Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-16

1V-Continued.
Still Lanceboro lived in a state of un-
abated expectation that something would
happen. which something with wonted
perversty continued to refuse TO do
Finally, Eanceboro settled down to a
wise acceptance of conditions as they
existed and had existed for upward of
five years, and now. when everybody
back was turned so to speak. the long
looked for had taken place. Mrs. Alien
burg suddenly disappeared. so quietly
that it was said. it was nearly week
before even the deaf old. house servant
knew it. Even then the sum and sub
stance of knowledge was that she was no
longer at the farm, and after six months
no added pennyweight of knowledge had
been gained Yes. there was one added
item. Almost at the moment IL became
established that she was no longer there,
Altenburg had ordered a telephone put
into the house. The two facts We're so
that the majority of people shreWdly
guessed that there must be the ciosest
| connection between them, and finally
Lanceboro divided itself into two camps.
the one holding that Mrs. Altenburg iaa
gone because the telephone came, and the
other that the telephone came because
Mrs. Altenburg was gone. The three pro
fessions refused to align themselves with
either camp. the clergymen ana physl-
clans because they had patients In eacn'
and the lawyers because they We're walt
ing for a retainer before they could know
where they belonged.
In general way Grmbleshaw knew
| these things and an outline of them ran
| through his mind as he stood looking al
the injured man. but his knowledge was
too vague TO carry with it very strong
impressions. first. because of the gen
eral mstiness of details, and second, be-
cause he was not to the manner born.
and he had failed in the pursuit of his
| profession to build himself very init
mately into the gossip of the town.
| Still man of far less keenness of in
| sight would have caught instantly at the
probability of connection between this
| train of events and this evidence of un-
| explained violence which was before him.
He knew that every act he might now do
as physician would ultimately have its
bearing upon. and probably be in some
degree Judged by. the rather peculiar cir
cumStanceS that surrounded the life OF
this man and his family.
ANenburg was still alive, and Grlmble-
shaw satisfied himself by a superficial ex-
animation that there was no danger In
delaying the operation on the crushed
bone, which was made almost 1mpoS-
sible at this moment by the lack of suffl-
cient light. The mystery of the occu-
pancy of the house, isolated as he was.
was to him of more instant importance
than aught else. and he Immediately be-
gan thorough examination of the room
he was in to the end of satisfying him
self that the men of whose presence he
had had such S. artling evidence and who
must be the perpetrators OF TINS outrage.
were actually gone.
He came at once upon evidence that
the room had already been searched with
a minuteness that had taken no little
time. Drawers were open and their con-
tents laid upon the floor Even the strips
of rag carpet that lay between the door
and the bed. and the bed and fireplace.
had been pulled aside. Under the bed II
self where he looked with the thought
hat some one might still be concealed, he
found evidence of search.
Before he went downstairs again ne
once more tried the door of the opposite
room only to find it still locked. he also
listened for some little time. but did not
catch again the sounds which he heard
beyond the door when he frs: came. he
made certain also that the door of the
lower room was fastened. and then had
to face the question of closing and lock-
ing the front door 1t seemed to him, on
that calm consideration he had not be-
fore given 1t, more apt to be source of
menace than escape. and therefore ne
closed it before passing into the room
with the secretary. This. too, showed
evidence of the thorough work of the in
evidently been broken open by the eXer-
else of considerable force.
Near the pool of blood the floor lay
a heavy iron ruler. which showed clearly
by the blood stains and number of
white hairs that adhered to it. that it
was the weapon with which the crime
had been committed. Understanding fully
that even the position in which this ruler
had fallen from the murderer's hand
might be of Importance. he was at pains
not to touch or move it.
Again in the kitchen the question of
securing assistance became pressing. He
was absolutely ignorant of the where
abouts of Barber, and he dared not leave
the house to ascertain. The injury to the
telephone proved purpose to cut Off. for
a considerable time at least. all chance
for help. and while this seemed incon-
sistent with the summons to himself. it
stood out TOO clearly to be ignored. The
unraveling of the mystery would have to
he deferred. but even now it was a pass
| ing perpleXity.
Up to this moment he had forgot en-
tirely the woman servant. She was
likely to be in bed somewhere. but the
question of Importance was. where? She
now seemed his one means of obtaining
aid Back of the kitchen was a narrow
passage, which appeared to lead to a but
| terry, and from this passage he discov-
cred steep stair, which ran to a loft
above the kitchen. 1t must be here that
the woman slept. His foot was on the
| stair when from the direction of the road
arose a loud clamor of shouting and what
seemed like an attempt at singing. a ba-
bel that was apparently approaching the
house.
He hurried back to the kitchen. There
the shouting sounded still louder. but re-
manned incoherent. He threw open the
door. and as he did a man staggered
| out of the darkness. made lunge for
| the door. missed it and tried again This
time he boted through, struck his foot on
the low sill and fell into the kitchen at
full length. To his disgust Grimbleshaw
found that he had on his hands a
drunken Canadian so drunk in fact that
he did not stir from the spot where he
fell. but drifted off at once into loud
snoring sleep.
While he was considering the situation
from the viewpoint of this new compli-
cation. there arose the sound OF a rapidly
driven vehicle without 1t was going in
the direction of the road, and he reached
the door in time only to catch BARRIERS
voice urging on the already frantic horse
He shouted. but might as we'll have
shouted to the wind. The boy whipped
the horse harder. and in moment Grim
hleshaw stood silent. listening to the fast
lessening sound of the wheels.