Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-14
CHAPTER VI.
In the East corrido,

IH SnS EAST NOFrI0Of.
When the detective left he enjoined
absolute secrecy on everybody in the
household. The Greenwood club
| promised the same thing, and as there
are no Sunday afternoon papers, the
murder was not publicly known until
Monday. The coroner himself notified
| the Armstrong family lawyer, and
early in the afternoon he came out
had not seen Mr. Jameson since
morning, but l knew he had been in
terrogating the servants. Gertrude
was locked in her room with head
ache, and l had luncheon alone
Mr. Harton, the lawyer, was little
thin man, and he looked as if he did
not relish his business that day.
This is very unfortunate, Miss In
hands. Most northumberland mys-
terious. With the father and mother
III the west, find everything devolves
IN me; and, as you can understand,
it is an unpleasant duty"
mo doubt" said absently. Mr.
4arton. l am going to ask you some
questions, and / hope you will answer
| hem. I feel that am entitled to
some knowledge, because | and my
family are just now in a most ambigu-
Gus position"
don't know whether he under
| stood me or not; he took off his
glasses and wiped them.
4 shall be very happy" he said
with old-fashioned courtesy.
Thank you. Mr.. Harton, did Mr..
Arnold Armstrong know that Sunny
| side had been rented?"
Il think-yes. he did. In fact, my
self told him about it,"
And he knew Who the tenants
were?"
YES"
"He had not been living with the
family for some years, believer"
No. Unfortunately, there had been
| trouble between Arnold and his IA
Their For two years he had lived in
town"
Then it would be unlikely that he
came here last night to get possession
OF anything belonging to him?"
Il should think It hardly possible, -
he admitted. ITO be perfectly frank,
Miss lines, | can not think of any
reason whatever for his coming here
as he did. He had been staying at
the club house across the valley for
the last week, Jarvis tells me, but
! that only explains how he came here,
not why. 1t il a most unfortunate
| family"
He shook his head despondently
and l felt that this dried-up little man
was the repository of much that he
had not told me. l gave up trying to
elicit any information from him, and
we went together to view the body
before it was taken to the city. 1t
had been lifted on to the billiard-ta-
BILE and sheet thrown over it; 9TH
erwise nothing had been touched. A
soft hat lay beside At and the collar
Of the dinner-coat was still turned up
The handsome, dissipated face of Ar
mold Armstrong, purged of its ugly
lines, was now only pathetic AS we
went in Mrs. Watson appeared at the
cardroom door,
Come in, Mrs Watson" the lawyer
said. But she shook her head and
withdrew; she was the only one in
the house who seemed to regret the
dead man, and even she seemed rath
er shocked than sorry.
Before Mr.. Harton left, he told me
something of the Armstrong family
Paul Armstrong, the father, had been
married twice. Arnold was son by
the first marriage. The second Mrs
Armstrong had been widow, with
a child, little girl This child, now
perhaps 20, was Louise Armstrong
having taken her stepfather's name
the family
They will probably return at once,
he concluded, land part of my errand
here today is to see if you will relin
quish your lease here in their favor
I'VE would better wait and see II
they wish to come" said. st seems
unlikely, and my town house is being
remodeled." At that he let the mat
ter drop, but it came up unpleasantly
enough, later.
At six O'Clock the body was taker
away, and at seven-thirty, after an
early dinner, Mr.. Harton went Ger
trude had not come down, and there
was no news of Halsey. Mr.. Jamie
son had taken a lodging in the vii
iage, and | had not seen him since
mid-a1ternoon. 1t was about nine
o'clock, think, when the bell rang
and he was ushered into the living
room.
sit down." 1 said grimly. "Have
you found clew that will incriminate
me. Mr.. Jamieson?'
He had the grace to look uncomfort
able. NO." he said. eff you hai
killed Mr.. Armstrong. you would have
left no clews. You would have haG
too much intelligence"
After that we got along better. He
was fishing In his pocket, and aftel
minute he brought out two scraps
OF paper. II have been to the club
house" he said, "and among, Mr.. Arm
strong's effects, found these. One Ii
curious; the other is pulling"
The first was sheet of club note
paper on which was written, over ant
over, the name "Halsey B. Innes." i
was Halsey's flowing signature to {
dot, but it lacked Halsey's ease. Ths
ones toward the bottom Of the shee
were much better than the top ones
Mt. Jameson smiled at my face.
His old tricks,' he said. "Tha