The Washington times., 1912-05-13
Behind the
- - DU --------------
CHARLES STEPHENS
copyright, The Frank A. Munsey co.,
All Rights Reserved.

| must be deaf. No, 1t wasn't nv master.
Mr.. Beliair couldn't sing. !Ie could
whistle and hum tunes. but he couldn't
sing. The man had q nice voice-a very
nice voice. He sang n thing about the
cradle OF the deep. 1t was very nice.
Oh. I'm quite sure 1t wasn't the other
man. either the drunk man. Who was
IL. then! / don't know. That's for you
to find out. Nobody went into that
room with my master except the coffin,
and il there was anybody in the coffin
| don't suppose he was alive.
] know perfectly we'll what I'm say
ing. I'm not fool. Atv master was IN
that room, for l heard him speaking;
but from the things he said. don't
think he was speaking to anybody
Sounded more like he was talking to
hinself-a thing he sometimes did when
he was excited. And there we're two
l heard two Other men, altnodgh m
bound 20 say that | didn't see them
come out OF the room any moro than
saw them 20 in. The men came Tor the
coffin. though.
oh, you may look and look. | told
you at the beginning that | could only
tell you what heard and saw. I'm no
greater fool than any OF you, and
couldn't understand it. What did
hear about that? Nothing. | went
downstairs and went about my busi-
ness. Everybody has right to be
fool in her own way. Besides that,
whatever devll-work was going on in
that room, 1t was not FOR Mary Ans
lem to get mixed up with, even II the
master hadn't spoken as he did when
first entered his employ. l prayed for
him. That's the most Of my interier-
ence. seeing as you ask the question.
l saw plenty of other things, but they
were all something the same. Coffins
t,1 tTnn a y
that. but l kept to my own affairs, for
which | am now mighty thankful that
did. Sometimes he brought in poor peo-
ple-no. not always drunks. nor not eH-
you sometimes see about the streets.
No. not women. I wouldn't have let
| them in. Always men. Poor things
that had gone down the hill go crazy
ones. and SO on. Sometimes they slept
the night in the study. for he would ask
me to send up cold bit at night. and
coffee and a roll in the morning: When
to look mighty dazed about something,
for they would stop outside and look up
at the street number and the windows,
| and then walk off, scratching their
heads.
/ remember one time a man that had
| been in the study with the master for
| two or three hours came back TO the
front door after he'd been sent away.
He called him the boss" / don't think
! he knew Mr.. Bellair's name.
Mr.. Bellair came downstairs, looking
very annoyed and asked him what he
wanted.
Look here. boss said the man !;
you been mighty good 10 me. | amt
| asking for anything-not even job
but would YOU mind telling me II !
room of yours. I'm sorry If did. sir.
but I've been all to the bad recently.
and my head amt what 1t used to be"
The master just smiled and said 1t
isfied with that. He asked Mr.. Bellair
| what he took him to his house for and
then turned him out like that. Mr..
Bellair. remember. got angry then,
away he would call the police and have
! him sent to an asylum That fright
ened the man. I think, maybe. he was
little bit wrong in his head. Or,
mayhe, he was just curious.
About Mr.. Gettys? He came to live
| at the house two or three weeks before
the murder. He left the night before
| the masters death. ] am sure he had
was a gentleman and strongly disap-
proved OF Mr.. Bellalr's business-what-
ever it was. The thing that made him
leave the house ought TO show you that.
He has told you. Mr.. Coroner. what he
saw, so what's the use OF asking me?
He never told me. All ] know about II
is that the master invited him to supper
that night, and afterward took him into
the study.
About the time they went in, fat
man came He was soaking wet, for
lit was a rainy nisht-a Sunday-and
the man was drunk, too for got a
! hall He had a big waterproof case
Under his arm. like a music-roll. He
and Mr.. Gettys and the master went
into the study. a..
this time in the rCom ! saw them
60 in, but only two came out alive
The fat man was dead when they took
him. But before that there had been
dare say If 1t had been a weekday
might have said it was good music
but for a Sunday 1t was scandalous
That was the first time Mr.: BellaiI
Yes, sir, TO play that kind OF music
on a Sunday, when there was a God
fearing person in the house, was In
terfering with my AFFAIRS, and I never
I made up my mind, then and there
that l should speak TO him about II
next day. but before went to bee
that night I had made up my mint
have If he hadn't died--poor man!
The next thing after the music was
Mr., Gettys crying out. | heard the
Mr.. Gettys ran upstairs to his room
which was on the top floor. came
out OF my own he'd room. where ] hat
been reading the eighth chapter o
First Corinthians. remember thu
verse as IL 1t was before me now:
And If any man think that h
knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing
yet as he ought to know
When 1 looked up the stairs to se
what the trouble was, | was my maste
holding onto the banister and standing
up stiff and straight. with the light o
the study shining on his face, whicl
was more like a ghosts. Next minut
Mr. Gettys came running down tn
, stairs and pushed his way past MI
, Bellair. Mr.. Gettys seemed terribly pu
, out and angry. but my master spok
! very calmly, although / could see tina
he too, was in a dreadful state.
: ] opened the door for Mr.. Gettys, an
he said Good-by to me. Mr.. Gettys wa
! a man I had grown to like and to re
. spect, and l was very sorry, while
, was very glad for his sake, to see hir
, leave the house.
+ II was not until | went next day I
tell MI Bellair that he must get ar
other housekeeper that ] heard hoy
= the fat man had dropped dead of heal
, failure. told my master it served hir
right for bringing such people into tn
, house: but | am not the sort oS-woma
. to leave her employer the minute h
! gets in trouble. so l put OF my motto
: until things should be less upset /
I "yes cir That was the very nigh