6
THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
BvmnY ❖
V- ROBERTS
❖ RTNEHART
ILLUSTMTIOm BY
mtPrtUCNJ not ev oca** -jvmml'C* '
SYNOPSIS.
Miss Innes. spinster anil guardian of
Gertrude -'lie V:ilsey. establishes Mimmer
headquarters at Sunnyslde. Amidst nu
merous dlffieullies the servants deserted.
As Miss limes locked up for the night,
she was startled hy a dark figure on tho
veranda. Sli<' passed a terrible night,
t/hieh was tilled with unseemly noises.
In the morning Miss Innes found a
Btrnnffo link mi it button in a clothes
hamper. Gertrude and Halsey arrived
with Jack Bailey. The house was awak
ened bv a revolver shot. A strange man
was fmirid shot to death In the hall.
It proved to be the body of Arnold Arm
strong. whose banker father owned tlio
country house. Miss Inncs found ll«il
nev's revolver on the lawn. He arid Jack
Bailey had disappeared.
CHAPTER IV.—Continued.
"Especially what?"
"Especially since Jack Bailey and
Arnold Armstrong were notoriously
bad friends. It was Bailey who got
Arnold into trouble last spring—
something about the bank. And then,
too —
"Goon," I said. "If there is any
thing more, I ought to know."
"There's nothing more," he said
evasively. "There's just one thing we
may bank on. Miss Innes. Any court
In the country will acquit a man who
kills an intruder in his house at
night. If Halsey—"
"Why, you don't think Halsey did
It!" I exclaimed. There was a queer
feeling of physical nausea coming
over me.
"No, no, not at all," he said with
forced cheerfulness. "Come, Miss In
nes, you're a ghost of yourself, and
I am going to help you upstairs and
call your maid. This has been too
much for you."
About six o'clock Gertrude came In.
She was fully dressed, and I sat tip
nervously.
"Poor Aunty!" she said. "What a
shocking night you have had!" She
came over and sat down on tho bed,
and I saw she looked very tired and
worn.
"Is there anything new?" I askod
anxiously.
"Nothing. The car is gone, but War
ner" —he is the chauffeur —"Warner
is at the lodge and knows nothing
about it."
"Well," I said, "IT I ever get my
hands on Halsey Innes I shall not let
go until I have told him a few things.
When we get this cleared up, I am
going back to the city to be quiet.
One more night like the last two will
end me. The peace of the country—
fiddlesticks!"
Whereupon I told Gertrude of the
noises the night before, and the figure
on the veranda in the east wing. As
an afterthought I brought out the
pearl cuff-link.
"I have no doubt now," I said, "that
it was Arnold Armstrong the night
before last, too. He had a key, no
doubt, but why he should steal into
his father's house I cannot imagine.
He could have come with my permis
sion easily enough. Anyhow, whoever
it was that night left this little sou
yenir."
Gertrude look one look at the cuff
link and went as white as the pearls
in it; she clutched at the foot of the
bed and stood staring. As for uie, I
was quite as astonished as she was.
"Where did—you—find it?" she
asked finally, with a desperate effort
at calm. And while I told her she
stood looking out of the window with
a look I could not fathom on her face.
It was a relief when Mrs. Watson
tapped at the door and brought me
some tea and toast. The cook was in
bed, completely demoralized, slid re
ported. 9nd Liddy, brave with the day
light. was looking for footprints around
the bouse. Mrs. Watson herself was
n wretk; "he was blue-white around
the lips, and she had one hand tied
uii. She said she lmd fallen down
stairs in her excitement. It was natur
al. of course, that the thing would
shock her, having been the Arm
strongs' housekeeper for several years
and knowing Mr. Arnold well.
Gertrude had slipped out during my
talk with Mrs. Watson, and 1 dri sod
and wont downstairs. The billiard
and card rooms were locked until the
coroner and the detectives got there,
and the men from the club had gone
buck for more conventional clothing
I could hear Thomus in the jiantry
alternately wailing for Mr. Arnold,
as lie called him, and citing the
tokens that had precurM-d the murder.
The hou e seemed to choko me, and,
slipping a haw! around me, I went
out <m the drive. At the corner by
the east wing I met Llddy ller skirts
were dim led witli dew to her knees
and her hair was still in < rlinps.
"Go right In and ihan-.e your
clothes." I nald sharply, "You're a
sight, mid at four age!"
She hud a uroif tick In her hand,
asd ! she had found It <<ll the
lawn v.noililnc uuu ual
about It. but It occurred m uie that a
•oli slid .1: * lit
hate Lei u the o!ije< 1 that had si ran h
•d the stairs near the card room I
took It from h< r, and"lit her up foi
dry garment Her duyliultt cmtruK *
ami •If liMportauct', and her 1 <1
derlng d ! I*' 1 In II mjficrjr. nil
tated me be>iitid *o|d>i After I I* It
her I 1 NMh >t IN nit of 11 k iIM Rfl
Nothing n« iii. d to be disturb* d; the
home lotiiti i| mi calui and pea* ful In
111 1 iUi 4 i>« .1 u.n« It IniU He i|ny I
ht'ff been <ut taking I* Tl re
was nothing to show that inside had
been mystery and violence and sud
den death.
In one of the tulip beds back of the
house an early blackbird was pecking
viciously at something that glittered
in the light. I picked my way gingerly
over through ' the dew and stooped
down; almost buried in the soft
ground was a revolver! I scraped the
earth off it with the tip of my shoe,
and, picking it up, slipped it into my
pocket. Not until I had got into my
bedroom and double-locked the door
did I venture to take it out and ex
amine it. One look was all I needed.
It was Halsey's revolver. I had un
packed it the day before and put it on
his shaving stand, and there could be
no mistake, llis name wps on a small
silver plate on the handl&>
I seemed to see a network closing
around my boy, innocent as I knew he
was. The revolver—lain afraid of them,
but anxiety gave me courage to look
through the barrel —the revolver had
still two bullets in it. I could only
breathe a prayer of thankfulness that
I had found the revolver before any
sharp-eyed detective had come around.
I decided to keep what clues 1 had,
the cuff-link, the golf stick and the re
volver, in a secure place until I could
see some reason for displaying them.
The cuff-link had been dropped into
a little filigree box on my toilet table.
I opened the box and felt around for
it. The box was empty—the cuff-link
had disappeared!
CHAPTER V.
Gertrude's Engagement.
At ten o'clock the Casanova hack
brought up three men. They intro
duced themselves as the coroner of
the county and two detectives from
iliP
4i®L
"One Look Was All I Needed."
the city. The coroner led the way at
once to tho locked wing, and with the
aiil of one of the detectives examined
tho rooms and tho body. The other
detective, after a short scrutiny of the
dead man, busied himself with the
outside of the house. It was only aft
er they had got a fair idea of tilings
as they were that they sent for me.
1 received them in tho living room,
and 1 had made up my miud exactly
what to tell. I had taken the house
for the summer, 1 said, while the Arm
strongs were in California. In spite
of a rumor among the servants about
strange noises —I cited Thomas- noth
ing had occurred the first two nights.
On the third night I believed tliut
some one had been In the house; 1
had heard a crashing sound, but be
ing alone with one maid had not in
vomtlgati d. Tho house had been
locked in the morning ami apparent
ly undisturbed.
Then, as clearly as I could, 1 related
bow, the night before, a shot hud
roused us; that my niece and I hud
investigated and found a body; that 1
did not know who the murdered man
was until Mr Jarvls from the club
Informed me, and that 1 knew of no
r ,i--(iu why Mr Arnold Armstrong
riliould steal Into his futher's house at
night. I should have been glad to ul
lovt hi in entree there at any time.
"Tluve you reason to believe. Miss
Junes," the coroner asked, ' that any
member of your IIIIUM holil imagining
Mr. Armstrong was a buig.tlr, shot
i him In #elf-d«i"nse?"
"I lIUVe no 1 euson for thiukiiiK so,"
i mM | 1 - 1 ' 11 v
Your theory Is that Mi Armstrong
I was followed here by some enemy
■ I le * out* 1 d 111 i ' '
I d<>ii t U. nk I liut< 1 i'
niitd "The thing that ha» pn««led me
! > »hj Mi Xrmsti'CMig Aflrthtd <;#t« r
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1910.
his father's house two nights in suc
cession, stealing in like a thief, when
he needed only to ask entrauce to be
admitted."
The coroner was a very silent man;
he took some notes after this, but he
seemed anxious to make the next
train back to town. He set the in
quest for the following Saturday, gave
Mr. Jamieson, the younger of the two
detectives, and the more intelligent
looking, a few instructions, and, after
gravely shaking hands with me and
regretting the unfortunate affair, took
his departure, accompanied by the
other detective.
I was just beginning to breathe
freely when Mr. Jamieson, who had
been standing by the window, came
over to me.
"The family consists of yourself
alone, Miss Innes?"
"My niece*is here," I said.
"There is no one but yourself and
your niece?"
"My nephew." I had to moisten
my lips.
"Oh, a nephew. I should like to
see him, if he is here."
"He is not here just now," 1 said as
quietly as I could. "I expect him—
at any time."
"He was here yesterday evening, I
believe?"
"No—yes."
"Didn't he have a guest with him?
Another man?"
"He brought a friend with him to
stay over Sunday, a Mr. Bailey."
"Mr. John Bailey, the cashier of the
Traders' bank, I believe." And I knew
that some one at the Greenwood club
had told. "When did they leave?"
"Very early—l don't know at just
what time."
Mr. Jamieson turned suddenly and
looked at me.
"Please try to be more explicit," he
said. "You say your nephew and Mr.
llailey were in the house lust night,
and yet you and your niece, with some
women servants, found the body.
Where was your nephew?"
I was entirely desperate by that
time
"1 do not know," I cried, "but be
sure of this: Halsey knows nothing
of this thing, and no amount of air
cumstantlal evidence can make an in
nocent man guilty."
"Sit down," he said, pushing for
ward a chair. "There are some things
I have to tell you, and, In return,
please tell me all you know. Believe
me, tliiugs always come out. In the
first place, Mr Armstrong was shot
from above The bullet was tired at
close range, entered below the shoul
der and came out, after passing
through the heart, well down the
back In other words, I believe the
murderer sti oil on the stairs and flred
down. 11l the second place, I found
on the edge of the billiard table a
charred cigar which had burned Itself
puttl) out, uud a cigarette whleh had
consumed Itself to tbe cork tip. Nelth*
er one had been more than lighted,
then put down and forgotten. Have
| you any Idea what It was that made
your lie phi *v and Mr ll.tlley leave
their cigars and their gam «, take out
tie automobile vvflliout calling the
chauffeur, and till that at It t me S' *
ci rlalnly before three o'cloi k in the
morning?"
"I don't know,"l said, "but d -pent!
on It, Mr Jaiulcsou, llalsey will be
back himself to • (plain everything."
I itn ei«-|y hop hi, In iiil ill**
lane*, has It occurred tu you that Mr.
Itaih y might knuw something of
tbls?"
• i (truth id loin downstairs nitd
just as he Spoke ah* i Hllit- In 1 •**
her stop suddenly, as if she had been
struck.
"He does not," she said in a tone
that was not her own. "Mr. Bailey and
my brother know nothing of this.
The murder was committed at three.
They left the house at a quarter be
fore three."
"How do you know that?" Mr. Jam
leson asked oddly. "Do you know at
what time they left?"
"I do," Gertrude answered firmly.
"At a quarter before three my brother
and Mr. Bailey left the house, by the
main entrance. I —was —there."
"Gertrude," I said excitedly, "you
are dreaming! Why, at a quarter to
three —"
"Listen," she said. "At half-past
two the downstairs telephone rang. I
had not gone to sleep, and I heard it.
Then I heard Halsey answer it, and
in a few minutes he came upstairs and
knocked at my door. We—we talked
for a minute, then I put on my dress
ing gown and slippers, and went down
stairs with him. Mr. Bailey was in
the billiard room. We—we all talked
together for perhaps ten minutes.
Then it was decided that—that they
should both go away—"
"Can't you be more explicit?" Mr.
Jamieson asked. "Why did they go
away?"
"I am only telling you what hap
pened, not why it happened," she said
evenly. "Halsey went for the car,
and instead of bringing it to the house
and rousing people, he went by the
lower road from the stable. Mr.
Bailey was to meet him at the foot of
the lawn. Mr. Bailey left —"
"Which way?" Mr. Jamieson asked
sharply.
"By the main entrance. He left —
it was a quarter to three. I know
exactly."
"The clock in the hall is stopped,
Miss Innes," said Jamieson. Nothing
seemed to escape him.
"He looked at his watch," she re
plied, and I could see Mr. Jamieson's
eyes snap, as if he had made a dis
covery. As for myself, during the
whole recital I had been plunged into
the deepest amazement.
"Will you pardon me for a personal
question?" The detective was a
youngish man, and I thought he was
somewhat embarrassed. "What are
your—your relations with Mr. Bailey?"
Gertrude hesitated. Then she came
over and put her hand lovingly in
mine.
"I am engaged to marry him," she
said simply.
I had grown so accustomed to sur
prises that I could only gasp again,
and as for Gertrude, the hand that
lay in mine was burning with fever.
"And —after that," Mr. Jamieson
went on, "you went directly to bed?"
Gertrude hesitated.
"No," she said finally. "I—l am
nervous, and after I had extinguished
the light, I remembered something I
had left in the billiard room, and I
felt my way back there through the
darkness."
"Will you tell me what It was you
had forgotten?"
"I cannot tell you," she said slowly.
"I—l did not leave the billiard room
at once—"
"Why?" The detective's tone was
imperative. "This is very important,
Miss Innes."
"1 was crying," Gertrude said in a
low tone. "When the French clock in
the drawing room struck three I got
up and then—l heard a step on the
east porch, just outside the cardroom.
Soma ono with a key was working
with the latch, and I thought, of
course, of Halsey. When wo took the
house h<> called that his entrance, and
he had carried a key for it ever since.
The door opened and I was about to
ask what he had forgotten, when
there was a flash and a report. Some
heavy body dropped, and. half crazed
with terror anil shock, 1 ran through
the drawing room and got it>stairs -I
scnrcely remember how."
She dropped into a chair, and I
thought Mr. Jamieson must have fin
ished. llut he was not through.
"You certainly clear your brother
and Mr. Motley admirably," hi* said.
"The testimony is invaluable, especial
ly In view of the fact that your broth
er and Mr. Armstrong had, I believe,
quarreled rather seriously some itiue
ago."
"Nonsense," I broke In. "Things are
bad enough, Mr. Jamieson, without in
venting bad feeling where It doesn't
exist, (Jertrude, I dou t think Hals y
knew tie- the murdered man, did
be?"
Rut Mr Jainle-'on was sure of his
ground.
<T« > ItK l ONTINt'Kf) >
A New Suit Defying Cloth.
A new cloth is being made In til
< utta, Inul.j, which Is manufactured
on sci.-utitl< principles to mi. orm to
nature's i in of u.udltig off the nun's
rays, as exemplified in the color of the
»kln and tb<- pigments under the skin.
It Is the b'iie! ol ph) >li'iatH th.»t on*
of the chief reasons for »l<■ intttty
ll< III) re. mill <1 111 l:i»l n III' It
that of improper clothing Th«* >l«-
signers of what m<> must wear to be of
the eleet may ordain a color or t< v
ture thoroughly n*i» nll ••«! to the pie
vailing climatic niudltlone, and aafety
and I'iinf t are often op.M Ji • a U
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TOUGH LUCK.
' "i
"Why, what's the matter, my lad?"
"800 hoo! Ma sez I got to presi
dent when I grows up, an' I'd set my
heart on bein' a prize fighter. 800
hoo!"
WEAK KIDNEYS WEAKEN THE
WHOLE BODY.
No chain is stronger than its weak
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Remember the name.—Doan's.
For sale by all dealers. 50 cents a
box. Fostur-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. T.
Didn't Care for Expenses.
They were seated at the breakfast
table.
"John, dear," said the young wife,
"this is my birthday."
"I'm glad you mentioned it, darling,"
rejoined her husband. "I'll buy you a
present the first thing when I got
downtown."
"Well," she said, "I hope you won't
get any cheap 98-cent aitair."
"Of course I won't," he replied.
"Why, I would be ashamed to present
you with anything that cost less than
a dollar."
Simple Truth.
You can only do clean washing with
clean soap. You know that cocoanut
oil, borax and naphtha arc natural
cleansers and sterilizers and that they
can't harm fabrics. Easy Task soap
Is the only one that combines these
scientifically, and for that reason It
cuts washday work in two and does
the work better than it ever has been
done. Ten cents to test it; money
back quickly if it ian't what is claimed
for it.
Confused Impressions,
"Of course, you know the story of
Willium Tell," said the serious citi
zen.
"To tell you the truth," replied Mr.
Cumrox, "I'm not clear about him. 1
can't exactly remember whether he
was a great marksman or a famous
opera singer."
Women In Love.
' Women In love are generally trou
blesome and persecuting," Such is
the reported opinion of M. Kmile Fa
guet. And If a French critic dot s not
understand the subject, of whom shall
we seek understanding?"
His Big Bill.
Guest How long Is (his lease of
your hotel to run?
Hotel Clerk What lease?
Guest The one { just gave you the
money for.
It Would Depei d.
"Would you marry a u> n «lm wore
side whisker*?"
"I might If 1 thought It w»uld be
worth white to reform htm."
A Mean Man.
"la your wife going u» Kurop* this
"No. I've bribed a furttine teller to
warn her to watch fur a slim blonde
\V« live truly In proportion as «•
w«*rt»*itv»d WwiNtt.
Poor
Digestion?
This is one of the first signs of stom
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sour eructations, sick headache, bil
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and strength by taking
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ffifc'i" vfjftpClean if ■ and beautifies the hair.
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Wi Never Fails to Restore Gray
1 'p to ' I * a
Awfully Busy.
Jim —A stitch in time saves nine.
Tom —Who said that?
Jim —Gee! Ain't you read youi
Bible?
Tom—Nope; I ain't even had tlma
to read the sporting page this morn
ing yet.—Cleveland Leader.
How She Conciliated Them.
Filmer —How did it happen that
these five men who were so angry
with the woman in the nickelodeon
for not taking off her hat became so
friendly with her afterward?
Screeners —It was raining like fury
when the show was over and she in
vited them to take shelter with her
under her hat.
Autoing and Optics.
"Is not auto driving terribly hard
on the eyes?" we asked.
"Well, I guess not," replied the
chauffeur, withering us with scorn.
"Why, before I got to runnin' a car I
was thinkin' o' gettin' specks, my eye
sight was that poor I couldn't see the
contribution box in church until It was
so near past me It was too late to dig
for any money. IJut I hadn't been
runnin' that wagon two days till I
could see a policeman's little finger
stickln' out from behind a tree four
miles away. I could even see which
way a copper's eyeballs were turned
if he was standin' in the shade three
miles off. Hard on the eyes! Well,
not much! It's the best medicine for
weak eyes that was ever Inveuted,
don't you forget It."
(
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I'Mitim t . RO d CM. , I