6
THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
B/Mijrv ❖
i<OB£RTS
* WNE
iLUXmTICIiS BY
cef>R/:*r not ev eoe&i-rKKfui'co. •
SYNOPSIS.
M p.s Innes, spinster and guardian of
»; >in. 1 llalsey, established summer
henfl iii.ti :• I s at tiunnyside. Amidst HU
nier. oiilieulties the servants deserted.
As Miss Innc.s locked up for the night
she was startled by a dark figure on the
\ r la. Unseemly noises disturbed h«r
during the night. In the morning Miss
Innes found a strange link cuff-button in
» hamper. G« rrrud" and Halsey arrived
with Jack Bailey. The house was awak
ened by a revolver shut and Arnold Arm
strong was found shot to death in the
hall. Miss lone. found Halsey's revolver
r<n the lawn, lie and Jack Bailey had dis
appeared. Tiie link cuff-button mysteri
ously disappeared. Detective Jamieson
arrived. G rtrude revealed she was en
gaged t.i Jack Bailey, with whom she
talked in the billiard room a few mo
mi nts before the murder. Jamleson ae
cusi i Miss Innes of holding back 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,
llalsey reappears and says lie and Bailey
left in response to a telegram. Gertrude
said 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 Ixiuise and Arnold had
ft long talk the night of the murder. Lou
ise was prostrated. Ixiuise told Halsey,
that while she still loved him siie was to
marry another, and that he would despise
her when he learned the whole story.
It developed that Ur. Walker and Louise
were to be married. A prowler was heard
in the house. l<ouise was found at the
bottom of the circular staircase. Louise
said she had heard a knock at the door
and answered it. Something brushed past
her <>n the stairway and she fainted. Bai
ley is suspected of Armstrong's murder.
After "seeing a ghost." Thomas, the
lodgekeeper, was found dead. A slip was
112 >und in l.is pocket bearing the name
"I.ucien Wallace, 14 Elm street. Rich-
Held."
CHAPTER XX.—Continued.
"Certain."
"In what part?"
"In the east wing."
"Can you tell me when these Intru
nions occurred, and w hat the purpose
eeemed to be? Was it robbery?"
"No," I said decidedly. "As to time,
once on Friday night a week ago,
again the following night, when Arn
old Armstrong was murdered, and
again last Friday night."
The doctor looked serious. He
eeemed to be debating some question
in his mind, and to reach a decision.
"Miss Innes," he said, "1 am in a
peculiar position; I understand your
nttitude, of course; but —do you think
you are wise? Ever since you have
have come here there have been hos
tile demonstrations against you and
your family. I'm not a croaker, but —
take a warning. Leave before any
thing occurs that will cause you a life
long regret."
"I am willing to tike the responsi
bility." I said coldly.
I think he gave me up then as a
poor propositioi He asked to be
shown where Art J \rmstrong's body
had been found, and 1 took him there.
He scrutinized the whole place care
fully, examining the stairs and the
lock. When he had taken a formal
farewell I was confident of one thing.
Dr. Walker would do anything lie
could to get me away from Suntiyside.
CHAPTER XXI.
Fourteen Elm Street.
It was Monday evening when we
found the l>ody of poor Thomas. Mon
day night had been uneventful; thing
were quiet at the house and the pe
culiar circumstances of the old man's
death had ti carefully kept from
the servant.- U< i«» to< k charge of
the dining room and pantry, in the ab
M»ee of a butler, and. «xcept for the
warning of the Casanova doctor, vrt ry
thing breathvd of peace.
Affairs at the Traders' bunk were
patNMiaa iMr Tt» fan— had
hit small stu •». holders very l.ard, the
minister of the Utile Methodist chapel
In Casano\u among them II- hitd
recem ti as a I* .:uey from an uncle a
few s! «r« » of . <toek in the Traders'
hank, and now his toy was turned to
bittern s«, he had to sairilli • every
thing I;e had it; ti,.. u.uld. an I Ills
feeling aguiii t Paul Am: trong d**ud,
as he was. unit have been bitter in
the extreme. I|«- was a ke<| to of
fleiate at tl • simple service, when the
dead banker's body was interred in
fa*ah«>\ i • I.ur. l.v.ud, but the g.» d
man pruvidenU ally took culd, and a
substitute «;t« > tiled in
A few days alter the ervlrea he
called to see me a kind fared little
man, la a very had frock coal and
laundered tie I think he was uacci
tain as to my connect tan with the
Aru.itrmin i.*:..; v, and dub? m wheth
•r I couriered Mt Arti.st <>ti« « tak
Ing **»> a matter for roitdolvacx or
eoticratulattoa M« aa* not king fn
doubt
I liked the Intl.. «MM He had kaowa
Th.uuas a ell, and h-td prumtsed to of
grtati a! the .iff, i ID ti„, rickety
Aft >' lit /.ton i hill I lie ti>|<i Hit 1...
of lilln If I hit I! lit ktirtt, ttfiil UteftofM
It I **l"tun4 hut* tto*#it
I toy ti i»» w turgMrt
(tir tUi < .U< h ti *i > itiui t\ af? I«H|
llitf I ||vithi nil (hit H<' bud jrtMii §««?«!
nit r 4 It » « >u tti i U• Id
tm *** Ujritift u|> tr*iMtir«H», Vlif#i
lui«i, ' k nu| hi «»Im nijr, * ii«r«
i mil niir r*»i 4 urruH.
?» - "/in# WJ •"»» I *tf Afttft #IW|J
»«» Ai
fi %i wi, I lid i I i«> j|M»n tl**t
was cheap at the price of a church
carpet. I received less gratification—
and less gratitude—when I presented
the new silver communion set to St.
Barnabas.
I had a great many things to think
about in those days. 1 made a list of
questions and possible answers, but
I seemed only to bo working around
in a circle. I always ended where I
began. The list was something like
this:
Who had entered the house (he night
before the murder?
Thomas claimed It was Mr. Bailey,
whom he had si en on the foot-puth, and
who owned the pearl cuff-link.
Why did Arnold Armstrong come back
after he had left the house the night he
was killed?
No answer. Was It on the mission
Louise had mentioned?
Who admitted him?
Gertrude said she had locked the east
entry. There was no key on the dead
man or in the door. He must have been
admitted from within.
Who had been locked in the clothes
chute?
Some one unfamiliar with the house,
evidently. Only two people missing from
the household, Rosie and Gertrude. Rosie
had been at the lodge. Therefore—but
was it Gertrude? Might it not have been
the mysterious intruder again?
Who had accosted Rosie on the drive?
Ag; in perhaps the nightly visitor. It
seemed more likely some one who sus
pected a secret at the lodge. Was Lou
ise under surveillance?
Wlio had passed Louise on the circular
staircase?
Could it have been Thomas? The key
to the east entry made this a possibil
ity. Hut why was he there, If it were
indeed he?
Who hail made the hole in the trunk
roonv wall?
It was not vandalism. It had been done
quietly, and with deliberate purpose. If
1 had only known how to read the pur
pose of that gaping aperture what I
might have saved In anxitily and mental
strain!
Why had left her people and
come home to hide at the lodge?
There was no answer, as yet. to this,
or to the next questions.
Ha Scrutinized the Whole Place Carefully.
\\ tmth she an! I»r VVulker
warn u* away from th« bouse?
Who wa* I.mien Wallace?
U h.it .li.l Tl ■ • m.■ »• •• In the .-ha.luwt
Ihf night he illcilT
What w.ia th« manning of tl »• mihtla
tl.uimi- in rtru«J«?
Waa Jack Hatlrv an a i-»mpli<-e nr a
virtlni In tl. luutlnn »112 tl •• Trailer*'
ban k ?
What all (>fn rft.il r<"\*. .n made l.mi!»e
ilft«rmliM Is n.arry l»r. Walker?
The fxaiiii't r were *llll working
ou the baolu of the Trader;-.' bank, and
it waa probable that » vi ral week*
would (hpiie before everything watt
cleared up The Drin of expert at -
t utmiunt who hail examined the booka
aotuo two utuntha before te4lKud that
• very bund. evrry piece of valuable
iwper, «#> tlierw at that tune. It
tutd b« shortly after th«'lr •• xamlua
Hon that the pre lU*-ut, who had been
In bud h alth, hail gone to California
Mr Hath y wus ntlll ill at tbe Knicker
bocker, and In thin, ax in other way*,
<!ertru«iv'» conduct ptuxled me Hhe
I « till >1 indifferent. refitted to Uihi us.-.'
mattera pertaining to the bank, ami
n> v- r, to my know hxlge, « ith< r wrote
tu liuu w went to i- In in Gradual
1> I RAM* to the «OKIIMIUR that *s*«r
-trade. with the r«»t of the world. be
11. veil her Iwver guilty, au>l although
I believed u myself, lor that matter—
I »j< irrltat. il by h» r indifference
titrla la my day did not meekly accept
tli# |iuiilli > v rdlet u to the man,
they loved
Hut |»r. • atly •oiuething occurred
that n nl> m» thiak that under tier
trade 4 aurfti.-e calm tk>*re waaaseetb
Ihg Rimkl of c mutton.>
Tuemlav ticiiulbg Ihn detective
mad* a • »r« fal aegr< h of the ground*,
bat be found hi.tin u* in the after
aoott h<« disappeared, aad tt waa late
that M*ut «ii< it he »am- home He
•aid he would Have to in bat.|| to tb«
etty Ike i..Ui*iug day, aitd arranged
■«Hh ltal»*-y and Akt hi guard the 1
Immae.
I.»dd» mow la b« in tt i lovaday
11...1 uit.g with her bia< k alifc aptu*
i**ld up ttk« a bog au I her eye* big
with vtrtuoif a i atb It WM the day
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1910.
of Thomas' funeral in the village, and
Alex and I were in the conservatory
cutting flowers for the old man's cas
ket. Liddy is never so happy as when
she is making herself wretched, and
now her mouth drooped while her eyes
were triumphant.
"I always said there were plenty of
things going on here, right under our
noses, that we couldn't see," she said,
holding out her apron.
"1 don't see with my nose," I re
marked. "What have you got there?"
Liddy pushed aside a half dozen
geranium pots, and in the space thus
cleared she dumped the contents of
her apron—a handful of tiny bits of
paper. Alex had stepped back, but 1
saw him watching her curiously.
"Wait a moment, Liddy," I said.
' You have been going through the
library paper-basket again!"
Liddy was arranging her bits of pa
per with the skill of long practice and
paid no attention.
"Did it ever occur to you," I went
on, putting my hand over the scraps,
"that when people tear up their cor
respondence it is for the express pur
pose of keeping it from being read?"
"If they wasn't ashamed of it they
wouldn't take so mucli trouble, Miss
Rachel," Liddy said oracularly. "More
than that, with things happening every
day, I consider it my duty. If you
don't read and act on this, I shall give
it to that Jamieson, and I'll venture
he'll not go back to the city to-day."
That decided me. If the scraps had
anything to do with the mystery or
dinary conventions had no value. So
Liddy arranged the scraps, like work
ing out one of the puzzle-pictures chil
dren play with, and she did it with
much the same eagerness. When it
was finished she stepped aside while
I read it.
Wednesday night, nine o'clock.
Hridgp," I read aloud. Then, aware
of Alex's stare, I turned on Liddy.
"Some one Is to play bridge -n
--night at nine o'clock." I said "Is that
your business, or mine?"
Liddy was aggrieved. She was
ibout to reply alien 1 scooped Up the
piece.! tt ltd left the conservatory.
"Now then," I said, when we got
1 outside, "will you tell me why you
choose to take Alex Into your con
i lideuee? He's 110 fool. Do you sup
; pose he thinks any one in this house
la going to pluy bridge to night ni
! nine o'clock, by appointment! I sup
| po.,u you have shown it In the kllcht n,
; and lnst« ad of my being able to slip
[ down to the bridge tonight quietly,
and see w ho la there, the w bole house
; hold will be going In a procession "
"Nobody kuows it." Llddy said hum
bly. "I found It In the ba»k< t In Miss
Gertrude s dressing room Look at tin
j back of the sheet" I turned hut souk
■ of the scraps, and. sure enough, tt
a blank deposit slip from the
' Trader!* bauk So Gertrude was going
I to meet Jack lialley that night by the
I bridge' And 1 had thought in was
! III! It hardly aeeiued hk*> the e< Hon
lof au lunwcegt man this avoidant • of
I daylight, and of his liam <e s people
I decided to mak« certain, boacver,
by going to the bridge that night.
Alter luncheon Mr Jamieson sug
ge«tcd that I go with him Ut Ulchtteld,
and I consented
"I aiu tut lined to iilac« more faith
| in Dr Stewait s story," he said, "sinco
I I luund that *> iap In old Thomas'
puvkct. It bears out th>> statement
1 hat the woman with tk« child, and
the woman who <|uarr«l«*d with Aim
{ liable tu the dead man, and. with a
anything tangible that we have had
yet."
Warner took us to Richfield in the
car. It was about 25 miles by rail
road, but by taking a series of atro
ciously rough short cuts we got there
very quickly, It was a pretty little
town, on the river, and back on the
hill I could see the Morton big coun
try house, where Halsey and Ger
trude had been staying until the night
of the murder.
Elm street was almost the only
street, and number 14 was easily
found. It was a small white house,
dilapidated without having gained
anything picturesque, with a low win
dow and a porch only a foot or so
above the bit of a lawn. There was a
baby-carriage in the path, and from
a swiDg at the side came the sound of
conflict. Three small children were
disputing vociferously, and a faded
young woman with a kindly face was
trying to hush the clamor. When she
saw us she untied her gingham apron
and came around to the porch.
"Good afternoon," I said. Jamieson
lifted his hat, without speaking. "I
came to Inquire about a child named
Lucien Wallace."
"1 am glad you have come," she
said. "In spite of the other children,
I think the little fellow is lonely. We
thought perhaps his mother would be
here to-day."
Mr. Jamieson stepped forward.
"You are Mrs. Tate?" I wondered
how the detective knew.
"Yes, sir."
"Mrs. Tate, we want to make some
inquiries. Perhaps in the house —'
"Come right in," she said hospitably.
And soon we were in the little shabby
parlor, exactly like a thousand of its
prototypes. Mrs. Tate sat uneasily, her
hands folded in her lap.
"llow long has Lucien been here?"
Mr. Jamieson asked.
"Since a week ago last Friday. His
mother paid one week's board in ad
vance, the other has not been paid."
"Was he ill when he came?"
"No, sir, not what you'd call sick.
He was getting better of typhoid, she
said, and he's picking up fine."
"Will you tell mo his mother's name
and address?"
"That's the trouble," the young
woman said, knitting her brows. "She
gave her name as Mrs. W r allace, and
said she had no address. She waa
looking for a boarding house In town.
She said she worked in a department
store, and couldn't take care of the
child properly, and he needed fresh
air and milk. I had three children of
my own, and one more didn't make
much difference In the work, but—l
wish she would pay this week's
board."
"Did she say what store It was?"
"No, sir, but all the boy's clothes
came from King's He has far too fine
clothes for the country."
There was a chorus of shouts and
shrill yells from tho front door, fol
lowed by the loud stamping of chil
dren's feet and a throaty "whoa,
whoa!" Into the room came a tan
dem team of two chubby youngsters, a
boy and a girl, harnessed with a
clothes-line, and driven by a laughing
boy of about seven, In tan overalls
and brass buttons. The small driver
caught my attention at once; he was
a beautiful child, and, although he
showed traces of recent severe illness,
his skin bad now the clear transpar
ency of health.
"Whoa, Flinders." he shouted.
"You're going to smash the trap."
Mr. Jamieson coaxed huu over by
holdln out a lead pencil, striped blue
ami yellow.
"Now, then." he said, when the boy
had taken the lead pencil and was
testing it u efulness on the deteot
•■■MSMMSnuaßeWMManMni
' JF
if '
I Could Ha* ths Morions' Biy Country
House.
1 IV. CUf, BOW lllell 111 bet >ou 4 >ut
I a«," oaltl t*. boy Utolau W%l-
Ureal* And *bat's your motbvi s
AM I I Ute4 lo we' I su. «<< >m
(u stop Mealing black, It doufciMi a
"And slatti did jua llvs bufnre ywi|
t i if I IhU t|e» tit »
It! 111. >U)'ll,llkUi
SAID BY THE YOUNGSTERS
Some Bright Remarks Worth Pre
serving, That Have Fallen From
■Childish Lips.
A little girl, after listening to the
hymn, "In heaven there stands an
ever open door," remarked that there
must be two heavens, " 'cause grand
ma'd never had any open door where
she is." And a dear little country
laddie, visiting a city Sunday school
and hearing about the "many man
sions" of the better land, later ex
plained that they had been "studying
all about 'Paradise Flats.' "
Ecclesiastical modes and matters
frequently are puzzling to tho little
ones. A small Chicago citizen was ta
ken to a fine church, where the music,
windows, furnishings, and all acces
sories were as impressive as the build
ing. Tho minister, living up to his
enviable reputation as an orator, In
dulged in a brilliant rhetorical flight.
"1 know," ho declared, "who gilds
the sun and silvers the stars and
paints tho flowers and tints tho sky
and lends to the rivers their beauty,
to the ocean Its glory, to tho skies
their perfect light," and so on through
long and effective periods. Finally
came the interrogatory climax: "Who
is it, my friends, who performs all
these wonders? Who is it? Who?"
From tho front pew where the baby
listener had been all eager attention
came a shrill, disappointed pipe:
"You said you knew!"
A FEW THINGS.
Reggy—Bah Jove, I'd like to chas
tise those blawsted reporters!
Cyril—Why so?
Reggy—We have been Insulted. The
other day the firemen rescued us fel
lows from the burning clubhouse, and
now the reporters have the account
headed. "A Few Things Saved, but
Nothing of Value."
WASTED A FORTUNE ON SKIN
TROUBLE
"I began to have an itching over my
whole body about seven years ago and
this settled in my limbs, from the knee
to the toes. I went to see a great many
physicians, a matter which cost me a
fortune, and after I noticed that I did
not get any relief that way, I went for
three years to tho hospital. But they
were unable to help me there, I used
all the medicines that I could see but
became worse and worse. I had an
inflammation which mado nio almost
crazy with pain. When I showed my
foot to my friends they would get
really frightened. I did not know
what to do. I was eo sick and had be
come so nervous that I positively lost
all hope.
"I had seen tho advertisement of
the Cuticura Remedies a great many
times, but could not make up my mind
to buy them, for I had already used so
many medicines. Finally I did decide
to use the Cuticura Remedies and I
tell you that I was never so pleased as
when I noticed that, after having used
two sets of Cuticura Soap, Cuticura
Ointment and Cuticura l'ills, the en
tiro inflammation had gone. I was
completely cured. I should bo only
too glad If people with similar disease
would come to mo an<l find out the
truth. I would only recommend them
to use Cuticura. Mrs. Hertba Sachs,
IG2I Second Ave., New York, N. Y.,
Aug. 20, 1909."
"Mrs. Rertha Sachs is my sister-in
law and I know well how she suffered
and was cured by Cuticura Reme
dies after many other treatments
failed. Morris Sachs, 321 K. S9th St.,
New York, N Y., Secretary of
lfeutsch-Ostrowoer I'nt.-Vereln, Kemp
uer Hebrew licnevoleut Society, etc."
A Good Job.
Jacob II SchlfT, ut a dinner on the
yai lit Kamona, condemned a concert!
that had gone up
".Straight business methods are the
onlj oues," he said. "There Is a moral
In the receiver story.
"A man. you know, said one day to
• little boy:
" 'Well, Tommy, what are you go
IliK to be wheu you glow up*'
"'A receiver, sir,' Tommy answered
promptly 'Kver since pa's been a re
ceiver we ve had champagne for dlu
ner and two automobile* ' "
A Woman's Hands,
tt Un t work i hat ruin* the hands—
It In tile soup, tll« OOUItUOfI, daUK'l o|S
> Iti, y. roslu soap It will • .1' into and
rot cloth, so a hat woti'l It do to that
delicate *k!u of a woman's bauds?
"fc.a»r Task Soap' Is pure and autiscp
lie; ll has Mo nasty, dUagreeabloodor;
It does tho cleaning lor you and you
dott't bate lo wear out your skin aUd
»our mule with rubbing As It
eo»n uo tbui > than poor soaps. *U)
should >ou ruin >our bauds? Your
ina'tr ha* It.
A K 1. as » ouiuu w'stTiT u divur«!t»
IwtaiM" hi husband ihrow» bricks at
!< t.rf M bit alt* Lul bouquets and
luil air
HER
APPROVES
Taking Lydia E. Pinkham's
Vegetable Compound
Sabattus, Maine.—"You told ms to
take Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable
[Compound and
Liver Pills before
' child-birth, and we
are all surprised to
Wl : see how much good
-35 My physi
■ v> I • c * an ' Without
• I doubt it was the
X * } Compound that
T helped you.' I
thank you for your
■j\ \ kindness in advising
' \ W \\ me an( * ?* ve y ou
1 \V V> A ' [permission to USB
ray name in your testimonials."—Mrs.
H. W. MITCHELL, BOX 3, Sabattus, Me.
Another Woman Helped.
Graniteville, Yt. —"I was passing
through the Change of Life and suffered
from nervousness and other annoying
symptoms. Lydia E. Pinkham's Vege
table Compound restored my health and
strength, and proved worth mountains
of gold to me. For the sake of other
suffering women I am willing you
should publish my letter." Mrs.
CHARLES BAECLAY, K.F.JJ., Granite
ville, Vt.
Women who are passing through
this critical period or who are suffer
ing from any of those distressing ilia
peculiar to their sex should not lose
sight of the fact that for thirty years
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com
pound, which is made from roots and
herbs, has been the standard remedy
for female ills. In almost every com
munity you will find women who
have bten restored to health by Lydia
E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound.
MEAN INSINUATION.
Miss Lively—lsn't it strange that
baseball players are seldom sun
struck?
Mr. Fussy—Not necessarily. Sun
stroke Is an affection of the brain.
Simple Expedient.
An American student at a German
university tells of a professor who
was reading aloud in a classroom pa
pers on a celebrated living German
novelist, which had been written by
the members of the class. After read
ing ono ho commented upon its ex
cellenee. "You show an exact com
prehension of the matter," he said,
addressing the student who had writ
ten the paper; "tell us what method
you usod." "Oh," replied the student,
"I just w rote to X , stating what I
wanted to know, and that was what
he sent back."
Uncalled For.
"I hoar the old bridge outside of
Plunkville has collapsed."
"Yes, and the town council can't
understand it. We itad just given that
bridge a coat of paint. Why, it looked
like new."—Louisville Courier-Journal.
DAME NATURE HINTS
When the Food Is Not ouited.
When Nature gives her signal that
something is wrong it is neraiiy
v!th the food. The old Dame is al
ways faithful and one should a. t at
onee.
To put ofT the change la to rli-lc that
whi< h may bo Irreparable. An Arizona
man hays:
' For years I could not safely eat any
breakfast. 1 tried various kinds of
breakfast food, but they were all soft,
starchy messes which gave me dls
ti«»- lug headaches. I drank strong
coffee too, which appeared to benefit
me at the time, but add* d to the h< :.d
s< ins afterwards. Toast and eoffea
Were no better, lor ! found the toast
very constipating
"A friend persuaded me to quit th«
(Id coffee and th" star hy breakfast
fix !4, and use I'osluui an 1(• rui • Nuts
it Mead I shall never regret taking
lilt, uUvlie, I bt g 111 u+ilu, thrill thrto
"The chance they have work< d In
in* is wonderful. | u< 1 w hive uo uiors
(if iliu distressing st 1 at ions in m?
stomach after cut inn, anil I never ham
k«u).|rhe». 1 hav, galu.d 1? pound#
lu vieisiu and feel h»u«r in 1 ery way,
well t > a nutrith is ili h. and I Mat
"Ti sre's a !<"»« m "
Out tin |lt(U> I'llkl fed It *4 trt
W» HUIIe," ill i-ks
litnl »•««! ikr abut* I# •I* r 112 % arm
• • -M 1.. ... trurn II le <i . »
•11 11 ulu*. I'M*, juJ full -I hummm
lui.nil,