The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-09-10

"Oh. Miss Rachel. not out in the
hall!" trying to hold me back. But l
am large woman and lady is small
We got to the door somehow, and
Liddy held brass audiron, which it
was all she could do to lift, let alone
brain anybody with listened, and,
hearing nothing, opened the door q
little and peered into the hall. 1t was
a black void, full Of terrible sugges-
ton, and my candle only emphasized
the gloom. Liddy squealed ami drew
me back again, and as the door
slammed, the mirror l had put on the
transom came down and hit her on
the head. That completed our de-
moralization. It was some time before!
/ could persuade her she had not been
attacked from behind by a burglar,
and when she found the mirror
! smashed on the floor she wasn't much
better.
There's going to be a DEATH" she
walled. "Oh, Miss Rachel, there's 60
ing to be a DEATH"
There will be-" l said grimly, IF
you don't keep quiet, Liddy Allen"
And SO we sat there until morning,
wondering if the candle would last
until dawn, and arranging what trains
we could take back to town. If we had
only stuck to that decision and gone
back before 1t was too late!
The sun came finally, and from my
window I watched the trees along the
drive take shadowy form, gradually
lose their ghostlike appearance, be-
come gray and then green. The
Greenwood club showed itself a dab
of white against the hill across the
valley, and an early robin or two
hoped around in the dew Not I'M
til the milk-boy and the sun came,
about the same time, did / dare tc
open the door into the hall and look
around. Everything was as we had
left 1t. Trunks were heaped here and
there, ready for the trunk-room, and
through an end window of stained
glass came a streak of red and yell
low daylight that was eminently
cheerful. The milk-boy was pound
ing somewhere below, and the day
had begun.
Thomas Johnson came ambling up
the drive about half-past six, and we
could hear him gathering around on
the lower floor, opening shutters.
had to take Liddy to her room up
stairs. however-she was quite sure
she would find something uncanny In
fact, when she did not, having now
the courage of daylight, she was actu-
ally disappointed.
Well. we did not 90 back to town
that day.
warned Liddy not to mention what
had happened to anybody, and tele-
phoned to town for servants. Then,
after a breakfast which did more
credit to Thomas heart than his head,
went on a short tour of investiga-
ton. The sounds had come from the
east wing, and not without some
qualms began there. At first l found
nothing Since then l have developed
my powers of observation, but at that
time was a novice. The small card
room seemed undisturbed. looked for
footprints, which is, l believe. the con
ventional thing to do, although my
experience has been that as clews
both footprints and thumb-marks are
more useful In fiction than in fact
But the stairs In that wing offered
something.
At the top of the fight had been
placed a tall wicker hamper, packed
with linen that had come from town
1t stood at the edge of the top step
almost barring passage, and on the
step below it was a long, fresh
scratch. For three steps the scratch
was repeated. gradually diminishing
as If some object had fallen, striking
!. each one Then for four steps nothing
On the fifth step below was a rount
> dent in the hard wood. That was all
and it seemed little enough, excep
Il that was positive the marks had no
been trere the day before.
1t bore out my theory of the sound
which had been for all the world lik,
the humping If a metallic object dow
a fight of steps. The four steps hat
= been skipped. l reasoned that an irol
L bar, for instance. would do something
: of the sort-strike two or three steps
l. end down, then turn over, jumping
few stairs, and landing with thud.
T, Iron bars, however, do not fal
downstairs in the middle of the nigh
D alone. Coupled with the figure or tn
y veranda the agency by which
climbed might be assumed. But-an
u here was the thing that puzzled m
s most-the doors were all fastene
= that morning, the windows unmoles
II ed, and the particular door from tn
l card room to the veranda had con
9. bination lock of which held the key
II and which had not been tampere
II with.
!" / fixed on an attempt at burglar,
@ as the most natural explanation-a
- attempt frustrated by the falling c
= the object, whatever 1t was, that ha
ie reused me. Two things l could nc
81 understand; how the intruder had e.
capped with everything locked, an
., why he had left the small silve
10 which, in the abseace of butler, ha
=. remained downstairs over night.
~ In the afternoon hack came u
10 from Casanova with a fresh relay Z