The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-06-19

lis snaps had been refastened. Some
one possibly William hfmself-had
been covering our tracks. Why7
closed the door and crept to the
head OF the narrow staircase. From
below ] could hear the faint rumble
o. voices-Wuliam,s and Annie's
Not William then Not unless be had
been standing Just outside his door
as We rushed out Of 1t, worked with
remarkable speed. and rushed down
20 the kitchen when be heard my
steps in the hall. had lost all con-
eepfion Of time. Whether or not such
action would have been possible, /
couldn't say. Had we been gone from
nat room more than Eve minutes?
II William were eliminated. only
Cook and Higgins were left. Cooks
room was straight across the haIl
from the scene Of activity and Hig-
gins was right next door to IT. They
were both in their rooms. II was Dos
sibie- But why should they cover our
tracks? Why should anyone do that
uniess-the thought struck me like 4
thunderbolt-unless the Skipper was
still in the house?
Il the Skipper was in the house.
her disappearance must have been
Of her own choosing. Why? In my
excitement ! bumped smartly against
the wall Higgins door few open and
Higgins. an apparition Of nightshirt
and spindly legs. confronted me.
Nervous, But No Fool
WHO'S there7" His voice was ner-
w vous. What do you want?"
l had no intention Of frightening
him. ! didn't answer him at once
because expected him TO step into
the hall where he would have seen
me standing against the wall next to
his door.
Il heard you" he quavered. @And
know where you're hiding"
Its only me. Higgins" / said. step
ping into his range Of sight. Don't
be alarmed"
Whatever he had been afraid Of, I
apparently had not been involved IN
L. With a gusty sigh Of relief, he
leaned heavily against the door.
oh. its you. sir. Ill wasn't sure.
Ny nerves aren't so good any more
Was he acting or wasn't her
said. Have you been in Williams
room at all tonight"
He stared at me blankly. mo. sir.
Why2"
Have you heard anyone In there
since you've been in your room?"
Sleepy or not his eyes were on the
alert. mo. sir"
That's odd. Mr.. Michael, Miss Pal
mer and myself were searching that
room Just a few minutes ago."
was giving him his chance. II the
confidence he had almost given me
CONCERNED William, there would be
little point in his withholding the
Information now. He was no fool. He
would normally conclude that II we
had searched Williams room, we
must in some degree suspect William.
That's strange. sir" he said. "Tve
been asleep. and I didn't hear q
sound"
Whether he was lying or speaking
the truth. something was troubling
him. Il suddenly flashed across my
mind that he might be speaking the
truth for an excellent reason. Per-
haps Higgins had not been in his
room at all Perhaps
Higgins" / said point-blank, sis
Miss Barbara in this house?"
He blinked at me like a great sleepy
owl. but the eyes behind the dropping
lids were not sleepy. "I'm sure ] don't
know. sir"
gave it up. ~AlI right. Go back to
bed Everything is fine. was just
looking around
The instant his door closed upon me,
stepped quickly to Cooks door and
listened. Not sound. knocked softly
al FIRST and then louder and louder. No
answer. tried the knob and the door
swung open easily to my hand. Dim
light permeating the room from be-
hind me showed me at one glance all
wanted 70 know. The bed was tumbled
and untidy, but the room was empty.
! made my way quickly and as
quietly as could to the head Of the
back stairs and listened. The words
were indistinct, but there were two
voices-neither of them the strident
tones Of Cook.
Why did what Gid next is a ques-
ton. For once I had an opportunity
for a little investigation before the
entire household Joined in the sport.
The immediate thing was to find Cook.
And one room on the upper floor had
not been searched recently-the Skip
per's. ! made tracks in that direction.
The proximity Of M. Farrington's
room made me doubly cautious. I
sided through the Shippers door and
closed il behind me.
Ny extreme caution was creating
certain difficulties. couldn't find the
light, and there was considerable
danger Of my Gathering over some Of
the furniture in the dark. Frantically
I searched my pockets for a match,
found one, after three attempts man
AGED to strike q light, and took one
step forward
That one step did the trick. Ny foot
caught on something on the floor, and
in another moment / was crashing
head over heels in an uproar At TO
rouse the militia.
copyright. 1881. Esther TyIerJ
1 catch william, Annie and Cook