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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1926-12-1, Page 7Pitaktigrft.: &seat. The (Copyright) the. Sr isles 011110,rtimkt9~Imifti ed Lam MARY ROBERTS RINEHART ‘11Sheadadatagbabenting* But I do remember that in a sort •-sf peek I got clown on my kneett to feel ter the connection, 40'1 mt et that 1110111elli, Wbelhea dl.lii 'to over- istraleed :nerves or not I =not say, I distinctly heard a soft moveineut in the library. Trying to annleze that movement to -day I find it din; - mit. It was as though the limes eaverings in the library had been set in motion, a soft and quiet motion, like that perhaps of a women, with a fan, and above that the faint clink the prisms on the ehmilelier, like tho ringing of small bells. But whatever had caused it, it was dying away. when I'notieed it. As if some- how the extinction of the Relit had taken oway its sottece of power. (Note: It is to be observed that we secured this phenoniena lame dur- ing the seances. As no explanation of it has ever been given, it remain; a portion of eat, unsolved factor in our equation to which I have refers red previously.) I knelt there, my face covered nith a cold sweat, staring in the direction of the library door. I :felt thee if I looked away, if I were to lower my guard for an instant, something would come through that door. was, - In effect, holding it back with my eyes! And Halliday had made no sound. Hs. too, I now know, was listening This, as accurately as I can record i-, was the situation last eight when the next move came. Th' house was absolutely silent again. -Halliday was upstairs and I was watching the door into the library, when the loca- tion of the sounds chenged. Preemt- ed by my eyes, in front, 1 we,. :- tacked from the roar, so 1.o speak. At the window above and behind nle something was trying to get in 1 'could hear its hands sliding slimily over the wood of the shutter, keep- ing on that blind and dreadful grop- ing, until finally some sort of hold was secured and the shutter was shaken. And with that every last ounce of my self control leftstme, and 1 leaped into the hall as if 1 had been fired out of a gun. "Halliday!" 1 shouted. "Halliday!" He came downstairs; rather he leaped downstairs. Ile says 'le found me in a enmer, intibberialt, arid I dare say he did, but I must baVe told him my story with sufficient clearness, at that, for he left me al- onmagain inthat damnable place and ran outside. And as 1 hal no in- tention whatever of being left alone again the remainder of my life, 1vie else. There was nobody outede the window, but the fresh green paint'. was the thing that, aceording to Hal- liday, eaved me from being sent to- day to some sanctuary for she men- tally deranged. It showed unmistakable salus of entirely human investigation. At least a band with the usual equip- ment ofethumb and fingers has left more than one impression on it, nm wilhing, even anxious, to necept Halliday's verdict, that the sourris we both heard in the library were due to an •east wind blowing down the, chimney, plus The settling and eeeaking of the old portion of the house, But we have just retnimed from an inspection, in bread day, of the marks outside the boarded -up win. 'slow of the dem There is a cbmplete istprint of the hand on it, arid it shows a broad short thumb and a curved little fin- ger. What is more.sthere is n onin- plete absence of the usual whorls and Ticlgr!s f the ordinary hand. One could take this imprint; en,1 put it side by side with the one in the bowl of 'nutty. They are identical. Halliday seems to have seen a great light from somewhere, but to me the eitoation is as absurd aa it is maddening. It IS as outrageouit ns Letterheads . Envelopes Billheads And ailkinds of Business Stationery wanted at The -Post Publishing House. We will do a job that will 'do credit to your business. Look over your stock of Office Stationery and i4 it requiree ropleniebirtg tall us bet telephone 31. The Post Puhlishinq House sstereeeeleestersessesetzti AMA, out of Rome forgotten corner of my memory, I should have (lug 1 UP a triangle within a circle, to Mel 111 eropping up soon !After as the sig- nattwe to a crime, August Vith. Five dates have passed since the murder, aucl we are apparently as Inc from its solution as eves. What work is being done is TIOW centering about the county deteetive bureau in the city. A deputy con. table keeps up a more or less cas- ual .surveillance a the property dur- ing the day, but is carefol to depart before twilight. The dragging o' the bay has once More been etepped, and Benchley'e idea of an unknown enemy of Bethel's hae ,mpaeently been abandoned in favor of Gorden as the killer. At this same time we are not with- out developments, of a sort. Although he isn'eticent on the sub - pet, Halliday seems to feel thet the experiment the, other night, invents Pieta as it was, negatives the theory that the man 1 saw escaped by the broken window in the library. "Then where did he go?" I asked. "That's the point," ne aid. "Where did he go? When we've answered that we'll hate, ensWered a number of things," • But he tells me, surprisingly en - thigh, that he has taken up a sort of temporary residence in the house. "Whoever tried to get in the other night may come back again," he says, And assures me that the plaee isn't so bad "when one gets used to it." "I road Kant."' he ,•ays, a; if thet explains something. I have offered to stay with him, but not, I dare say, with any enthus- itta. But he declines with e "You are too psychic, Skipper!", he says. But it is perfectly evident that 'he does not want mee This morning, going unexpectedly into the boat house, where this con- versation took plane, I found him sitting by his table, and spread out before him the bit of linen, the ciph- er, the broker( lens and the top of the ether can which constituted our various exhibits before I was gently eliminatefrom the case,. But he also had a box of figs and a hand mkror before him, and when1 enter- ed unexpectedly he was studying himself in the glass. As he immediately asked me if eared to go fishing, which I did not, I saw that he was not prepared to make any explanation. . . . The other development, 'although it does not solve the crime, er touch on it, came to me through Lear to- day, end throws a now and interests Ing light on poor old Bethel himself. Lear did not like his errand; he prefers a presumptuous seep Seism to an irrational credulity, and knows ne middle ground. Those things which lie beyond his understanding he re- fers to as "poppycock," a favorite word of his. And to -day he prefac- ed his business with a small lecture to mete, taking me into the drive to .deliver "You don't look like a man who has been on a vacation," he Oegan, sur- veying me. "I know you've had a bad time, but after all, it's no possi- ble responsibility of yours," "I rented him the house. And knew I had no business to 'Cant it to anybody." e. "Poppcock," he said,' :tad eleaved his throat, He had fallen into step with me. but at that hestopped and faced me. "Now see here, Porter," he said, "there's a good bit of talk going around. Sorne of your .friends are saying that .you and. -Jane .are the blame on some damn foot non - settee about the house itsel.i'. That's poor heariag, and it's ridiculous into the bargain. The Morrison gill WAS not killed In the hoUse." "Pm not eo sure she wasn't. At any rate, he was And T believe the salile 114111C1 killed them 'Ingle" , "Put a human hand, of couree, You're not -going to say----" "Oh, 1 admit that," I said, ' "But there are a lot of curious thing•s, 12 you think the house is noemal, spend a night there and see," "Normal!" he snapped., "Of .course the house is normal. It's the peo- ple. in it who a,rettit," And wraming to his subject: "You and Cameron should be locked up together. An•d ;added, Which brought .leint to Cameron, Arid his errand. . . • floTnimadilltely on Canleren's, return from the Adirentlacka he had gone to bed with ne infectedhand, which had -!-beeti torn by a fish -hoof, and had been too ill. 'to look at the ac- ctunulatioe of mall, Bet the day he. THE BRUSSELS POST fore, although still very weals. he had gone through his lettere and there found one from 11- -Wed- late in July. In this letter Bethel reeitod vajoug "abnormal etnelitione" in tile Twin Hollows house, and asked Cameron, at the eeribet possible moment, to 4'0 011 I mid investigate them. "Anil he wants eomo." I asked of Lear. "I tell you he's been skk," Lear 111 impatiently. "He wants to know ftbotit showing It to the polity, He doesn't want to be dragged in, if he PIM help It." "You've Been it." "Yes. There's nothing in it ex - mon what I've told you." '4 "He doesn't describe these abnor- mal conditions?" "No, But he said he 'nail made some experiments of his, own, and was anxious to have his results veri- fi ed," ' "Experiments?. Using a rd light?" "Ile didn't say," Lear said, with some asperity. "A red light, What sn heaven's name has a red light to do with the immortal soul?" He enlarged on that, 'savagely. Helena, he said, had been off in a minter saying "opi, om" to herself half the summer, and when She dozed off in so doing, would waken te claim that her astral body had been off en some excursion or other. ',I can't appeal to her reason,' be said, with a shrug of his thin shoul- ders, "but I have appealed to her de- cency. I've asked her if We fair to intrude en the priveey every human individual is entitled ta at times, But it's no good. She keeps a re- cord, -and I'm convinced it weekl jail her." The only advice I could semi Cam- eron. was to use his own judgment coneerning• the letter, Personally, 7 do not see what value it has, save to corroborate my own ideas concern - 1i, bows.. rot it hog ••u,..s,1 Lo me the advisability of asking Cam- eron to come here quietly and look thy place over. I rather think he wants to do so. August 26t1'.. All along, I have been impsessed by the attitude of at least the sum- mer publicto our tragedies; as each one came it brought with it de tem. porary thrill.; for a moment, one might say, the. dancing stopped and a bit of drama was enacted on the stage. Then the curtain 'fell, the band struck up, and the whirl began again, with some inconsiderable of the dancers missing. Poor Carroway's widow is working at one of the shore hotels, and has bobbed her hair. And a small boy with adenoids delivers our milk and chickens; I caught him thiS morning chalking up a triangle within a circle on one of the pillars of the gate. The main -house shut and empty, a new assistant keeper at the light- house, and perhaps a closed troom and grief at the Morrison farm house,—these are the only apparent scars left, to mark our summer's wounding. saw Lavkin this morning. He beliettee that we may be able to sell the property as a hotel site; as this would ensure destroying the house, it seems the best thing. But one other change I have not recorded. Watching Halliday as I do, affec- tionately .and not too openly, I cau see a very considerable.. chaeige in him. He is like a man lit !rem with- in by some .flame, of vengeance per- haps, of resolution certainly. And he is moody at times; his old gaiety is gone. He has put me out of his confidence, not because be does not trust me, but because for some rea- son he is afraid for me. And- the 'same, I think, is largely true or Eds ith in thii last day or two, • It is as though he did, in effect: "Keep .out. It is danger -Me. I am willing to .take e chance, but I want to know that the rest of jou aro safe." Now and then, however, f eather something. Thus yesterday he Reid: "You have to Yementber this; wo are not dealing with -a criminal, hot with an idea." Again, he has 'asked Me for Heck Horace's letter, and has apparently been making a study of .it, Only along the lines of onset I eall the super -normal phenomena of the stammer does he show Ids old open - nese, and there he is frankly puzzled. My dociei.ou not to call in Cameron has, I think, disappointed hint, But my reasons are sonnd. Cameron's (tinning might 'result in unpleasant yress publicity for us, and more than that, puts mo whove T do not intend to be placed, among the believers in spiritism. Ho accepted that decision to -day, howev'er without commit. But shortly afterwards he risked Edith for the lettor from Evanston, anti sat thinking over it for some time. "Of coerse, with a little insaginae- tion," ho sisid, "you Might (tette thet, these people wero isornelow let in On what happened her Met yeas. BM - WEDNESDAY, DEC, 1, MG, why Evanston? Anti after 5 pauee, following It train of thought: eese ,!0u5'51 1 suppogo, fr you grant a spirit world, you have to grant that where time and sperm do .it exin :Mil only' vibration connls—whalever that may mean—you could tune in Evanston as well as—well, as finally fIS you ean on the radio." But ho got up soon tate-, -laying that we were all crazy and It-, himeelf was the maddeAt of the lot, wed wont away. August 27th Livingstone is.a curious chap; dap- per, fastidious and tacitura. He is -.11.nost too much 01 a esntlentan; ; have had the feeling, and I think Jane has also, that a part of his ne tissnee is caution, that he is always watchful, subconsciously at least, l5!4 veneer eraek, and !min:thing um- retly vulgar he exposed, I am still wondering why he mane to see me to -lay; he was sitting, gloved and spatted, in our smell liv- ing room when Clem brought nis card to me in the gatage aitzl 1 hue- ried in. Sitting, too, staring' al: OW' ridiculous parlor organ, with an odd look on his face. "Haven't ;Seen ono for years," he said, in his clipped and yet deliberate manner. "Where'd you happen on that one?" "It was here when we ,,ante," I explained, He gave it another glance before inc sat down, and then apparently dismissed it. But not entirely. Now and then he looked tower] it, and once I thought I saw a Slight smile, ILO though hack in his mind was some equally faint humorous memory. 13ut he carrie to the point with a tier- tain directness. "You're a man of sense," he said. "I came because you've got a bead on you." "T used to have,'' I admitteet mod- estly, "Lately,' of. COni7.4"—" 3, bee. tetwarl. "Use it," he said. "Don't let tips spirit bunk get you. Easiest stuff in the world to fake." "T don't intend to let it get Me." He brushed that aside, amid glanc- ed once more at the organ. "You take -a thing like that," he said, "and start it in the dark. It gets you creepy in no.tiene. They all use it; it used to be organs like that; now it's phonographs. They say it starts the vibrations! Well, rit .tell you what it does; it gets you worked up. Sometimes it covers something the medium wants to do." "So T imagine," I agreed. His volubility suddenly left him then, and he seemed rather at a loss. "Let it alone," he said. "Let necll enough alone." After a pause: 'Mere may be something, hut let it alone." And that, so far as I can make out, was the purpose of his visit. He showed a certain relief, as if he had got rid of something momentous to him, and soon after he took an abrupt departure. Being careful to remove his glove, which he had ab- sently put on again, before shaking hands! Thomas tells me that another at- tempt was made to get into the house last night. Helier!. left his Dimming ladder outside under a tree, and found it upright against Gordon's window this morning Later: Halliday corrobo rates Thomas' story, with further details. He was on the lower floor, reading, when Ise was disturbed by the stash of a pane of glass above. He ran upstairs, but was evidently ',ward. There was no one on the ?Alder when he goth there, and a thorough search showed no one in the house The window was the ono through which we had watched Gordon 1.mve the house by the rope. August 23.1th It is lame:Sale for me to -night; to draw any conclusion from .last night'S discovery; I' have not my old faith in circumstantial evidence. I can only ask myself if an innocent man hides in his own house limo had one of her had headaches last night, and at eleven Wclock I took the ear and went in to tne lcge pharmacy. It was clorid, how - ewe, and 1 was at a loos to know what to do. . In the emergency I thought of Hayward's• office; ilka meet country doctor's In, keeps a medielne cabinet and fills many of Itis own presCriptions, .1 went .there, therefore, and rang the bell. It took some time and severat rings to rouse tho housekeeper, an eldevly and tacitarn woman, and whoe she finally opened the door it was to say that Lite doctor was away, and -to at- tempt to el.ose iL again. I prevented his, however, and managed to get past her and intb the hall. "1 only want to got some •medi- eine," 7 explained. "Tho cabinet is in the bark einem isn'it tt,?" "Tim not allowod to let enebody Mtn the office." "Nonsense!" .1 said sharply, "Any- how, you fa* tiot allowing ma. Pisi going," Site meomed cempletely el, A 10E4, and I thought too that sm, Wa4 17.S. toning. With my hand on the knob ef the waiting room, eanglit the at- tentive look OD ller fatal, alai found myself listening too. It seemed ta me that there Wil8 somebody moving in the back ollive, and immediately error I eau -ht the Stealthy elosi»g el a deer Somowherc., With ,hat she appeared to aelt1X. "Volt are :atm y011 know what you want?" she asked. "Quite sure," •1 sabl, and went through the waiting room to the COD^ “ilting offices. She followed ins and tenmed on the light, ansi stoo1 bore Watellillo ale ,Ilitently. The rount w:ts filled with tobacco smoke, and she saw that I noticed it, for she said: "My husband was sittine in here. Prl bii glad if you don't say iiriFStliine; ebout it." I am not isuspieious, end the von- fession satisfied my faint feeling, thai something was not quite •riglit In the house. I got the tablets from he cabinet, and being nervonsit :Omni unlabelled bottles went to the desk; there. neatly piled up, neire the month's bills for Haywardie profes- sional seri4ces, written in his own untidy hand, and one not timitned on the pad. The woman was still watehing inc and I managed to write my label, glue it to the bottle, and make my departure- without, I think, showing. that I had made any discovery what- ever. - But nothing can alter my sonvic- tion that Hayward is hiding in his own house, and that he was in that back room when I rang the door- beli. at something before midnight. Not even Halliday's opinion that, since Hayward is officially et-horne to -day, he had the right to "not at home" last night. "After all," he said, " give the poor devil his due, Skipper. 1 -is works hard, and why shouldn't he get back :I deo esel; l'he‘o 1•e, 5PM1,et'el .• is hours ' t oat his bills? He has to lista." But he se -eine to me to be a trifle too casual about it. I admit tints e puzzles me, these days. August 3 tst. After all, one can find the myster- iousewhere it does not exist. 1 may not yet know why Halliday considers it necessary to watch the main house a( night. But I do know tho .e.eison for LiVillgSiotle's extraordinary -visit, IVIrs. Livingstone, sitting with jam. during her eonvaleseenee, read the letter from Evitneton, and "s to form a similar eiele, to sit th house itself. And poor Livintestone ie ',meetingit awl is making for some reason or other, (mite a business of it. "After )tll, why not'!" sIM urged to-dey. Ott rein be iota,. -eerie She was supported in this by Ed- ith, and teiell hall-heartmlig, ')y itt her,(.11'. A change, of front whIeb !astintishee 5110. Mis. LiViltaAwie apparently NORIO ab,liad idea that WP May rPreSt'o• "0 Mlle, or thing," 51., she vaguely puts it; and on iny firm refusal depleted, india*- totetly convineMI that I have lost it 1 great opportunity to solve our rat,s- 1 ' Itery, . . . Later: Halliday wants the seance: Nothing has so surprieed me 11 piers ; as his willingness to join the Lahti- ! 1:MerS, litlt I suspect in him some purpose not far removed from Mrs. Livingstone's, although .414 what he hopes to diseover battles ine entirely. "Why not?" he said, tvhen I told "After all, we have to keep an Open :mind on this thing. astd we've had enough already to inalte sotnething of a t!ie for Me other side." "The other side of what?" "The other side of the veil," he explained gravely, anti then, seeing my face, was obliged to -leuen. 1`" 'There is• a pleasure in Ming mad, Which none but madmen know,' " he quoted at me, "Ivo heard yuu any that Descartes advises us to seek for truth, freed from ail pre- conceived ideas. Who are we, to stand in the way of truth?" "Anti are inc to search for it, sit- ting around a table in the dark?" "Preeisely that, Skiopee," -ie.!! • ea!, e reity, :1,1-1 "I 1 l•-'1 111, to make what I can Out Of it. Twelve days have now elapsed since the murder here, and the poi - ice know no more than they did on the morning of the 20th. Now and then a car stops outside the gate, but our curious crowds are gone. Save that some nocturnal relic - hunter has chipped a corner off the sun -dial, the place is much as it was yefore. All this water over the dant and it lute brought, us eothints. (To lie Continnece). BUSINESS CARDS HE industrial Mortgage and I Savings Company, of Sarnia Onterm, aro prepared To adietere Wormy OP tpage. r" '111.d pa'degi lc,. V OD rbrul !pp -*WV... WI! I 1.1. ;INO apply te ( %Wit ,1.11..1)1, (III . who will ler o1.11 rate. Mid othor Tho Industrial Mortgage and Savings Company C. C. RAMAGE, D.D.S., L.D.S. BRUSSELS, ONT, Graduate Royal College of Dental Surgeons and Honor Graduate Uni- versity of Toronto. Deatistry in all its branches. Office Over Standard Bank, Phone 200 a.a.4a.40 a. 4aatexr AGENT FOR fire, Automobile and Wind ins, COMPANIES For Brussels and vicinity Phone 647 JAMS' # 11/1' FADZEAN igent Howick Mutual Fire Insurance Copan A150 Hartford Windstorm and Tornado Insurance Phone 45 Box 1 Turnberry Street Bruseel iNO. SUTHERLAND & SON LIMITED XXS I/BP:LAWN G thE MP IS alVTAMA D. MI, SCOTT 4.1VSX$0,0 dreesIrajragli PRICES MODERATE For references 0011sult any person whose sale. I have oftLeinted at, Phone 2828 T. T. NI' RAE s., tyr. 0. P., .t :4 0. Village of Physician, Surgeon, Acamioheur 05508 11 residence. opposite Melville Church, William Rtreet. Ar. Sveczaza BARRISTER, SOLICITOR, CONVEYANCER, NOTARY PUBLIC LECKE Bt...oCK - BRUSSELS DR. WAROL.RW Honor graduate Of the Ontario Veterinary night calla. Office opposite *0 Ulk.J.Ii_k“ .11.02AL).:T:11E2i.010 Anitoyl, ' ViraTiVaNaeiiii , 01 Torth Seffing is W•rth Telling vert se Advertise what you are doing.. Advertise what you expect to do. Advertise your old goods and move them. Advertise your new goods and sell them before they get old. Advertise to hold old trade. Advertise to get new trade. Advertise when business is good to make it better, Advertise when buiiness is poor to keep it from getting worse. Advertising is not a "cure-all." Advertising is a preventative, Advertising does not push, it pulls. Advertising to pay must be consistent and persistent,. de 9 ate P ST " killogtf