Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-07-21
TIL CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
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CHAPTER I.
/ Take a Country House.
CHAPTER I.

a furnished house for the summer out
of town, and found herself involved in
one of those mysterious crimes that
keep our newspapers and detective
agencies happy and prosperous For
20 years | had been perfectly com
Portable; for 20 years l had had the
window-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 tank on the
roof
And then-the madness seized me.
When | look back over the months l
spent in Sunnyside, | wonder that l
survived at all. AS it is, | show the
wear and tear of my narrowing ex-
periences. l have turned very gray
Liddy reminded me of it only yester-
day by saying that little bluing in
the rinse water would make my hair
silvery instead of a yellow white. l
hate to be reminded of unpleasant
things and I snapped her off.
NO. l said sharply, I'm not going
to use bluing at my time of life, or
starch, either"
Liddy's nerves are gone, she says,
since that awful summer, but she has
enough left, goodness knows! And
when she begins to go around with a
lump In her throat, all | 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.
The 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 l feel it my
due to tell what | 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 my
story. At that time my brother died,
leaving me his two children. Halsey
was II then and Gertrude was seven.
When Halsey had finished his cleo
trical course and Gertrude her board
ing school both came home to stay.
The winter Gertrude came out was
nothing but a succession of sitting up
a 1+ is1,t 70 Irip hap
things, taking her 20 the dressmakers
between maps the next day, and dis
couTaging ineligible youths with either
more money than brains or more
brains than money BY spring | was
quite tractable. So when Halsey sug-
gested camping in the Adirondacks
and Gertrude wanted Bar Harbor, we
compromised on good country house
with links near, within motor dis
tance of town and telephone distance
OF the doctor. That was how we went
to Sunnyside.
We went out TO inspect the property,
and it seemed to deserve it's name
It's cheerful appearance gave no indi.
cation whatever of anything out of
the ordinary Only one thing seemed
unusual to me: The housekeeper, who
had been left in charge, had moved
from the house TO the gardeners lodge
a few days before. As the lodge was
far enough away from the house, II
seemed to me that either fire or
thieves could complete their work of
destruction undisturbed. The proper.
ty was an extensive one; the house on
the top of hill, which sloped away in
great stretches of green lawn and
clipped hedges, 10 the road and across
the valley, perhaps a couple of miles
away was the Greenwood Club house
Gertrude and Halsey were infatuated
The property was owned by Paul
Armstrong. the president OF the
Traders bank. who az the time we
took the house was in the west with
his wife and daughter, and a Or
Walker, the Armstrong family ply
slcian. llalscy knew Louise Arm
strong-had been rather attentive Il
her the winter before but as Halscy
was always attentive to somebody.
had not thought OF Il seriously. al
though she was charming girl
his connection with the bank. wber,
the childrons money was largely In
vested and through an ugly stor,
about the son, Arnold Armstrong. who
was reported 10 have forged his fa
thors name for q considerable amount
TO some bank paper However. IA,
story had had no interest Tor mc.
cleared llalssy aud Gartfud,
away To house party aud moved ou
to sunny5ide Che Grst oI May.
The nrss night passed miotb
enough. I have always been rratenl
for ttot one nights peace, d show.
what the country mjght be under ia
yofable circumstance. Nog.r auu
that n.gUt d.d ! put my brad au mi
pillow with nny assurance how Ions
10 would hn there or ou my slullders
for that matter
ON tho foIioH.rs morning LIday am,
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