The Nevada County picayune., 1910-05-20
CHAPTER Il.-Continued.

sHThpre WILL bNg
 -on don't keep quiet, Liddy Allen"
 Ind SD we sat there until morning,
 ,aoring if the candle would last
 N.n dawn and arranging what trains
 ~a could take back to town. II we had s,,r stnck to that decision and gone toch before it was too late.
 ' rho snn came finally, and from my
 r;ndow I watched the trees along the drive take shadowy form, gradually ,osa their ghostlike appearance, be- .nmo gray and then green. The Greenwood club showed itself dab ot white against the hill across the rslley. and an early robin or two Honnad around in the dew. Not un- |,u tbe milk-boy and the sun came, .hout the same time, did l dare to oron the door into the hall and look .round Everything was as We had heft it Trunks were heaped here and ,bere ready for the trunk-room, and Through an end window of stained c,oss came a streak of red and vel Now daylight that was eminenuy Cheerful. The milk-boy was pound kng somewhere below, and the day had begun.
 Thomas Johnson came ambling up sbe drive about half past six, and we could hear him clattering around on ,he lower floor, opening shutters. l had to take Liddy to her room up- stairs, however-she was quite sure sbe would find something uncanny. In tact when she did not. having now the courage of daylight, she was actu- ally disappointed,
 We'll, we did not go 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 short tour of investiga- ion. The sounds had come from the east wing, and not without some cualms 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. l looked for Footprints. which is, believe, the con- Iventional 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 flight had been placed tall wicker hamper. packed With linen that had come from town. It stood at the edge of the top step, almost barring passage, and on the step below II was a long. fresh scratch For three steps the scratch was repeated, gradually diminishing. as Ii some object had fallen, striking each one. Then for four steps nothing. On the fifth step below was a round cent in the hard wood. That was all. ana 1t seemed little enough. except mat l Was positive the marks had not been there the day before.
 It bore out my theory of the sound. Snleh had been for all the world like on pumping of metallic object down Mght of steps. The four steps had eeh skipped. l reasoned that an iron Os', TOT instance, would do something !" the sort-stTite two CT three steps, end down, then turn oyer. jumping a 'e" stairs and landing with q thud. ron bars, however. do not fall uV"h-stairs in the middle of the night N1OAe- Coupled with the figure on the 'eranda the agency by which + ,1'Aoeu might be assumed. Rut-and Asie vas the thing that puzzled ne Aos'-the doors were all fastened 'Ha' morning, the windows unmolest- ~, and the particular door from the ssiu room to the yeranda had q com
 -H"uoh lock of which l held the key. with. 0N '"ilip eu ~Aeo on an attempt at burglary. a,. ue most natural explanation-an .'eMpt frustrated by the falling of ,a ,ae ooleet, whatever it was, that had nns usseu me Two things I could not ae,S'and; s.n', how the intruder had es, apeu With everything locked and wh;., G ne had left the small silver. ,snnl l, ih the absence of a butler had
 In neu downstairs over night.
 f,or. tue afternoon a hack came up .um s0 Casanova. with a fresh relay of sesants' wants The driver took them with ans aoarish to the servants entrance, houso ioVe around to the front of the
 ar where l was awaiting him. mv TWO dollars" he said in reply to ra,os s'esuon. T don't charge full sum 7, because, bringin' em up all speoia1 er as l do, it pays to make trs,n , pfice' When they got of the bunch sez, sez I: There's another na,S Tor Sunnyside, cook. parlor and . auu all. Yes'm-six summers. noatb em lot never less than once a eOun.a.. .n They won't stand for the 'sckon. 'Ae ionesomeness, l |. But u,.