Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-24
CHAPTE I.

ETlE have just had another food,
1" bad enough. but only foot
~1 or two OF water on the first
45 hoor. Yesterday we got the
mud shoveled out OF the cellar and
found Peter. the spaniel that Mr.. Lad
ley left when he went away" The
food. and the fact that IL was Ar.
Ladley's dog whose body was found
half buried in the basement fruit
closet brought back 10 me the strange
events OF the other food five years
ago. when the water reached more
than half way 10 the second story.
and brought with IL. to some. mystery
and sudden death. and To me the worst
case of shingles" / have ever seen
Ny name is Pitman-in this nara
tive II is not really Pitman. but that
does well enough. 1 belong TO an old
Pittsburgh family. / was born on
Penn avenue. when that was the best
part of town. and lived. until was
fifteen. very close 10 what is now the
Pittsburgh club. 1t was a dwelling
then; have forgotten who lived there
at that time.
was a girl in "a. during the rail-
road riots. and l recall our driving
in the family carriage over TO one
OF the Allegheny hills. and seeing the
yards burning. and a great noise OF
shooting from across the river. IL
was the next year that / ran away
from school to marry Mr.. Pitman. and
! have not known my family since.
We were never recOnciIed. although |
came back TO Pittsburgh after twenty
years of wandering. Mr.. Pitman was
dead: the old city called me. and l
came.
/ had a hundred dollars or so. and
! took a house in lower Allegheny.
where. because they are partly inun-
dated every spring. the rents are cheap.
and ! kept bOarders. Ny house was
always orderly and clean. and although
the neiGhborhood had a bad name. a
good many theatrical people stopped
with me. Five minutes across the
bridge and they We're in the theater
district Allegheny at that time. i be-
lieve, YVES still an independent city.
But since then IL has allied itself with
Pittsburgh; IL is now the north side of /!
the city.
was glad to get back. ! worked !
hard. but / made my rent and my liv- !
on summer evenings I went TO one of /
the parks and. sitting on a bench. |
the children playing around /
and looked at my sisters house. closed
for the summer. 1t is "A very large
house Her butler once had his wife
boarding with me-a very nice little
woman
IL IS curious 10 recall that at that
line. Eve years ago, had never seen
ny niece. Ida Harvey, and then 10
hink that only the day before yester-
lay she came IN her automobile as far
Is she dared and then sat there. wav-
ng 10 me. while the police patrol
'rousht across in a skin a basket Of
'rovisiOns she had sent me
i wonder what she would have I
bought had she known that the elder
woman I'm a calico wrapper. with {
IN old OvercOat over IT and pair Of
ubber boots. was her full aunt
The food and the sight Of Ida both :
'rought back the case OF Jennie Brice. q
or even then Ida and Mr.. Howell '
Tere Interested IN each other. /
This IS April. The food Of 1907 was
lrlier. In March. II had been long s.
ard winter. with ice gOrges in all the b
pper valley. Then in early March q
iere came a thaw. The gOrges broke ri
? and began 10 come down. filing the
veEs with crushing. grinding ice. L
There are three rivers st Pittsburgh. W
ie Allegheny and the MOnOnga hela III
liuDg there at the point % form the