The Key West citizen., 1940-11-29

nF COURSE, when l first found
~ Aunt Maggie, I thought she
had tainted.
Evidently she had gone up
stairs after leaving the library,
for she was wearing a Shetland
wool sweater over her lace din
ner dress. The only explanation
] could think of was that she had
changed her mind about working
and had come down the back
stairway because it was a short
cut to the game room and that
the steep stairs had been too
much for her.
Or that perhaps she had caught
her heel on the step and tripped
herself. Like many rather stout
women. Aunt Maggie had always
been little vain about her feet
and would never give up high
heels. Even in that moment of
shock, the thought of the high
heels led me to wonder about
the sweater.
Aunt Maggie, a stickler in mat
terS of dress as in manners, would
never have worn a sweater over
a dinner dress except perhaps in
the privacy of the third-foor
study for a session with family
papers. I was sure she had come
downstairs on an errand and not
to rejoin the guests.
All these thoughts flashed
! through my mind as 1 hurried
back through the breakfast room,
calling to Bessie, Bring some wa
ter, quick. Aunt Maggie has
tainted"
Back again in the passage and
endeavoring to find a pulse in
Aunt Maggie's wrist, l was star
tied by the white cat appearing
suddenly out of nowhere and
fawning gainst me with a rather
disgruntled meow.
"Scat," told him sharply, ex-
pecting Aunt Maggie to revive at
any moment and faint again at
the unwelcome sight. How had
Plutarch got out Of the office,
anyway? Automatically I glanced
toward the door. Yes, it was
closed, but, of course, there was
another door opening into the
breakfast room from the Office.
Andrew, who loves to drama
tie a crisis, was right on the
heels of Bessie's stockinged feet
as she padded out with a pitcher
of water. While Bessie sprinkled
Aunt Maggie's face, l felt for her
heartbeat, and Andrew Edseted,
full of suggestions. ''If we could
just get her on a sofa, Miss Sally.
So we could get her feet higher'n
her head. It's the blood. We want
to get it to her head"
When / could find no heart
beat, l began to feel my first fore
bodingS that perhaps Aunt Mag
gle had not merely tainted as a
result of falling. Even then l
thought it was only Andrews
easy excitability when he gasped
out, Law, Miss Sally, she been
strangled."
But there were the black marks
on her throat.
Sitting back Imply on my heels
and suddenly feeling very sick, /
managed to say. Get Mr.. Bill. "
Furore
IN WHAT seemed no more than
L minute the entire house party
was crowded there in the little
back passageway. Some of them
came up the steps from the base
ment game room. Some came
down from the upstairs bedrooms
and some from the drawing
room. At least they seemed to
come from all directions. Feeling
faint as ! did, it also seemed to
me as though some had come in
from the rain outside, but !
thought nothing of 1t at the time.
We had not then begun to hunt
for a murderer. and l was too
dazed to do more than take in
the incredible fact that Aunt
Maggie was dead.
said, as the men went through
the same motions l had already
tried, "It'S no use We must get
her on one of the sofas in the
drawing room" There is a sofa
in the Office and it would have
been simpler to take her in there,
but / was still thinking of that
as Plutarch's hideaway. not real
iZing that there was now no ne
cesSity for his Imprisonment.
Better phone for a doctor,
said Bill. still on his knees, dog
gedly trying to find some pulse
in Aunt Maggie's limp wrist
Kirk, ask the operator at Ros-
we'll to get one for us. will you?
That will be nearer than Atlanta.
''Dr. Grace was GRANDMOTHER
DOCTOR" / said.
"But Miss Maggie done dead
Mr.. Bill" Andrew demonstrated
"Ain't nothing no doctor can do
On, poor Miss Maggie. Poor Miss
Maggie. She was always sc
proud"
A lump rose IN my throat and
] turned my eyes away. Andrew
had painted an all too lifelike
portrait Of Aunt Maggie. | could
not bear to look at her there or
the floor.
"Well. well need doctor. any
way" said Kirk. I'm go and call
Or, Bob, maybe you had better
90. came out here with you. Tn
not certain ! could tell anybody
how to reach the place"
But anybody IN Roswell viii