Barbour County index., 1910-06-01
CHAPTER II.-continued.

Ou1 MISS BO-
ing to be DEATH"
There will be-" 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 it was too late!
The sun came finally, and from my
window l 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 un-
til the milk-boy and the sun came,
about the same time, did / dare to
open the door into the hall and look
around. Everything was as we had
left it. 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 yel-
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 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-
tion. The sounds had come from the
east wing, and not without some
qualms l began there. At first I found
nothing. Since then have developed
my powers of observation, but at that
time | was a novice. The small card
room seemed undisturbed. looked for
footprints, which is, 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 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 round
dent in the hard wood. That was all
and it seemed little enough. except
that | was positive the marks had not
been there the day before.
1t bore out my theory of the sound.
which had been for all the world like
the humping of a metallic object down
flight of steps. The four steps had
been skipped. reasoned that an iron
bar, for instance. would do something
OF the sort-strike two or three stems.
end down, then turn over, jumping a
few stairs, and landing with thud.
Iron bars, however. do not fall
downstairs in the middle of the night
alone. Coupled with the figure on the
veranda the agency by which il
climbed might be assumed. But-and
here was the thing that puzzled me
most-the doors were all fastened
that morning. the windows unmolest-
ed, and the particular door from the
card room to the veranda had a COM
bination lock of which held the KEY
and which had not been tampered
with.
l fixed on an attempt at burglary.
as the most natural explanation-an
attempt frustrated by the falling of
the object, whatever it was, that had
reused me. Two things | could not
understand how. the intruder had es-
capped with everything locked. and
why he had left the small silver,
which, in the absence of butler, had
remained downstairs over night.
In the afternoon a hack came IN
from Casanova, with fresh relay of
servants. The driver took them with
a flourish TO the servants entrance.
and drove around to the front of the
house, where was awaiting him.
Two dollars he said in reply to
my question. Il don't charge full
rates, because. bringin' 'em UP all
summer as l do, it pays to make a
special price. When they got OF the
train / sez, sez l: There's another
bunch for Sunnyslde, cook, parlor
maid and ALL Yesm-six summers.
and new lot never less than once a
month They won't stand for the
country and the lonesomeness, |
reckon.
But with the presence of the