| Show What the C ray House i iL L The M Mystery bf r r r of ar a r 1 Haunted Its N Mansion Q SERVICE o Ly Mo a THE STORY nil Hilton ton Hanby prosperous New New York merchant has purchased a country place the place tho Gray house near Pine Pino Plains Miss bliss a ormer ormer tenant of ot the Gray Gra- house bouse calls at his office and warns him Alm that the house is under under un un- un der n a curse Further alarming details are Impressed upon Adolf Hanbys Hanby's secretary tary by a aman aman aman man who claims to have been chauffeur for Sir Stanford Stanfold Seymour Sey Sey- mour former occupant of the place The Hanbys laugh oft off the warnings they have received both from Miss and from acquaintance as some form of practical Joke But they are shocked ed when they hear bear that the caretaker whom they have put In charge of ot the Gray housea house a man named Kerr has bee been mysteriously murdered Hanby consults his friend Pelham t Eg CHAPTER III ff 5 t At the real real estate estate offices of Doug las as Smith Pelham was referred by Douglas whom he knew to a Mr Appleton Appleton will wUl tell you everything 1 said Douglas He Be has an amazing memory for details and a a great af nt t for the Gray house bouse Come Into In In- Sto to my office when youre you're through Frederick Apple Appleton on w was s a n small plump man of at sixty Be ile had a distinguished dis conservatism in dress u a florid complexion and blue e eyes es which looked more than usually large lars Rowing owing to the thickness and power of at lenses he be wore After a little preliminary talk Pelham Jud Judged ed him tobe be one of those men In n relatively i unimportant i-unimportant offices who bring to their tasks task's t a certain not unpleasing pom pom- I I J I 1 have In this book said Mr Ap pIcton pointing to a 0 ledger r a 0 complete complete com record of ot the tenants an and j the i i expenses of the Gray house to for fot almost almost al al- most thirty-five thirty years Here you you will find the cost of the upkeep of house grounds and stables In n my head 1 facts facts' concerning the thc peo pea pie who h have ve resided there which would be be out of place In the books of at a strictly business firm 1 take It then said Pelham that you have an unusual Interest In mankind Mr Appleton's shrewd but but kindly face beam beamed d. d We sc see a n great deal den I more In this line of 1 f work than you would suppose Oh Oil dear dear me yes I D Do I understand that Mr Ur Hanby desires Information about the place d t tYes Yes ani and Mr Douglas said that you could tell rat mt everything He Is Isa Isn isa a n close personal friend of Mr Hanby Mr Appleton's eyes grew a little harder So 1 Inferred Interred from tram the e tact fact that the sale was not made through me I J knew that Mr Hanby was Interested In the tile Gray house but I admit being staggered when Mr Douglas made the announcement nt that It was sold It was clear to Pelham that thEother the theother theother other mt man was chagrined No doubt It was the allowable annoyance of an nn old and trusted employee ee who having be been consulted for so long Is bt sr w left out of the firms firm's coned cone cona dence d e In the sale of at a 8 property Not that I am criticizing Mr Douglas the other went on Oh dear me no I 1 ills His manner was brisk and cheerful again A What can I do for you Mr Pelham Did Old you ever know a a Miss Sel en enos os She occupied the Gray house for tor three years I 1 remember her ber well Poor lady she Io loathed thed and despised d men particularly your humble servo sere ant We had to evict her for tor nonI non t I I payment payment- of at rent rent ent She had ample J warning but we had to call the sheriff sherif In May Muy I I. I ask how yon you know her ber She called on Mr Hanby and threatened l him with all sorts of ot wild If It be did not sell seU tile the tiletA tA i place to her There was vas no doubt about Mr Ap Ap- Interest now I 1 can quite be believe leve It het be saidI said I 1 remember that when we put hut ut her herout herout herout out she said that I should b be dead w wf ln the year I may say sai th that t my wy gelid wife was very much relieved when whon the tile twelvemonth had bad passed I J hp hear r that she has bas at last Inherited the great fortune They were I laud poor for man many years You think she she's not normal norma In Insanity y in the family said Bald Mr Appleton firmly The things thinKs she sala sola salato to me were most l Indelicate and could only be explained by madness of ot a hereditary type The speaker hest for a II moment I 1 suppose she shedid did u ant t mention my name I think not Dot I suppose you rem em but r Mr Seymour Now Sir Stanford Seymour Ch Cb dear die yes seal I I ventured to call ui upon n him when In England two years ago ayo The rile tragedy bad left Its mark on Sir Stanford but he be was always alway a reserved ed t type pe What tragedy 1 t His two sons were drowned in th the lake e. e W Who ho was the previous pre tenant 1 Mr Ir John Throckmorton His wife died at the G Gray ray house A lovely woman 1 I I went to the funeral Very sad sud indeed The lake a again aln It seems to ha have hae e been a 0 house bouse of ol death Pelham commented He did not relish the Idea Ideo of at the Hanby tam faint fly Ily Inhabiting It as os much as he had hud done Who came after Sir Stanford Seymour He sublet It subject It-subject subject to our ap op approval of at course course to to Mr Crosby Norton Mr Norton lost his four toUl children In that same d d-d d d lake I 1 regret to say yes yes Mr Appleton Apple ton looked shrewdly at his visitor Have you Jou much Influence with Air Mr Hilton Hanby I am his closest friend Do you suppose that you could Influence him to reconsider his purchase purchase pur chase Mr Appleton was consider consider- I J 1 1 to tot t Mr Appleton's Eyes Grew a a Little Harder ate and sympathetic 9 1 am not a believer In haunted houses I try to tobe tobe tobe be skeptical In such ml matters but there seems to be a strange fate tote about the Gray house It t always alway takes tokes toll of the young and happy Those Seymour children for Cor exam pie highbred high bred strong happy boys who could swim excellently yet they are dead and at Sir Stanford Stanford's s death his title goes to a distant cou cousin in ln Then the Norton children three girls and a boy the boy the lake got cot ot them too I tell myself It It was a 8 coincidence Perhaps I Perhaps I Ills His manner grew rew more confidential Tell me Mr Pelham did you ever hear benT such sucha a chain of at coincidences as that Its most disturbing news admitted admitted admit admitted ted Pelham It seems to me said the other that It If these unhappy facts were duly brought to Mr Hanbys Hanby's notice he could not disregard aJl them No doubt Miss manner annoyed him and he disregarded her story on that account yet yet Appleton Appleton tapped the big ledger the ledger the facts are all down here in my own handwriting hal Im afraid whatever 1 J said would make him all the more determined to go He is a skeptic and opposition m makes kes him ready to fight I dont don't think anything would make him give it up I 1 have done my duty then said Appleton briskly No doubt he Is right and these deaths were due to lack of care 1 I have bave here a letter with estimate from a Pine Plains carpenter who agreed to put the rustic rustle bridge In order That bridge Mr Pelham crossed the lake loke at Its deepest part The Seymour boys were fishing from It when It gave ga way I rather think the Norton children were found near there too Appleton turned to the estimate You see Mr Pelham these tragedies tragedies trag edies edles might have been averted a If the owner had seen fit to expend sixty sixty- four Conr dollars and el eighteen cents It was owing to my Influence that the lake was completely filled In and the stream feeding It was diverted to the lower lake Instead of at five acres arres of oC water filled with stumps which m made ma-le le fishing difficult Mr Hanby anby has hns now nowa a n t twenty acre lake lale with good bass bassand bassand and trout In It and not a n pickerel to todo todo todo do damage 1 I have ha fished there every ev ery cry year and I know I wonder If It Mr Hanby would extend the courtesy courtesy cour tesy to me Ill answer for tor him said salt Pelham Im n a fisherman myself Thank you for Cor what youve you've told me Well Vell Douglas las asked a 0 little tater lat tat er cr Get ret what yO you wanted And more said Pelham The Gray house hn has n dismal atmosphere about It It to my way of at thinking Appleton Ap picton seems to think that for less than fht sixty sixty five five e dollars nil all those lives might have ha been saved sa I 1 think hes he's rl right ht said th the oth other er The old lake late was within a few Cew yards yawls of ot the house and very very deep It was too much of ot a temptation to children The hanks were steep too as ns I recall them Then you dont don't believe In the curse theory I Douglas Douglas' las las' lighted 0 n a cigar before on nn Pelham's que question Uon In my office during business hours the Idea seems silly but sometimes when hen I cant can't sleep at nl night ht Im I'm not so sur sure Ive I've Highland blood blood In my veins remember and race memories of ot haunted houses and curses that de descend from generation to genera enera tion Dont Don't ask me Bill You give Ive me the same seme sort of at comfort that Appleton does He Ho tells me what curdles my blood and ani then explains It all nil away awny by n a carpenters carpenter's estimate that missed the mark marlc a a a e a aIt It was not a 8 very comfortable mo i tor for the Hanbys WHen Wilen Junior drove his father thanked God that his will was made and his affairs were In order When Hanby was wm at atthe atthe atthe the wheel his son struggled between between a feeling of pride that his progenitor tor still had his nerve left and a fear tear that never again would he tread the campus at New Haven naven forking Corking road I Junior commented when Pine Plains was In n sight Was It U a 8 road 1 his father de mandet Im relieved to know that I thou thought ht It was a 8 race track the Wheres Where's Gray house We passed it on the last lap You might have pointed it out ant to tome tome tome me remarked young youn Hanby Why I thought as we went by that neither of at us ns would world ever have bave havethe havethe the opportunity to Inhabit It It Junior laughed This old oM bus hus can certainly clip oft off the milestones 1 l Dont boast You only scratched the one one you yon hit bit It beats bents me his son r remarked philosophically why cows dont don't know their own minds I 1 didn't dream that beast was going to give us a race Slow down Junior 1 I his sire com corn Weve got to stand well wellIn wellin wellin in this community Hilton Hanby stepped from tram the car cur to be greeted by the local police chief and an officer from Kingston This Is my mv son Sli Sherlock Gaboriau Hanhy he be he said sold Is Is the inquest over Yes said the the local loral man I wish you'd been here bere before Any ny clew to the murderer Junior asked tt Not a one 6 tj Ju Junior lor E smiled D fenew Knew exactly how It would be But theres there's a a mighty interesting development de This fellow tellow Kerr Gerr wasn't I Kerr Irr rr at all He tie had a whole string of aliases We printed fingerprinted him and fitted the right name to him Your caretaker Mr was Red hapin wanted wante for Cor most ever everything up to murder Interesting ex claimed A murderer murdered i He was not pleased to think that such a a man had been In his bis employ althou although h engaged by an a agent ent His Hip references was stolen from Crom Rome some Spanish war veteran named Kerr Well We'll find out all about shout It soon Also he tie Kerrn papers and a m medal Want to look at him sir Not on your lite said suld Hanby who detested morbid things Id like to Junior suggested TO BE CONTINUED |
