Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-25
7B{e MYSTERY
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house.
The country was fast taking on the
mantle OF white under which It was to
sleep for so many long weeks, and 1t
was with comfortable shiver that I
entered the library, just before lunch
con, and strobe up to the fire to warm
my hands and toast my shins and
back successfully.
found Miss 1Weston's physician
similarly engaged and asked him CO.
licitously concerning his patient.
His face cleuded and even thought
saw . tear in the corner Of his eye.
for, like all doctors with the right kind
of stuff in them, familiarity with hui
mas suffering had only warmed his
heart and softensd his nature.
Il had hoped" he continued. that
young Carney's return would have Q
good effect on her, but when We told
her OF the message that came this
morning she only drew the sheets over
her face and broke down completely.
There is something more to this. Mr.
Ware, than the mere absence Of her
sweetheart, but what it il I cannot
even imagine"
"fhen you know nothing Of the mys-
terry of carney.C roft?" ! asked eau
tiously, closing the door, and speaking
in a Town tone.
THE mystery Of Carney Croft" he
exclaimed In bewildered SURPRISE and
then his face relaxed and he smiled
pleasantly as he said: ooh! you mean
the ghost stories that were told about
here after Mr.. Carney died7"
Well" Ireturned, ghosts or some
thing Of the sort we're really seen
about the place, were they not?"
His smile broadened as he replied:
"Oh, yes, some OF the boys did rig
themselves up In sheets and play
spook for q time, until took . hand
in 1t myself and drove them out. I
was going to send you word about it,
but found 1t was only q lot Of boyish
pranks. and that they hadn't done any
harm beyond getting into the old tun-
mel by the river, and, Of course, that
didn't amount to anything" ii
The OLE tunnel!" exclaimed in
well-feigned surprise. us there tun.
mel BY. the river 2"
"You never heard Of 1t, of course, =
he went on. land fancy nearly every
one has forgotten 1t by this time.
When Mr.. Carney began to build here
he located his house some 200 yards
farther down the hill toward the wa
ter. He had q plan OF running q little
tunnel from the cellar to the river 80
that ashes and other refuse from the
house could be taken out that way and
not clutter up the lawns or be seen
from the windows.
Just rs this work was partially
completed the old dam, some two
miles urA the stream, was demolished
and new one built about q mile be
low. This raised the water level UNI
til the far end Of his tunnel was COM
pletely submerged and 50 he gave up
the scheme entirely and began new
cellar quite distance back from. the
first. The partly finished tunnel and
the excavation for the original cellar
were covered over and had practically
been forgotten by everybody except the
boys, who used to dive down and swim
into the hole in the summer.
''Then, as / say, they got the idea Of
playing ghost and would run down the
hill In the moonlight with nothing on
but sheet or a piece Of old fish net
which waved out far out behind them.
When they got to the edge of the bank
they would emit some sort Of q ghost
ly yell and dive down out Of sight
Finally, when all the young girls in
the neighborhood began to get hys-
terics, /. discovered what was going on
and put q stop to It by giving two or
three Of the rinEleaders a sound
thrashing and installing q family Of
beavers in the tunnel who vigorously
attacked all future intruders.'",
The doctor laughed heartily as he
finished n , little tale and concluded
by saying:
There have been occasional rumors
Nof ghost since then, I know, hut !
fancy that is the biggest mystery Car,
ney.C Croft ever had" Il
Doctor" returned seriously, there
is q far greater mystery than that go
Ing on here this very minute. That
tunnel is again occupied, by whom I
do not know, but the man or men who
are down there are in league with that
Bruce woman who lives In the new
cottage, and with jerks, the stage
driver. Moreover, these people are
connected in some inexplicable way
with Miss Weston, and the Bruce
woman, who seems to be the head and
front Of the whole thing, has written
letters to Miss Weston, and even to
me, most Of which contain vague ref
erences to Miss Carney and threats
that"
THE Bruce woman written to ycu!i"
exclaimed the doctor. why, my dear
sir. IT is impossible! have known
the woman for a dozen years and she
cannot read word or write q letter."
At that moment he was summoned
hurriedly to Miss Weston's room and