Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-14

The Daily Story
Local Color


In this case It was a house that had
stood in a half-nnished condition and
tenantless most of the time for years.
The property was tied up in suit at
| law.
The house of mystery had been a free
| lodging place for tramps for the last
! three years, when the town woke UP one
| morning to find that 1t had what seemed
| to be a permanent tenant. A woman
| and a boy had taken possession during
| the night. They had arrived In wagon,
which had brought some lumber for re-
| pairs and various supplies.
| The woman looked to be so years
old. She was tall, gaunt and defiant.
| The boy was about IL. 1t may have
| been mother and son, but he looked hair
starved and otherwise ill-treated.
Phneas Green, the grocer, was the
first one to come along and discover that
the old house had tenant He felt per-
fectly justified in turning aside and tax.
ing a look in at the open door He had
only got reudy to peep when the woman
stepped out and seized him by the collar
and ran him back to the highway, and
then gave him a kick that lifted him n
foot high.
The grocer didn't stop to ask any
questions. He hastened on to his gro
Gerry and marked up the price of canned
tomatoes as balm to his feelings and
then stood at his door and told the news
to all who came along. Among them
was Moses Jackson the shoemaker
Moses was not a full-page advertiser In
the county paper. but he had an eye out
for business. That strange woman and
boy must wear shoes. He wanted them
to wear shoes OF his making He there
fore hastened his steps to the house of
mystery. The woman was mailing on
BOARD while the boy held It.
what yer want?" was growled at the
shoemaker.
"Yuu-you wear shoes7" he replied.
Il do she replied as she stuck out
foot encased In a No. 8.
II called to ask
"Oh. you may have one!'
And he sot It. 1t was the shoe on her
right foot 1t wasn't removed from the
foot before he got it. He was kicked six
times before he could get a fair start.
one thinks of shoemaker as a mild
hammered man. Moses jackson was
mild-mannered, but he had been kicked
for the first time In his life, and the in
cident aroused him. He went straight
to Abraham Scott, the town constable.
and told his story.
what, a citizen of our town kicked!"
exclaimed the officer
ut is true, Abe"
by the jumping jeeswaX but we'll see
about that, I'll go up there and see
kick in cash."
BY the time the officer got up there
the strange woman had finished with |
the board and was cutting down a dead |
plum tree.
Look here, now, who be your" de-
manded Abraham.
None o. your business"
Don't answer me that way, womanl
BY what right are you here?"
you 20 to blazes"
What! What! Do you know that |
YOU are talking to the law! Woman,
l demand-"
Before he could finish he brought up
in a thistle patch, and he scrambled .
to his feet to make them bear him
away like flying machine. This ended
the calls at the house OF mystery.
One night, months after the house had
making for the village reached It to re-
late that when passing the house of
mystery they heard the screams of a
boy who was being beaten, and the voice
of a woman saying:
you'll do as l say or I'll beat your
brains OUT"
The constable got II eminent citizens
to accompany him to the house to see
and hear what was going on, but the
officer and his posse halted while yet a
hundred feet away and came to the wise
conclusion that the screams heard by
frogs down in the marshes.
The next morning there were two ar
rivals of noted persons in Fair Haven.
The first was Miss Eileen Clayton, who
had run down from the city to visit a
relative, and the second was Claude Bell,
who was going to write a play and was
looking for local color. He wanted real
cows and hogs and mudholes and village
COnstables.
Miss Clayton was told about the house
of mystery, and she exclaimed
what sort of people are you here any
way to put up with such a thing? Of
course, that woman has been hired to
bring about that boys death by starva-
ton and ahuse!'
well. everybody seems to be afraid
TO medde," was replied.
And shame to them! I am good
mind TO take hold of the case myself"
What, what could you do?"
when I broke my leg last winter
| read 10 detective stories. If was on
this case that old woman couldn't bluff
me little bit I have got no less than
five clews just from what you have told
me-"
At the inn Mr., Bell was given full par
ticulars.
"Of course, there's a gang of counter
feiters behind her." he said.
but our constable"
Your constable-bosh! You are a
long ago. Plain as the nose on your facet
Clews are sticking out on all sides OF II,
like thorns on a bush"
why, our constable"
"Bosh! l am a playwright and not a
detective, but in day I'll clean up that
mystery in way to open your eyes"
Miss Eileen Clayton, who had read 10
detective books, did not wait day or
two. She had her say and apparently
dropped the matter out of sight but at
II o'clock at night of the day of her
arrival she slipped out OF the house and
made here way along the road leading to
the house of mystery. When called to |
breakfast next morning she was not TO
be heard of.
The town of Fair Haven seethed and |
bubbled and boiled.
SO did Mr.. Bell. As soon as he heard |
that a good-looklng girl had disappeared |
like a nickel on a Sunday school picnic |
and left no trace behind her, he started /
out Others started out, but while they /
were dragging the millpond and survey |
ing the tops of cherry trees he was ap- |
preaching the house Of mystery from the
bushes.
Miss Clayton was not to be found. liv- |
ing or dead About the time this fact |
was announced another fact reared its |
head. Mr.. Bell could not be found, liv- /
ing or deadl
The constable busted three pairs OF |
suspenders in one day hunting for a |
clew. Stores were closed and business |
suspended All that long day and all |
that long night, with everybody worked /