The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-11-24
CHAPTER XXXIII.
At the Foot of the Stairs.


AS l 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 a 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 a 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. l learned after
wards that he called at Dr. Walkers,
under pretense Of an attack of acute
Indigestion, and before he left had in
CURED 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 a place reputation
like that, and you don't need a 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; | had other things to absorb
me at that time
Liddy brought me some tea while |
rested after my trip, and on the tray
was a small book from the Casanova
library. 1t was called The Unseen
World and had a cheerful cover, on
which a half-dOzen sheeted figures
linked hands around a headstone.
At this point in my story, Halsey
always says: Trust a woman to add
two and two together and make six"
To which | retort that if two and two
plus y makes six, then to discover the
unknown quantity is the simplest
thing in the world. That a houseful
of detectives missed it entirely was
because they We're 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 a gray silk dressing
gown and pair of slippers. l listened
to her retreating footsteps, and as
soon as she was safely below stairs
! 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 l have
said, showed nothing but perhaps
three feet of brick wall There was
no sign of an entrance-no levers, no
hinges, to give a hint. Either the
mantel or the roof, I decided, and aft
er half-hOur at the mantel produc-
tive of absolutely no result, l decided
to try the roof.
l am not fond Of height The few
occasions on which | have climbed a
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 yeti
climbed out on the Sunnyside roof
without a seconds hesitation Like
a dog on a 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. l got quite a
little of the latter on me as l climbed
from the unfinished ballroom out
through a window to the roof of the
east wing of the building, which was
only two stories in height.
Once out there, access to the top of
the main building was rendered easy
'-at least it looked easy-by a small