The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1912-03-29

s@su. 0ct up. wen naNo W " W
the telephone"
mot out in the half" she sasped:
"Oh, Miss Rachel, not out in the
halt" trying to hold me back. But
am large woman and Liddy II small.
We got 10 the door. somehow, and
Liddy held q brass andiron. which II
was all she could do to lift, let alone
brain anybody with. listened. and.
hearing nothing, opened the door
little and peered into the hall. II was
a black void, full OF terrible sugges-
ton. and my candle only emphasized
the gloom. Liddy sauealed and drew
me back again, and a. the door
slammed, the mirror had put on the
transom came down and hit her on
the head. That completed our de-
moralization. IL was some time before
I could persuade her she had not been
attacked from behind by q burglar.
and when she found the mirror
smashed ON the floor she wasn't much
better.
There's So:sS 90 Ss a DEATH she
walled. "oh. Miss Rachel, there's go
ing TO be a DEATH"
There will be-" I said grimly. III
you don't keep quiet. Liddy Allen"
And so we sat there until morning.
wondering II the candle would last
until dawn, and arranging what trains
we could take back to town. II we had
only stuck to that decision and gone
back before II was too late!
The sun came finally. and from my
window I watched the trees along the
drive take shadowy form, gradually
lose their ghostlike appearance. be
come gray and then green. The
Greenwood club showed itself a dab
OF white against the hill across the
valley. and an early robin or two
hoped around Ia the dew. Not I'M
I'll the milk-boy and the sun came.
about the same time, did I dare 20
open the door into the hall and look
around. Everything was as we had
left II. Trunks were heaped here and
there, ready for the trunk-room, and
through an end window OF stained
glass came a streak OF red and yel
low daylight that was eminently
cheerful. The milk-boy was pound.
ing somewhere below, and the day
had begun.
Thomas Johnson came ambling up
the drive about haf-past six. and we
could hear him gathering around on
the lower floor, opening shutters.
had TO take Liddy to her room up
stairs, however-she was quite sure
she would md something uncanny. In
fact. when she did not. having now /
the courage Of daylight, she was actu- |
ally disappointed.
Well. we did not 90 back 10 town
that day
warned Liddy not to mention what
had happened TO anybody. and tele-
phoned TO town for servants. Then. |
after a breakfast which did more
credit to Thomas heart than his head
went on a short tour Of investiga- |
ton. The sounds had come from the |
east wing. and not without some |
qualms | began there. At first I found |
nothing. Since then have developed |
my powers OF observation. but at that |
time was a novice. The small card |
room seemed undisturbed looked for |
footprints, which is, believe. the con-
ventional thing to do. although my |
experience has been that as clews |
both footprints and thumb marks are !
more useful in fiction than in fact. !
But the stairs in that wing offered |
something.
At the top OF the fight had been
placed tall wicker hamper, packed |
with linen that had come from town. |
II stood at the edge OF the top step. /
almost barring passage, and on the
step below II was long, fresh /
scratch. For three steps the scratch |
was repeated, gradually diminishing. |
as II some object had fallen, striking |
each one. Then for four steps nothing.
On the fifth step below was a round
dent in the hard wood. That was all. |
and IL seemed little enough. except |
that | was positive the marks had not |
been there the day before.
Il bore out my theory OF the sound. |
which had been for all the world like |
the humping OF a metallic object down !
a fight OF steps. The four steps had |
been skipped. reasoned that an iron |
bar, for instance. would do something
OF the sort-strike two or three steps. |
end down. then turn over. jumping o
few stairs. and landing with a thud,
Iron bars. however. do not fall
downstairs In the middle OF the night |
alone. Coupled with the figure on the
veranda the agency by which II
climbed might be assumed. But-and
here was the thing that puzzled me
most-the doors were all fastened
that morning. the windows unmolest-
ed. and the particular door from the
card room 10 the veranda had com
pination iocK oil wnicn neid the Key.
and which had not been tempered
with.
l fixed on an attempt at burglary.
as the most natural explanation-an
attempt frustrated by the falling OF
the object, whatever II was. that had
reused me. Two things l could not
understand; how the intruder had es-
capped with everything locked. and
why he had left the small silver.
which, In the absence Of butler, had
remained downstairs over night.