The Brussels Post, 1926-12-8, Page 7peeeeleeteeetessee-
THE BRUSSELS POST
essetseenteeisthsvio.,.ellil,:tfe
s
The Red L
(Copyright)
tle OW:
4:lesieth
by MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
,te
es,140:e's MI:leer' eshei,e8.0teey, .14•;es
September let.
I dare say there is DO 'ty110 of in-
veteigation in which the rerave—no
pun here—is so mixed with the gay,
as tn this particular psychic ssareh
on which we are at present sneaged.
For, let Halliday use it for such pur-
poses as he will, to Jane, Edith and
Mrs. Livingstone it is a deadly ser-
ious matter.
Their reactions are peculiar. Jane
accepte it stoically and without sur -
prim; it is almost as though, from
the beginning she has known that it
was to happen. But she is nervous;
she has eaten almost nothieg all day.
Edith shows a peculiar end 'rather
set -faced intensity. Whether she
knows that something quite different
lies behind it, or only suspects it, I
do not know.
Halliday; aim, is grave anti quiet.
He is less interested, however, in the
manner of the sitting than in its
dramatis personae. The list ne has
made out himself; Hayward, the two
Livingstones, Jane, Edith and him-
self. On my pointiug out a slight
emiseion, namely, myself, he told me
cheerfully that I belonged among the
Scribes and Pharisees,
"The Scribes, anyhow," he said.
"You are to sit by the red larne and
make notes, I am particularly an-
xious to have notes," he added.
On the other hand, Mrs. Living -
steno has entered into it with extra-
ordinary zest. She appeared thie tlf-
ternoon, sligthly wheezy with the
heat, carrying a black curtain of
some heavy material and demanding
O hammer and assistanee before she
was fairly out of her ear. As it wns
apparently up to me to furniai both
I did'so, but anything less nonducive
to a sperital state of mind than ,the
preparations which followed at the
main hose it would be hard to find.
To stand on a ladder in the heat
and darkness of the den, and to nail
up that curtain across a corner with
no more ritual than if I had been
hanging a picture; to place inside It
a small table and a bell on it, while
beside it leaned an old. guitar, 00300-
rected from the attic and minus twc)
strings, struck me as poor psyehologis
cal preparation for confronting the
unknown.
But we are curious creatures. The
sun was low before we hai finished,
and as we sat resting'from our lab-
ors dusk began to creep into the
house. And with it ceme—self-
created, of course—a sort of awe of
that cabinet I had myself just made;
it took on a mystery; behind its heavy
folds almost anything might happen.
It brooded aver the room, tali • and
menacing, with folds that seemed to
sway With some unseen life behind
them.
I left Mrs. Livingstone placing
chairs about a small table and went
out into the air! '
The arrangements are now com-
plete. Mrs. Livingstone has brought
over a phonograph, with a collection
•of what appear to be most lugubrious
records; she also promises Living
stone, 011382 or dead. -
was right about it; it ie playing:
"Shall We Gather at the River?"
11.45 Small raps on the table, and
one strong one, like the blow of a
doubled fist.
1 1.47 The table is moving, twist-
ing about It ceases and the krioeks
come again,
11.50 The curtain of the cabinet
eeerns to be moving. No one else
has apparently noticed it. I have
stopped the phonograph.
11:55 The curtain has blown out
as far as Mrs, Livingstone's should -
ere All see it. Edith etsys something
has touched her on the right arm.
To iny inquiry if anyone hes relaxed
lee grasp of the hand ne is bolding,
ne one has clone so.
12;00 The bell inside the celdnel.
has been knocked from the table,
with such violence that it rolls out in
the room.
12;10 Nothing since the bell fell.
Livingstone has asked if less light is
required, and by knocks the reply is
"Yes." I* have put out lemp.
(The following notes were made in
the dark and are not very distinct. I
have supplemented them from mem-
ory.)
All quiet since the last entry.
There is a mouse apparently playing
about in the library. I am cold, hut
probably nerves.
There is a sense of soft movement
in the library; the covers ere rust-
ling; the prisms of the chandelier
ear be heard.
Edith says her chair is being slow-
ly lifted. It has crashed to the floor.
A hand has apparently run over the
guitar strings. All complain of cold.
am alarmed about Jane.
I notice the herbal odor again; no
one else has, apparently.
(Note: At this point, Jeme's
breathing continuing labored, and my
apprehension growing, I insisted on
terminating the seance.)
Septemher 2nd.
Jane shows no ill -effect from last
night, and indeed appears to have no
knowledge of the later phenomena,
"I think I must haw fallen as-
leep," she said this morning. "How
silly of me!"
She has no i•dea of her entranced
condition and I have not told her.
She accepts the idea of a second
sitting to -night, without enthusiasm,
but apparently with the eatallatie
idea that what must be must be. She
took a little tea and toast this morn
ing. . .
As to what Halliday had hoped to
discover, I am as completely in the
dark as ever. On my decision to end
the seance, and on turning on the
lights as I did without warnilig, the
group was seen to be as it had been
at the beginning, except that; 'Mrs.
Livingstone's chair appeared to have
been pushed back, and 'ems some-
what nearer the cabinee than before.
Hayward, so far as I can tell, had
not changed his position. His atti-
tude throughout seemed to me to be
one of polite but rather uneasy scep-
ticism. Livingstone, on the other
"I left him sulking," she said. hand, showed strong nervous excite-
ment from ,first to last, but certain -
"But he will feel better efter he's
ly never left the table.
had his dinner."
And to this frivolous measure we He is ill to -clay, which is not 5110-
pri'.3ing, but I understand the inten-
start the night's proceedings.
tion is to carry on the experiment
Notes made during -first seance
Sept. 1st; 11.15 P.M. Present: without him to -night. . .
Jane, Edith, Hayward, the two Liv- Regarding the phenomena them
ingstones, Halliday and myself. Liv- selves, what can I do but accept
ingstone and Edith examining house, thein? Certainly they.showed ao con-
nection with what Mrs, Livingstone
All outside doors locked and windows
boarded. The red lamp 00 small likes to call the spirit world; on the
other hand, either they were genuine
stand in corner diagonally opposite
; or they showeie an experience in
cabinee and my chair beside it,
11.30 P.M. All is ready. Mos. trickery utterly beyond any member
Livingstone at end of table, .next to of our small group.
And who would trick us? And
cabinet. On her left Jane, linewea
and Mr. Levingstone. On her right,
Halliday and, Edith. A ree sillt hand-
kerchief over lamp makes light very to the psychological effect of the
faint. I have started the pbono- Preltruitlattes; in spite of myssl± they
graph, according to instructions. T influenced me. The music, the low
light followed by darknese, the
strange and feaeful expectancy of
something beyond our ken, all added
to the history of the house itself and
its recent tragedy, had prepared tie
for anything.
The billowing of the cabinet cut-
tain was particularly terrible. Scep-
tic as I am, 1 had the feeling of some
dreadful thing behind it; something
one should not eee, and yet somehow
might see. • .
why?
Livingstone was right, however, 688
•
Monesialeagem...a.sellemormabossa ..,tew,i2s,n1324,1syror
Letterheads
Envelopes
Billheads
•
And all kinds of Huffiness
Stationery printed at The
Post Publishing House.
We will do a job that will
do credit to your business.
Look over your eteek of
Office Statiotery and he it
tequiree replenishing call
us by telephone 31.
TIM Post Publishing !louse
.iiitn.V.04044011ftekele4111;•WenaavIttbeefeentonsonmury....
Both Crawford and Cameton' I ite•
Hove that certain individuals have the
ability to project from their bodies
rod-like structures of energy, inviss
ible to the naked eye but capnble of
producing levitations, raps and oths
er phehoreeria. They believe Hint
these strecturee are utilieed by out -
Side spirits .or ‘teentrole." My own
conviction is, that if Mch °owe% ex-
ist, they are 110t directed hem out-
eide, but by the enediurres tubeen-
seime inind., It that 01l80, of mune,
1± 183 possible that Jane was the inno-
cent author of last night's entertain-
ment.
Mrs. Livingstone suggeete thai11
we sedum anything of interest to.
night, I consult, Cameron with a view
!o his joining us later on. . . .
Notes of emince held on evening of
Rept. 21e1; 1:00 A.M. Largely
from memory, sinee all the later part
WIla held without light, but mede ims
will:Aide, following seence.. Pree-
mt.: Jane, Edith, Hayward, feeniday,
Mrs. Livingstone and myself. Liv-
ingstone absent.
I have moved larnp out from 0(13'-
001', and am now near door Into hall.
Doors from den and library 'Tito
hall closed. Door into library open.
11:10 Table moves almost immed-
iately. Edith says is rising from the
floor. It has risen but one leg re-
mains on floor. •
11:15 All remove hands, end table
settles down.
11:20 Loud reps on table. Con -
as dmiand for less light.
Handkerchief throWn over lamp.
Curtain of cabinet billows int) loom.
Guitar overturned inside cabinet.
All quiet now.
No phenomena whatever for about
ten minutes. Jane very cutlet. Hay-
ward feels her pulse; it is feet but
strong. Mrs. Livingstone asks if too
much light, and rap replies "yes." I
have put out the lamp.
(Note: From here on I 10f10 able
to jot down a word or two in long
hand, the previous night'experience
of making stenographic notes in dark -
nen having shown ite practical im-
possibility. The following record I
have since elaborated from mem-
ory.)
The bell in cabinet rings violentln
and is flung across room, strilcing
door into, hall.
A small light, bluish -white, about
a foot above Jane's head. it shines
for a moment and then disappears.
It has flashed again, near the fire-
place.
A fine but eteady taltoo is heing
beaten, apparently outside of the
door to hall. A tap or two on metal,
possibly the fender. Silence..
Jane apparently in trance.
The sounds extend Intl the lib-
rary, and there is movement there.
The covc,rs seem to be in inotion as
before. The prisms of ehandelier
tinkle like small bells. From where
I Sit. 1 can see a small light over the
bookease in library. It is gone.
The herbal odor again.
Jane is groaning and moving in her
chair. Mrs. Livingstone and Hay-
ward having trouble holding her
hands. She calls: "Here! Here!"
t4hay. nly.
Heyward says some.thing has
teuched, him on the shouldoe "Some-
thing floated by me just now," he
says, "on the left. It touched my
shoulder."
A crash on the table. I notice the
herbal odor once more. Silence
egem.
Something is in the hall. It is
groping its way along. it la at the
door beside me, . . .
My notes end here. I had reached
the limit of my endurance and, as the
switch was beside me, 1 mimeo on
the lights. As before, ette. Living -
stone's chair seemed somewnat near-
er the cabinet; no othr changes in
position, except that Halliday had
gone out to search hall and fewer
floor. The bell was on floor neas the
door into hall, and lying on table,
"Smyth's Everyday Essays."
To the best of my knowledge this
book was ie the library at the begin-
ning of the seance.
No eigns of disturbance in libeary
or hall, to account for sounds I
heard. But an unfortunate eituatioe
has arisen, owing to Mrs. Living..
stone's failure to lock door -Nom hall
to drive. She had pushed the bolt,
but as the door was not entirely clos-
ed, it had not engaged. Wo found
this door standing open.
This, however, although Hayward
seems uneasy, hardly invalidates the
extraordinary phenomena secured to-
night.
Zane exhausted,
her.
and Edith wah
Septemher
I have seen Cameron and he will
come out. He has evidently been
seriously ill, but it shows the domin-
ance of the mental over the physical
that he beushed aside Iny apologies
and went directly to the matter in
hand.
But it is a curious thing,to, reflect
that, a short time ago, it would have
boon I who was the seeptic and Cam-
eron who would have been ranged 00
the other side. 'To -day INDI 1 who
was -excited. And Cameron was to
ba eonvinced
"This Edith, of whom you speak,"
be said, "how old is she?"
"Twenty."
witn a strong physical median) pres-
ent, and this he imagined Jane to be.
The book, ithwever, particularly at-
tracted his interest, Over my nines
on that he sat thinking for some
time.
"You say It crashed onto the tab-
le?"
"At the ghee, yes. !tut Doel'i?r
Hayward, who was neareet the lib-
rary door, says that after my wife
culled 'Here? he felt something, pass
his shoulder. Float past, is the way
he puts it He 'thinks it wee the
book, and that it droppee onto the
table after that."
"About what you heard in the hall;
was this hall dark?"
"Yes. There were no lighte any-
where in the house."
"You heard footsteps?"
"No. It was like something feel-
ing its way along. You know what
I mean," . .
Toward the end of the conference
he leaned back and studied me
through his glaeses.
"What started you on this, Por-
ter?" he said,
He did not remind me, although he
might well have done so, that my
previous attitude, to him and his
kind, had been one of a sort of in-
different contempt; that, during his
entire time at the university, I had
never so much as set foot in his
rooms, nor asked him into my house;
that on the two or three times only
when we had met, I had taken no
pains to hide my rejection of him
and all that he stood for.
But it was implied in his question,
and I dare say I colored. I told hint,
however, as best I could, and he
smiled.
"I rather imagine," he said, "that
when we pass over, our interest in
this plane of existence is impersonal;
we may hope to educate it as to
what is beyond. But we liar ily car-
ry our desires for revenge with us."
Of all that I had tole him, how-
ever, the Evanston matter intesested
him most. Over the letter he sat
for a long time, his heavy, almost
hairless head sunk forwend as he.
read and re -read it.
"Curious," he said. "What de you
make of it?"
"A great deal," I tole him, and
detatled my discovery of the letter
behind the drawer of the deskand
my theory as to old Horace Peeter's
death. I had brought that letter al -
80, and he studied it as carefully as
he bad the other.
" "The enormity of the ilea,' " he
repeated. "That's a strong phrase.
And he threatens to call in the pol-
ice! Have you any notice) as to
what this idea may have been'?"
"Not the slightest," 1 sail frankly.
"I would like to keep this for a
while, if yomo don't mind," he said at
last. "I have a medium here in
town—but I forget. You don't be-
lieve in such things-"
"I don't know what I believe. But
you are welcome to it, of course."
It was only after this matter of
the letter that he finally agreed to
come out the day after to-inorrow.
September 4th.
The words "making trouble,"
lightly underscored on page 24 of
"Smyth's Everyday Essays," are the
key to Gordon's cipher. The entire
sentence is: "It is often the ingenu-
ous rather than the malicious who go
about the world making troeble."
In a few hours, then, we shall have
solved our mystery, or at lease such
portion of it as is locked in the diary.
Read with this key we have already
translated the sentence I recorded
here on the 22nd of August. Al-
though we cannot interpret a with-
out the context, it becomes:
"The G. P. stuff went big last
night." s
In the same way the scrap 0/ pap-
er found in my garage is now dis-
covered to read, "Smyth, P. 24."
Edith's single error lying in the num-
ber, which she had remember:J. as
28.
Halliday suggests that the G. P.
above may refer to George Pierce,
but makes no attempt to explain the
reference. . .
Halliday's story of his discovery is
interesting; certain portions of the
two seances he apparently accepts
without. comment save: "It was the
usual stuff," and lets it go at that.
Although "usual" is hardly the word
I should myself use In that connec-
tion. But the book was, as I gather
it, not the usual stuff.
"There was something about the
way it came, that night of the m-
ance," ho says, and makes a :endure.
"Mrs. Porter called it, and it came.
Like a dog," he says, an 1 Watchet
me to be sure I am not laughing at
However that may be, the honk
and the straneg manner of its arriv-
al in out midst had intereated him,
".A nervous type?" tied he had spent some time over it.
"Yes, and no. Not if Thus, he found where it belonged in
hat's what yo e mean." the library, and tried to discover
Certain of the &mermen, toe, some significance in that. But there
sem to puzzle him. The table wog none, '
talon, the lights and °thee manifee- "I drew a blank there," no
tations wee not untimely be said, "I examined the wall behind, but
WEDNESDAY, DEC, 8, 1020. •
there was nothing. You Be e it
couldn't have been thrown in; It
wasn't passible. And when Hayward
said it touched him, both his hands
were being held. In other words, he
didn't put it there."
All the Hence I gather, he was feel-
ing extremely foolish. He would
pause now and then, in order to 115'
'11111 me that he felt "a bit silly.' He
didn't believe in sueh things; when
there was a eatnral phenomena
there was a natural lex, to aecount
for it. Maybe telekinesie, or what-
ever they called tte
"But there had to be mme reason
for that book," he says. "I just sat
down and went through it,"
He has taken the key words to the
city and has just telephoned (2 P.M.)
that the detective bureau has put a
staff to work on it.
"It will be several hours/' )2(,
"It's slow work. But Pll be out with
the sheets as soon as they've fini ,h -
ed."
Septembee 5t13.
Too much exhausted to -day to
make any coherent record. Th .8 four
hours last night in the District At-
torney's office have worn me one I
have called of Cameron to -nigh e for
the sante reason.
The mystery sems to be increased,
rather than solved, by the diary. By
such portions, at least, as were read
to me. And I do Mot understand the
conditions under which I was ques-
tioned, nor the questions themselves.
Goad God, are they suspecting me
again? Halliday is still in town. . .
Later:
Edith has removed my anxiety as
to Halliday's return. lie has tele-
phoned, and she has just brought me
the message.
"He says you are not to worry,"
she reports. "He is working with
them on the case. And yoa will not
be disturbed again."
She looks pale, does 0 Pelt en
Jane is not much better. I have told
Jane the whole matter; my absence
last night had possibly preparee her,
but the very confession that I had
been subjected to what amounted to
the third degree has roused her to a
fury of indignation.
"How can they are such a thing!"
she said. "How can they even think
"It's their huffiness to befleve a
man guilty until he proves nis ieno-
eence," I reminded her. "A.ni Ger-
don thought it; you must rememer
b
tthaano:that this diary of Gurdon'e,
nothing is more clear to me
h
which Halliday himself carried to, the
police, has somehow incriminated DI,.
Seatotrther
Halliday IS still in town. I c8308 do
nothing but wait here, eating niY
heart out with anxiety, and allowin;.::
my imagination to run away with Inc
88 f% thousand ways.
My womeiee:alt support me 1(5.5 to to thelr heel. Jane iy.i*Ves1181
sweetbreads "'or luncheon, and Edith
to
moot by,
001111e aolf-
her good faith in me.
But Edith le curiously lifelese;
that small but burning flame in her
withal we call optimism, for want of
a better word, eemdefinitely
quenched. She is silent and ay:All-
ah., arid has been eo since yeeter-
day.
She seems to resent our having
sent in the key to the diary.
"If only you hadn't done that,"
she said to -clay.
"What else could we do We have
to get at the bottom of Me thing."
"I don't see that it has got you
anywhere. It has only mussel
up."
What she has in her mind I do not
know, unless, poor child, she has
been building a future on Halliday's
solving the creme, and that now that
prospect is gone. She tells me that
Starr has been on guard at the main
house, quietly, for the two nights
Halliday has been in town. But if
she knows any explanation of his
presence she does not give it.
"He's afraid to go inside," she
said, scornfully. "He just sits out T, T. 11/PRAE
on the terarce and smokes. If any- 65. B., M. C. P., .2 S. o,
body said boo behind him ne'd jump
Physician, Surgeon, Accoucheur
Di. 0 13„ Village of Brussela.
into the bay and drown himself."
°Moe nt residenc_le, oppoaite Melt Ille Church.
She has apparently implicit faith
w
iniam Ntreet
in Halliday's ability to keen me from
further indignity. But I am not so
certain. The sound of a car on the
highway sets my pulse to beating like
a riveting machine; at the arrival of
the Morrison truck a few minutes DR. WARDLAW
ago with some belated buttermilk 1 Honor graduate of the Ontario Veterinary
"ollege. Day and night cella (Moe opposite
got up and buttoned my coat. rimer etin. Rthel.
My place in my little world behind.
the draM pipe is neither large nor
important, but it is difficult for me
te Imagine it without me.
(To Be Continued),
BUSINESS DASDS
_
THE Industria.0 Mortgage and
SavIna s Company, of Sarrsia
Octane. aro preparod to advance money or
Mortgages OD good lands, Parties deairing
melust on farm mortgaggs pl.nne apply to
Vowon, eleaforth, flot who will fur
,‚I,5, rah.. and oh
The indwatrial Mortgage
and Sayings company
C. C. RA1VIAGE, D.D.S., L.D.S.
BRUSSELS, ONT.
Graduate Royal College of Dental
Surgeons and Honer Graduate Uni-
versity of Toronto. Dentistry in all
its branches.
Office Over Standard Bank,
Phone 200
zAg raw A kaatoarr
AGENT FOR
Fire, Automobile and Wind Ins.
COMPANIES
For Brussels and vicinity Phone 647
JAMES NI' FADZEAN„
Agent Hoick Mutual Fire Insurance Company
Also
Hartford Windstorm and Tornado Insurance
Phone 42 Box 1 Turnbarry Street Brussel
iNO, SUTHERLAND & SON
LIMITED
Rex caz
49igeilteeleif Ox-rszoo
D. M. SCOTT
&re:4;min; atmenroxsure
PRICES MODERATE
For referenoes ooneult any pereon whoae sales
I have oftioisted at. Phone 2820
W. SIxvicars,
BARRISTER, SOLICITOR,
CONVEYANCER, NOTARY PUBLIC
LECKIE BLOCK - BRUSSELS
Worth Selling
is
Worth Telling
Advertise
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.
Adve.rtise when badness is poor to ikeep
it from getting worse.
Advertisinris not a "cure-all,"
Advertising is a preventative,
Advertising does not push, it pulls.
Advertising to pay must be consistent and
persistent.
ItlVIT".11[1.11.,1421,164
THE 111 SEES POST
:,,7*IMN •
VIP AAP VON g9