Show M ME B BS 0 E M I 1 THREE SHUTTERED SOHO oum HOUSES n by y ISEN BEN elk AMES WILLIAMS SERVICE SYNOPSIS driving home through a torrential rain young do clint berv les picks u up a 0 karl r sc scantily clad running in terror astric en FI antey antsy light abt do down w the road she rides a short ways leaves the car and runs into the woods wood lie he decides to talk to his dear friends inspector tope and miss aliss moss about his adventure clant lint still thinks ol of her as miss moss his former guardian though she and the inspector are married having settled down now manages the jervies estate himself in three shuttered houses all gloomy and forbidding on kene saw adiv hill near where clint picked up th the frightened girl lived three families in one house lived old denman hurder his wife who had been ella kenesaw and his daughter kitty leaford and her daughter june living in a second house was aunt evie taine uncle justus and brothers rob rab and asa the third held old matthew bowdon and his wife living on the estate was a man known only to june as uncle jim following their usual custom the three daml families gathered in the hurder home satur saturday dav night kitty junes mother retired early with a headache CHAPTER II 11 continued 3 rab set the pan of milk on the bedside table he said ive been telling june she ought to ge get t out of this mausoleum once in a while kitty why dont you let me show her around why dont we three go on a party some night ill get theater tickets and well have dinner in town kitty said without turning her head good night rab im dead tired junes all right ill take care of her think it over rab urged everyone here is old except june and me and you and maybe asa and were all old compared with june kitty swung around dont worry rab she said a slow passion in her tones im going to get june out of this she shant live as ive lived good night rab made an amused grimace at june and went away june came behind her mothers chair let me brush it she offered softly Is your head bad ive got to sleep tonight kitty leaford whispered or go madl this is one of my bad days warm the milk for me june took the milk into the bathroom lighted the gas on the small burner there and stirred the milk so that it should not burn by the time it was lukewarm kitty leaford was in bed juna poured the milk into a glass and brought it to her mothers bedside the glass was not quite full 1 I can feel thunder in the air said kitty leaford and shuddered she had prepared for the night as she always did with an elaborate care june knew the ritual ma massage s unguents waving irons in her hair gloves saturated with an emollient to keep soft her hands kitty leaford still served a beauty that had vanished long ago ill come in to you if it storms june promised bring me a tablet the older woman directed june hesitated wont you be able to sleep without mot mother her with just the milk she pleaded kitty said petulantly dont argue with me tonight june im not fit to bear it in the bathroom cabinet june went back into the bathroom she rinsed the pan under the faucet delaying trying to find some argument she noticed that the milky water was slow to drain out of the basin the trap must have become plugged her mother called hurry junel june the girl opened the cabinet and took out a familiar bottle the bottle had no label she removed the cork and let one tablet roll into her palm she set the bottle down on the edge of the basin and was about to replace the cork when kitty leaford called june ill take two tonight I 1 want to go to sleep quickly sleep sound june made an unhappy gesture and her hand touched the uncorked bottle it fell into the basin spilling tablets she rescued it hastily there was still a little w water ater in the basin and the spilled tablets were already half dissolved there were only three remaining in the bottle june stood in some consternation and her mother called what was that june did you spill them 1 I tipped over the bottle june confessed 1 I spilled one or two for heavens sake be careful kitty leaford cried fretfully doctor cabler always cross examines me when they go faster than he thinks they should bring me two june took one more tablet out of the bottle so that she had two in her hand while two remained she put the bottle in its place and went back into the other room she said mother I 1 wish you take them both you remember what happened that other time 1 I took three that time her mother retorted two wont hurt me you were awfully sick 1 I must get to sleep kitty leaford insisted she picked up the tablets from her daughters palm and dropped them in the warm milk she waited a moment to give them time to dissolve these are harmless june she urged practically 1 and they do make me sleep she laughed feverishly twice this many really hurt me june her eyes were haggard and I 1 cant help it it if I 1 dont s sleep I 1 e ep I 1 go mad she drained the draft that does taste strong she said with a faint grimace now run baby kiss me and go ill be asleep in a minute 0 J june une kissed her made her lie down covered her over she opened one window a crack kitty leaford was not a fresh air addict june looked at her and saw that tha t she was already half asleep the girl turned off the light and slipped away at the head of the stairs she paused long enough to be sure the others were leaving she heard someone slide the bolt on the front door heard uncle justus say ive fastened it denman then murmuring voices toward the kitchen they all went out that way and after a moment grandpa and grandma hurder returned to go into their own room on the then the electric light faded and died ground hoor floor in the east wing her mothers room and her own were in in the west wing over the big sitting room A deep uneasiness possessed june when her own door was closed and she was alone she stood still even her eyes unmoving it might be she thought the sullen electric air air which made her thus restless and full of a vague foreboding CHAPTER III june undressed slowly listlessly there was nothing in life as she knew it which could provoke her to eagerness her movements were automatic her thoughts went round and round a familiar circle this was her world these folk who had been here tonight and uncle jim who lived in the hut by the pond she thought of him now with a faint smile there was sound mirth in him he used to laugh at these people here contrived nicknames tor for them all to make june smile grandma bowdon was the iron hand aunt evie the velvet glove grandma and grandpa hurder were the conquered provinces he never sought to make june laugh at her morhet she remembered now once or twice she had tried to persuade kitty leaford to go with her to meet uncle jim like him mother she had urge urged d 1 I know you would but her mother would never go the girl went mechanically about the business of preparing for the night her eyes drifted half resent fully around the ugly room she loosed her hair and brushed it slowly for a while watching her reflection in tile the mirror above the marble slab the house long since was still wh when en at last she turned out her own light and opened one of the tall windows she saw aunt evies house next door was dark and silent too also she saw far off a flicker in in the sky she even heard the rumble of thunder yet the storm might not come this way or it if it did her mother might not waken she got into the big bed and lay without drawing any covering over her for the night was hot and the air was lifeless and still the old house creaked all around her mice scurried in the walls she must have slept at last and tor for an indeterminate time it was a gust of wind which woke her a sudden quickening in the tempo of tile the night then lightning etched a net of flame across the sky and the crashing burst in her ears june was not afraid of thunder showers but her mother despite the drug she had taken might have waked june decided to go in and size see she knew the older woman would be if she were awake cower ing now and crying out as though from an actual physical pain the girl got out of bed and crossed the hall to her mothers door without opening the door she listened but she heard no sound from within yet still june hesitated uncertain uneasy for no reason in the end she opened the door and spoke softly into the darkness mother are arc you all right but there was no reply and june was reassured she was about to return to her own room when lightning flashed again close by and the glare of it was bright in the window by kitty Lea fords bed so june saw her mother for this instant clearly and when the lightning passed the girl stood still her eyes dilated there had been something alarming in her mothers posture in the way she lay along the bed with an abrupt movement june turned on the light an air current coming from the open window in her own room blew her door shut with a reverberating rever berating crash and she leaped with dismay at the sudden sound but her mother had not roused did not move as june bent over the bed mrs leaford lay on her side her head billowed pillowed pill pilI owed on her left arm her right arm limp along the coverlets june had seen her in a drugged sleep before and there was nothing patently alarming in her appearance now but though her mother I 1 lay ay on her side her head was turned so that her face was upward the posture looked uncomfortable and june very gently tried to move her mothers head to the left so that it might be at ease but when june touched kitty lea fords cheek check smeared with un fuents her heart turned cold june caught her mothers shoulders she shook them she cried mother mother but kitty leaford made no response june might as well have shaken a bolster loosely stuffed with sand the girl backed away from the bed her hands pressed to her lips she turned and ran down the stairs to the telephone in the hall the instrument was dead she snapped on the hall light an electric bulb hanging by one wire in the midst of the gas chandelier and in that naked illumination she tried the telephone again without response terror was clamoring in her she tried to fight it down to think what she should do grandpa and grandma hurder were asleep at the end of the hall but she knew there was no help in them even it if there were help anywhere then the electric light faded and died and june stood in the dark hall like a tomb she was stifled by the blackness she gasped for breath and the front door blew open banging against the wall and the girl choked back a scream she was swept by desperate and nameless terror a gust of rain came sweeping in and june ran blindly to meet it out through the door into the full beat of the rain the touch of it was sweet and cool then she remembered that the front door was always locked and bolted uncle justus had bolted it tonight why had it opened of itself blind panic possessed her utterly yet she clung to one thought she must fetch doctor cabler she might have roused rab or asa asleep next door rab had even a car but she took no time to think of these things she was already racing across the lawn she found the gate in the hedge and felt the smooth hard macadam under her feet and ran swiftly occasionally sio nally lightning flashes illumined her way kept her in the road she had gone hallway halfway to doctor callers Cab lers house when a car came down the hill behind her she tried to run faster to escape this pursuer but this was vain and sh she e turned off of the road and fell and scrambled led to her feet and s tood stood like a wild creature brought to bay the car stopped beside her and someone asked a question she stammered something for this was a mans voice and june was not habituated to encounter strange men but instantly jnue while he used some persuasion she found herself in the seat beside him lie he offered her his coat but she refused it then this young man beside her turned out the dash light so that darkness drew a protective garment over her and she was warm with gratitude to him she said thank you she watched him covertly controlling her breath he asked some question suggesting that she was afraid and she told him that she was not afraid yet her knees were trembling and her fingers pressed her palms ile he spoke again but she did not hear him she watched the road and at the beginning of the path through the wood to doctor cab lers house she bade this young man stop the car he did so and she alighted and ran away along the path but hidden in the wood she stopped to look back and she stayed there till he drove on watching the headlights of his car till their gleam was lost behind a screen of trees when he was gone she stood like one bereft as though with him a part of herself had departed too but then in the darkness and the rain terror returned to spur her on she ran up the path and so came pounding on the doctors door at length a flashlights beam came down the stairs she could see it through the panel of the door it struck her in the eyes through the glass and at the same time the door opened the light was in her eyes and doctor cabler exclaimed june god bless mel she whispered come quick doctor Cab cabler lerl I 1 come in june he commanded and led her into the hall and shut the door youre drenched what is it oh hurry hurry she cried its mother ashes dead the word on her own lips struck her like a blow she had not till this moment shaped this word even in her thoughts oh hurry she repeated and thought in a dispassionate apathy that the injunction was absurd it if her mother was dead there could be no reason for haste this had not occurred to her before eh the doctor exclaimed dead yes said june in an empty tone even though the admission convicted her of folly convicted her of having lost her wits of having run without the slightest occasion half a mile through drenching rain yet she had no doubt that what she said was true kitty leaford was dead of this now june was sure TO BE CONTINUED |