The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-08-25
THREE SUFFERED HOUSES
-----===-=-=ByB BEN ANES WILLIAMS
he think of the rest of the Kenesaw


connecticut"
Tope chuckled. "TIe talked quite
a lot about them," he admitted.
HE seemed to know them pretty
well, know a lot about them. He
says old Mrs. Bowdon and her
daughter, Mrs. Taine, have things
their own way up there. He said
they were like people living in the
valley below a big dam. Bowdon is
a wealthy man, and Hurder too;
and their money is like the water
behind the dam, waiting to flow
down the valley when they die, flow
into new channels. The others all
sit there waiting for the, dam to
break, with their buckets ready to
catch the overflow, afraid they'll let
a few drops get away"
Miss Moss said softly: "That's
why they're afraid"
Tope looked at her in quick atten-
ton. "Eh?" he exclaimed. ''Why
should they be afraid? After all,
the money can't get out of the fam
ily."
Having things makes people
afraid" she reminded him. IA man
with nothing to lose has nothing to
fear"
Tope shook his head. 81 don't
know" he demurred. cts mighty
easy to be afraid There's one
other thing-probably no connection.
But when Clint and / were on our
way in to Glovere's cabin, we saw
man in the woods. He was COM
ing down the path toward us; but he
spotted us, about as soon as we
saw him, a hundred yards away or
so. And he ducked to one side, out
of the way, and kept out of sight
while we went by.'
''Why didn't you speak to him?"
"Clint here was in hurry to 60
on" the Inspector chuckled.
IT didn't even see this man."
Clint explained. II think the In
spector imagined him. He's seeing
things today, anyway"
Miss Moss sat thoughtful for a
while; but she said at last, smiling:
'He didn't imagine this. I saw your
man come out of the woods. The
garage proprietor has a daughter.
He calls her LISA. I think that was
her young man. She was with me
when he came in sight, but she left
me then, and neither of them re-
appeared"
Tope chuckled. "Trust you to dig
up any romance that's lying
around!" he exclaimed. "Don't
know who it was, do your"
''No, but I know LISA Thayer
was troubled by his coming" Miss
Moss declared ''That was plain, in
her eyes" And she asked: 'This
Mr.. Glovere-how old did you think
he was?"
The Inspector watched her. ''For-
ty-five and up" he said. "Maybe
ten years more"
"Old enough to be Miss Leaford's
father" Miss Moss reflected. And
she added, still smiling: "You see,
I begin to wonder about things too,
Inspector. I've caught the habit
from you." She ceased to smile.
''I'm wondering now" she said
gravely, chow many Of these tab
let's it would take, to kill a person
so quickly"
The Inspector looked at Miss Moss
with sort of wonder. He said at
last:
MRS. Tope, you make me feel
like a man on crutches, You can
jump farther, and straighter, than
anyone I ever saw"
II was just wondering" she pro-
tested, her cheek bright with pleas
ure in his praise.
81 think you've hit it," he said.
''Derrie missed it, and Heale, and
so did I. But / think you've hit it
on the nose, Well see." He looked
ahead. "Clint, pull in at the first
drugstore" he said. II want to tele-
phone"
When he came out to them again,
Clint asked quickly: "Did you call
Doctor Derrie?"