davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03
SYNOPSIS

Mary Avery, widow who lives in the
harbor town of Satuit, Mass, with two
negro maids, Sarah Darbe and Bessie VIII
liams, writes a manuscript describing the
famous Second Head murder, which oc-
CURED her estate. Next to Mary hVe
Mr.. and Mrs. Peter Stow who every year
give a summer masquerade party. one OF
the guests of this function is murdered
Nearby live DR.. and Mrs. Geary and their
married daughter Edith and her husband
Alfred Bray; Doctor Myron Marden and
his step granddaughter, Caro- Prentiss, a
beautiful young girl who, was born IN
France. Next live Paul and Lora Eames
and their daughter Molly. Molly was en-
gagged to the murdered man, Ace Blalkle.
She had previously been engaged to Walter
Treadwell, who had been Blaikies secre-
tary, but the engagement was suddenly
broken and he had left town. Other neigh-
bors are the Fairweather sisters, Flora,
hopeless invalid, and Margaret. All but the
latter two attend the masquerade. Marys
eight year-old niece, Sylvia Sard, is visiting
her for the summer. The wooded part OF
Mary's estate is called the Splnney. In 1t
is tiny log cabin, called the Little House.
On the day of the masquerade excitement
is high. Mary decided to take Sylvia, VINO
is an unusually observant child. Caro- Prem
afternoon. Molly seems pre-occupied. Soon
a car arrives and Blaikie, Doctor Marden
and Bruce Hexson, friend of Aces, alght
Molly is impatient to leave and they all eX-
cuse themselves. AT the party Sylvia lden-
tifes each of the masked guests as they
arrive Ace comes garbed Julius Caesar.
Molly Eames appears as Snow Queen, ac-
companied by a man in armor whom Sylvia
identifies as Walter Treadway. They dance
together continuously. Caro- Prentiss and
Marden arrive dressed in Revolutionary
costumes, the doctor wearing Jeweled shoe
buckles When the guests unmask, Ace,
Walter and Molly have disappeared. Sarah
Darbe confides to Mary that someone ap-
parently had spent the night in the Little
House. Sylvia finds a shoe buckle IN the
Spinney and Mary drops it into jewel box
and forgets it. Sarah walks down to the
Little House and returns screaming. She
has found Ace Blaikie stabbed to death IN
the Spinney. Mary summons Patrick
OBrien, chief of police, who had been
schoolmate of hers and Aces Her manu-
script recalls early impressions of Ace
how he had been wealthy. the most popu-
lar boy in town, how he had gone to Paris
to study medicine, became aviator in
the World war, returning to practice in
Satuit, how he was recklessly generous and
the principal in scores of love affairs. Bruce
Hexson had come back from the war with
Ace He was a lawyer, man of private
means and had got" religion, become a
virtual recluse and was regarded as ''queer."
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03
SUNDAY-COntinued

I'm glad of that. I want to see
her too"
Matte and 1 continued to ira
verse the vicious circle of our
memories of the masquerade until
Patrick arrived.
I've put in quite a night" he
said. Checking up on a crowd of
over a hundred people, all of them
in masks, is no small chore. And
l couldn't get at Matte until they
came home from their drive. But
fortunately l had a good detail on
Second Head"
Peter and / were so tired yes
terday," Matte explained to me,
that we wanted to get away from
everything-even from the serv-
ants. Peter wouldn't eat at no.
tel: he said if he heard another
strain of jaZZ-So l put up bas-
ket supper and we picnicked by
the roadside. We drove about un-
til long after dark. I think it was
about ten before we got home"
who told you?" 1 asked.
''The maids! Peter called up Pat
rick at once and we got together
Immediately"
How did you check up, Pat
rick?" / asked.
''Wen, first with Mattie's list.
Then there were six coppers on
duty here that night. I had told
them to keep a sharp lookout. l
was afraid somebody might try to
crash the party. Between them /
got a pretty definite idea of who
came and when they left. First of
all though, last night, l went
from house to house on the Head
and sewed up everybody here. That
was easy. Everybody but the Fair
ade and they didn't leave their
house. Flora couldn't of course.
and Margaret wouldn't. But as
a matter of routine, had to get
a statement from all of them-even
Margaret FairWeather. Their ali
bis look waterproof. Doctor Mar
den says that he left fairly tired.
about one-because he was tired.
He went home and went to bed. His
granddaughter, Miss Prentiss says,
she looked into his room when she
got home at dawn and he was
asleep. The Geary-Bray crowd
went home together. The Eamses
oh by the way, that reminds me,
Mary, / haven't taken your story
yet. l must do that now."
Did you go to every house or
my list, Patrick?" Matte ques
toned, rising.
Every one," Patrick answered
tersely. II detailed man to si
down at the telephone and cal
them up. He told them that I'd ge
there sometime during the night
1t was four o'clock in the morning
when 1 checked off the las
namel"
You ought to look more tireG
than you do" Matte commented.
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03

secrets. I haven't ever mentioned
what I'm going to tell you but tc
one other person"
Mrs. Avery, l suppose" Patrick
said.
Good guess, Patrick!" I put in
Il told Mrs. Avery Saturday
morning." Sarah said. Perfectly
composed she told Patrick the story
of her discoveries in the cabin.
Again Sarah burst into tears.
Nov, now, don't think about il
any more. You go back to your
work, Sarah, and don't give this
another thought. You haven't got
anybody into trouble. I knew who
it was all the time"
Il would have told you, Patrick,
what Sarah has just told you,"
said after Sarah had disappeared.
"You see l didn't think of it yes.
terday. The murder paralyzed my
mind temporarily"
''Oh, I know you'd have told me, -
Patrick dismissed my explanation
in an off-hand manner.
do you know yet how Ace came
to go into my Spinney, Patrick"
1 asked.
''Oh yes, / got that last night.
He went there to meet Tony Tor
riano"
''The bootlegger!" I said.
Eyes. 1t seems that o course
you know that for years Ace has
been spending money like drunk
en- sailor. He's really been up
against it lately. He hasn't paid
Tony for months. He owed him
three hundred dollars. Tony went
over to the Blaikie house yesterday
and l guess he staged a pretty
good scene. Sam was cleaning
silver in the buffers pantry and he
could hear Tony storming way off
there. He got frightened and came
into the dining-room to listen. He
said that Tony grew pretty violent
in his threats. He heard Ace tell
Tony to meet him about half-past
ten in your Spinney, that he'd have
the money for him them
''And so you suspect"
''Not a chance! Just think il
over! I've known Tony all my
life. He's all right. We went to
school together. I've played tag,
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03

tops, marbles, baseball and foot
ball with him. Tony's as good as
they come"
Did you arrest him?"
mo, but l told him to stick
around because 1 might have to
arrest him. And he's sticking
around"
"Who spent the night in my Lit
tie House," l asked next.
Walter Treadway." Pat an
swered I'm as sure as l can be
that he did. Anyway he didn't go
home that night. Somebody saw
him and Molly motoring early yes
terday morning"
Sarah guessed that" I said aft
er a while. Our maids always
know everything before we do"
Outside, a motor crunched on
the driveway. In an instant Sar-
ah appeared. Its Miss Molly.
Mrs. Avery" she announced, land
Mr.. Treadway."
Before I could speak, Tell them
to come in!" Patrick said.
had not seen Walter Treadway
for over a year and yet l did not
look at him for an instant. 1t
was not the fact that Molly came
through the door first that held my
attention on her. 1t was something
in Molly herself. 1t seems to me
I had never seen her look SO beau
tiful.
Molly swept into the room.
Good morning, Aunt Mary" she
called buoyantly. Good morning,
! Mr.. O'Brien." Surprisingly she
came over and kissed me.
had a feeling that she had intend
ed in that sweep of the room to
kiss Patrick too, but thought bet
ter of it,
Buoyancy in Molly! And Ace
dead!
Patrick's answering Good
morning, Molly" came together
with mine-like a chorus. Then,
still like chorus, we added. Good
morning, Walter!"
Walter TreadWay's look had
changed too.
l have known Walter Treadway
all his life. Like the Slows and
Eameses, the older TreadWays are
contemporaries and intimates.
always say that Walter is hand
some. Perhaps he is not really
handsome; certainly he is inter
esting. He is very tall, very slim
-blade-like. He has regular fea
lures and he has beautiful teeth
A quality in Walters face always
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03
Rise and Fall of Styles

In Queen Anne's reign, at the be-
ginning of the Eighteenth century.
it became fashionable for women
to appear on London's streets in
their nightgoWns, a fashion which
came to a quick end when a woman
was executed in a garment of this
description Another example of
negative prestige killing a new
fashion was the sudden disappear
ance of "bloomers" in 1851, when
a London brewer. dressed all heir
barmaids in this costume.
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03
The Living Truth

w E DO not need to defend
w the truth. Truth is it's own
defense. Not many years ago
merchants and bankers, when
they left their places of busi-
ness, turned off the lights and
put up great heavy shutters. To-
day they pull aside the blinds
and turn on strong light. The
greatest protection the truth of
God can have is to expose it so
that everyone may see what it
does. Let us give up trying to
guard our faith. 1t is better far
to live it.
Run away from work and you
will find that work can run.
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03
"Quo+a+ions"

Fiction is truth with its face lifted.
Rex Beach.
immortality, like war, is a state of
abnormality. Slowly but surely we
are swinging back to normality once
more.-COunt Keyserling.
Great beauty is as inspiring as
great music or great architecture
Gertrude AthertOn.
Poverty is one of the major curses
of mankind and VIC must wage tire
less war against hillary Emerson
FOsdick.
The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-03
FARMS

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
Several small and two large farms, S5 90
to S20.0 per acre. Springs. No trades.
Owner, BOX AL, CASSVILLE, MO.
Evening star., 1936-08-17

or toothed. The ray and tubular fiow-
ers are small. in clusters and usually
in some shade of yellow. rarely whit
ish. The disk flowers are nearly al
ways perfect. That is, they have
both pistil and stamens. Their corol-
las are tubular and five-lobed the
ray flowers are arranged in one series
and are pistillate (female). The tiny
seeds are smooth and often ribbed.
Along the shady roadside, in moist
woods, thickets. meadows, rocky hill
sides, daSty paths and such places.
some member OF This family may be
seen from early Summer until lase
Autumn.
One of the easiest ways to identify
goldenrod is by the leaves. In a short
time you will be delighted to know how
each member of its clan Is individual
to you.
You will gain much in watching the
hordeS of insect guests come and CO.
Each one of them though slipping from
the tube of one f1oret comes in close
contact with dozens of others by the
mere act Of crawling over the golden
carpet. Pollen is left with several
florets, no doubt.
Here you will find an assembly of
hornets, bees. flies and wasps. The
beetles like the 'wayside inn." so do
the bugs" For one making collec-
tion of brilliant insects, few places
could offer more selections than at the
sign OF the goldenrod. Gathered with
the worthwhile guests are the Slackers
and house breakers, the wasp-beetles
and the black and yellow. red-legged
locust tree-borer. There may be found
the crab-Spider, who takes on the
colors Of her flower hostess. She
hunts from her dainty citadel, and
here she also raises her family.
When the golden head of the flowers
have turned gray and bowed, the
finches, buntings, juncos and sparrows
rejoice to see her. For we'll they know
there is an abundance of food for
them swaying from the slender gray
stalk. They shake out the excess
seeds that skip over the snowy fields,
so assisting their benefactor.
The other beneficiary of this plant
Evening star., 1936-08-17
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
WIN long would live will daily plan
TO worry little as he can.
Danny Meadow Mouse.

~ AMY MEADOW MoUsL and
Nanny Meadow Mouse are
/ two little people who have
- as much cause for worry as
have any two little people in all the
Great World. They are much sought
after, are Danny and Nanny Meadow
Mouse. Yes, sir, they are much sought
after. What for? To eat. So 1t is
that all the time they themselves are
looking for food to eat they must be
constantly on the watch not to fur
nish food for some one else. They are
hunted from the tine jolly, round,
red Mr.. Sun begns his daily climb up
in the blue, blue sky until he goes TO
bed behind the Purple Hills at night.
And that isn't all. No. sir. that isn't
all. No sooner do the Black Shadows
come creeping out from the Purple
Hills to remain all night than another
set of hunters starts out to look for
Danny and Nanny Meadow Mouse.
So, you see, these little folk in fur
coats really do have a great deal of
cause for worry. If you and I had
as much cause we probably wcdld be
worrying all the time, and so would be
unhappy all the time.
So 1t is just as we'll that wise Old
Mother Nature has given Danny and
Nanny dispositions which do not per-
nit of too much worry. They may
worry when they see an enemy close
at hand, looking for them, but as
soon as the enemy disappears they
stop worrying. This is to say that
they do not worry about the next
enemy. OF course they live very ex-
citing life. Any one who continually
has to run or hide to save his life
never lacks for excitement. I suspect
that Danny and Nanny would fird life
very dull if they should be placed
where they would be all the time safe.
Some people have to watch only on
the ground for enemies. Some people
have to watch mostly in the air for
enemies. Danny and Nanny have TO
watch both on the ground and In the
air and, if they take a s~rim, as once
in a great while they do, there is dan
ger for them lurking in the water.
Danny Meadow Mouse had gone
some little distance from home this
particular Summer morning. He had
gone farther than he had intended to.
Early in the Summer. before the cut
ting of the grass on the Green Mead
ows, he wouldn't have thought any,
thing of going this distance from
home, becafse then the grass would.
have been so tall that mis- private lit
tie paths would have been like little
tunnels. Now, however, the grass was
short. AS he ran along those private
little paths he was not as well hidden
as he would have liked to have been.
The cutting of the grass for hay was
always most upsetting to Danny and
Nanny Meadow Mouse.
Now as Danny ran he had his ears
wide open for any suspicious sound.
Evening star., 1936-08-17

the contract by experimenting with
two clubs.
West opened the deuce Of hearts.
Declarsr won with the king and
played the ace and q small club from
dummy, finessing to the jack in his
own hand. West won with the queen
and knocked out declarer's other
heart stopper. Declarer cashed his
two remaining club tricks, but was
then finished, as later when West got
in, he was able to play twice through
the king of diamonds. East and
West thus took two spade tricks. two
heart tricks. three diamond tricks and
one club trick and were rewarded
with q 500-point penalty. 1t will be
noted that had East taken any i'm
mediate action with his doubtful
holding, the best his side could have
scored would have been a partial
score. while If South had held q good
Evening star., 1936-08-17
MAN NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR WIFE'S DETECTIVE

DALLAS. Tex. P)-A jealous wife
may hire detective to trail her hus-
band. says Justice John Baldwin, but
she has no right to expect her spouse
to pay the bill.
Dallas wife. suspicious her hus-
band was unfaithful because he re-
mained away from home evenings,
employed a detective to follow him.
When the detective. reported the
"erring" husband merely had visited
domino parlors and shot few games
OF pool the wife refused to pay him.
The detective sued the husband.
Judge Baldwin ruled a husband was
liable only for bills contracted by his
wife for the necessities of life.
Evening star., 1936-08-17

Ar OST brilliant of the golden
mn family is this field goldenrod
VI That the widely known and
beloved flower is appreciated
is proven by the fact that five States
have adopted 1t as their floral en-
blem-Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky.
Missouri and Nebraska each choosing
some member of this versatile flower
There is lesson to be learned from
each successful outdoor child. In the
goldenrods we find their success is due
to close cooperation. The stem is a
roadway leading to a whole commu-
nifty, for the blossom we think of as
one flower is group of many florets,
gathered together for mutual benefit.
One f1oret would not attract the at
tention of a guest. Separate one and
see how small it is. But when hun
dredS and sometimes thousands are
grouped together we have a fine mass
of color. Advertisement. Favorable
attention of needed partners in the
great game of earning a livelihood
and carrying on.
The goldenrods are nearly all ma
tives of North America. In the large
genus there are more than 125 species.
New York alone has 80 species. 1t is
an interesting hobby to find how many
Evening star., 1936-08-17

So Danny stak off as fast as his
legs could take him. For such a
chunky little fellow, with such short
legs, he ran surprisingly fast. His
private little paths had been GU. in
many directions through The .raSs.
This gave him a chance to dodge from
one path to another. In this way he
had a chance of fooling whoever was
following him. The trouble vas this
time that this Snake had managed to
get too near to Danny before the
latter had discovered him. So it was
that Danny really was in serious
trouble. He knew it. He had had
many bad tEights, but none worse than
the preSsA@6ne; for, although he did
his =best, he could not fool his pur-
suer. 1t looked rather hopeless. Yet
Danny wasn't hopeless He had feel
ing that something was going to hap
pen. Something was going 10 happen,
but he didn't even guess what It was.
tCopyright. 1936.)
Evening star., 1936-08-17
Bedtime Stories
Danny Runs for His Life.

So it was that before it was 100 late
he heard a faint rustling sound be-
hind him. Had you or I heard that
faint rustling sound we probably
would not have known what 1t meant.
But Danny knew the instant lie heard
it. Yes, sir, Danny knew. He stopped
only just long enough to make sure
that his ears had not deceived him.
Its a Snake" said Danny to him.
self. Yes, sir, it's Snake, and he is
one big enough to swallow me If he
catches me. I can tell that by the
sound. 1 hate Snakes. AS rule,
wherever I can go they can 60. I've
just got to get away from here as fast
as my legs will take me-"
Evening star., 1936-08-17

w YHEN an opponent opens the
M bidding, it is usually un-
w sound policy to step in with
q doubtful hand until the
general strength or weakness Of the
opponents holding is revealed. Today's
hand illustrates how an alert East
player waited until his opponents had
shown weakness, then stepped into the
bidding and was rewarded with a sig
able penalty.
North, dealer.
Both sides vulnerable.
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Evening star., 1936-08-17

is a gall insect. Look for the knob
along the stem. And-perhaps the
vanished nest Of the praying mantis
will be anchored along the stem. too.
Truly, the goldenrod should receive
your undivided attention when next
you meet-out in the fields In COM
pany with the asters.
(copyriEht, 1880
Evening star., 1936-08-17

hand and West bust, East and West
would have been in plenty of trouble.
tCopyrisht. 1936J
The Four Aces will be pleased to answer
letters from readers n spamped (3cl.
each Communication. II you desire the
pocket outline Of the Four Aces system OF
contract bridge. send. with your request
q stamped t3c). self-addressed. large
size envelope 20 the -Four Aces. Inc, 1870
West 42nd street New York City and
you will receive an outline. without any
charge.
The next article in this series will
appear Wednesday. ~
Evening star., 1936-08-17
Smallest Money Order.

That 1t has issued the smallest
money order in the world is the claim
Of the post ONCE at Travancore. India.
which made out the order for the
smallest coin in that region, one -thir-
tieth of a penny.
Evening star., 1936-08-17

Of this family have chosen your State
for their own.
Goldenrods are perennial, erect
herbs with but few branches and al
ternate leaves which are either entire
Evening star., 1936-08-17
Natures Children
Goldenrods.
BY Lillian cox ATHEY.

BY Lillian cox ATHEY.
Along the roadside. like the flowers of
gold
That tawny-.~Incas for their gardens
wrought
Heavy with sunshine droops the golden-
rod"
Evening star., 1936-08-17

"a East Is content to await de-
velopments.
(2) Holding three sure diamond
tricks over the original bidder. East
feels certain the contract will be set
II his partner holds fair hand.
90 West is content to play against
the doubled contract.
"a While North knows he Is in
the trap, he Is afraid to increase
Evening star., 1936-09-02

Federal relief organization was thrown
together at the outset of this admins
tration, there was nothing to prevent
the selection of the rank and file. nom
policy making employees from the eligible
lists of the Civil Service Commission
Had that been done, the taxpayers would
have received a certain guarantee that
the administration of relief would be as
free from politics as Mr.. Hopkins has
time and again, heatedly contended 1t
is. There would have been tacit EVIL
dence, which does not now exist.
Commissioner Allen has introduced q
beneficial reform at rather late date.
The new rules do not affect incumbents
But any extension of the system of
merit in public offices, in whatever form,
is praiseworthy. Commissioner Allen
is to be commended for the adoption
of his own particular machinery for set
ting up merit system.
Evening star., 1936-09-02
1t Can Be Done.

One of the nuisance noises of the
city is caused by useless blowing OF auto
mobile horns. There is, Of course, a
regulation against this particular nui-
Sance. But it Is not enforced and appar-
emily little pretense is made of enforc-
ing 1t,
New York has set an interesting ex-
ample of what can be done in the matter
of useless horn blowing when there
is will to do something. Mayor La
Guardia's denunciation of overload
automobile horns has been followed by
the summons to court of thirty -one
motorists, arrested for useless horn blow
ing. Each offender was fined two dollars
and warned that repetition would bring
an increased penalty. A taxicab COM
pany which has equipped its cars with
particularly obnoxious horns is trying to
reach an amicable agreement with the
police department.
The noisy horn blowers of Washington
are confined to no particular class, al
though the hurrying taxi drivers are con-
slant offenders. But if the Commits
sioners would crack down once or twice
with orders to enforce the regulation,
police activity and the attendant pub
licity would do something to abate the
nuisance. The existing regulation is
strong enough. All it needs is some
consistent enforcement.