The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-07-02
CHAPTER /

II all began the day before
Naturally, | didn't know that
anything was beginning then. /
mean il began the day before we
found the body. That was on
Wednesday, and it was unrea-
sonably hot for early June, hot
with a muggy, uncomfortable
sickness that preSaged the
storm TO come.
Margaret had come up TO my
room after dinner TO finish ar
ranging my things.
We'd thought we had the
house all set for the summer,
and then that morning had come
a telegram from Kathy-she's
my oldest granddaughter, child
oy Walters first marrlage-say-
ing that she had changed her
plans and was coming to stay
at KrafktoWcr for couple OF
weeks before going to New
York.
Originally Margaret had UNI
packed my. things in the tur-
ouoise bedroom, which has the
sitting room attached. They are
the rooms / usually occupy at
Kraiktower. Connie, she's Wal
ter's second wife, and comely
/ thing with her blond hair and
tawny skin, had been assigned
the mulberry room at the other
front corner of the house. while
Jack and Judy, the twins, and
their nurse occupied the rose
room II between.
Margaret is the only servant
who regularly sleeps in the
house. She has the back bed
room at the head of the stairs
Margaret has been with me for
80 years.
But Kathy's coming upset this
neat arrangement.
Everyone az Kraiktower in
summer wants a bedroom 'front.'
ing the lake Not only because
OF the lake breeze but because
they are the only dccently fur
nished bedrooms in the house.
Ten years before when Mi
chael and | had the house done
over. expecting 10 make Il our
ear-'round home, we had these
four spacious front rooms re-
decorated in the eolorfm mod
ern manner with all new fur
nishings Our old furniture and
the family heirlooms from which
we could not bring ourselves to
part were rclegated 10 the back
bedrooms
AS a rcsuit one Of these is
done in stroeious golden oak
with brass bedstcad which was
our wedding bed. and the other,
the one Margaret sleeps in, is a
conglomeration of odds and ends
including the enormous black
walnut wardrobe which Grand
mother Potter brought over
from France with her a century
ago
So following receipt Of the
telegram that morning, Margaret
and ! had gone into consultation
and decided il would be best il |
moved into the mulberry room.
gave kathy the rose room. and
put Connie into the tourquoise
room. Then the twins small
beds could be put up in the ad-
joining sitting room.
That would leave the golden
oak room 20 serve as Walters
dressing room, when he came
down Miss Lake. the nurse.
would have TO go out to the
tower TO sleep
Everyone was suited except
Miss Lake. She sulked all dav
after Connie alphabetically in
formed her of the change She
felt herself bit above the other
servants and didn't Ike The pros
pect Of sleeping in the queer.
four -Storled tower which gives
our summer place its name, and
furnishes living space for the
chauffeur, cook and housemaid.
besides serving as garage.
AS said, Imogene Lake
sulked and put in her time fuss
ing unnecessarily with the chill
dren and left all the labor of
moving our clothes and personal
belongings to Margaret and
Clara, the upstairs maid II was
no wonder that Margaret was
tired and bit snappish.
She finished arranging my
toilet things on the dressing
table, put my favorite books
where | could reach them with
out getting out OF bed, and with
muifled, Good night, Miss
Marthe. at last hobbled out of
the room.
was too lstless 10 turn the
radio on after she had gone. Be-
sides had some grim thoughts
stalking my conscience that
might as we'll be faced then as
later. Kathy's dark eyes that
morning when she had rushed in
and grabbed me in one of her
hoydenish-hugs had thoroughly
upset me.
iney re brilliant and T
bright. but they weren't the evcs