Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-05-28
TIL CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
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CHAPTER
CHAPTER !.
! Take a Country House

aged splnster lost her mind, deserted
her domestic gods in the city, tool
a furnished house for the summer ou
OF town, and found herself involved il
one of those mysterious crimes thai
keep our newspapers and detective
agencies happy and prosperous. Fol
20 years l had been perfectly com
Portable; for 20 years I had had the
| W1ndow-bOXes filled in the spring the
carpets lifted, the awnings put up and
| the furniture covered with brown
linen; for as many summers had said
good-by to my friends, and, after
watching their perspiring hegira, had
settled down to a delicious quiet in
town, where the mail comes three
times day, and the water supply
does not depend on a tank on the
roof.
And then-the madness seized me.
When / look back over the months
spent in Sunnyside, 1 wonder that 1
survived at all AS it is, l show the
wear and tear of my narrowing ex-
periences- 1 have turned very gray
L1ddy reminded me of it only yester-
day by saying that a little bluing in
the rinse water would make my hair
s1lvery instead of a yellow white 1
hate to be reminded of unpleasant
things and l snapped her of.
No. l said sharply, I'm not going
to use bluing at my time of life, or
starch, either
L1ddy's nerves are gone, she says,
since that awful summer, but she has
enough left, goodness knowsi And
when she begins to go around with a
lump in her throat, all I have to do
Is to threaten to return to Sunnyside,
and she is frightened into a semblance
OF cheerfulness-from which you may
Judge that the summer there was any
thing but a success.
Inc newspaper accounts have been
SO garbled and incomplete-one of
them mentioned me but once, and
then only as the tenant at the time
the thing happened-that 1 feel it my
due to tell what I know. Mr. jamie
son, the detective, said himself he
could never have done without me, |
although he gave me little enough
credit, in print.
I shall have to go back several |
years-13, to be exact-to start NV
story. At that time my brother died. |
eaving me his two children. Halsey
vas IL then and Gertrude was seven
rlcal course and Gertrude her board
ng school both came home to STAY.
The winter Gertrude came out was
loth1ng but succession of sitting I'D
ate at night to bring her home from
h1ngs, taking her to the dressmakers
between maps the next day, and dis
ourag1ng ineligible youths with either
more money than brains or more
rains than money. By spring I was
ute tractable. So when Halsey sue-
ested camping in the Adirondacks
nd Gertrude wanted Bar Harbor. we
compromised on good country house
nth links near, within motor dis
ance of town and telephone distance
the doctor. That was how we, went
D Sunnyside
we went out to inspect the property.
nd 1t seemed to deserve it's name
IS cneerful appearance gave no indi-
atlon whatever of anything out of
he ordinary Only one thing seemed
nusual to me: The housekeeper. who
ad been left in charge, had moved
ON the house to the gardeners lodge
few days before. AS the lodge was
II enough away from the house If
7emed to me that either fire or
lleves could complete their work of
estruction undisturbed. The proper-
was an extensive one; the house on
lie top of hill, which sloped away in
eat stretches of green lawn and
lpped hedges, to the road, and across
e 'aliey, perhaps couple of miles
way was the Greenwood Club house.
and Halsey were infatuated.
Inc property was owned by Paul C
rmstrong, the president of the "
raiders bank, who at the time we t
OK the house was in the west with I
s Vile and daughter, and a DIR. e
aiker' the Armstrong family ply
;ian- massey knew Louise Arm n
rong-had been rather attentive To N
T the winter before, but as Halsey il
IS always attentive to somebody. I a
d not thought of it seriously al B
ough she was a charming girl I'll
ew of Mr.. Armstrong only THROUGH r.
; connection with the bank where n
ch1ldren's money was largely in h.
sted. and through an ugly story fl
out the son, Arnold Armstrong. who n
Is reported to have forged his ia k
Pr name for considerable amount 81
some bank paper. However. the til
'ry had had no interest for me 81
cleared Halsey and Gertrude w
ay to house party, and moved out hi
Sunnyslde the first of May. til
The first night passed quietly to
ough- / have always been grateful, dc
that one nights peace; it shows
at the country might be under ia he
raoie circumstances Never after Sc
lt night did / put my head on nv st
low with any assurance how lone on
would be there; or on my shoulders. "
that matter sb
IN the following morning Liddy and m