The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1910-08-12

was there, apparently in charge of the
arrangements for the funeral. Halsey
disappeared shortly after Louise left
and came home about nine that night,
muddy and tired. AS for Thomas, he
went around detected and sad, and |
saw the detective watching him close
ly at dinner. Even now l wonder
what did Thomas know? What did he
suspect?
At ten o'clock the household had
settled down for the night. Liddy
who was taking Mrs. Watson's place,
had finished examining the tea-towels
and the corners of the shelves in the
cooling room, and had gone to bed
Alex, the gardener, had gone heavily
up the circular staircase to his room,
and Mr. Jameson was examining the
locks of the windows Ialsey dropped
into chair in the living room and
stared modify ahead. Once he reused
What sort of looking chap is that
Walker. Gertrude?' he asked,
Rather tall. very dark, smooth
shaven. Not bad looking Gertrude
said, putting down the book she had
been pretending to read Halsey
kicked a taboret viciously.
Lovely place this village must be
in the winter" he said irreleFantly.
"A girl would be buried alive here
1t was then some one raped at the
knocker on the heavy front door Hal
sey got up leisurely and opened it,
admitting Warner He was out of
breath from running, and he looked
half abashed.
q am sorry to disturb you he said
But didn't know what else to do
It's about Thomas"
What about Thomas" | asked.
Mr.. Jameson had come into the hall
and we all stared at Warner.
Hes acting queer Warner eX-
planned. He's sitting down there on
the edge of the porch, and he says he
has seen a ghost. The old man looks
bad. too, he can scarcely speak.
Hes as full of superstition as an
egg is of meat" I said. "Halsey, bring
some whisky and we will all go
down"
No one moved to get the whisky,
from which | Judged there were three
pocket TASKS ready for emergency.
Gertrude threw q shawl around my
shoulders. and we all started down
over the hill: | had made so many
nocturnal excursions around the place
that | knew my way perfectly. But
Thomas was not on the veranda, nor
was he inside the house. The men
| exchanged significant glances, and
| Warner got lantern.
He can't have gone far, he said.
"He was trembling so that he couidn t
stand when | left.
Jameson and Halsey together made
the round of the lodge, occasionally
calling the old man by name. But
there was no response. No Thomas
came. bowling and showing his white
teeth through the darkness. | began
to be vaguely uneasy, for the hrst
time. Gertrude, who was never nerV-
GUS in the dark, went alone down the
drive to the gate and stood there,
looking along the yellowish line q the
road while | waited ON the tiny Yer
anda.
Warner was puzzled He came
around to the edge of the veranda
and stood looking at it as if it ought
to know and explain.
HE might have stumbled into the
house." he said, but he could not
have climbed the stairs Anyhow, he's
not inside or outside, that | can see"
The other members of the party had
come back now, and no one had
found any trace of the old man, His
nine still warm, rested on the edge
of the rail, and inside on the table his
old gray hat showed that its owner
had not gone far.
~ vss not far. after all. From the