The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-09-10
CHAPTER |.
I Take a Country House.

|
her domestic gods in the city, took
furnished house for the summer out
OF town, and found herself involved in
one of those mysterious crimes that
Keep our newspapers and detective
agencies happy and prosperous. For
~ years l had been perfectly COM
Portable; for 20 years l had had the
window boxes filled in the spring, the
carpets lifted, the awnings put up and
the furniture covered with brown
linen; for as many summers l had said
| good-by to my friends, and, after
watching their perspiring hegira, had
settled down to delicious quiet in
town, where the mail comes three
times day, and the water supply
does not depend on tank on the
roof.
And then-the madness seized me.
When look back over the months l
spent in Sunnyside, l wonder that /
survived at all. AS it is, l show the
wear and tear of my narrowing ex-
periences. l have turned very gray
Liddy reminded me Of it only yester-
day by saying that a little bluing in
the rinse water would make my hair
silvery instead of a yellow white.
hate to be reminded of unpleasant
things and I snapped her off.
| NO" I said sharply, I'm not going
to use bluing at my time of life, or
starch, either"
| Liddy's nerves are gone, she says,
since that awful summer, but she has
enough left, goodness knows! And
when she begins to 60 around with a
lump in her throat, all l have to do
is to threaten to return to Sunnyside.
and she is frightened into a semblance
of cheerfulness-from which you may
Judge that the summer there was any
thing but a success.
The newspaper accounts have been
SO garbled and incomplete-one Of
them mentioned me but once, and
then only as the tenant at the time
the thing happened-that feel it my
due to tell what know. Mr.. jamie
son. the detective, said himself he
could never have done without me,
although he gave me little enough
credit in print.
/ shall have to 60 back several
years-13, to be exact-to start my
story. At that time my brother died,
leaving me his two children. Halsey
was II then and Gertrude was seven.
When Halsey had finished his cleo
trical course and Gertrude her board
ing school both came home to stay.
The winter Gertrude came out was
nothing but succession of sitting up
late at night to bring her home from
things taking her to the dressmakers
between maps the next day, and dis
couraging ineligible youths with either
more money than brains or more
brains than money. By spring was
quite tractable. So when Halsey sug
gested camping in the Adirondacks
and Gertrude wanted Bar Harbor, we
compromised on a good country house
with links near within motor dis
lance of town and telephone distance
of the doctor. That was how we went
to Sunnyside.
We went out to inspect the property,
and it seemed to deserve its name.
ITS cheerful appearance gave no indi-
cation whatever of anything out of
the ordinary Only one thing seemed
unusual to me: The housekeeper, who
had been left in charge, had moved
from the house to the gardeners lodge
. few days before. AS the lodge was
far enough away from the house, 1t
seemed to me that either fire or
thieves could complete their work of
destruction undisturbed. The proper
ty was an extensive one; the house on
the top of hill, which sloped away in
great stretches of green lawn and
clipped hedges, to the road, and across
the valley, perhaps a couple Of miles
away, was the Greenwood Club house
Gertrude and Halsey were infatuated
The property was owned by Pau
Armstrong, the president Of the
Traders bank, who at the time we
took the house was in the west with
his wife and daughter, and DR.
Walker, the Armstrong family ply
: sician Halsey knew Louise Arm
stronghold been rather attentive tt
her the winter before, but as Halse!
was always attentive to somebody,
had not thought of it seriously, al
: though she was a charming girl.
knew of Mr.. Armstrong only through
his connection with the bank, wher,
the children's money was largely in
vested. and through an ugly stor
about the son, Arnold Armstrong, VIII
was reported to have forged his ia
theirs name for considerable amour
to some bank paper. However, tn
story had had no interest for me.
D cleared Halsey and Gertrud
away to house party, and moved on
q to Sunnyside the first Of May.
. The first night passed quietl
enou II. have always been gratef,
r for that one nights peace; it show
what the country might be under I;
vorable circumstances. Never afte
G that night did put my head on IN
pillow with any assurance how Ion
IA it would be there; or on my shoulder
. for that matter.
On the following morning Liddy ar
Mrs. Ralston. my own housekeepe