The Lamar register., 1910-05-04
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S ROBERTS
. RZ7NEH4RT
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! Take a Country House.
CHAPTER 1.


This is the story of how a middle
aged spinster lost her mind, deserted
her domestic gods in the city. took
a furnished house for the summer out
of town, and found herself involved in
one 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 l had had the
window-boxes filled in the spring. the
carpets lifted, the awnings put up and
the furniture covered with brown
linen; for as many summers | had said
gOod-by to my friends, and. after
watching their perspiring hegira, had
settled down to a 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 i look bacS over the months
spent in Sunnyside, l wonder that
survived at all As it is, ! show the
wear and tear of my narrowing ex-
periences. l have turned very gray
Liddy reminded me of 1t only yester-
day by saying that little bluing in
the rinse water would make my hair
silvery instead of a yellow white.
hate to be reminded of unpleasant
things and / snapped her of.
NO" ! said sharply. I'm not going
to use bluing at my time of life. or
starch. either"
Liddy's nerves are gone. she says.
Oft hat fttIc
enough left, goodness knows! And
when she begins to go around with a
lump in her throat, all I have to do
is to threaten to return to Sunnyside.
and she is frightened into a semblance
of cheerfulness-from which you may
Judge that the summer there was any
thing but a success.
The newspaper accounts have been
so earbled and incomplete-one of
them mentioned me but once, and
then only as the tenant at the time
the thing happened-that ! feel 1t my
due to tell what I 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 to go back several
years-13. to be exact-to start my
story. At that time my brother died.
leaving me his two children. Halsey
was IL then and Gertrude was seven.
When Halsey had finished his cleo
trical course and Gertrude her board
ing school both came home to stay.
The winter Gertrude came out was
nothing but n succession of sitting up
late at night to bring her home from
things. taking her to the dressmakers
between maps the next day. and dis
couraging ineligible youths with either
more money than brains or more
brains than money. BY spring | was
quite tractable. So when Halsey sug-
gested camping in the Adirondacks
and 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 1t seemed to deserve its name.
Its cheerful appearance gave no indi-
cation whatever of anything out OF
the ordinary. Only one thing seemed
unusual to me: The housekeeper. who
had been left in charge. had moved
from the house to the gardeners lodge
a few days before. As the lodge was
far enough away from the house. It
seemed to me that either fire or
thieves could complete their work of
destruction undisturbed. The proper
ty was an extensive one. the house on
the top of a hill, which sloped away in
great stretches of green lawn and
clipped hedges. to the road. and across
the valley. perhaps a couple of miles
away. was the Greenwood Club house
Gertrude and Haisey were infatuated.
The property was owned by Paul
Armstrong. the president of the
Traders bank. who at the time we
took the house was in the west with
his wife and daughter. and a DIR.
Walker, the Armstrong family ply
stefan. Halsey knew Louise Arm.
stronghold been rather attentive to
her the winter before. but as Halsey
was always attentive to somebody. I
had not thought of 1t seriously. al
though she was a charming girl. |
knew of Mr. Armstrong only through
his connection with the bank. where
the children's money was largely in
vested. and through an ugly story
about the son, Arnold Armstrong. who
was reported to have forged his ia
theirs name for a considerable amount
to some bank paper. However. the
story had had no interest for me.
cleared Halsey and Gertrude
away to house party. and moved out
to Sunnyside the first of May.
The first night passed quietly
enough ! have always been grateful
for that one nights peace: 1t shows
what the country might be under IA
vorable circumstances. Never after
that night did I put my head on my
pillow with any assurance how long
1t would be there; or on my shoulders.
for that matter.
On the following morning Liddy and
Mrs. Ralston. my own housekeeper.
had a difference of opinion. and Mrs.
Ralston left on the II train. Just after
luncheon, Burke, the butler. was taken
Unexpectedly with a pain in his right
side, much worse when l was within
l.