The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-06-30
CHAPTER ~.
Mr.. John Bailey Appears.

1917
/ had dinner served in the break
fast room. Somehow the huge dining
o. depressed me, and Thomas.
cheerful enough all day, allowed his
spirits to go down with the SUM-. He
had a habit of watching the corners
Of the room, left shadowy by the can
dies on the table, and altogether II
was not a festive meal.
Dinner over l went into the living
room. l had three hours before the
children could possibly arrive, and l
got out my knitting.
The chug of the automobile as II
climbed the hill was the most well
come sound | had heard for a long
time. and with Gertrude and Halsey
actually before me, my troubles
seemed over for good. Gertrude stood
smiling in the hall, with her hat quite
owe n ear, and her hair In every
direction under her pink veil. Ger
trude is a very pretty girl, no matter
how her hat is, and | was not sur
prised when Halsey presented a good
looking young man, who bowed at
me and looked at Trude-that Is the
ridiculous nickname Gertrude brought
from school.
Il have brought a guest, Aunt Ray"
Halsey said. II want you to adopt
him into your affections and your Sat
urday-to-Monday list. Let me present
John Bailey. only you must call him
Jack. In IL hours he'll be calling you
Aunt: / know him."
We shook hands, and | got a chance
to look at Mr.. Bailey; he was a tall
fellow. perhaps 80, and he wore a
small mustache. ! remember wonder
ing why; he seemed to have a good
mouth and when he smiled his teeth
were above the average. One never
knows why certain men cling to a
messy upper lip that must get into
things, any more than one under.
stands some ome building up their
hair on wire atrocities. Otherwise,
he was very good to look at, stalwart
and tanned, with the direct gaze that
] like. | I'm particular about Mr.. Bal
ley, because he was a prominent fig
ure In what happened later.
Gertrude was tired with the trip
and went up to bed very soon.
made up my mind to tell them moth
ing until the next day, and then to
make as light OF our excitement as
possible. After all, what had 10 tell?
An inquisitive face peering in at a
window; a crash in the night: a
scratch or two on the stairs, and half
a cuff-button! AS for Thomas and his
f~orebodings, 1t was always my belief
that 9 negro is one part thief. one
part pigment, and the rest supersti-
ton.
1t was Saturday night. The two
men went to the billiard ROOM, and |
could hear them talking as | went up-
stairs. II seemed that Halsey had
stopped at the Greenwood club for
gasolene and found Jack Bailey there.
with the Sunday golf crowd. Mr.. Bal
ley had not been hard to persuade
probably Gertrude knew why-and
they mad carried him oil triumphant.
ly. l reused Liddy to get them ONE
thing to eat-Thomas was beyond
reach in the lodge-and paid no at
tention to her evident terror of the
kitchen regions. Then l went to bed.
The men were still in the billiard
room when l finally dozed of, and the
last thing / remember was the howl
OF a dog in front of the house. II
walled a crescendo Of woe that trailed
of hopefully, only to break out afresh
from a new point of the compass.
At three o'clock in the morning I
was reused by a revolver shot. The
sound seemed to come from Just out.
side my door. For a moment l could
not move Them heard Gertrude
stirring In her room, and the next
moment she had thrown open the con-
meeting door.