6
THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
&V MARY ❖
V- JiOBtRT
MNZHART
ILLUSTRATIONS BY r *V
CiirrtvatT !»oa CY tu&aj -lUMtaJicm '
SYNOPSIS.
Miss Innes, spinster and guardian of
Gertrude and Halsey, established summer
headquarters at Sunnyside. Amidst nu
merous diilUulties the servants deserted.
As Miss limes locked up for the night,
she was startled by a dark figure on tiie
veranda. She passed a terrible night,
which was tilled with unseemly noises.
In the morning Miss Innes found a
strange link cuff button in a clothes
hamper. Gertrude and Halsey arrived
wilh Jack Bailey. The house was awak
ened by a revolver shot. A strange man
was found shot to death, in the hall.
It proved to be the body of Arnold Arm
strong, whose banker father owned the
country house. Miss Innes found Ilal
sey's revolver on the lawn. He and Jack
Bailey had disappeared. The link cuff
button mysteriously disappeared. De
tective Jamieson and the coroner arrived.
Gertrude revealed that she was engaged
to Jack Bailey, with whom she had
talked in the billiard room a few mo
ments before the murder. Jamieson told
Miss Innes that she was hiding evidence
from him. He imprisoned an intruder in
an empty room. The prisoner escaped
down a laundry chute. It developed that
the intruder was probably a woman. Ger
trude was suspected, for the intruder
left a print of a bare foot. Gertrude re
turned home with her right ankle
sprained. A negro found the other half
of what proved to be Jack Bailey's cuff
button. Halsey suddenly reappeared.
He said he and Bailey had left because
they had received a telegram. Gertrude
said that she had given Bailey an un
loaded revolver, fearing to give him Hal
sey's loaded weapon. Cashier Bailey of
Paul Armstrong's bank, defunct, was ar
rested, charged with embezzlement. Hal
sey said Armstrong had wrecked his own
bank, and was able to clear Bailey. A
telegram contained news that Paul Arm
si rong was dead. Halsey trapped Mrs.
Watson, the housekeeper, while she was
stealing from the house.
CHAPTER Xll.—Continued.
"I reckon you bettah come in Mis'
Innes," he said, speaking cautiously.
"It's got so I dunno what to do, and
it's boun' to *omo out some time er
ruther."
He threw the door open then, and
I stepped inside, Halsey close behind.
In the sitting room the old negro
turned with quiet dignity to Halsey.
"You bettah sit down, salt," he
Baid. "It's a place for a woman, sah."
Things were not turning out the
way Halsey expected. He sat down
on the center-table, with his hands
thrust in his pockets, and watched
nte as I followed Thomas up the nar
row stairs. At the top a woman was
standing, and a second glance showed
me it was Kosle. She shrank back a
little, but I said nothing. And then
Thomas motioned to a partly open
door, and I went in.
The lodge boasted of three bed
rooms upstairs, all comfortably fur
nished. In this one, the largest and
airiest, a night lamp was burning, and
by its light I could make out a plain
white metal bed. A girl was asleep
there —or in a half stupor, for she
muttered something now and then.
Rosle had taken her courage in her
hands, and coming in had turned up
the light. It was only then that I
know. Fever-flushed, ill as she was,
I recognized Louise Armstrong.
I stood gazing down at her in a
stupor of amazement. Louise here,
hiding at the lodge, ill and alone!
Rosie came up to the bed and
smoothed the white counterpane.
"I am afraid she is worse tonight,"
she ventured at last. 1 put my hand
on the sick girl's forehead. It was
burning with fever, and I turned to
where Thomas lingered in the hall
way.
"Will yon tell me what you mean,
Thomas Johnson, by not telling me
this before?" I demanded indignantly.
Thomas quailed.
"Mis' Louise wouldn't let me," he
said earnestly. "I wanted to. She
ought to 'a' had a doctor the night she
came, but she wotildn' hear to it. Is
she very bad. Mis' Innes?"
"Mad enough," 1 said coldly. "Send
Mr. tones tip."
Ilalsey came up the stairs slowly,
looking rather Interested and Inclined
to be amused. For a moment he could
not *<•«• anything distinctly In the
d>irk<-:.ed room; he stopped, glanced
lit Itosle and at me, and then his eyes
fell OB the restless heud on the pil
low I think he felt who It was before
he really saw her; he crossed the
room In a couple of strides and bent
over the bed
"Louise!" he said softly; but she
did not reply, und her eyes showed no
recognition Ilalsey was young, and
Illness was new to him He straight
ened hiuiself slowly, still watching
her. and taught my arm
"She's dying. Aunt llay!" he said
huskily. hying! Why, she doesn't
know in*!"
Fudge!" I snapped, b«lllg apt to
grow irritable when my sympathies
are aroui d She's doing nothing of
the sort tad don't pim hmy arm If
you want soiin thing to do, go and
choke Thomas."
Hut at that moment Louise roused
froiu her Stupor to cough, and at the
•nd of ibe paroxysm, a Itn-du laid her
tl.K'k ttgli:lli*tt«| he km * UN That
w*a all Hal ey wanted, to Mm con
st lousnesa was recovery He dropped
or. Ills km Im id* the betl, and tried
to t> || in r the was all right, and we
would bring her around iu a hurry,
and iow bi.i'itliiii <ih< looked ..*ly to
!><• ik t§< mi utterly and have to
•lop And at that I taiwi* to uty
s< i- « s, and put him out
This instant'" I ordered, as tie he*
|tai> d ' Kiel :i ml Mo# ■ lim'
He did HIM so tai tlx sat on the
|n> ie|» of tha «i .11 tint< |, , ,n, i.
t< >"•»" loi a. d lie sad - 1 1 lug iu
H'Ulcili i *») hi hi* *s*»ru« « to
ft'ill a. I'a If 1 <l* kl' 4*a) fill.I!
ly, by sending him to fix up the car
as a sort of ambulance, in case the
doctor would allow the sick girl to be
moved. He sent Gertrude down to
the lodge loaded with all manner of
impossible things, including an arm
ful of Turkish towels and a box of
mustard plasters, and as the two girls
had known each other somewhat be
fore, Louise brightened perceptibly
when she saw Gertrude.
When the doctor from Engiewood—
the Casanova doctor, Dr. Walker, be
ing away—had started for Sunnyside,
and I had got Thomas to stop trying
to explain what he did not understand
himself, I had a long talk with the
old man, and this is what I learned.
On Saturday evening before, about
ten o'clock, he had been reading in
the sitting room downstairs, when
some one rapped at the door. The old
man was alone, Warner not having
arrived, and at first he was uncertain
about opening the door. lie did so
finally, and was amazed at being con
fronted by Louise Armstrong. Thomas
was an old family servant, having
been with the present Mrs. Armstrong
since she was a child, and he was
overwhelmed at seeing Louise. He
saw that she was excited and tired,
and he drew her into the sitting room
and made her sit down. After a while
he went to the house and brought
Mrs. Watson, and they talked until
late. The old man said Louise was in
trouble, and seemed frightened. Mrs.
Watson made some tea and took it to
the lodge, but Louise made them both
promise to keep her presence a secret.
She had not known that Sunnyside
was rented, and whatever her trouble
TO " u
1
Amazed at Being Confronted by Louise Armstrong.
was, this complicated things. She
seemed puzzled. Her stepfather and
her mother were still In California—
that was ull she would say about
them Why she had run away no one
could Imuglne. Mr. Arnold Armstrong
was at the Greenwood club, aud at last
Thomas, not knowing what else to do,
went over there along the path. It
was almost midnight Fart way over
he met Armstrong himself and
brought him to the lodge. Mrs Wat
son had gone to the house for some
bed linen, it having been arranged
that under the circumstances Nnilse
would be better ut the hxjg.i until
morning Arnold Armstrong and
Louise hud u long conference, during
which he was heard to stortu and be
come very violent When he left It
was after two. He had gone up to
the house Thomas did n<>t know why
-and at three o'clock he was shot at
the foot of the circular staircase.
The following morning Louise hud
been ill She had asked lor Arnold,
and was told he had left towu.
Thomas had not the moral courage to
tell her of the crime She refused a
doctor, and shrank morbidly frum hav
ing her presence known Mr* Wat
ou and Thomas had had their hands
full, and at last Itoate had heeu en
listed to help the 111 Mh* carried noc
e sary provisions little enough
to the lodge, and help'd to k"«p the
secret
Thomas told Me itulte frankly that
he had been anxious to keep Louisa s
prt»«ne« hidden fur this r« »»ou They
I.ad all si'-n Arnold Ami»irong that
night, and he, him»-lf. fur one, waa
known to hate had no very friendly
feeling for the dead man V» lu the
r« a "ii for Irfiul ■ s Might 11inn fall
turn is, or why she had not gone lu
thi Filihughs'. or to tuiui id le-i p> o
|iU in town. h» had no luotw miiuma
ti'<n tha* I had With lbs -i■ •' l l* ol
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1910.
her stepfather and the prospect of
the immediate return of the family,
things had become more and more
impossible. I gathered that Thomas
was as relieved as I at the turn events
had taken. No, she did not know of
either of the deaths in the family.
Taken all around, I had only substi
tuted one mystery for another. If I
knew now why Rosie had taken the
basket of dishes, I did not know who
had spoken to her and followed her
along the drive. If I knew that Louise
was in the lodge, I did not know why
she was there. If I knew that Arnold
Armstrong had spent some time in the
lodge the night before he was mur
dered, I was no nearer the solution of
the crime. Who was the midnight in
truder who had so alarmed Liddy and
myself? Who had fallen down the
clothes chute? Was Gertrude's lover
a villain or a victim? Time was to
answer all these things.
CHAPTER XIII.
Louise.
The doctor from Engiewood came
very soon, and I went up to see the
sick girl with him. Halsey had gone
to supervise the fitting of the car with
blankets and pillows, and Gertrude
was opening and airing Louise's own
rooms at the house. Her private sit
ting room, bedroom and dressing room
were as they had been when we came.
They occupied the end of the east
wing, beyond the circular staircase,
and we had not even opened them.
The girl herself was too ill to notice
what was being done. When, with
the help of the doctor, who was a fa-
therly awn with a family of girls at
home, we got her to the houso and
up thu stairs Into bed. she dropped
into a feverish sleep, which lasted
until morning. Dr. Stewart—that was
the Knglewood doctor —stayed almost
all night, giving thu medicine himself,
and watching her closely. Afterward
he told me that she had had a narrow
escape from penumonla. and that the
cerebral symptoms had been rather
alarming I said I was glad It wasn't
an "Itls" of boiim kind, anyhow, and
he smiled solemnly.
He left after breakfast, saying that
he thought the worst of the danger
was over, and that she must be kept
very quiet.
"The shock of two deaths, 1 sup
pose, has done this,"he remarked,
picking up his case "It has beon very
deplorable,"
I hastened to set him right.
"Hhe does not know of either, doc
tor," I said "i'leasw do uot locution
them to her."
llk looked as surprised as a no dical
man ttver docs
"1 do not know the family," he said,
preparing to get into his top buggy.
Young \Valk<<r, down in Casanova,
has be*B attending them I uad«r
stand he Is going to marry this youitg
lady "
"You have been Mlalnfor HI >'«!," I
said study "Miss Armstrong la go
ing lo marry tuy nephew "
The doctor smiled as he picked up
th« rviu*
"Young ladl»» are rhangeublti these
days," h* said "W» thought the *ed
ain« to atur stain Well, i will
stop in this afternoon to see how my
patient hi Sell III* ftlttag '
Mo«m« time about ntMU of that day,
Wekla. day Mrs tigUm lluhugh tab
photted ISo I kava thu barest at'
«4U*i||t«!|t» H I 111 i Id
fal w«t tin bu4<«l mi iUv
Old Ladies' home and ruins their di
gestion by sending them ice cream
and cake on every holiday. Beyond
that, and her reputation at bridge,
which is insufferably bad —she is the
worst player at the bridge club —I
know little of her. It was she who
had taken charge of Arnold Arm
strong's funeral, however, and I went
at once to the telephone.
"Yes," I said, "this is Miss Innes."
"Miss Innes," she said volubly, "I
have just received a very strange tele
gram from my cousin, Mrs. Arm
strong. Her husband died yesterday
in California and —wait, I will read
you the message."
I knew what was coming, and I
made up my mind at once. If Louise
Armstrong had a good and sufficient
reason for leaving her people and
coming home, a reason, moreover,
that kept her from going at once t©
Mrs. Ogden Fitghugh, and brought her
to the lodge at Sunnyside instead, it
was not my intention to betray her.
Louise herself must notify her people.
I do not justify myself now, but re
member, I was in a peculiar position
toward the Armstrong family. I was
connected most unpleasantly with a
cold-blooded crime, and my niece and
nephew were practically beggared,
either directly or indirectly, through
the head of the family.
Mrs. Fitzhugh had found the mas
sage.
" 'Paul died yesterday. Heart dis
ease,' " she read. " 'Wire at once if
Louise is with you.' You see, Miss
Innes, Louise must have started east,
and Fanny is alarmed about her."
"Yes," I said.
"Louise is not here," Mrs. Fitzhugh
went on,"and none of her friends—
the few who are still in town—have
seen her. I called you because Sunny
side was not rented when she went
away, and Louise might have gone
there."
"I am sorry, Mrs. Fitzhugh, but I
cannot help you," I said, and was im
mediately filled with compunction.
Suppose Louise grow worse? Who
was I to play Providence in this
case? The anxious mother certainly
had a right to know that her daughter
was in good hands. So I broke in on
Mrs. Fitzhugh's voluble excuses for
disturbing me.
"Mrs. Fitzhugh," I said. "I was go
ing to let you think I knew nothing
about Louise Armstrong, but I have
changed my mind. Louise is here,
with me." There was a clatter of
ejaculations at the other end of the
wire. "She is ill, and not able to be
moved. Moreover, she is unable to see
any one. I wish you would wire her
mother that she is with me, and tell
her not to worry. No, Ido not know
why she came east."
"But my dear Miss Innes!" Mrs.
I Fitzhugh began. I cut in ruthlessly.
"I will send for you as soon as she
1 can see you," 1 said. "No, she is not
in a critical state now, but the doctor
says she must have absolute quiet.
When I had hung up the receiver, I
sat down to think. So Louise had fled
from her people in California, and had
come east alone! It occurred to me
that l)r. Walker might be concerned
!in it. might possibly have bothered
her with unwelcome attentions; but
1 it seemed to me that Louise was hard
| iy a girl to take refuge In flight under
I such circumstances. She had always
1 been high-spirited, with the well
-1 poised head and buoyant step of the
I outdoors girt. It must have been much
more in keeping with Louise's char
| acter, as 1 knew it, to resent vigorous
ly any unwelcome attentions from Dr.
Walker, it was the suitor whom I
[ should have expected to see in head
long flight, not the lady In the case.
The puzzle was no clearer at the
end of the half hour. I picked up the
morning papers, which were still full
of the looting of the Traders' bunk,
the Interest at fever height again, on
account of I'aul Armstrong's death.
The bunk examiners were working on
| the books, and said nothing for publi
cation; John Huiiey hud beeu released
on bond The body of Paul Armstrong
would arrive Sunday and would be
buried from the Armstrong tow*
: house. There were rumors thut the
' dead man's estate had been a com
paratively small one The last para
graph was the Important one
Walter I' Broad hurst of the Ma
; rlue bunk had produced -"<» American
Traction bonds, w hlch had been placed
I as security with the Murinn bank for a
i loan of |lHO.uuo, mude to I'aul Arm
strong just before his California trip
The bonds were 14 purt at the missing
traction bonds from the Traitors'
j bunk' While this lutolvod the laie
president of th»< wrecked bank, to my
mind It by no menus cleared its
cashier
<T'» to: CONTIMt'IP.)
Why Ms Old Not Com*.
"Why didtt l >nu cmue, Hobby, when
I first called to you asked a mother
wt her sU yvar old son
"Because you told ute last wi<«k,
mamma," replied I lobby shrewdly,
| ui'%' r to accept an invitation unless It
, was Wpanted Hu many poople Invito
yuu > out of pullteuoss but rually
dun l want you tu coate."
«l the Aitrit,
Punm Ilet«.«da. a population ul
• 1""" »• tUs U«n >uii) m
i i*l*nda
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illl i'ri'b'l patent medi
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Tough Luck.
"I thought you said this was a
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"And I thought it was," rejoined his
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"Did he tell you it was a young
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His Pet.
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Barker —Useless job. All he thinks
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Darker —Hasn't any four-legged
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Barker—Only one, and that's the
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Not He.
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PATENTS