Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-12
CHAPTER XII lContinuedl

CHAPTER XII (Continued).
When the doctor from Engelwood-
the Casanova doctor, Doctor Walker,
being away-had started for Sunny.
side, and I had got Thomas to stop
trying to explain what he did not un.
derstand himself, l had long talk
with the old man. and this is what |
learned.
On Saturday evening before, about
ten o'clock, he had been reading in the
sitting-room down stairs, when some
one raped at the door. The old man
was alone, Warner not having arriv-
ed, and at first he was uncertain about
opening the door, He did SO finally,
and was amazed at being confronted
by Louise Armstrong. Thomas was
an old family servant, having been
with the present Mrs. Armstrong since
she was a child, and he was over
whelmed at seeing Louise. He saw
that she was excited and tired, and he
drew her into the sitting room and
made her sit down. After while he
went to the house and brought Mrs.
Watson, and they talked until late.
The old man said Louise was in trou-
BILE, and seemed frightened. Mrs.
Watson made some tea and took it to
the lodge, but Louise made them both
promise to keep her presence secret.
She had not known that Sunnyside
was rented, and whatever her trouble
was, this complicated things She
seemed puzzled. Her stepfather and
her mother were still in California -
that was all she would say about
them. Why she had run away no one
could imagine. Mrs. Arnold Armstrong
was at the Greenwood club, and at last
Thomas, not knowing what else to do,
went over there along the path. 1t
was almost midnight. PARKWAY over
he met Armstrong himself and brought
him to the lodge. Mrs. Watson had
gone to the house for some bed-linen,
it having been arranged that under
the circumstances Louise would be
better at the lodge until morning. Ar.
mold Armstrong and Louise had long
conference, during which he was heard
to storm and become very violent
When he left it was after two. He
had gone up to the house-Thomas
did not know why-and at three
o'clock he was shot at the foot of the
circular staircase.
The following morning Louise had
been Ill. She had asked for Arnold
and was told he had left town. Thomas
had not the moral courage to tell he1
of the crime. She refused a doctor
and shrank morbidly from having hel
presence known. Mrs. Watson and
Thomas had had their hands full and
at last Rosie had been enlisted to helu
them. She carried necessary pro
visions-little enough-to the lodge
and helped to keep the secret.
Thomas told me quite frankly that
he had been anxious to keep Louise's
presence hidden for this reason: they
had all seen Arnold Armstrong that
night, and he, himself. for one, was
known to have had no very friendly
feeling for the dead man. AS to the
reason for Louise's flight from Cali
fornia, or why she had not gone tc
the Fitzhugh's, or to some of her PEG
pie in town. he had no more informa
ton than | had. With the death of he1
stepfather and the prospect of the i'm
mediate return Of the family, things
hau become more and more impos
sible. | gathered that Thomas was as
relieved as / was at the turn events
had taken. No. she did not know OF
either Of the deaths In the family.
Taken all around, had only sub
stituted one mystery for another. II
| knew now why Rosie had taken the
basket of dishes, l did not know who
had spoken to her and followed heI
along the drive. If l knew that Louise
was in the lodge, did not know why
she was there. II knew that Arnold
Armstrong had spent some time In the
lodge the night before he was murder
ed, was no nearer the solution Of
the crime. Who was the midnight
intruder who had SO alarmed Liddy
and myself? Who had fallen down
the chute? Wat Gertrude's lover
william or victim? Time was tt
answer all these things.