Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-07-29


4, in the hard wood. That was all, and
| it seemed little enough, except that ]
was positive the marks had not been
there the day before.
1t bore out my theory of the sound
| which had been for all the world like
the humping of a metallic object down
| a fight of steps. The four steps had
been skipped. | reasoned that an iron
| bar, for instance, would do something
| Of the sort-strike two or three steps
end down, then turn over, jumping a
| few stairs, and landing with thHd.
| Iron bars, however, do not fail
downstairs in the middle Of the night
alone. Coupled with the figure on the
vefanda the agency by which it climb
ed might be assumed, But--aRd here
was the thing that puzzled me most
the doors were all fastened that morn
ing. the windows unmoIested, and the
particular door from the card-room to
the veranda had combination lock
of which held the key, and which
had not been tempered with.
fixed on an attempt at burglary,
as the most natural explanation-an
attempt frustrated by the falling of
the object, whatever it was, that had
reused me- Two things could not
understand; how the intruder had
ESCAPED with everything locked, and
why he had left the small silver,
which, in the absence of butler, had
remained downstairs over night.
Under pretext of learning more
about the place, Thomas Johnson led
me through the house and the cellars,
without result. Everything was IN
good order and repair; money had
been spent lavishly on construction
and plumbing. The house was full
Of convenienees, and | had no reason
to repent nay bargains. save the fact
that, in the nature of things, night
must come again. Aad other nights
must felioW--and we were long way
from a. police station.
In the afternoon hack came up
from Casanova. with fresh relay Of
servants. The driver too; them with
a flourish to the servants entrance,
and drove around to the front of the
house, where | was awaiting him.
Two dollars" he said in reply to
my question. 81 don't charge full
rates, because. bringin EN- up oil
summer as I do. it pays to make a
special price, When they got off the
train, ! seq, SEE |, There's another
bunch for Sunnyside, cook, parlor
maid and ALL Yes.m-siy summers,
and a new lot never less than once a
month. They won't stand for the
country and the lonesomeness,
reckon,
But with the presence of the
bunch Of servants my courage re-
FiVed, and late in the afternoon came
a message from Gertrude that she and
Halsay would arrive that night at
about eleven o'clock, coming in the
car from Richfeld. Things were look
ing up; and when Beulah. nay cat, a
most intelligent animal, found some
early catnip on a bank near the house
and rolled in it in feline ecstasy, |
decided that getting back to nature
was the thing, to do,
While ! was dressing for dinner,
Liddy raped at the door, She YVES
hardly herself vet. but privately l
think she was Worrying about the
broken mirror and its augury, more
than anything else. When she came
in she was holding something in her
hand, and she laid it on the dressing
table carefully.
81 found it in the. linen hamper" she
said. 1T must be Mr. Halsey's, but
it seems queer how 1t got there
1t was the half of a link cuff-but
ton of unique design, and | looked al
| it carefully.
Where was it? in the bottom Of
the hamper?" 7 asked
"On the very top" she replied. cts
a mercy 1t didn't fall out on the way
When Liddy had gone ] examined
the fragment attentiyely. ! had never
seen it before, and ! was certain II
was not Halsey's. 1t was of Italian
workmanship, and consisted Of moth
er-of-pearl foundation, encrusted witjl
| tiny seed-pearls. stung on horsehai,
to hold them. In the center was Q
small ruby. The trinket was odd
enough, but not intrinsically Of great
value. Its interest for me lay IL
this: Liddy had found it lying in the
| top OF the hamper which had blocked
the east-Bing stairs.
That afternoon the Armstrong;
housekeeper, a youngish good-lookinl
woman. applied for Mrs. Ralston'
place, and I was glad enough to take
her. She looked as though she NIGH
be equal to dozen Of Liddy, with hel
swapping black eyes and heavy jaw
Her name was Anne Watson, and
dined that evening for the first time ir
three days.
CHAPTER III.
Mr.. John Bailey Appears.
| | had dinner served in the break
fast room. Somehow the huge dining
room depressed me, and Thomas
cheerful enough all day, allowed hi
spirits to go down with the sun. II,
had a habit of watching the corner
of the room, left shadowy by the can
dies on the table, and altogether 1t was
not a festive meal.
Dinner over, went into the living
room. I had three hours before thu
children could possibly arrive, and
got out my knitting. ! had brough
along two dozen pairs of slipper sole
in assorted sizes--I always send slip
pers TO the Old Ladies Home Z
| Christmas-and now | sorted owe
the woods with a grim determination
not to think about the night before