The Key West citizen., 1940-12-12

not quite right?
Bill asked the same question
this morning" I answered. '1
never heard anything 10 make me
think so. but it seems that any
thing is possible.
Il wondered about II when
Alice claimed to have seen a
ghost" Kirk said. .'Of course, we
all thought Alice was just imagin-
ing things because of over
wrought nerves. But Bill ran into
somebody in the hall"
/ looked at him guilelessly. but
in my heart there was still Ques-
ton. Could il have been Kirk who
colIided with Bill? After all, the
stairs are nearest the dining-room
door and Kirk had come back into
the library from the dining room.
But he met my glance squarely
and it was who turned away.
Alice couldn't describe her
ghost" recalled. "She said it was
just shape" ] shuddered at the
thought that perhaps Alice might
have been right. That there was
SOAAAC A4AOAASECA SOA4@C64C4 IA S44C
house awaiting an opportunity to
pounce upon innocent victims.
Why had Bill used the words 60
rilla or hairy ape? Had there been
something in that brief contact IN
the hall which had caused him to
do SO unconsciously? ITS too aw-
full" / said to Kirk.
II shouldn't have frightened you
with such ideas" he said contrite-
ly. 'If Alice saw anything, it was
not a ghost, but something hu-
man. BY the way" he went on,
''was there anyone who might
not. want you to have this house?
Any jealous relative who might
have wanted il himself or herself?
Anyone who might possibly feel
that it was left to you-unfairly,
and who would try to scare you
away? Has anyone offered to buy
it from you?"
But why? What would that
have to do with it?"
Haven't you heard of cases
where people tried to scare off the
owners by making things dis
agreeable for them? Maybe so
they could buy the property at a
reduced price?"
But that's too fantastic" I said.
Judge and Mrs. Warren, who live
at Roswell, did ask if / would be
interested in selling the place.
They seemed to approve my deci-
sion to keep it and said they had
only thought I might be selling it
to-Yankees or somebody dis
agreeable"
'Yankees?" Kirk grinned.
'1ts absurd, of course. But the
Warrens are very old fashioned.
And these old houses are rather
in demand in Georgia because
Sherman left so few of them.
$50 you don't think the Judge
is likely candidate to be putting
on a campaign to terrorize the
present ownerS?"
'1 certainly don't. And as to
relatives. the only one I can think
of who might have envied me the
house would have been Aunt Mag
gle. and she, of course. was free
to come and go as she liked. As
things have turned out, I don't
see how it could be Aunt Maggie"
well. that's that" said Kirk,
and we both worked silently for
some time. Then Kirk picked up
Aunt Maggie's brief case. which I
had already gone through, and
started scanning the papers it
held.
The Map
"GELLO, what's this?" he asked
l. l. suddenly, a note CT excite
menr in his voice Looks like
some sort CT diagram"
And it was a diagram, with a
line beginning at the top left-hand
corner and meandering downward
toward the right. Here and there
along the line were names and at
certain points there were large
black dots.
I could not help smiling when
| saw it and Kinks eager express
sion That" / told him. ais one
of Aunt Maggie's genealogical
maps of Georgia. That black line
IS Sherman's march rough
Georgia to the sea The black dots
indicate towns he burned, or at
least towns in which ne burned
the courthouses. Aunt Maggie
marked them because it means
that all records prior to 1854 have
been destroyed In those towns and
IL was therefore useless for her to
try to trace family trees through
deeds and marriage licenses and
other papers which are usually on
record" ~
Kirk regretfully replaced the
diagram. -And / thought ! had
really discovered something" he
lamented by the way, Sally, all
this genealogy stuff. Could we find
a clue there do you suppose?
Aunt Maggie never kept anybody
out of the D A r. or from being
presented at court or anything
like that by proving the family
tree had few rotten limbs. did
she?"
shock my head. at would be
a perfect solution, but I am afraid
it won't do"
Voices came floating In from the
hall and a moment later Claire
and Alice and Bob crowded In
through the doorway.
What's going on?" they wanted
to know.
I'VE are looking for the clue to
the secret room" Kirk announced
As he rose to his feet. Would yoa
like to help? We hope IL win
throw some light on what hap
pened last night"
Well, It was out. Everybody
knew now. And, anyway. it prob
ably didn't matter.
To be continued