Evening star., 1927-02-06
Continued from Yesterdays Star,
CHAPTER III.
Who's Who in Kings Abbot.

Before / proceed further with what
said to Caroline and what Caroline
said to me- II might be as we'll to give
some idea Of what I should describe
as our local geography. Our village,
Kings Abbot, is, I imagine very much
like any other village. Our big town
is Cranchester, nine miles away. We
have a large railway station. a small
post office and two rival general
stores" Ablebodied men are apt to
leave the place early In life but we
are rich in unmarried ladies' and re-
,ired military officers. Our hobbies
and recreations can be summed UP in
the one word gossip"
There are only two houses of any
importance in Kings Abbot. One is
Kings Paddock, left to Mrs Ferrars
by her late husband. The other,
Fernly Park. is owned by Roger Ack-
royd AckroYd has always interested
me by being a man more impossibly
Ike country squire than any coun-
try squire could really be. He re-
minds one of the redfaced sportsmen
who always appeared early in the first
act of an old-fashioned musical COM
edy. the setting being the village
green. They usually sang a song
about going mp to London. Nowadays
we have reVues, and the country
squire has died out of musical fashion.
OF course, Ackroyd is not really a
country squire. He Is an immensely
successful manufacturer OF Q think
wagon wheels. He is q man OF nearly
80 years of age, rubicund Of face and
genial of manner. He is hand and
glove with the vicar. subscrlbes lib
orally to parish funds Though rumor
has it that he is extremely mean in
personal expenditure, encourages
cricket matches. lads clubs and dis
abled soldiers institutes. He is, in
fact, the life and soul of our peaceful
village of Kings Abbot.
Now, when Roger Ackroyd was a
lad of 2l, he fell in love with and mar
ried a beautiful woman some five or
six years his senior, Her name was
Patton and she was a widow with one
child. The history of the marriage
was short and painful. To put it
bluntly, Mrs. Ackroyd was a dipso-
maniac. She succeeded in drinking
herself into her grave four years after
her marriage.
In the years that followed Ackroyd
showed no disposition to make a sec
ond matrimonial adventure. His wife's
child by her first marriage was only
7 years old when his mother died. He
is now 25. Ackroyd has always re-
garded him as his own son, and has
brought him up accordingly, but he
| has been q wild lad and a continued
source of worry and trouble to his
stepfather. Nevertheless we are all
very fond of Ralph Patton in Kings
Abbot. He is such a good-looking
youngSter for one thing.
AS / said before, we are ready
enough TO gossip in our village.
Everybody noticed from the first that
Ackroyd and Mrs. Ferrars got on very
well together. After her husbands
leath the intimacy became more
marked. They were always seen about
together, and 1t was freely conjectured
that at the end OF her period of
mourning Mrs. Ferrars would become
Mrs. Roger Ackroyd. 1t was felt, in.
Iced, that there was a certain fitness
in the thing. Roger Ackroyd's wife
had admittedly died of drink. Ashley
Ferrars had been a drunkard fol
many years before his death. 1t was
| only fitting that these two victims of
alcoholic excess should make up to
each other for all that they had pre-
| viously endured at the hands OF their
| former spouses.
| The Ferrars enly1 ca s4e TO Ii We here
| just over a year ago. but a. Halo of
gossip has surrounded Ackroyd for
Ralph Patton was growing up to man.
hood a series Of lady housekeepers
presided over Ackroyd's establish
ment, and each in turn was regarded
with lively suspicion by Caroline and
her cronies. 1t is not too much to say
that for at least Is years the whole
village has confidently expected Ack-
royd to marry one of his housekeepers.
The last of them, a redoubtable lady
called Miss Russell, has reigned undis-
puted for five years, twice as long as
any of her predecessors. 1t is felt
that but for the advent of Mrs.
Ferrars. Ackroyd could hardly have
escaped. That-and one other factor
the unexpected arrival of widowed
sister-in-law with her daughter from
Canada. Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd, widow
of Ackroyd's ne'er-do-well younger
brother has taken up her residence
at Fernly Park, and has succeeded,
according to Caroline. in putting Miss
Russell in her proper place.
/ don't know exactly what a proper
place" constituteS-it sounds chilly
and unpleasant--but know that Miss
Russell goes about with pinched lips,
and what / can only describe as an
acid smile, and that she processes the
utmost sympathy for poor Mrs. Ack-
royd-dependent on the charity of her
husbands brother. The bread of
charity is so bitter. is it not? I should
be quite miserable If / did not work
for my living"
don't know what Mrs. Cecil Ack-
rovd thought of the F'errars affair
when it came on the tapis. 1t was
clearly to her advantage that Ackroyd
should remain unmarried. She was
always very charming-not to say
gushing-to Mrs. Ferrars when they
met. Caroline says that proves less
than nothing.
Such have been our preoccupations
In Kings Abbot for the last few years
We have discussed Ackroyd and his
affairs from every standpoint Mrs
Ferrars has fitted into her place in
the scheme.
Now there has been a rearrange-
ment Of the kaleidoscope. From
mild discussion of probable wedding
presents, we have been jerked into
the midst of tragedy.
Revolving these and sundry other
matters in my mind, l went mechani-
cally on my round. / had no cases of
special interest to attend, which was,
perhaps, as well, for my thoughts re-
turned again and again to the mystery
Of Mrs. F'errars' death. Had she
taken her own life? Surely, II she
had done SO, she would have left some
word behind to say what she contenl-
plated doing? Women, in my expert
ence, If they once reach the determi-
nation to commit suicide. usually
wish TO reveal the state of mind that
led to the fatal action. They covet
the limelight.
When had last seen her? Not for
over u week. Her manner then had
been normal enough considering
considering everything,
Then ] suddenly remembered that
I had seen her, though not TO speak
to, only yesterday. She had been
walking with Ralph Patton, and l had
been surprised because / had had no
idea that he was likely TO be in King S
Abbot thought. indeed, that he had
quaTeled finally with his stepfather.
Nofhiuer Iad hneAr1 sneu nP him down