Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-21

[ hit small stockholders very hard, the
minister of the little Methodist chapel
In Casanova among them. He had re-
ceiyed as legacy from an uncle a
few shares of stock in the Traders
Bank, and now his Joy was turned to
!, bitterness; he had to sacrifice every
thing he had in the world and his
feeling against Paul Armstrong, dead.
as he was, must have been bitter In
the extreme. He was asked to Off
ciate at the simple service when the
dead bankers body was inferred IN
Casanova churchyard, but the good
man providentially took cold, and a
substitute was called in.
| A few days after the services he
called to see me, a kind-faced little
man, in very bad frock coat and
| Numbered tie think he was uncertain
as to my connection with the Arm
strong family, and dubious whether |
considered Mr.. Armstrong; taking
away matter for coincidence or con-
graduation. He was not long in doubt.
| liked the little man. He had known
Thomas we'll. and had promised to of
ficiateSat the services in the rickety
African Zion church He told me more
of himself than he knew, and before
he left, astonished him-and myself.
admit-by promising a new carpet
for his church. He was much affected,
and / gathered that he had yearned
over his ragged chapel as mother
over half-clothed child.
i you are laying up treasure. Miss
Innes," he said brokenly, where
neither moth nor rust corrupt, nor
thieves break through and steal"
1T is certainly safer place than
Sunnyside," admitted. And the
thought of the carpet permitted him to
smile. He stood just inside the door
| way, looking from the luxury of the
house to the beauty of the view.
"The rich ought to be good" he
said wistfully. "They have so much
that is beautiful, and beauty is emo
bling. And yet-while l ought to say
nothing but good Of the dead-Mr.
Armstrong saw nothing Of this fair
prospect. To him these, trees and
lawns were not the work Of God. They
were property, at so much an acre. He
loved money, Miss Innes He offered
! up everything to his golden calf. Not
| power. not ambition, was his fetish;
it was money" Then he dropped his
pulpit manner, and, turning to me
with his engaging smile: Gin spite of
all this luxury" he said, 'the country
people here have a saying that Mr..
Paul Armstrong could sit on dollar
and see all around it. Unlike the sum-
mer people. he gave neither to the
poor nor to the church. He loved mon.
ey for it's own sake"
"And there are no pockets in
shrouds!" said cynically.
| sent him home in the car, with a
bunch Of hot-house flowers for his
wife. and he was quite overwhelmed.
AS for me, l had generous glow that
was cheap at the price of church car
pet. received less gratifcation-and
less gratitude-when / presented
the silver communion set to ST. Bar
nabas.
I had great many things to think
| about in those days. l made out list
of questions and possible answers,
but I seemed only to be working
around in circle. always ended
where began. The list was something
like this.
! Who had entered the house the
night before the murder?
Thomas claimed it was Mr.. Bailey
whom he had seen on the foot-path
and who owned the pearl cuff-link.
Why did Arnold Armstrong come
back after he had left the house the
night he was killed?
| No answer. Was it on the mission
Louise had mentioned?
Who admitted him?
! Gertrude said she had locked the
east entry. There was no key on the
dead man or in the door. He must have
been admitted from within.
Who had been locked in the clothes
chute?
I Some one unfamiliar with the house
evidently. Only two people missing
4 from the household. Rosie and Ger
trude. Rosie had been at the lodge
Therefore-but was it Gertrude
Might it not have been the mysterious
Intruder again?
drive?
! Again perhaps the nightly visitor
1t seemed more likely some one who
Il suspected d secret eI lue lOuSe. was
Louise under surveillance?
| Who had passed Louise on the cir
cu]ar staircase?
| Could it have been Thomas? The
/ key to the east entry made this pos
sibilitv But why was he there, If il
were indeed he?
Who had made the hole in the TRUNK
room wall?
| 1t was not vandalism? It had beer
done quietly. and with deliberate pur
4 pose. If had only known how to reat
the purpose of that gaping aperture
/ might have saved in anxiety anc
mental strain.
Why had Louise left her people an(
come here to hide at the lodge?
There was no answer, as yet, or tt
the next question.
/ Why did both she and Doctor Wal
ker warn us away from the house?
Who was Lucien Wallace?
What did Thomas see in the shad
ouc tho NIGHT 1ln died