The pioneer express., 1910-12-16
CHAPTER xxxlIl.
At the Foot of the Stairs

Al II1S FOOI OI IuS SSduSs
AS drove rapidly up to the house
from Casanova station in the hack,
saw the detective Burns lettering
across the street from the Walker
place. So Jameson. was putting the
screws on-lightly now, but ready to
give them twist or two, felt Ger.
tain, very soon.
The house was quiet. Two steps OF
the circular staircase had been pried
off without result, and beyond sec.
ond message from Gertrude that Hal.
sey insisted on coming home and they
would arrive that night there was
nothing new. Mr.. Jameson, having
failed to locate the secret room, had
gone to the village. I learned after.
wards that he called at DR.. Walkers,
under pretense of an attack of acute
Indigestion, and before he left had in.
quired about the evening trains to the
city. He said he had wasted a lot
of time on the case, and a good bit OF
the mystery was in my imagination!
The doctor was under the impression
that the house was guarded day and
night. Well, give place reputation
like that, and you don't need guard
at all-thus Jameson. And sure
enough, late in the afternoon, the two
private detectives, accompanied by
Mr.. Jameson, walked down the main
street of Casanova and took a city.
bound train.
That they got off at the next station
and walked back again to Sunnyside
at dusk was not known at the time.
Personally, I knew nothing of either
move; I had other things to absorb
me at that time.
Liddy brought me some tea while
rested after my trip, and on the tray
was small book from the Casanova
library. 1t was called "The Unseen
World" and had a cheerful cover, on
which half-dozen sheeted figures
linked hands around headstone.
At this point in my story, Halsey
always says: Trust woman to add
two and two together, and make six"
To which retort that if two and two
plus x makes six, then to discover the
unknown quantity is the simplest
thing in the world. That houseful
of detectives missed it entirely was
because they were busy trying to
prove that two and two make four.
The depression due to my visit to
the hospital left me at the prospect of
seeing Halsey again that night. 1t
was about five o'clock when Liddy
left me for nap before dinner, hav.
ing put me into gray silk dressing.
gown and a pair of slippers. listened
to her retreating footsteps, and as
soon as she was safely below stairs
l went up to the trunkroom. The
place had not been disturbed, and /
proceeded at once to try to discover
the entrance to the hidden room. The
openings on either side, as I have
said, showed nothing but perhaps
three feet of brick wall There was
no sign of an entrance-no levers, no
hinges, to give hint. Either the
mantel or the roof, decided, and aft.
er half-hour at the mantel, produc.
tive of absolutely no result, I decided
to try the roof.
I am not fond of height. The xew
occasions on which have climbed q
step-ladder have always left me dizzy
and weak in the knees. The top of
the Washington monument is as i'm.
possible, to me as the elevation to the
presidential chair. And yet
climbed out on the Sunnyside roof
without a seconds hesitation. Like
q dog on scent, like my bear-skin
progenitor, with his spear and his
wild boar. to me now there was the
lust Of the chase. the frenzy Of pur
suit, the dust of battle. / got qilite q
little Of the latter on me az climbed
from the unfinished ballroom out
through d window TO the roof Of thl
1ast Nlifn pf TIE building. which VA,
sanly EGn storiss n height.
a 90 mt there. aceess TO the top d
- nsain building was rendered eas,
least II looked easy-by assmal