6
THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASL
&XMARY &
' ROBERT
❖ RISi:HART
inusmvom BY
CO, *Kti7 /too or 60OAS -lUBftLU l\* T
SYNOPSIS.
M'ss Innes, spinster and guardian of
Gertrude nil.l llalsey, established summer
headquarters at Sunnyslde. Amidst nu
liKroiifl .lltllcultleM the servants doserted.
AH Miss Innra looked up for tlio night
nil,' was startled by a dark figure on the
Veranda, t?iiseetnly noises disturbed her
during the. ntelit, In the morning Miss
Inne. found a strand link ouff-button In
a hamper, Gertrude and Halsey arrived
with Jack Bailey, The house was awak
ened by a revolver shot and Arnold Arm
strong was found shot to death In the
hall. Miss Innos found Hnlsev's revolver
nn the lawn, lie and Jack Bailey had dis
appeared. The link cult-button mysteri
ously disappeared. Detoctlve Jamleeon
tr rived, Gertrude revealed she was en-
? raged to Jack Bailey, with whom she
alked In the billiard room a few mo
ment:! before the murder, Jamloson ac
rused M!ss Innes of holding baclt evi
dence. He imprisoned an intruder In an
empty room. The prisoner escaped down
a laundry chute. Gertrude was suspected.
A negro found the other half of what
proved to be Jack Bailey's cuff-button.
Italsey reappears and says he and Bailey
left in response to a telegram. Gertrude
B&ld she had given Bailey an unloaded
revolver, fearing to give him a loaded
weapon. Cashier Bailey of Paul Arm
strong's bank, defunct, was arrested for
embezzlement. Halsey said Armstrong
wrecked his own bank and could clear
Bailey. Paul Armstrong's death was an
nounced. Halsey's fiancee, Louise Arm
strong, was found at the lodge. The
lodgekeeper said Ix>uise and Arnold had
«. long talk the night of the murder. Lou
ise was prostrated. Louise told Halsey,
that while she still loved him she was to
marry another, and that he would despise
her when he learned the whole story.
It developed that Dr. Walker and Louis®
were to be married. A prowler was heard
!n the house. Louise was found at the
bottom of the circular staircase. Louise
Bald she had heard a knock at the door
and answered It. Something brushed past
her on the stairway and she fainted. Bai
ley Is suspected of Armstrong's murder.
CHAPTER XlX.—Continued.
"Why was Mr. Bailey not present
at the inquest?"
The detective's expression was pe
culiar.
"Because his physician testified
that he is ill, and unable to leave his
bed."
"111!" I exclaimed. "Why, neither
Halsey nor Gertrude has told me
that."
'"There are more things than that,
Miss Innes, that are puzzling. Bailey
gives the impression that he knew
nothing of the crash at the bank un
til he read it in the paper Monday
night, and that he went back and sur
rendered himself immediately. I do
not believe it. Jonas, the watchman
at the Traders' bank, tells a different
story. He says that on the Thurs
day night before, about 8:30, Bailey
■went back to the bank. Jonas ad
mitted him, and he says the cashier
■was in a state almost of collapse.
Bailey worked until midnight, then he
closed the vault and went away. The
occurrence was so unusual that the
watchman pondered over it all the
rest of the night. What did Bailey
do when he went back to the Knicker
bocker apartments that night? He
packed a suit-case ready for instant
departure. But he held off too long;
he waited for something. My per
sonal opinion is that he waited to see
Miss Gertrude before flying from the
country. Then, when he had shot
down Arnold Armstrong that night, he
had to choose between two evils. He
did the thing that would immediately
turn public opinion in his favor, and
surrendered himself, as an innocent
inan. The strongest thing against
him is his preparation for flight, and
Lis deciding to come back after the
murder of Arnold Armstrong. He was
•hrewtt enough to disarm suspicion as
to the graver charge."
The evening dragged along slowly.
Mrs Watson came to my bedroom be
fore 1 went to bed and MlM< ll' 1 !i:id
any arnica. She showed me a badly
swollen hand, with reddish streaks
running toward the elbow; she said
it was the hand she bad hurt the nisht
of the murder a week before, and that
she had not slept well since. It looked
to me' as if it might be serious, and 1
fold her to let Dr Stewart see It.
The next morning Mrs. Watson
» eut up to town on the ll train and
was admitted to the Charity hospital.
She was suffering Irom blood poison
ing I fully meant togo up and see
her there, but other things drove her
entirely from my mind I telephoned
the hot j *al that «! i», however, and
ordered a private room for her, and
whatever comforts she might be al
lowed.
Mrs Armstrong arrived Monday
evening with her husband's body, unit
the services were set for the n< xt
day Tht house on Chestnut street.
In town, had been opened, and Tues
day morning Iviulso lift us to go
home She sent for me before she
wen!, uud 1 ~iw sh had been crying
'How can I thank you, Miss Innes*"
she said "You have taken me on
faith, and you have not asked me
any ipit-ittoii* Some lime, perhaps, I
can li'jl you, and wlo-n thut time
comes, you Mill all de-pine me Hal
Bt-y, too
I tried In tell her how glad 1 was lo
hav» had her, but there was some
thing else »he wanted tu .say She
said it finally, when she had hade a
foi.itr*lii. .1 good by lo Halsey uud the
car wag waiting at the door
•Miss lone*," »h.< said tu a low
i« if tli y if th> i lii)I ii) attempt
Visile |o lo have you give up the
holt. d» ll II > II po Ills . all I aui
afraid to have you sla>
town a lib tut and »iw h> r saMy
»«»■ Mb r« (Mirteit a decided tno I
u i sit lb ireetli t le iwc a Lwit
sad bet Miwlbsr, anu It at in VVtllw
IT """■as
It Was Thomas.
was there, apparently In charge of the
arrangements for the funeral. Halsey
disappeared shortly after Louise left
and came home about nine that night,
muddy and tired. Aa for Thomas, he
went around dejected and sad, and I
saw the detective watching him close
ly at dinner. Even now I wonder —
what did Thomas know? What did he
suspect?
At ten o'clock the household had
settled down for the night. Llddy,
who was taking Mrs. Watson's place,
had finished examining the tea-towels
and the corners of the shelves In the
cooling room, and had gone to bed.
Alex, the gardener, had gone heavily
up the circular staircase to his room,
and Mr. Jamieson was examining the
locks of the windows. Halsey dropped
into a chair in the living room and
stared moodily ahead. Once ho roused.
"What sort of a looking chap is that
Walker, Gertrude?" he asked.
"Rather tall, very dark, smooth
shaven. Not bad looking," Gertrude
said, putting down the book she had
been pretending to read. Halsey
kicked a taboret viciously.
"Lovely place this village must be
in the winter," he said irrelevantly.
"A girl would be buried alive here."
It was then some one rapped at the
knocker on the heavy front door. Hal
sey got up leisurely and opened it,
admitting Warner. He was out of
breath from running, and he looked
half abashed.
"I am sorry to disturb you," ho said.
"But I didn't know what else to do.
It's about Thomas."
"What about Thomas?" I asked.
Mr. Jamieson had como into the hall
and we all stared at Warner.
"He's acting queer," Warner ex
plained "He's sitting down there on
the edge of the porch, and he says he
has seen a ghost. The old man looks
bad, too; he can scarcely speak."
"He's as full of superstition as an
egg is of meat," I said. "Halsey, bring
some whisky and we will all go
down."
No one moved to get the whisky,
from which 1 judged there were three
pocket II irks ready for emergency.
Gertrude threw a shawl around my
shoulders, and we all started down
ov< r the hill; I had made so many
noi turnal excursions around the place
that 1 knew my way perfectly. Hut
Thomas was not on the veranda, nor
was he inside the house. The men
exchanged significant glances, and
Warner got a lantern.
"He can't have gone far," he said
'lie was trembling so that he couldn't
stand when I left."
Jamie son and Halsey together made
the round of the lodge, occasionally
calling thf old man by naoie. Hut
there was no response. No Thomas
came, bowing and showing his white
(•-.'til through the darkness I began
to b.' vaguely uneasy, for thu first
time. Gertrude, who was never nerv
ous In thu dark, went alone down the
drive to the gate, anil stood there,
looking along the yellowish line uf the
«•>• ;nl while 1 watted on the tiny ver
anda.
Warner was puasled He came
around to the edge of the veranda
and stood looking at It as if It ought
to know and explain
''lie might have stumbled luto thu
house,"he ?aid, "hut h« could not
have climbed the stairs Anyhow, he's
not In ide or ouiiide, that I can see "
I'he other member* uf the party had
out* li.u k now, and no one had
lound any trace of the old man Ills
1 i| <■, still warm, reited on the edge
■if tie rail, and Inside on the table his
"Id gray hat showed that Its uwu«r
lit wit not tar alter all Kiout Utu
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1910.
table my eyes traveled around the
room, and stopped at the door of a
closet. 1 hardly know what Impulse
moved me, but I went in and turned
the knob. It burst open with the Im
petus of a weight behind it, and some
thing fell partly forward in a heap
on the floor. It was Thomas —Thomas
without a mark of injury on him, and
dead.
CHAPTER XX.
Dr. Walker's Warning.
Warner was on his knees in a mo
ment, fumbling at the old man's col
lar to loosen it, but Halsey caught his
hand.
"Let him alone," he said. "You
can't help him; lie is dead."
We stood there, each avoiding the
other's eyes; we spoke low and rev
erently in the presence of death, and
we tacitly avoided any mention of
the suspicion that was in every mind.
When Mr. Jamieson had finished his
cursory examination, he got up and
dusted the knees of his trousers.
"There is no sign of injury," he
said, and I know I, for one, drew a
long breath of relief. "From what
Warner says and from his hiding in
the closet, I should say he was scared
to death. Fright and weak heart, to
gether."
"But what could have done it?" Ger
trude asked. "He was all right this
evening at dinner. Warner, what did
he say when you found him on the
porch ?"
Warner looked shaken; his honest,
boyish face was colorless.
"Just what I told you, Miss Innes.
He'd heen reading the paper down
stairs; I had put up the car. and.
feeling sleepy, 1 came down to the
lodge togo to bed. As I went up
stairs Thomas put down the paper
nnd taking his pipe went out on the
porch. Then 1 heard an exclamation
from him."
"Didn't he sn.v anything you could
understand?" I asked.
"He said something about the grave
giving up Its dead."
Mr. Jamieson was going through the
old man's pockets, and Gertrude was
composing his arms, folding them
across his white shirt-bosom, always
so spotless.
In the course of his Investigations
the detective had come to the Inner
pocket of the dead butler's black
coat. Here he found some things that
Interested him. One was a small llat
key, with a red cord tied to It, and the
other was a bit of white paper, on
which was written something In
Thomas' cramped hand. Mr. Jamie
son read it; then he gave It to ine. It
was an
I.rt'lEN WALLACE.
14 fclui Street, Hlchfb-ld
As the card went around, I think
both the detective and I watched for
any possible effect it might have, but,
i bt jond perplexity, there seemed tube
I none.
"Hkbfield!" Qertrude exclaimed.
Why, Kim street is the main street;
don't you reuieiuber, llalsey?"
" Lucie n Wallace!" Ilalsey said
"That I* the child Sir Hart spok<- of at
| the ln<|uest."
Warner, with his mechanic's In-
I stun t, hail reached for th« k> y What
lie said was nut a surprise.
"Yalo he said "I'robably a
key to the east • utry "
There was no reason why Thomas,
: an old and trusted servsut, should
not fa**e had s key to that particular
duur, although the sen Slits' <utry
i was In the went wiug Hut I had n»t
known of this k> and It upbuilt up
a new lit id ot coMjtu'iure. Just now,
| however, there were u«aay things to
, be aUeutied to, aud, lea wag \N*iu< r
with the body we all went back to the
house. Mr. Jamieson walked with
me, while Halsey and Gertrude fol
lowed.
"I suppose I shall have to notify the
Armstrongs," I said. "They will know
if Thomas had any people and how
to reach them. Of course, I expect to
defray the expenses of the funeral, but
his relatives must be found. What do
you think frightened him, Mr. Jamie
son?"
"It is hard to say," he replied slow
ly, "but I think we may be certain it
was ( fright, and that he was hiding
from something. lam sorry in more
than one way; I have always believed
that Thomas knew something, or sus
pected something, that he would not
tell. Do you know how much money
there was in that worn-out wallet of
his? Nearly $100! Almost two
months' wages—and yet those darkies
seldom have a penny. Well —what
Thomas knew will be buried with
him."
With the death of Thomas, I felt
that a climax had come in affairs at
Sunnyside. The night that followed
was quiet enough. Halsey watched
at the foot of the staircr.se, and a com
plicated system of bolts on the other
doors seemed to be effectual.
Once in the night I wakened and
thought I heard the tapping again.
But all was quiet, and I had reached
the stage where I refused to be dis
turbed for minor occurrences.
The Armstrongs were notified of
Thomas' death, and I had my first in
terview with Dr. Walker as a result.
He came up early the next morning,
just as we llnished breakfast, in a pro
fessional looking car with a black
hood.
"I must make a double excuse for
this early visit, Miss Innes," he said
as he sat down. The chair was lower
than he expected, and his dignity re
quired collecting before he went on.
"My professional duties are urgent
and long neglected, and"—a fall to the
every-day manner —"something must
be done about that body."
"Yes," I said, sitting on the edge of
my chair. "I merely wished the ad
dress of Thomas' people. You might
have telephoned, if you were busy."
He smiled.
"I wished to see you about some
thing else," he said. "As for Thomas,
it is Mrs. Armstrong's wish that you
allow her to attend to the expense.
About his relatives, I have already
notified his brother, in the village. It
was heart disease, I think. Thomas
always had a bad heart."
"Heart disease and fright," I said,
still on the edge of my chair. But the
doctor had no intention of leaving.
"I understand you have a ghost up
here, and that you have the house
filled with detectives to exorcise it,"
he said.
For some reason I felt I was being
"pumped," as Halsey says. "You
have been misinformed," I replied.
"What, no ghost, no detectives!" he
said, still with his smile. "What a dis
appointment to the village!"
1 resented his attempt at playful
ness. It had been anything but a joke
to us.
"Dr. Walker," I said tartly, "I fall
to see any humor in the situation.
Since I came here, one man has been
shot, and another one has died from
shock. There have been intruders in
the house, and strange noises. If that
is funny, there is something wrong
with my sense of humor."
"You miss the point," he said, still
good naturedly. "The thing that is
funny to me is that you insist on re
maining here, under the circums
tances. I should think nothing would
keep you."
"You are mistaken. Everything that
occurs only confirms my resolution to
stay until the mystery Is cleared."
"I iiave a message for you, Miss
lnnes," he said, rising at last. "Mrs.
Armstrong asked me to thank you for
your kindness to Louise, whose whim,
occurring at the time It did, put her
to great Inconvenience. Also—-and
this is a delicate matter —she asked
me to appeal to your natural sym
pathy for her, at this time, and to ask
you If you will not reconsider your de
cision about the house. Suriuyside is
her home; she loves It dearly, and
Just now she wishes to retire here for
quiet and peace."
"She must have had u change of
heart," 1 said, ungraciously enough.
"Louise told me her mother despised
the place Besides, this Is no place
for quiet uud peaee just now. Any
how, doctor, while I don't care to
force all issue, I shall certainly r»-
mulu here, for a time at least."
"For how long?" he asked
"My lease Is for six months. I shall
stay until suiue explanation Is found
tor curtain things My own family is
Implicated now, and I shall do every
thing to cU-ur the mystery of Arnold
Armtsroug's murder."
The doctor stood looking down, slap
ping his glove. thoughtfully against
the palm of a well-looked after hand.
"You i) there have been Intruders
ill the ho i ' ' IK Ik' .I "You are
sure of that. Miss line af
t'l'it UK i 'iiNTISUKD )
One Thing at a Time.
"Why do you always eat a square
Weal before dining out?"
"Ho that I • an give my entire atte*
tloll to tie I ..u, I. liiout ol tUe VlMiwtM
kill 11 a and follu."
ENGAGEMENT NOW OUT.
Ethel—Weren't you surprised when
you heard about my horse running
away with me?
Ernest —Not very. I'd do the sarao
thing myself if I got the chance.
Good Advice, but
A traveler entered a railway car
riage at a wayside station. The sole
occupants of the compartment con
sisted of an old lady and her son,
about twelve years old. Nothing of
note occurred until the train steamed
into the station at which tickets were
collected. The woman, not having a
ticket for the boy, requested him to
"corrie doon."
The traveler Intervened and sug
gested putting him under the seat.
"Man," said the excited woman, "it's
as shair as daith; but there's twa un
der the salt a'ready!"
Fair Play.
One of the hardest things to wash
Is a mechanic's shirt. It accumulates
dust and grime and grease, naturally,
and the effort to get that dust and
grtme and grease out with ordinary
soap is something tremendous. "Easy
Task Soap," however, does half the
work for you and makes the other
half easier. Its duty Is to get after
the dirt and take it out. You don't
have to rub and scrub over the tub.
Tell your grocer you want It. Five
cents a cake —same price as poo'
soaps.
Points to Good Future.
Seven poor children, four girls and
three boys, all about ten years old,
went to a nearby seashore resort, in
charge of two women, for a day's out
ing. The funds for the picnic were
provided by two boys who sell papers
and who live in one of the two houses
from which the excursion party was
recruited. One of the women in
charge of the children said that the
boys had arranged the outing "of their
own accord, and the remarkable thing
is this: They are not good boys by
any means and one of them is prob
ably the naughtiest boy in the neigh
borhood. But we think that when boys
do little things like this they will come
out all right."—New York Tribune.
Woman-Like.
"I hate him! I think he is the mean
est man I ever met."
"Gracious, Jeanette! What Is the
trouble?"
"Why, he told me he loved me devot
edly and I told him it would be impos
sibly for me to love him in return. The
poor fellow looked so downhearted I
told him to try and forget me."
"Well?"
"800-hoo! He —ha did."
Generosity.
The Backer —Go it, Billy, you ain't
half licked yet.
The Fighter—Well, you como and
I 'ave the othor 'arf. I ain't greedy!—
Tit-Bits.
The Only Way.
"How can I win yon lor my very
own?"
"You fellows might get up a raf
fle," answered (he summer girl. "I'm
engaged to seven of you."
A FOOD DRINK.
Which Brings Daily Enjoyment.
A lady doctor writes :
"Though busy hourly with my owu
' affairs, 1 will not deny myself the
pleasure of taking a few minutes to
! tell of my enjoyment daily obtained
from my morning cup of I'oslum. It
is a food beverage, uot a poison like
cofTee.
"I began to use Postum eight years
ago, not because I wanted to, but be
cause coffee, which 1 dearly loved,
made my nights long weary periods to
l>o dreaded and untitling mo for busi
ness during the day.
"On the advice of u friend, I first
tried I'ostuiu, making it carefully as
directed ou the package. As I had
always used 'cream and no sugar,' 1
mixed my I'ostuiu so. It looked good,
Has clear uud fragrant, and It was u
pleasure to sue the cream color It as
my Kentucky friend always wanted
her coffee tu 100k —'like a uew sad
die.'
"Then I tasted It critically, for I had
tried many 'substitute*' for coffee, 1
was pleased, yes, satisfied, with my
I'ostum In taste and effect, and am
; yet, being u constant user of It all
i these years.
"1 continually assure my friends und
acquaintances that they will like It in
! place nf coffee, and receive benefit
from Its use. 1 have gained weight. I
i mb sleep si-mid and am not nervous."
i "'I here's .i l(< .i .iiu."
Itead "The Itoad to Wellvltie" in pkg»
Ever r«ad the above letter? A now
on* appears from time to time. They ;
art genuine, true, and full of human
Init rest.
I »i»r rrsil il«r u:i«t %
«»* M »r * I rem lime IM I lilt*. lb* I !
:tre S'-uulwr, trur, umi lull •>( liuuutu
i I
DONT NEGLECT YOUR KIDNEYS.
Ltttlo kidney troubles gradually
grow more serious and rave the way
to dropsy, di
abetes, and fatal
"*) Bright's disease.
Begin using Doan's
Kidney Pills at
~~y) the first s,sn °'
trouble. They cure
' all Sidney il!s -
Mrs. J. R. Hayes,
i'V V Anamosa, lowa,
says:"l suffered
>iy It, such awful pain I
I' I ' \jl 1 'mS could not lie down.
I j lJ\ /'By ' was perfectly
I helpless for six
months. My ankles
were so badly
swollen I could
not wear my shoes. Soon after using
Doan's Kidney pills I was able to walk
i without crutches. I gradually im
; proved until I ceased to bloat and the
kidneys became normal."
» Remember the name —Doan's.
For sale by all dealers. DO cents a
box.
Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
IGNORANT OF ART.
The Kid—Mister, Johnnie says that
purple thing in front of the picture's
a windmill an' I say it's a tree; which
is right?
The Impressionist—That's a cow.
If You Ars a Trifle Sensitive
About the Blze of your bliuph, many people
wear Hmaller shoes by uslnp Allen's Foot-Ease,
the Antiseptic Powder to shake into the shoes.
It cures Tired, Swollen, Achinp Feet and
fives rest anil comfort. Just the thing for
reaking in new shoes. Sold everywhere, 25c.
Sample sent FKEE. Address, Allen S. OlmsteiL
Le Roy, N. Y.
Illiterate Immigrants.
Ellis island records show that of
52,727 immigrants who arrived here In
July 12,895, or about 25 per cent., are
illiterates. Illiteracy Is no bar to an
immigrant so long as he appears phys
ically able to care for himself. Only
1,127 persons who sought to enter the
country were barred at this port last
month.—New York Press.
Mrs. Wlnrtow*i» Rootlilnpr Syrup.
For children teething, softenathe gums, ivuuces In
tUuiui'iiUun.allajrfcDain.curebwiudcolic. Usca U.
A Question.
Vera (eight years old) —What does
transatlantic mean, mother?
Mother —Across the Atlantic, of
course; but you musn't bother me.
Vera—Does "trans" always mean
across?
Mother —I suppose it does. Now, if
you don't stop bothering me with your
questions 1 shall send you right to
bed.
Vera (after a few minutes' silence)
—Then does transparent mean a cross
parent?—ldeas.
Of Course.
"What's the matter?"
"Cold, or something in my head."
"Must be a cold, old man."—Lippln
cott's.
It must be a lot of trouble to hunt
for trouble all the time.
Some people are happy only when
they are envied.
mMunyon 5
Witch Haiei
1 ggfeSoap *
■ is mure s>«>thii:g th»n Cold
w?. Cream; moie liralinsr than
auy lotion, liniment or salve;
m<>re beautifying than any
cosmetic.
I Cures dandruff end stops hair from
I falling out.
ZL
Muddied Brains
result from an overloaded
stomach, sluggish liver, in
active bowels, or impure
blood. Clear thinking fol
i lows the use of
BEECHAMS
PILLS
j Sola Er.rrwh.ro, In box., 10c. ud 25c.
( •VKKIJM.HI-lMliriKlM.tlit-taitrvMlufliMlar. A»'.>ud
j uri Ilia hil%r f.*r C& T> I* Mill, j w.d I ■ iu
jmii» ftun-k. *r..a u l.vcryt»n«
j tjiU t.ruuiiui? >.i.
Q ATCMTQ Wm»nt K,(WmiißtW«
1 I Bslv I 1 elereutA•«, l |»« , 14
(Cleveland Directory
TRUSSES ' " 1,1 '.VV?
f.M ttf bSlfc M, 0 1 *ll bin a. 1., Cl«>at«nit
Our KODAK Work
Mow ♦ iiX*4 IM • -f«.»w 1 i*ru|>
| TAHN't PHAHM4CV. t&H luthU A.v., CtolflMl, 0.