, 1910-10-13
v ROBERTS RZVEXz4R1'

Arnold Armstrong know that Sunny
side had been rented?"
Il think-yes, ne did. In fact, I my
self told him about it." I
And he knew who the tenants
were?"
yes"
He had not been living with the
family for some years, l believer"
No. Unfortunately, there had been
trouble between Arnold and his IA
Their. For two years he had lived in
town.
Then 1t would be unlikely that he
came here last night to get possession
of anything belonging to him?"
IL should think it hardly possible"
he admitted. ITO be perfectly frank,
Miss Innes, I can not think of any
reason whatever for his coming here
as he did. He had been staying at
the club house acros the valley for
the last week, Jarvis tells me, but
that only explains how he came here,
not why. 1t is a most unfortunate
family"
He shook his head despondently,
I n l felt that this dried-up little man
was the repository of much tina he
had not told me. 1 gave up trying to
elicit any information from him, and
we went together to view the body
before 1t was aiken to the city. 1t
had been lifted on to the billiard-ta-
BILE n a sheet thrown over It; 9TH
erwise nothing had been touched. A
soft hat lay beside 1t, and the collar
of h dinner-coat was still turned up.
The handsome, dissipated face of Ar
mold Armstrong, purged of its ugly
lines. was now only pathetic. As we
went in Mrs. Watson appeared at the
card-room door.
Come in, Mrs. Watson" the lawyer
said. But she shook her head and
withdrew; she vas the only one in
the house who seemed to regret the
dead man, and even she seemed rath-
er shocked than sorry.
Before Mr.. Harton left, he told me
something Of the Armstrong family.
Paul Armstrong. the father. had been
married twice. Arnold was a son by
the first marriage. The second Mrs.
Armstrong had been a widow, with
a child. q little girl. This child, now
perhaps 20, was Louise Armstrong,
having taken her stepfather's name,
n was at present in California with
the family.
They will probably return at once"
he concluded, and part Of my errand
here to-day is to see II you will relin-
quish your lease here in their favor"
w would better wait and see If
they wish to come" 1 said. ut seems
unlikely, and my town house is being
remodeled." At that he let the mat
ter drop. but it came up u~npleasantly
enough, later.
At six o'clock the body was taken
away, M at seven-thirty, after an
eSCly dinner, Mr.. Harton went. Ger
trude had not come down, and there
was no news of Halsey. Mr.. jamie
son had taken a lodging in the vii
lage, n l had not seen him since
mid-afternoon. 1t was about nine
O'Clock, / think, when the bell rang
and he was ushered into the living
room.
"Sit down." 1 said zrimly. Have
you found a clew that will incriminats
me. Mr.. JAMESON"
LAG hho NhS ~ AoSh
able. NO." he said. IF o had
killed Mr.. Armstrong, you would have
left no clews. You would have had
too much intelligence"
After that we got along better. He
was fishing In his pocket, and after
a minute he brought out two scraps
of paper. II have been to the club
house." he said, and among Mr.. Arm
strong's effects, | found these. One is
curious; the other is puzzling."
The first was a sheet of club note
paper on which, was written, over and
over, the name "Halsey B. Innes." 1t
was Halsey's flowing signature to a
dot, but 1t lacked Halsey's ease. The
ones toward the bottom Of the sheet
were much better than the top ones.
Mr.. Jameson smiled at my face.
His old tricks" he said. That
one is merely curious; this one. as
said before, is puzzling."
The second scrap, folded and re-
folded into a compass SO tiny hat the
writing had been partly o~bliterated.
was part of a letter-the lower half OF
a sheet, not typed. but written in a
cramped hand.
by altering the plans for
rooms. may be possible. The best way.
in my opinion would be to-the plan
for-in one of the-rooms-chin-
ney.
That was all.
"Well?" | said, looking up. There