Evening star., 1923-12-15
HOW THE STORY BEGAN.

% to Keep Mildred, Benkard's young niece.
from knowing the full extent of the tragedy.
GeoH Peters, man about the grounds, ropes
off the place where the body lies, in prepa-
ration ration for the aIriral OF Doc" Hood. the
coroner. Mrs. Cayley questions the various
persons aud calls the coroner. BY long dis
tance in New York she talks with Mr.. Lane.
friend OF lienkard who had been with the
murdered man short time the preceding
evening She informed him OF the tragedy
and he promises 10 come to the house at once.
Mildred, the daughter of the house. is re-
proved by Mrs. Cayley' for her attitude to-
ward Stoneham Lane, the family friend who
has been summoned Later the coroner and
lieutenant ~ police arrive, and IL IS found
mat lack of fOotpr nts IN the court indicates
that the Staying was of a mysterious char
acter
pr Hood undertakes to question the various
persons who had been in the house. and in the
course OF this work Lane arrives while young
Mr.. Ashe, who is friend of Mildred :,
though opposed hy her mother, also arrives on
the scene, Geon tells him that the witnesses
are being questioned. Ashe had been a
guest the preceding evening.
Continued from Yesterdays Starr
II was here myself, to dinner" he
remarked half detiantly. Il left pretty
early, though; l can't stand that chap
Lane. Say, GeofI. where's Miss Cay
ley: Have you seen her this morn
ing
'.Seems to me 1 did see her a little
while ago upon the gallery when l
come back from takin' Henry to his
room Geoff took the pipe from his
lips and gaZed at it retiectively.
Tain't my business, but you cured
that pup o mine o distemper last sum-
mer, Nh Ashe, and little Miss Cayley
she-she don't let any dumb beasts git
hurt when she's round. Seems to me
when seen her on the gallery she was
havin d high old fuss with her ma, and
l kinder think l heard the name Lane
spoke of, now | come to think O. it,
Damn him. w The young mans
hands clenched. You're good scout,
Geoff. Do you think she's in her room
now? Couldn you get word to her
somehow that I'm down here and l SIM
ply must see her? It's underhanded.
know, but her mother would make all
kinds OF excuses if l announced my
self in the regular way, especially just
after-after this has happened. though
I'll wager she'll make her receive Lane,
fast enough If / go out on the lawn
under her window Ike some confound-
ed Romeo, her mother might spot me
and tell me in short order that my
presence wasn't welcome now and I've
just got 10 see Miss Cayiey. Ism t
there some way that YOU can let her
know
Well" Geon knocked the Goals from
his pipe and carefully stamped out the
live emberS, Il amt ainin TO take
nothin' on myself but l reckon every
body's kinder forgot old Henry. and
seems to me | heard Lefty sayin' some
stove. Mebbe if | was to take a cup
up to him there wouldn't be no OBJ
Jections, and if it happened that l drop
ped piece o paper, passin' down the
Galiery, and nay foot should shove it
accidental-like under q door,?
You're d trump" Young Mr.. AShe
pulled d letter from his pocket and
tearing off the back of the envelope
he scrubbed few words upon it with
the blunt stub of a pencil which his
companion offered. The next time you
want any of the stray animals cured
that you pick up and | can't do it my
self, I'll send for the best vet. from
town for you. Tell her if I'm not here,
III be ON the lowest step of the ter
race, facing the beach, where they can't
See me from the house"
The note and pencil changed hands,
and Geof sauntered indoors to the
kitchen, where he helped himself to a
cup of coffee before he started upstairs.
A low murmur of voices came from the
library, but he encountered no one on
the gallery above and accomplished his
main mission with clumsy haste, re-
wdrded by a startled exclamation in Il
Srlsh tone as his foot thumped against
NAiildred'S door. Then he hurried along
to Henry'S room.
Every one had indeed forgotten the
old butler. who had somewhat recovered
ms nerve and was almost pathetically
grateful for the coffee. To his host of
eager questions Geoff replied with his
habitual tacturnity, and then returned
to the kitchen with the empty cup.
There he found u massive, dusiy fe-
male clad in a purple silk dress and
feathered hat. with a bulging grip on
the floor beside her. She was rummaging
among the cupboard shelves, and turned
with a Smothered cry at his entrance
"Lawsy, man. you done mex nah
heart jump right up in nah mouf !!
Don't you tell nobuddy you seen me
a-gwine 'tWell I'm on nah way, I'm
jest a-lookin' 70 man Dream Book"
Amt fixin, to go, away. are you.
Amt % She rolled her eyes mean
iHgly at him. Jest let me get shet O
desc grounds an dere won't nobuddy
see me fo' dust! Desc amt nah folks :
j only been wukkin fo' 'em a month
an ! amt lookin' to stay where deys
quar'ls an murders an dat kind o.
ructons-not me. 1 amt cravin' no
'quaintance wild de perlice neither.'
~ amt heard nobody quarrelin'."
Geoff observed.
Oats counting you knocks off at
dark an goes Khome. Not dat dey
was much Quar'lin' till last night, only
Mir. Joseph gettin' mad now an again
an once in a dawg's age little Miss
Millie spunkin' up to answer him back;
powerful fond he was o tellin' her an
her ma how much dey owed him
'Cose dey wasn't none o dat after Miss
Sherwood come las week; den Mr.
in his mouf, only last night him an
dat other gentleman, Mr.. Lane, had it
hot an heavy in de dinin' ROOM
Mazeppa spoke with her back to him
and Geoff Sped the lurid cover Of the
dream book peeping out from behind
the clock. Quietly taking possession of
that choice specimen of literature, he
stuffed it into the pocket where so re-
gently his cap and that scrap of soft,
black, glossy fabric had reposed, and
then remarked:
Reckon you've heard folks havin'
words before, where you worked, and
that didn't have nothin' to do with Mr..
Bernhard gittin' killed, because he was
all right long after Mr.. Lane had gone
back to the city in that there car o
his
"Ain't sayin' it did," Mazeppa re-
torted Where at is dat book O.
mine, wonder9 l finished NAH dinner
dishes long bout nine an l was Jest
gwine up to nah room when Miss
Sherwood begun playin' on de pfanner
an ! waited in de pantry to lissen.
Lawsy. but dat lady kin play! When
she stopped, Mr.. Joseph an Mr.. Lane
come into de dinin room right next de
pantry an shet de do an straight off
dey commenced argufyin', but low,
like dey didn't want nobuddy should
hear Den dey got madder an mad
der an deir voices done riZ, an seem
like dey was quarlin bout some lady
an bus ness, all mixed up togeder Mr..
Lane say he been made fool O. but he
was through; dat 'she'-whosomever
she is-wouldn't mex ma'iage wild him
nohow an so he was gwne queer Mr..
Joseph's deal an show him up. countin'
he'd been played TO a sucker. Mr..
Joseph try like he'd pacify him, but
whsn ne see dat it wasn't no use he
tel him he'd break him like he did de
others, but Mr. Lane say he'd get him
first Dey bofe cussed fluent an free.
an I thought dey was fixin' fo' real
an you could hear his cyar jest
a-roarin' down de drive. Whar in time
Of