The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-08-04

himself. I had a long talk with the
old man. and this is what I learned.
On Saturday evening before. about
ten o'clock, he had been reading In
the sitting room downstairs, when
some n raped at the door. The old
man was alone. Warner not having
arrived, and at first he was uncertain
about opening the door. He did SO
finally, and was amazed at being con-
fronted by Louise Armstrong. Thomas
was al old family servant. having
been with the present Mrs. Armstrong
since she was a child. and he was
overwhelmed at seeing Louise. He
saw that she was excited and tired,
and he drew her into the sitting Don
and made her sit down. After a while
he went to the house and brought
Mrs. Watson. and they talked until
late. The old man said Louise was In
trouble, and seemed frightened. Mrs.
Watson made some tea and took II to
the lodge, but Louise made them both
promise to keep her presence q secret.
She had not known that Sunnyside
was rented, and whatever her trouble
was, this complicated things. She
seemed puzzled. Her stepfather and
her mother were still in California
that was all she would say about
them. Why she had run away no one
could imagine. Mr.. Arnold Armstrong
was at the Greenwood club, and at last
Thomas, not knowing what else to do,
went over there along the path. 1t
was almost midnight. Part way over
he met Armstrong himself and
brought him to the lodge. Mrs. Wat
son had gone to the house for some
bed linen. it having been arranged
that under the circumstances Louise
would be better at the lodge until
morning. Arnold Armstrong and
Louise had a long conference, during
which he was heard to storm and be-
come very violent. When he left 1t
was after two. He had gone up to
the house-Thomas did not know why
and at three o'clock he wal shot at
the foot of the circular staircase.
The following morning Louise had
been IL. She had asked for Arnold.
and vas told he had left town.
Thomas had not the moral courage to
tell her Of the crime. She refused a
doctor, and shrank morbidly from hsv.
ing her presence known. Mrs W.
son and Thomas had had
IuII, ana at last Rosie had been en-.
listed to help them. She carried nee
essary provisions - little enough -
to the lodge, and helped to keep the
| secret.
Thomas told me quite frankly that
he had been anxious to keep Louise's
presence hidden for this reason: They
had all seen Arnold Armstrong that
night, and he, himself, for one. was
known to have had no very friendly
feeling for the dead lar AS to the
reason for Louise's flight from Cali
fornia, or why she had not gone to
the Fftzhughs', or to some of her peo-
pie in town, he had no more informa-
ton that / had. With the death of
her stepfather and the prospect Of
the immediate return of the family,
things had become nor and more
impossible. l gathered that Thomas
was as relieved as / at the turn events
had taken. No, she did not know OF
either Of the deaths in the family.
Taken all around. ] had only substi-
tuted n mystery for another. II I
knew now why Rosie had taken the
basket OF dishes, / did not know who
had spoken to her and followed her
along the drive. II / knew that Louise
was in the lodge, I did not know why
she was there. If l knew that Arnold
Armstrong had spent some time In the
lodge the night before he was muir
dered, l was no nearer the solution Of
the crime. Who was the midnight in
truder who had so alarmed Liddy and
myself? Who had fallen down the
clothes chute? Was Gertrude's lover
a villain or a victim? Time was to
answer all these things.
A p XIII.