasy for the first time gertrude who was neer nen ous in the dark went ent alone down the drice to the gate and stood there looking along the yellowish vish I 1 ne of the roa I 1 while I 1 waited on the tiny vei anda warner was puzzled he came around to the edge of the veranda and stood looking at it as if it ought to kno inov v and explain he ile might have stumbled into the ho se he said but he could not have climbed the stairs anyhow hes he s not inside or outside that I 1 can see the other members of the party had come back now and no one had found any trace of the old man his ills pipe still warm tested on the edge of the rail tall and inside on the table his old 9 gray ray hat showed that its owner had not gone tar far ha was vans not far after all from ohp 1 table my eyes traveled around the room and stopped at the door of a closet I 1 hardly know what impulse moved me but I 1 went in and turned the knob it burst open with the im petus of a weight behind it and some thing fell partly forward in a heap on the floor it was thomas thomas without a mark of injury on him and dead CHAPTER dr walkers warning warner was on his knees in a moment fumbling at the old man mans s col lar to loosen it but halsey caught his hand let him alone he said you cant can t help him he Is dead we stood there each avoiding the other others s eyes we spoke low and rev evently in the presence of death and we tacitly avoided any mention of the suspicion that was in every mind V hen mr air jamieson had finished his cursory examination he got up and dusted the knees of his trousers there is no sign of injury he said and I 1 know I 1 for 0 one n e drew a long breath of relief from what warner says and from his hiding in the closet I 1 should say he was scared to death fright and weak heart together but what could have done ita ger trude asked he ile was all right this evening at dinner warner what did he say when you found him on the porch warner looked shaken his honest boyish face was colorless just what I 1 told you miss innes hed he d been reading the paper down stairs I 1 had put up the car and feel ng sleepy I 1 came down to the lodge tp go to bed As I 1 went up stairs thomas put down the paper and tal leg ing his pipe went out on the porch then I 1 heard an exclamation from him D t he say any anything taing you could understand 7 I 1 asked he ile said something about th grave agn gning up its bead gead air jamieson Jam leson was going agh the old mans man s packets s and gertrude was composing nis arms folding them across his white shirt bosom always so spotless in the course of I 1 Is investigations the detective had come to the inner pocket of the dead butler butlers s black coat here he found some things that interested him one was a small flat key with a red cord tied to it and the other was a bit of white paper on which was written something in chomas cramped hand mr air jamie son read it then he gave it to me it was an address in fresh ink I 1 WALLACE 14 elm street richfield As the card went around I 1 think both the detective and I 1 watched for any possible sible effect it might have but beyond perplexity there seemed tobe to be none richfield gertrude exclaimed why elm street Is the main street don t you remember halsey lucien wallace halsey said that Is the child stewart spoke of at the inquest wainer with his mechanics mechanic s in had reached tor for the key what he said was not a surprise yale lock he said probably a key to the east entry there was no reason why thomas an old and trusted servant should not have had a key to that particular door although the servants entry was in the west wing but I 1 had not known of this key and it opened up a new field of conjecture just now however there were many things to be attended to an ani I 1 leaving NV varner arner U ij AJAI 1 with the body we all went back to the house mr jamieson Jam leson walked with me while halsey and geatrude Gei trude followed I 1 suppose I 1 shall have to notify the armstrongs I 1 said they will know if thomas had any people and how to reach them of course I 1 expect to defray the ex expenses of the funeral but his relatives must be found what do you think frightened him mr bamfo son sona it is hard to say he replied slowly but I 1 think we may be certain it was fright and that he was hiding from something I 1 am sorry in more than one way I 1 have always believed that thomas knew something or sua pecked something that he would not tell do you know how much money there was in that worn out wallet ot of his hisa nearly 1001 almost two months wages and yet those darkles seldom have a penny well what thomas knew will be burled buried with him with the death of thomas I 1 felt that a climax had come in affairs at sunnyside Sunny side the night that followed was quiet enough halsey watched at the foot of the staircase se and a corn com system of bolts on the other doors seemed to be effectual once in the night I 1 wakened and thought I 1 heard the tapping again but all was quiet and I 1 had reached the stage where I 1 refused to be disturbed for minor occurrences the armstrongs were notified ot of thomas death and I 1 had my first in with dr walker as a result lie ile came up early the next morning just as we finished breakfast in a professional pr fess ional looking car with a black hood I 1 must make a double excuse for this early visit miss innes he said as he sat down the chair was lower alan tl an he expected and his dignity required collecting before he went vent on my professional duties are urgent and long neglected and a fall to the everyday manner something must be done about trat body yes I 1 said sitting on the edge ot of my chair I 1 merely wished the ad dress of thomas people you might have telephoned it if you were busy he ile smiled I 1 to see you about something i else he said As for thomas it Is mrs armstrongs armstrong s wish that you allow her to attend to the expense about his relatives I 1 have already notified his brother in the village it was heart disease I 1 think thomas always had a bad heart heart disease and fright I 1 said still on the edge of my chair but the doctor had no intention of leaving I 1 understand you have a ghost lip up here and that you have the house filled with detectives to exorcise it he said for some reason I 1 felt I 1 was being pumped as halsey says you have been misinformed I 1 replied anat no ghost no detectives he said still with vath his smile what a disappointment to the village I 1 resented his attempt at playful ness it had been anything but a joke to 0 o us dr walker I 1 said tartly I 1 fall to 0 see any humor in the situation since I 1 came here one man has been shot and another one has died from shock there have been intruders in the house and strange noises it if that is tunny funny there is something wrong with my m sense of humor ion oa miss the point he said still good natu the thing that Is funny to me is that 3 ou on insist on remaining here under the circumstances I 1 should think nothing would keep you ou you are mistaken everything that occurs only confirms my resol to stay i the mystery Is cleared I 1 i ive ave a message for you miss innes he bald said rising at last mrs Arm armstrong asked me to thank you for your kindness to louise whose whim occurring at the time it did put her to great inconvenience also and this if Is a delicate matter she asked tle ne to appeal to your natural sym pathy for her at this time and to ask 3 50 0 i if y ou on will not reconsider your de cablon about the houe house Sunny sunnyside side Is her home she loves it dearly and f i st now she wishes to retire tiers |