The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1910-06-10
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OF town, and found herself involved 10
/ enc Of those mysterious crimes that
keep our newspapers and detective
agencies happy and prosperous. For
20 years ! had been perfectly com
Portable. for 20 years ! had had the
window-boxes filled In the spring, the
carpets lifted. the awnings pist up and
the furniture covered with brown
linen; for as many summers had said
gocd,by 20 my friends, and, after
watching their perspiring hegira. had
settled down to q delicious quiet In
town. where the mail comes three
times day, and the water supply
does not depend on a tank on the
roof
And then--the madness seized me,
When look back over the months
spent in sunnyside, ! wonder that !
survived at all. An II Is, show the
wear and tear OF my narrowing ex-
pertences. have turned very gray
Liddy reminded me OF II only yester.
day by saying that a little bluing In
the rinse water would make my hair
ailyery instead OF yellow white.
hate 70 be reminded OF unpleasant
things and snapped her OF.
No" ! said sharply, I'm not going
70 use bluing at my time Of life. or
starch, either"
Liddy's nerves are gone, she says.
since that awful summer. but she has
enough left, goodness knowsl And
when she begins to so around with a
lump In her throat, all have to do
Ii 10 threaten 10 return to Sunnyside,
and she IL frightened into semblance
OF cheerfulness--fro which you may
Judge that the summer there was any
thing but a success.
The newspaper accounts have been
SO garbled and incomplete--one OF
them mentioned me but once, and
then only as the tenant at the time
the thing happened--th | feel II my
due 70 tell what | know. Mr.. jamie.
son, the detective, said himself he
could never have done without me,
although he gave me little enough
credit, in print
| shall have 10 go back several
years-13, TO be exaat--to start my
story, Al that time my brother died.
leaving me his two children. Halsey
was II then and Gertrude was seven.
When Halsey had finished his cleo
trlcal course and Gertrude her board
Ing school both came home to stay.
The winter Gertrude came out was
nothing but succession OF sitting up
late ut night TO bring her home from
things, taking her to the dressmakers
between maps the next day. and dis.
euuraging Ineligible youths with either
more money than brains or more
brains than money. BY spring was
quite tractable. SO when Halsey sug-
geated camping in the Adirondaeks
aud Gertrude wanted Bar Harbor. we
compromised on good country house
with links near, within motor dis.
lance OF town and telephone distance
OF the doctor That was how we went
to Sunnyside,
We went out to inspect the property,
and II seemed to deserve its name.
itA cheerful appearance gave no indl.
cation whatever of anything out of
the ordinary. Only one thing seemed
unusual 20 me: The housekeeper, who
he'd been left In charge, had moved
frlm the house to the gardeners lodge
few days before. AS the lodge was
fac enough away from the house. II
90 emed TO me that either fire or
thieves could complete their work OF
destruction undisturbed. The proper.
" was an extensive one: the house ON
the top of hill. which sloped away in
great stretches of green lawn and
clipped hedges, to the road and across
the valley. perhaps couple of miles
away, was the Greenwood Club house,
Gertrude and Halsey were infatuated,
The property was owned by Paul
Armstrong. the president OF the
leaders bank, who at the time we
ttok the house was In the west with
bis wife and daughter aud DIR.
Walker, the Armstrong family ply.
stefan. Halsey knew Louise Arm,
! stronghold been rather attentive 10
her the winter before, but an Halsey
was always attentive TO somebody.
had not thought of II seriously. al
though she was q charming girl
knew of Mr., Armstrong only through
his connection with the bank. where
the ehildren's money was largely IN
vested, and through an ugly story
about the son. Arnold Armstrong who
was reported to have forged his IN
TIERS name for a considerable amount
tO some bank paper However. the
story had had no interest for me.
cleared Tfalsey and Gertrude
sway to house party, and moved out
10 Sunnyside the first OF May.
The FIRST niSht passed quietly
enough, | have always been grateful
Tor that one nights peace: il shows
what the country might be under IA,
yorahle circumstances. Never after
that night did | put my head on INV
pillow with any assurance how long
Il would be there: or on my shoulders
for that matter,
On the following morning I.iddy and
Mrs Ralston. my own housakeeper
bad difference OF opinion, and Mrs
Ralston left on the IL train. Just after
luncheon, Burke, the butler. was taken
Unexpectedly with pain In his righ,
side, much worse when | was within
hearing distance. and by afternoon he
was started cityward That night the
cooks sister had haby--the cook
[ seeing INDIGESTION In my face, made Il
/ twins on second thought--and. to be
short, by noon the next day the house,