Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-31
managed to gasp out,

DNS iibhcSsOu w Sh9p Oosp
"Gertrude."
Good Lord!s mans voice exclaim-
ed, just beside me. And then I col
lapsed: felt myself going, felt some
one catch me, a horrible nausea-that
was all remembered.
When came to 1t was dawn. was
lying on the bed in Louise's room, with
the cherub on the ceiling staring down
at me. and there was blanket from
my own bed thrown over me. / felt
weak and dizzy, but l managed to get
up and totter to the door. At the foot
of the circular staircase Mr.. Winters
was still asleep. Hardly able to stand
l crept back to my room. The door In
to Gertrude's room was no longer lock
ed: she was sleeping like a tired
child. And In my dressing-room Liddy
Rugged cold hot-water bottle, and
mumbled in her sleep.
There's some things you can't
hold with handouts" she was mutter-
ing thickly
CHAPTER xxx.
For the first time in twenty years, l
kept my bed that day. Liddy was
alarmed to the point of hysteria. and
sent for Doctor Stewart just after
breakfast, Gertrude spent the morn
Ing with me. reading something
forget what. | was too busy with my
to the two detectives. If Mr.. Jameson
had been there, should have told him
everything, but could not go to these
strange men and tell them my niece
had not gone to bed at all: that while
was searching for her through the
house, had met stranger who, when
| tainted. had carried me into a room
and left me there, to get better or not,
as it might happen.
The whole situation was terrible:
had the issues been less vital, 1t
would have been absurd. Here we
were, guarded day and night by private
detectives. with an extra man to watch
the grounds, and yet we might as we'll
have lived in a Japanese paper house,
for all the protection we had
And there was something else the
man / had met in the darkness had
been even more startled than |, and
about his voice, when he muttered his
buffled exclamation, there was some
thing vaguely familiar All that morn
ing, while Gertrude read aloud, and
Liddy watched for the doctor | was
puzzling over that voice, without re-
suit
And there were other things, too.
wondered what Gertrude's absence
from her room had to do with it all, or
II 1T had any connection. | tried to
think that she had heard the rapping
noises before did and gone to investi-
gate, but I'm afraid | was a moral
coward that day. could not ask
her.
Perhaps the diversion was good for
me. 1t took my mind from Halsey,
and the story we had heard the night
before. The day, however. was a long
vigil, with every ring of the telephone
full of possibilities. Doctor Walker
came up, some time just after lunch
con, and asked for me.
go down and see him. instructed
Gertrude. TEL him | am out for
mercys sake don't say I'm sick. Find
out what he wants, aud from this time
on, instruct the servants that he is
not to be admitted. loathe that man. >
Gertrude came back very soon, her
face rather flushed.
He came to ask us to get out" She
said, picking up her book with jerk.
He says Louise Armstrong wants to
come here, now that she is recover
ing"
And what did you say?"
II said we were very sorry we could
not leave, but we would be delighted
to have Louise come UP here with us.
He looked daggers at me. And he
wanted to know if we would recon-
mend Eliza as cook. He has brought
a patient, man, out from town, and
! is increasing his establishment-that S
the way he put it,
Il wish him joy of Eliza said
tartly. did he ask for Halsey?"
Yes | told him that we were or
| the track last night, and that it was
only a question of time. He said he
was glad, although he didn't appear tc
be, but he said not to be too sanguine.
do you know what l believer"
asked. II believe, as firmly as l be
lieve anything, that Doctor Walker
knows something about Halsey and
that he could put his finger on him
1 if he wanted to-
1 There were several things that day
| that bewildered me. About three
| O'Clock Mr.. Jameson telephoned from
! the Casanova station and Warner
went down to meet him. got up an6
! dressed hastily, and the detective was
| shown up to my sitting-room.
/ No news?" | asked, as he entered
He tried to look encouraging, without
success. noticed that he looked tired
and dusty, and, although he was ordi
4narily impeccable in his appearance
it was clear that he was at least two
days from razor.
! 1T won't be long now. Miss Innes,
he said. 81 have come out here on {
4 peculiar Grand which ] will tell you
about later. First, ] want to ash
some questions. Did any one come ou
i here yesterday to repair the tele
/ phone, and examine the wires on tbs
roof"
yes | said promptly: 'but 1t wa'
not the telephone. He said the wiring
might have caused the fire at thu
/ stable. I went up with him myself
but he only looked around
/ Mr.. Jamieson smiled