Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-05-28
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CHAPTER II.
A Link Cuff-Button.

COW IN petrihed amazement Liddy
began to moan under her breath, and
In my excitement 1 reached down and
shook her
Stop it," I whispered Its only a
Woman-maybe a maid of the Arm
strongs- Get up and help me find the
door She groaned again Very
Well, l said, then I'll have to leave
you here. I'm going
she moved at that and, holding to
my sleeve. we felt our way, with nu-
merous collisions, to the billiard-room
and from there to the drawing-room.
Inc lights came on then, and, with
the long French windows unshuttered
mad creepy feeling that each one
sneItered peering face. In fact, in
the light OF what happened afterward,
am pretty certain we were under
surveillance during the entire ghostly
evening. We hurried over the rest of
the lock1ng-up and got upstairs as
quickly as we could. 1 left the lights
all on, and our footsteps echoed ca
vernously- Liddy had stiff neck the
next morning, from looking back over
ner shoulder, and she refused to go
to bed
Let me stay in your dressing room.
Miss Rachel" she begged. IF you
don't I'll sit in the hall outside the
door I'm not going to be murdered
with my eyes shut
1t was IL O'Clock when I finallv nre.
pared for bed. In spite of my assump-
ton OF Indifference, 1 locked the door
INTO the nall, and finding the tran
som did not catch, 1 put a chair eau
uously before the door-it was not
necessary to rouse Liddy-and climb
ing up put on the ledge of the tran
som a small dressing mirror, so that
any movement of the frame would
send it crashing down. Then, secure
In my precautions went to bed.
1 did not go to sleep at once. Liddy
disturbed me just as 1 was growing
drowsy, by coming in and peering I'M
der the bed. She was afraid to speak,
however, because of her previous |
snubb1ng, and went back, stopping in !
the doorway to sigh dismally
Somewhere downstairs clock |
with chime sang away the hours
forty-five, twelve. And |
then the lights went out to stay. The |
Casanova Electric Company shuts up |
shop and goes home to bed at mid
night: when one has a party, 1 be-
1eve it is customary to fee the COM
pany, which will drink hot coffee and
keep awake a couple of hours longer.
But the lights were gone for good
hat night Liddy had gone to sleep.
Is knew she would. She was a very
unreliable person: always awake and
'eady to talk when she wasn't wanted
md doing off to sleep when she was
called her once or twice, the only re-
ult being an explosive snore that
how |
'ot up and lighted bedroom candle.
My bedroom and dressing room
we're above the big living room on
he first floor. On the second floor a ,
ong corridor ran the length of the
ouse, with rooms opening from both ,
ides. In the wings were small cor
idors crossing the main one-the .
Ian was simplicity itself And Just :
S 1 got back into bed, 1 heard a .
ound from the east wing, apparently.
hat made me stop, frozen, with one :.
edroom slipper half off, and listen. 1t .
-as a rafting metallic sound, and it
everberated along the empty halls n
Ike the crash of doom. 1t was for all
he world as if something heavy, per- Q
APPS a piece of Steel had rolled clat-
erfng and jangling down the hard
God stairs leading to the card-room
In the silence that followed Liddy !"
Tired and snored again. l was ex-
sperated; first she kept me awake
Y silly alarms, then when she was 81
eeded she slept like Joe Jefferson, or
ip-they are always the same to me.
went in and aroused her, and 1 give
sr credit for being wide awake the o.
mute 1 spoke.
Get up" 1 said, "if you don't want W
be murdered in your bed -
Where? How" she yelled vocifer- .
lsly, and jumped up. n
There's somebody in the house." / s
i'd *Get up Wen have to go to n
e telephone -
Not out in the hall" she gasped; F
Oh, Miss Rachel, not out in the
IL" trying to hold me back But i c
q large woman and Liddy is small | @
e got to the door, somehow, and -
ddy held brass andiron, which it Id
rs all she could do to lift, let alone -
ain anybody with / listened, and n
airing nothing, opened the door r
tie and peered into the hall 1t was
black void, full of terrible sugges- c
N, and my candle only emphasized .
E gloom Liddy squealed and drew ~
; back again, and as the door -
mined, the mirror had put on the Z
Lnsom came down and hit her on G.
: head That completed our de -
1t was some time before r
ould persuade her she had not been r
acked from behind by a burglar.
when she found the mirror
ashed on the floor she wasn't much In
ter. 49,. -
ITO RE CnNTTNcTTED