The newspaper., 1910-01-07

his father rested side by side in the
Casanova churchyard, and at the Zion
African church, on the hill, a new
mound marked the last resting-placa
D. poor Thomas
Louise was with her mother in
town. and, beyond a polite note of
thanks to me, we had heard nothing
from her. DR.. Walker had taken up
his practice again, and we saw him
now and then flying along the road,
always at top speed The murder of
Arnold Armstrong was still unavenged.
and l remained firm in the position
had taken-to stay at Sunnyside until
the thing was at least partly cleared.
And yet, for all its quiet, it was on
Wednesday night that perhaps the
boldest attempt was made to enter
the house. On Thursday afternoon
the laundress sent word she would
like to speak to me, and | saw her in
my private sitting room. small room
beyond the dressing room.
Mary Anne was embarrassed. She
had rolled down her sleeves and tried
white apron around her waist, and
she stood making folds in it with fin
soap-suds.
Well, Mary" l said encouragingly,
whats the matter? Don't dare to
tell me the soap is OUT
NO, ma'am, Miss Innes." She had
a nervous habit of looking first at my
one eye and then at the other, her
own optics shifting ceaselessly, right
eye, left eye, right eye. until found
myself doing the same thing. NO.
ma'am. l was askin' did you want the
ladder left up the clothes chute?"
The what?" l screeched. and was
sorry the next minute. Seeing her
suspicious were verified, Mary Anne
had gone white. and stood with her
eyes shifting more wildly than ever.
There's a ladder up the clothes
chute. Miss Innes." she said. It's
up that tight / can't move it. and I
didn't like to ask for help until spoke
to you"
1t was useless to dissemble: Mary
Anne knew now as well as did that
the ladder had no business to be
there. l did the best | could. how
ever. l put her on the defensive at
once.
Then you didn't lock the laundry
last night?''
Il locked it tight. and put the key
in the kitchen on its nail"
Very well. then you forgot a win
dow"
Mary Anne hesitated
"Yes'm." she said at last. Il thought
! locked them all. but there was one
open this morning"
| went out of the room and down
the hall. followed by Mary Anne. The
door into the clothes chute was Sc
curely bolted. and when I opened II
! saw the evidence OF the woman's
story. pruning ladder had been
brought from where IL had lain
against the stable and now stood up
right in the clothes shaft. its end rest
ing against the wall between the first
and second floors.
! turned to Mary
This is due to your carelessness.-
] said. IF We had all been murdered
in our beds it would have been your
fault" She shivered Now. not
word of this through the house. and
send Alex to me-
Ant fHeNN on AleN was TO make him
apoplectic with rage. and with ii all
fancied there was an element of salts
faction As look back. so many
things are plain to me that wonder
! could not see at the time II is all
known now. and vet the whole thing
was so remarkable that perhaps my
stupidity was eNcusable.
Alex leaned down the chute and er.
amined the ladder carefully
1T is caught" he said with a grim
smile. The fools. to have left
warning like that, The only trouble
is, Miss Innes. they won't be apt to
come back for a while"
Il shouldn't regard that in the light
of a calamity" I replied
Until late taat evening Halsey and
Alex worked at the chute. They
forced down the ladder at last. and
put new bolt on the door. As for
myself. I sat and wondered II | had
a deadly enemy. inent on my destruc-
ton.
was growing more and more nerv-
Gus. Liddy had given up all pretense
at bravery. and slept regularly in my
dressing room on the couch. with a
prayer-book and game knife from
the kitchen under her pillow. thus pre-
pairing for both the natural and the
supernatural That was The wav