Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-02-27

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Incorporated
(CcpyriEht 1877; BY Ethel Lima Whitel
IN THREK PARTS-PART THREE
When Lesley reached the basement
she found that the servants had left.
1t was Max who informed her OF the
fact.
Daddy WIN be mad" he said glee-
fully. He ordered them to sleep in,
tonight, SO you wouldn't be frightened.
Because OF the murder, you know"
Run upstairs and turn on the bath, I"
Lesley ordered
She shot the bolt Of the backdoor,
since the key proved unexpectedly stiff
from damp and put up the chain, for
extra safety. But she felt so bored and
lonely that she spun out the ehildren'S
bath, for the sake Of their company.
When, at last, she had dumped them
IN their beds, she fingered over her
own supper, until her conscience re-
preached her with neglect of Miss
Nightingale.
She found her sitting over her bed
room fire, while she smoked q cigar
cite with guilty air. Her curriers' we're
covered with a pale-blue boudotr cap
and she wore an attractive dressing
gown.
Come in and talk" she invited gaily.
1t IVES obvious that she was unac-
customed to spirits, for it took so little
TO flush her cheek and unite her tongue.
After preliminary condolences about
her health and toilet, she broke into
the romantic tragedy Of her youth.
you saw Eric's photograph, this
afternoon. He was the only son of
General Hurley and they lived in the
house that's empty now. We fell in
iove-but there were terrible scenes.
The General thought we were mud.
because we had been in trade, and
Pas pride was mortified, so they kept
me a prisoner. to keep me from meet
ing Eric. Then the General took Eric,
who was delicate, to the Riviera, and
he died there, Of a broken heart. The
General never came back and the house |
has been empty to this day"
Have you ever been inside?" asked |
Lesley.
Il was once in the hall. It was crowd |
ed with stuffed animals which the Gen
eral had shot-lions, tigers and bears
and there was an enormous family |
tree painted on one wall . oh, those
terrible children are screaming again"
Lions. tigers, bears. An enormous
tree" The words swan in Lesley's head
as she dashed down the stairs to her
GE24OO4A AAAC N44A44AE1l WClE
together In very well-acted terror, as
they screamed. THE Black Mans been
here"
But they did not find their slave in
her usual plant mood. She hurried
them back to bed and refused to glance
at the smudged fingerprints on the
door.
-Tisnt me- walled Max. Look at
my clean hands"
Yes, you remembered to wash them
This time" snapped Lesley.
She 6cOlded them partly because she [
was distracted with q sudden memory.
Max had given an accurate description
1f the hall of the empty house, when
he frightened Baby, that morning. I
He couldn't have known" she as
Sured herself. "No one knows, except
Mss Nightingale. UnleSs-hes got in Z
ade." s
vas driven upstairs to ask the prim
pinster an incredible question.
rs there q secret way leading from
his house to the empty One?"
To her dtSmay, Miss Nightingale [
Eniled trtumphantly.
yes she declared, "there is
We cheated them {. +. he used to come
o me secretly by night"
Howl" whispered Lesley.
nc W6S8 ckU0yLAb W Y
and he made a hole between
be two cellars. 1t led through to the
ack OF the boot cupboard In our eel
NJ"
Does anyone else know of this way?"
be asked fearfully
mo one but our housemaid, who
as our go-between with notes, and
1e's been dead for years. had to pay =
er hush money. Not long ago, her n
~ tw4a6 To anfTy | -
ut was too wise. told her no one =,
ould believe such fantastic old tale, ~
nd dared her TO tell it, She never =,
ID, OF course" =,
AS Lesley listened, her heart seemed :,
turn over. She had believed so con- ~
IDENTIFY in their burglar proof security, -
bile all the time they had been linked
rectly with the dreaded empty house ~
and any horror that might Turk with ~
! The cellar was their danger-spot. 81
Good night" she said quickly. % - -.
, you lock your door at night2" 20 20
Always, with a gentleman IN the th
Jlse," was the prim reply. o. ~.
It was a tonic reminder that the Ne
aptain would be home soon, which "a
disseminated Lesley as she rushed
Iwn to the basement, as though pur- th
ed by fiendS. When she had turned ga
e Key OF the cellar door, she IelL Ci
fe again. But although she walked Or
ietly upstairs, she was careful to tn
lash up the sequence Of her thoughts. BE
While she was responsible for the CT;
ildren's safety, it was criminal to ha
bulge in neurotic speculation. Follow Or
z Miss Nightingale's example, she en-
:ked her own door and undressed on
ickly, keeping her mind on safe sub en-
It's. AS she lay in bed, listening for SUI
Q Captains step IN the passage in
2 corridor, she told herself that her ]
ly worry now was the Captains res
,als, and she would soon discover his &c
ties. That was how people fell in fri
fe-living In the same house. act
Relaxed In delicious warmth, she wa
lst have dozed, for she was startled Jul
AXE by three welcome knocks on the a I
Ter side of the bedroom wall wa
rhe Captain had not forgotten the car
nal She smiled into the darkness at to
S proof that he had been thinking 4
her. toll,
She was Just dropping off to sleep tiol