Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-02
2ss East Main Street.
The Only China stor


ing raised, l felt that my composure
was going, and for fear would shrek,
l tried to think Of something else
what time Gertrude would reach Hal
sey-anything but the grisly reality
that lay just beyond me on the grass.
And then l heard a low exclamation
from the detective and ! felt the
pressure of the doctors fingers on my
arm.
Nov, Miss Innes," he said gently.
IF you will come over"
l held on to him frantically, and
somehow got there and looked down.
The lid of the casket had been raised
and silver plate On it proved we had
made no mistake. But the face that
showed In the light of the lantern was
face had never seen before. The
man who lay before us was not Paul
Armstrong!
CHAPTER XXI.
Between Two Fireplaces.
What with the excitement of the
discovery, the walk home under the
stars in wet shoes and draggled skirts,
and getting upstairs and undressed
without rousing Liddy, was complete
ly used up. What to do with my boots
was the greatest puzzle of all, there be-
ing no place In the house safe from
Liddy, until | decided to slip upstairs
the next morning and drop them into
the hole the "ghost" had made in the
trunk room wall.
l went asleep as soon as reached
this decision, and in my dreams l
lived over again tho events of the
night. Again | saw the group around
again, as had happened at the grave,
heard Alexis voice, tense and
triumphant:
Then we've got Them" he said.
Only, in my dreams, he said it over
and over until he seemed to Shrek it
in my ears.
I wakened early, in spite of my
fatigue, and lay there thinking Who
was Alex? | no longer believed that
he was a gardner. Who was the man
whose body we had resurrected? And
where was Paul Armstrong? Probably
living safely in some extraditionless
country on the fortune he had stolen.
Did Louise and her mother know OF
the shameful and wicked deception?
What had Thomas known, and Mrs
Watson? Who was Nina Caring
ton?
This last question, it seemed to me,
was answered. In some way the
woman had learned of the substitu
ton, and had tried to use her knowl
edge for blackmail. Nina Carrington's
own story died with her, but, however
II II + n1n ho+ ,,h l,of
carried her knowledge to Halsey the
afternoon Gertrude and | were looking
for clues to the man had shot on the
east veranda. Halsey had been hall
crazed by what he heard; it was evi
| dent that Louise was marrying Doctor
| Walker to keep the shameful secret
| for her mothers sake. Halsey, al
ways reckless, had gone at once tt
| Doctor Walker and denounced him
| There had been scene, and he lef
on his way to the station to meet anc
notify Mr.. Jameson of what he hat
| learned. The doctor was active ment
ally and physically. Accompanied per
haps by Riggs, who had shown him
self not prescriptions until he quar-
relied with his employer, he had gone
across to the railroad embankment
and, by jumping in front of the car
had caused Halsey to swerve. The
rest of the story we knew
That was my reconstructed theory o
that afternoon and evening; it was al
most correct-not quite.
There was a telegram that mornin.
from Gertrude.
"Halsey conscious and improving
Probably home in day or SO
Gertrude"
With Halsey found and improving
in health, and with at last something
to work on, l began that day, Thurs
day, with fresh courage. AS MI
Jameson had said the lines were clos
ing up. That l was to be caught an
almost finished in the closing was haI
PLY unknown to us ALL
1t was late when | got up. la,
in my bed, looking around the fou
walls of the room, and trying to i'm
agine behind what one of them
secret chamber might lie. Certainly
in daylight, Sunnyside deserved it
name; never was a house more cheer
and open, less sinister in general al
pearance. There was not corner al
board, and yet, somewhere behind it
handsomely papered walls believe
, firmly that there lay hidden room
: with all the possibilities it would il
volve.
made mental note to have til
house measured during the day, to di
/ cover any discrepancy between tn
outer and inner walls, and l tried
: recall again the exact wording of tn
| paper Jameson had found.
The slip had said chimney"
| was the only clue, and house as lare
r as Sunnyside was full of them. Thel
: was an open fireplace in my dressill
room, but none in the bedroom, an
t as lay Their, looking around, l though
: of something that made me sit up SUI
: denly. The trunk room, just over n
head, had an open fireplace and brio
. chimney, and yet, there was nothing
3 the kind in my room. l got out of be
and examined the opposite wall clos
3 ly There was apparently no fiue, ar
: I knew there was none in the hall ju
beneath. The house was heated
/ steam, as l have said before. In II
S living room was huge open flreplac