Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-11-26

her ina the way cf sulks,--"but guess
can't stand IL any longer My trunks
packed"
Who packed it?" asked. expecting
from her tone TO be told she had
Weakened to find II done by some
ghostly hand
81 did, Miss Rachel YOU won't be
hevc me when I tell YOU this house
IS haunted Who was II fell down the
clothes chutcf Who was it scared
Miss Louise almost into her sraye?"
I'm doing my best TO find out"
said. What In the world are you
driving at?' She drew long breath.
There is hole in the trunkroom
wall, dug out since last night, It's big
enough to put your head in. aud the
plaster's all over the place"
NONSENSE" said. Plaster is al.
ways falling"
But liddy clenched that
Just ask Alex. she said. When
he put the new cooks trunk there last
night the wall was as smooth as this.
This morning it's dug out. and there's
plaster on the cooks trunk Miss
Rachel, you can get a dozen detectives
and put one ON every stair I'm the
house, and you'll never catch any.
thing There's some things you can't
handcufr
Liddy was right IA soon as | could,
! went up To the trunkroom. which
VS. directly over my bedroom The
plan OF the upper story of the house
was like that of tho second floor. in
the main. One end, however, over
the east wing had been left only roug
ly finished. the intention. having been
10 convert IL into ballroom ut some
future time The maids rooms, trunk.
room, and various storerooms. iuclud.
Ing large airy linen room. ope ned
from long corridor. like that on ,he
2"cond floor. And in the trUulIroolu,
as Liduy had said. was fresh break
In the plaster.
Not only in the plaster, but through
the lathng, the aperture extended.
reached into the opening, and three
feet away. perhaps. could touch the
bricks of the partition wall For some
reason the architect in building the
+. house had LEFT a space there that
struck me, even in the surprise of the
discovery, as an excellent place for
conilagration to gain headway
You are sure the hole was not here
yesterday" | asked Liddy. whose cx
precision was a mixture OF satisfaction
ana alarm. In answer she pointed to
the new cooks trunk-that necessary
adjunct Of the migratory domestic The
top was covered with fine white plaster
as was the floor But there were no
large pieces of mortar lying around
no bits of lathing When ! mentioned
this to Liddy she merely raised her
eyebrows. Being quite confident that
the gap was Of unholy origin, she did
not concern herself with such trines
as bit of mortar and Hath. No doubt
they were even then heaped neatly
on gravcstonc In the Casanova
churchyard
brought Mr.. Jameson up to see
the hole in the wall, directly after
breakfast. His expression was very
odd when he looked NJ II. and the first
thing he did was TO try TO discover
what object, If any, such n hole could
have. He got piece Of candle. and
by charging the aperture n little was
able to examine what lay beyond The
result was nil The trunkroom. nj
thoG9h heated by steam heat. like the
rest OF the house, bonstCd OF Are.
place and mautcl as well The open.
Ing had been nGdc between the Hue
ard the outer wall oI he house There
was revealed. however on inspection.
only the brick OF the chimney On one
side and the outer wall Of the house
on the other; in depth the space ex-
tended only to the flooring. The
breach had been made about four feet
from the floor. and inside were all the
missing bits OF plaster II had been
mcthodlcaI ghost
II was very much Of a dlsappoint-
ment. J had expected secret room
az the very least and think even Mr.
Jameson had fancied he might AT last
have clcw to the mystery There
WAS evidently nothing more 10 be dis.
covered; Liddy reported that every.
~thing was serene among tho servants.
and that none OF them had boon dis.
turbed by the noise The maddening
thing however. was that the nightly
visitor had evidently more than one
way Of gaining access 10 the house. and
We made arrangements 90 rcdouble
our vigilance as 10 windows and doors
that night
Halscy was inclined ~ poohpo
The whole affair lIo said a break I'm
the plastcr might have occurred
months ago and gone unnouccd. and
that The dust had probably been
stirred up the day before. Aftor aU.
we had ~ lot 50 got at fhat. lrf wr
put in au uncomfortable SUNDAY Ger
truda wont TO- church. and Halrcy too
q long walk in the MOI rina Louise
WIS able 10 $50 up. aud che allowed
liaIscy and iiddy ~ assist hof down
stairs lat" foo tfr afternoon Tho cast
vcGanda was shady. green with y,uog
and palms cheerful With cushion. ana
louu"iue chairs We put Louie I'm
steamer chair ard shc sat there
pasaivoiY enough her hands claspod
in her Jap
w" were very silent Ualsay SAT ON
th" rail with % pipe openly WATCHING