Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-28

When my law partner, Jack Rogers,
returned from lunch was agog with
excitement.
Guess what has happened. Jack"
crowed.
"No need to guess. Something in
the detective line has turned up"
grinned my partner as he tossed his
hat on its accustomed peg and sat
down in his chair.
How did you find outT" I asked.
chagrined
"You always look especially foxy.
old man, and nothing, not even dead
client, with prospects of rich pickings
from the
"oh. keep stillr / growied. "You
talk like bird of prey"
81 am-we are birds of prey. This
detective side line of yours. Hal, or
hobby, or whatever you call it, will
run us out of our legitimate course Of
business If you don't slacken up bit"
"Have you any important case on
your mind?" asked sardonically.
Rogers felt tentatively of his head.
Nothing doing, 1 must confess, Hal.
1 know there's something on your
mind. There's look about you that
says we must catch the two-some-
thing for somewhere-and it's las
now" He glanced at his watch.
"The train leaves at 2O3. I'll tell
you about 1t on the way up"
After we were comfortably seated
in the smoker of the train and were
headed up the bank Of the Hudson
river 1 deemed it expedient to I'M
bosom myself lest in the telling Of the
story we might reach our destination
| before I had completed 1T.
That noon while 1 sat alone In the
Office I had received a call from a
queer client
She was a little old woman, sharp
featured and white haired, with hard,
cold blue eyes and thin Tipped mouth
| that seemed made for secrets. She
was CARRIED in shabby black and car
ried a rusty satchel filed to bursting
that she watched carefully.
1 learned that her name was Sarah
Penny and that she lived on a small
farm near Poughkeepsie. She said she
was a widow and, besides owning hel
farm, possessed a tiny income or
which she lived. She also said tha
for two weeks past she had beer
haunted by spectral farm that seem
ed to adjoin her own. She related tina
night after night when the moon wa
high In the heavens she had seen Low
lying farm buildings where in broat
daylight nothing appeared but grass.
meadow dotted with ancient frui
trees. On dark nights the visitation
appeared as a luminous glowing out
line of buildings.
Mrs. Penny's old face seemed to be
come more wrinkled and careworn a
she impaired these facts to me AM
when she had concluded, saying tina
she had visited me with the intention
of making her will and had suddenl,
determined to confide her fears of tn
''spook farm" as she called it, hopin
1 might be able to explain away thi
horror in her solitary life.
i had promised to come up there t
look the situation in the face, and
partner with me. So now that W
were on the way l related all thes
!, facts to Jack Rogers. and together W
tried to piece ont some fabric of logicf
explanation of the phenomenon.
Derry yelled the brakeman, throw
, ing open the door, and as that was th
j nearest station to the spook farm W
3 got off and watched the train win
out of sight among the hills. A static
agent was puttering around COUP
of empty egg crates, and l approache
: him.
Which road shall take to reac
Mrs. Pennsy's farm" / inquired.
Zone to the right" and he disappea
y ed quickly, as if fearful of further cat
chism.
1t led away from the river and the
q doubled back again. and this perform
ance it repeated over and over unit
/, Jack announced that he felt as twis
ed as a spiral bed spring.
81 don't wonder your old lady SCI
things" he complained as he rounde
another turn. II feel all wound I
Just like a clock"
81 guess you can run down now"
said. for just then the trees and den
growth along the road thinned, al
we could see the gray shingles of
weather beaten house just beyond
Before we reached the house, whit
stood in a grove of gloomy cedars, v
met boy with an empty pail and be
ry stained lips.
son." said my partner kindly. &C,
you tell US where the Widow Penn
nves?"
The boy turned a grimy little flng
toward the weatherbeaten house. &c
there" he half whispered.
do you know her?" pursued ia
carelessly displaying a silver quarter
The boy nodded. I'm afraid Of hel
he said with more spirit. 'She's
d miser: that's what my mother says
70 who lives next door to Mrs. Pc
T. hyT' asked him as he ciutched the s
D. rer coin.
lie Nobody lives there It's all gra
IF and apple trees. The house burn
down before was born" And
e. scampered away and disappeared
IL the wooded road
,f "auhy' calculated my partner. Al