Show A THREE SHUTTERED HOUSE HOU SES by BEN AMES WILLIAMS SYNOPSIS driving home hom e through a torrential rain young well elito to do clint jervies picks icks up a g girl r scantily clad I 1 running an fn n terror stricken ight flight down the road she rides a sho short way a 0 leaves the car and runs rum into the woods S he decides to talk to ills bis dear lends friends inspector inspect ter tops tope and miss iss moss 08 about ut his adventure clint still thinks of hera alaa moss his former guardian though she and the inspector are married aunt having settled down now manages the jervies state estate himself to in three shuttered houses all gloomy and on gensaw hi alu near ear where clint poked picked up the frightened girl gir lived three families an in one i house lived old denman hurder harder his wife who had been ella kenesaw en a and n d hl his d daughter eel r kitty lea aird ard and d h her e r daughter june lav living g in a cond house was aunt efte lacni un cle cla justus and brothers brother sRab rab and asa the dillrd held old matthew bowdon and his wile wife living eving on the estate was a man known only to june as uncle lyth 1 jim m follows following g their air usual custom the three families gathered in the hurder home saturday night kitty junes mother retired early with a headache CHAPTER rn n continued 31 rob rab set the pan of milk on the bedside table lid said ive been telling june she ought to get out of this mausoleum once in a while kitty why dont you let me show her bet around why dont we three go on a party some night IU ill get theater tickets and well have dinner in town kitty said without turning her head bead good night rob rab im dead tired junes all tight right ill take care of her think it over rob 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 rob rab she said a slow passion in her tones im going to get june 0 out u t of this she she shant live gre Is I 1 ive ve lived alved good night rob 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 mad this is one of my bad days warm the milk for me june took the m milk ilk into the bathroom lighted chegas the gas on the small burner there and stirred the milk so that it should not burn by the time it was lukewarm kitty Kitti leaford was in bed juni june poured the milk into a 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 tor for the night as khe lie always 1 did with an elaborate apar kare june knew the ritual massage sage unguents ants waving irons in her hair gl gloves oves saturated atu rated w with ith 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 ale sleep ep without mother with just the milk she pleaded kitty said petulantly dont at argue ae with me tonight june im not fit to bear beardt be arit I 1 it aln in the bathroom cabinets cabin etl 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 cab cabinet liet and took out a fa familiar millar bottle the bottle had no label she removed the cork slid and let one tablet roll into her lepalm I 1 m she set the bottle down on the ahe e edge ge of the basin and was about 0 0 replace the cork when kitty lea called june IU ill take two tonight I 1 lantto want togo go to sleep quickly sleep sound june made an unhappy gesture and her hand touched the uncorked bottle it fellanto fell fel linto i into the basin spilling pilling tablets she rescued it hastily there was still a little water ln 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 was that june did you split spill them 1 I tl tipped p ped over the bottle june confes confessed sed 1 I spilled one or two Forli For heavens caven a sake ejk bi be C careful kitty leaford cried fretfully docktor altor cabler always cross examines lne when they go taster faster than thail he thinks they should bring me two june took one more tablet butof the bottle so that she had two in her two remained she ap put u t the bottle in ats place and went tack back into the other room she said mother I 1 wish you taki take them both you ii remember member what happened that other time 1 I took three that tae time her mother retorted two wont hurt me you were awfully 1 1 I I to sleep kitty leaford insisted she pieced tablets from her bar daughters palm and dropped them in id the warm milk I 1 she waited si momen i t to give them time to dissolve these are harm less june she urged practically 1 and they do make me steep sleep she laughed feverishly twice this many really hurt me june her eyes were haggard and I 1 cant help it if I 1 dont sleep I 1 go mad she drained the draft that does taste strong she said with a taint faint grimace now run baby kiss me and go ril ill be asleep la in a minute june kissed her made her lie down covered her over she opened one w window a crack kitty leaford was not a fresh air addict june looked at her and saw that 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 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 N J then the electric light laded and died ground floor in the east wing her mothers room and her own were 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 which made her thus restless and full of a vague foreboding CHAPTER UI III june undressed slowly listlessly there was nothing to 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 andun 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 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 mother she remembered now once or twice she had tried to persuade kitty L leaford eaford to go with her to meet uncle jim like him mother she had urged 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 the mirror above the marble slab the house long since was still when at last she turned out her own light and opened one of the tall tail w windows she saw aunt evies house next door was dark and silent too also she saw far off a sicker flicker in the sky she even heard the rumble of thunder yet the storm might not come this way or if it did her mother might not waken she got into the big bed and lay without drawing any covering over her tor 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 for an Indeterminate time it was a gust of wind which woke her a sudden quickening in the tempo of the night then lightning g etched a net of flame across the he sky and the crashing burst in her ears cars june was not afraid of thunder showers but her mother despite the drug she had taken might have waked june decided to go gi in and see sile she knew thi the older women woman i would be if she we vere r e a woke 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 tor for no reason in the end she opened the door and spoke softly into the darkness mother are 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 foi this instant clearly and when the light lightning riling 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 ame 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 pillowed billowed pill owed on her left arm her right arm limp along the coverlets june had bad seen her in a drug drugged geci sleep before and there was nothing patently alarming in her appearance now but though her mother lay on her side her head bead 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 smeared with un fuents her heart turned cold june caught her mothers shoulders she shook them she cried Mo therl Mo therl 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 an and I 1 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 rob bab or asa asleep next door rob bab had even a car but she took no time to think ot 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 bashes illumined her way kept her in the road she had gone halfway to doctor Cab callers lers house when a car came down dow i n the hill bill behind her she tried to run faster to escape this pursuer but this was vain and she turned oil off the road and fell and scrambled to her feet and 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 while he used some persuasion she found herself in the seat beside him lie he offered herlits herdis 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 bet 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 he spoke again but she did not hear him she watched the road and at the beginning of the P path a th through the wood to doctor cab lets 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 junel june god bless met mel she whispered come quick doctor Cab cabler lerl t come in june he commanded j and led her into the hall and shut the door youre drenched what is it oh hurry hurry she cried its mother ashes deada 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 h haste ste this had bad not occurred to her before before eh the doctor exclaimed dead yes said june in an empty tone even though the admission convicted her of folly convicted her of f having lost her wits ot of having run without the slightest occasion halt a mile through drenching rain yet she had bad no doubt that what she said was true kitty leaford was dead of this now june was sure TO BE CONTINUED |