Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-08-19

merrtment into my tones.
81 don't believe in things like that"
The old woman nodded her head
sagely.
1T amt believing in them things
that makes you hear them. Either
you hear them or you don't. The old
man heard them"
"How do you know?"
Didn't I hear him asking meself
about it? He heard them, many
times"
How about the others-the serv-
ants-did they hear them, too?"
They may have that. Niggers is
always hearing things anyhow. It's
what the white folk hear that counts"
How about the other apartments in
the house? Do the people in them
hear whispers?"
"Never that I've heard tell of, but
how should l know? This is the only
place in the house that l work"
Did Mrs. CASTOR ever speak to you
about it?'
"She did and she did not. She new
err in so many words asked me II l
heard them. All she says to me was
Nora, if ever you see or hear anything
strange or unusual here, you're to let
me know at once And l says, 'Yis,
Mrs. CASTOR, will"
"And have you ever seen or heard
anything?"
The old woman busted herself with
making up the bed for moment be-
fore she answered me.
I'm not saying I've seen anything"
she began, "but there's thugs I could
be telling If was minded to open my
lips"
"If you know anything" said "you
must tell me. Mr.. CASTOR put me here
to find out what was wrong"
There's no doubt there's wrong
here"
what makes you say that? What
have you seen? What do you know?"
Its neither what I've seen nor
what l know" She nodded myster!-
ously. ITS what I've been hearing
myself"
"For heavens sake, woman" I cried,
losing patience, "what is it you've
heard"
/ "Tve heard them walking" she an
nounced with an air Of triumph.
you've heard who walking?"
''The little people, of course. Who
else would it be doing it?"
"Oh, bosh ~ exclaimed. was we'll
enough acquainted with the supersti-
lions of the Irish to understand who
she meant by "the little people" It's
the habit of the old crones from the
Emerald isle to attribute anything
they cannot understand to fairies.
"You may laugh" she retorted indig-
nantly, "but l heard them, 1 tell ye."
"Where did you, hear them, these
footsteps?"
Coming right out of the wall, here
in this room, and in the kitchen, be-
yond."
1T was probably somebody in an
other apartment you heard
ut was not. The floors do be dead
ened like, and it's nothing at all you
can hear. 1t was somebody walking
soft-like right there in the wall at me
back"
well" I announced, "if there is
anything like that going on, l am 60
ing to stay here until l hear it.
want to make sure no one can come
into the apartment but myself, so I
am going to ask you to give me your
key. I'll be home here all the morn
ing so can let you in when you ring"
ITS me key you're wanting, Is it?"
She produced it from a pocket of
her gown and handed 1t over, first
unknotting it from a corner of her
kerchief where she had tied it for safe
keeping.
And indeed if it's meself you're not
Trusting with a key after Mrs. CASTOR
letting me have it for these ten years
back, it's your own bed you can be
making. I'll not be coming near the
place again."
In fine indignation she founced out
of the place. To tell the truth l was
not softly lUul Slit Iltlu announced iCL
decision not to return. While my inn
preston of her was that she was a
supplemented old woman of uttermost
honesty, l was just as well satisfied
that no one but myself should have
entry to the apartment until l had
finished my Investigations and had
made further progress in solving the
mysteries that were so rapidly devel-
oping.
Left once more to myself, sat down
ut my great-uncle's desk and made
out a list of questions that must be
answered:
l. Where was Rufus CASTOR? Had
the old gentleman really gone away
or was he In hiding in the building?
Q. Who had removed the CASTOR
pearls from the wall safe? 1t must
be someone who knew the combina-
ton.
8. Who had written the note found
on the floor of my bedroom? How
IA al, aNI L..