’• » : •
> m
Î
¡ The Case of
I Jennie Brice
A complete line of
Groceries
Fresh Vegetables every week
Agents for the popular
By
Tip Top Bread
Garden Seeds
11 MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
Brooms
We Also Carry A lin e Of
Overall-!, Jumpers, Sox, Ladies Hose,
Mens Underwear, Shirts, Mens and
Ladies H andkerchiefs, Suspenders,
Thread, Gloves, Pins and needles,
Muslins, Gingham and Calicoes.
We pay CASH for Eggs
“ The Quality Grocers’ ’
Waterbury & Chapman
Estaada,
■
»
Oregon
Beds
from
$ 2.90
to
$ 9.50
Full line
mattresses
and springs
I C o p y r iu h t, 1013. b y th e B o b b ,-
4
M e r r ill C om p a n y
C >ntinued from last issue
I f ‘It queer am! creepy. Tile street
diwr was open, o f course, ami the
lights going beyond. It gave me a
strange feeling to sit there hi the
darkness on the stairs, with the arch
o f the front door like the entrance to a
cavern, and see now and then a chunk
o f lee slide into view, turn uround in
the eddy and pass on. It was bitter
cold. too. and the wind was rising.
“ I’ ll go through the house.” s lid Mr.
Reynolds.
"There's likely nothing
worse the matter than some drunken
mill hand on a vacation while the
! mills are under water. Rut I'd better
| look.”
He left me. and I sat there alone in
the darkness. I had a presentiment of
something wrong, hut I tried to think
it was only discomfort and the cold.
The water, driven in by the wind,
swirled at my feet. And something
dark floated in and lodged on the step
below. 1 reached down and touc hed It.
It was a dead kitten. I had never
known a dead cat to bring me any­
thing hut had luck, and here was one
washed in at my very feet.
CHAPTER
II.
1 » REYNOLDS came hack soon
New Stock of Heywood BABY BUGGIES
and GO CARTS, rubber tired, with auto
tops at from $6. to $11.
Baby Cribs
with springs
and
mattress
$ 10 .
Estacada
Furniture Co.
Grtcn Tra’ in j Stamps
$2. a day.
Undertaker*
$10. a week
The Hotel Estacada
Modern Conveniences
One of the most delightful
Resorts on the Coast
Local and Tourist Trade Solicited
Reduce the High Cost
Of Living
Preserve Your
EGGS IN WATER-GLASS
Ejtacada Pharmacy
j
"Not here!”
"Hood heavens!'* he snarled. "Is her
going away anything to make such a
I fuss about? The Lord knows I’d he
! glad to get out o f this infernal pig wal­
low myself.”
" I f you mean my house”— I began.
But he luid pulled himself together
1 and wus more polite when he answer-
j ed: "I mean the neighborhood. Your
house Is ail that could he desired for
| the money. If we do not have linen
I sheets and double cream we are paying
| muslin and milk prices.”
| Either my nose was growing accus­
tomed to the odor or it was dying
I away. I took my foot away from the
| door. “ When did Mrs. Ladley leave?”
! I asked.
|
I "This morning, very early. 1 rowed
her to Federal street.”
! "You couldn't have laid much sleep.”
j I said dryly, for he looked horrible,
j There were lines around h.s eyes,
| which were red. and ids lips looked dry
j and cracked.
"She’s not In the piece this week at
j the theater,” he said, licking his lips
j and looking past me, not at me. "She’ll
he hack by Saturday.”
I did not believe him. I do not think
he imagined that I did. He shut the
door in my face, and it caught pjor IV-
! ter by the nose. The dog ran off howl-
! lug. hut although Mr. Ladley had been
“ I bo rro we d y o u r boat, Mrs. P i t m a n .” j as fond o f the animal ns it was in his
on.y culled "N o: curtly tnrougn tne l nature to he fond o f anything, he paid
door and asked me to lake that in­ i no attention. As I started down the
fernal dog away.
hall after him I saw what Peter had
1 went hack to bed and tried to been carrying—a slipper «.f Mrs. Lad-
sleep, for the water had dropped an ley's. It was soaked with water. Evi­
Inch or so on the stairs, and I knew dently Peter had found it floating at
the danger was over. Peter came, shiv­ the foot o f the stairs.
ering. at dawn and got on to the sofa
Although the idea o f murder had not
with me. I put an end o f the quilt over entered my head at that time, the slip­
him. and he stopped shivering after a per gave me a turn. I picked it lip
time and went to sleep.
and looked at it, a black one with a
Tin* dog was company. I lay the*e. beaded toe. short in the vamp and high
wide awake, thinking about Mr. Pit heeled, tlie sort most actresses wear.
man's death, and how 1 had come by Then I went hack and knocked at the
degrees to * * keeping a cheap hoard­ door o f the front room again.
ing house tc the flood district and to
"W hat tlie devil do you want now ?”
having to take impudence from every­ he called from beyond the door.
body who chose to rent a room from I "H ere’s a slipper of Mrs. Ladley*!,”
me and to being called a she devil. 1 said. "Peter found it floating in the
From that I got to thinking again lower hall.”
about the I.adleys and how she Lad i He opened tlie door wide and let
said lie was a fiend and to doubting ■ me in. The room was in tolerable or-
about his having gone out for medi­ | dor, much better than when Mrs. I.ad
cine for her. I dozed off again at day­ j ley was about. He looked at the slip
light, and heiug worn out I slept per. hut he did not touch it. "I don’t
heavily.
think that is hers,” he said.
At 7 o'clock Mr. Reynolds came to
" I ’ve seen her wear it a hundred
tlie door, dressed for the store He times."
was a tall man of about fifty, neat and
"W ell, she'll never wear it again.”
orderly in ids habits, and he always And then, seeing me stare, lie added:
remembered tintt 1 had seen 1letter "It’s ruined with tlie water. Throw it
days and treated me as a lady.
out. And, by tlie way, I'm sorry. Hut
"Never mind about breakfast for me I set fire to o i^ o f the pillow slips;
this morning. Mrs. Pitman,” he said. dropped asleep. and my cigarette did
“ I’ ll get a cup o f coffee at the other the rest. Just put it on the bill.”
end o f the bridge. I’ ll t ike the boat
He pointed to the bed. One of the
and send it hack with Terry.”
pillows had no slip, and the ticking
He turned and went along the hall cover had a scorch or two on it. I
and down to tlie boat. I heard him went over and looked at it.
push off from tin* stairs whli an oar
"The pillow will have to he paid for.
and row out into the street. Peter too, Mr. Radley.” I said. "And there’s
followed him to tile stairs.
a sign nailed on the door that forbids
At a quarter after 7 Mr. Lndle.v came smoking in bed. If you are going to
out and called to me: "Just bring in a | set fire to things I shall have to charge
cup o f coffee and some toast,” he said. extra.”
"Enough for one."
"Really.*” he jeered, looking at me
lie went hack and slammed his door with ids cold, fishy eyes. "Is there
and I made his coffee. 1 steeped a any sign on the door saying that board­
cup of tea for Mrs. Ladley at the same ers are charged extra f»r seven feet of
time. He opened the door Just wide filthy river in the bedrooms?'*
enough for the tray and t 10 k it with­
I was never a match for him. and I
out so much as a "thank you." He make it a principle never to handy
hud a cigarette in ids mouth as usual | words with my Isainlers. I took the
and I could sen* a fire in tlie grate and pillow and the slipper and went out.
smell something like scorching cloth.
The telephone was ringing on the stair
“ I hope Mrs. Radley is better,” I landing. It was the theater, asking
said, getting my foot in the crack of for Miss Brice.
the door so lie could not quite close it.
"She has gone away.” I saM.
It smelled to me as if he had acciden­
"W hat do you mean? Moved away?"
tally set fire to something with his j "Hone fo r #o few days' vacation," I
cigarette and I tried to see into the
replied. “ She Isn't playing this week,
room.
is she?”
"W hat about Mrs. Lndley?” lie snap­
"W ait a moment,** said the voice
ped.
and reported the house quiet
’in.I In mil.-;.
ISss&s!?
"Rut I found l*eter shut up
in one of the third floor rooms,” lie
said. "I »Id you put him there?”
1 had not and said so. hut as the dog
went everywhere and the door might
have blown shut we did not attach
much Importance to that at the time.
Well, the skiff was gone, and there
was no use worrying about it until
morning. I went hack to the sofa to
keep warm, hut I left my candle light­
ed and my door-open. I did not sleep.
The dead cat was on my mind, and ns
if It were not had enough to huve it
washed i.i at my feet about 4 In the
morning Peter, prowling uneasily, dis­
covered it and brought it in and put It
on my couch, wet and stiff, poor little
thing!
I looked at the clock. It was a quar­
ter after 4. and except for the occa­
sional crunch o f one ice cake hitting
another in the yard, everything was
quiet. And then I heard tin* stealthy
sound o f oars in t lie lower hull.
1 am not a brave woman. I lay
there, hoping Mr. Reynolds would hear
and open Ids door. But lie was sleep­
ing soundly. Peter snarled and ran out
into the hull, and the next moment I
1 1 card Mr. Radley speaking. “ Down,
Peter.” lie said. "Down. (Jo and lie
down.”
I took my candle and went out into
the ball. Mr. Lad ley was stooping over
the boat, trying to tie It to the stair­
case. The rope was short, having been
cut, and he was having trouble. Per­
haps it was the caudle light, hut he
looked ghost wldte and haggard.
"I borrowed your boat, Mrs. Pit­
man.” he said, civilly enough. "Mrs.
Lndley was not well, and I—I went to
the drug store.”
"Y ou’ ve been more than two hours
going to the drug store,” I said.
lie muttered something about not
finding any open at first and went into
There was a hum of conversation from
“ You said she was ill last night.”
his room. He closed and locked the
"Oh, yes! Well, she wasn’t very sick. the other end. and then another man
door behind him and. although Peter
j came to the telephone.
whined and scratched, he did not let She’s beftei\”
“ Can you find out where Miss Brice
"Shall I bring her sumo tea?”
him in.
"Take your foot away!” he ordered. has gone?”
He looked so agitated that I thought
T i l see."
I had been harsh and perhaps she was "No. She doesn't want tea. She's not
Continued on page 4
really ill. I knocked at the door and here."
asked if I could do anything. Rut lie
!