The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1910-10-28
CHAPTER xxVIII.-continued.

Mr.. Winters and Alex disposed o.
the tramp with warning. 1t was evi
dent he had told us all he knew, We
mad occasion, within a day or two, Il
De doubly thankful that we had giyer
MIN his freedom. When Mr. Jamie
son telephoned that night we had news
Tor him; he told me what | had not
realized before-that it would not be
possible to find Halsey at once, ever
with this clew. The cars by this time
three days, might be scattered over the
union. But he said to keep on hoping
that 1t was the best news we had had
And In the meantime, consumed with
anxiety as we were, things were hap
pening at the house in rapid success
sion.
We had one peaceful day-then Lid
dy took sick in the night l went in
when l heard her groaning, and found
her with a hot-water bottle to her
face, and her right cheek swollen I'm,
til it was CLASSY.
"Toothaehe?" I asked, not too gent,
ly. You deserve it. A woman of
your age, who would rather go around
with an exposed nerve in her head
than have the tooth pulled! It would
be over in moment"
$50 would hanging" Liddy pro-
tested, from behind the hot-water bot
tie.
was hunting around for cotton and
laudanum
You have a tooth just like it your
self, Miss Rachel" she whimpered.
And I'm sure DR.. Boyle's been trying
to take it out for years"
There was no laudanum, and Liddy
made terrible fuss when l proposed
carbolic acid, just because I had put
too much on the cotton once and
burned her mouth. I'm sure it never
did her any permanent harm; indeed,
the doctor said afterward that living
on liquid diet had been a splendid rest
for her stomach. But she would have
none of the acid, and she kept me
awake groaning, so at last l got up
and went to Gertrude's door. To my
surprise it was locked.
l went around by the hall and into
her bedroom that way The bed was
turned down, and her dressing gown
and night-dress lay ready in the little
room next, but Gertrude was not there.
She had not undressed.
don't know what terrible thoughts
came to me in the minute l stood
there. Through the door l could hear
Liddy grumbling, with a squeal now
and then when the pain stabbed
harder. Then, automatically, got the
laudanum and went back to her.
1t was fully a half-hour before Lid
dy's groans subsidized At intervals I
went to the door into the half and
looked out, but l saw and heard moth
ing suspicious. Finally, when Liddy
had dropped into doze, l even ven
tured as far as the head of the circular
staircase, but there fioated up to me
only the even breathing of Winters
the night detective, sleeping just in
side the entry. And then, far off,
heard the rapping noise that had lured
Louise down the staircase that other
night, two weeks before. 1t was over
my head, and very faint-three or four
short mufied taps. a pause. and then
again, stealthily repeated.
The sound of Mr.. Winters breath
ing was comforting: with the thought
that there was help within call, some
thing kept me from waking him. | did
not move for a moment: ridiculous
things Liddy had said about a ghost
am not at all superstitious, except,
perhaps, in the middle of the night,
with everything dark-things like that
came back to me- Almost beside me
was the clothes chute. l could feel it,
but l could see nothing. AS / stood,
listening intently, l heard a sound
near me. 1t was vague, indefinite. |
Then it ceased; there was an uneasy
movement and a grunt from the foot |
of the circular staircase, and silence |
again l stood perfectly still, hardly |
daring to breathe.
Then knew | had been right. Some |
one was stealthily passing the head of |
the staircase and coming toward me |
in the dark. leaned against the wall |
for support-my knees were giving
way. The steps were close now, and |
| thought of Gertrude. OF |
course it was Gertrude. put out one /
hand in front of me, but l touched
nothing. My voice almost refused me,
but l managed to gasp out. Ger
trude!" +
Good Lord!" a mans voice ex- /
claimed, just beside me And then
collapsed. l felt myself going, felt
some one catch me, horrible nausea
that was all remembered.
When came to it was dawn. l was
wing on the bed in Louise's room,
With the cherub on the ceiling staring
Town at me, and there was blanket
rom my own bed thrown over me.
'elt weak and dizzy, but l managed to
ret up and totter to the door. At the
DOT of the circular staircase Mr.. Win
ers was still asleep. Hardly able to