The Barnwell people. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1884-1925, November 18, 1920, Image 3
The
Mystery of Hart
ley House
By Clifford 8. Raymond
Illustrated by Irwin Myers
(CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK)
. ' CHAPTER XV.
Mr. Sidney died between three and
four o’clock Christmas morning. He
passed so easily that Jed, sleeping
‘n the lounge-chair beside him, did
not know that death had gone through
the chamber until an hour after the
< vent. Jed awakened me. In the case
such an expected happening as this,
*he perceptions start slowly. The
fact that the benignity which so tm-
T*erceptibly had dominated the house
t ad ceased to exist took hours to as-
«ert Itself.
Jed was composed when he aroused
me. Later, when the sun came up to
make radiant all the white witchery
the storm left, his sense of loss began
to aMert Itself, and acute a« was the
fc rief t& the house, none wa« deeper
•euted or more profound than that of
«he rascally aid servant.
Mm. flklaey arrafSed the meat with
a ae malty which I dlsroterrd after*
'• ard was hwra of a kmg dsed reaola*
*haa far yearn her Ilfs had hern a
j**la! ad her ateeal happy*
'•» ^ite mt that, heraaaa of her great
levwttna •• the awwdsvfhl aana aha
^easdL Vha ehapseea which ha daSBi , '
t a*e4 la har hawh wesw aa4ah M ith
taamMRHHa tha Mad thews hahdh
InMai dM M pwamM harasif Ih
' Afsw 1 ■ la aay wwaharwa tohac had
* «aaamad *aa waiieaa an lha awa^saas
•it, h» r* % er
IhMah I aaaar wniasdl ha adharew the I
awanhretMi ae*epa.«wr waM whflsh aaa 1
am§ har tsfefeha h idiiaiia epaws fea her 1
dMh awaasamphar dhawh, aha had I
waadap a what har asaaaat- aed ah* sae I
h
far tarwKf I aaa <ha rad ad a tarda I
e adw ahadk swah ahra waMiahtr I
Wnpa * f a* IPS tamea I
%r haw»a w ifeaeway fe***MM tat dead I
a tad
I ahrahi hfedh hadh I hanan aaatey I
dips aa a aaadaaww# im »•*■* ae«. I
««rtar*ai as pwarar dMfeawtha ad Whe awsp I
eaawMp fea a aarah haaMh Ih dhf I
dBMMP haa haHMthl dhh* a %ra t aa* |
ah Maidtef Vhrs awpaewaaea • ••and fea I
\ aae<e«M <a aa fehe |
1 ahaa aag wda hahtad I
aMHMawn aarw^y taa I
• fea*''Oa feed WMW I
> an ^a dswh Mshtwm I
hr aeatadhraa# haadhi I
lew feMNae «e samAMS I
P nr area* fha thNSVMdhrh aaa A
airferawsw A hr flfrwad A thr ttaee
Mrs Adhry thewdhi appeepnatw
It might htL A had writ lap, that
Mm hltlwey waaM not want the at nee
erected durlhg her life. Her wtehee
were to A eonaulted. When tA *rsve
was marked. If It ever was. the In
sortpfton was to A na hs dlrrctetl.
Mm. Sidney, acquainted with the
terms of this extraordinary mortuary i
note, shld that It was her wish to have
the senled envelope opened Immediate
ly and Its instructions carried out.
Christmas night hnd set In. and the
place was a fairyland of glistening
white. Far-ofT-church-hellR sounded
faintly across the snow. In the In
creasing cold, following the abatement
of the storm, timbers in the old house
creaked and snapped, and when one of
the people of the house, on an outdoor
chore, passed within earshot, the sound
of footsteps was audible and the crisp
crunching which, even ns does a high
wind, emphpfrtzfcs. the comfort of a
secure aikHvarm shelter.
1 was In the office when Mrs. Sid- !
ney’s Instructions to open the sealed
enclosure were received.
I proceeded to do so. There was
a brief note, as follows;
I destrc th« marking on my gravestone,
when It Is put up. to road;
ARTHt’R DOBSON
Horn May C. IMw
Died .
I was Aiding that document, "tar
ing at It. and grasping for elUMivr
threads of peer* 1 i»tton. when Jed came
lit. He carried a manuscript In bit
hand.
Jed drew a rtiatr up to f A lire h?
m? fetafe. It aa« afth a at range f«wl
lag of relief that I acrepted the atg
nifnance «»f the awaww rlpi he carried
1*m a *f rangr Haan. dariwr,* A aaM
A wf Wgtwetng "Vaad never
awde^aeanfe Ae, I' M a ••mivge Aafe
a*4 | 4m at range thNfeffe> I A gwAg A
4m mmm wow ■ *a nasanad rwsswrtawsw >
._MMh.fgAgfeflk tT*
“f few fewwwe tmad fen eeawwad any
A*wa wan na wf"waa «%««g gad ahn*
9 A0 fewa ^nfeidHaa w ga gA Sgafepa |
■ w 4 '■*<% Anw t mw nA twa
Aw* W W a aafy mwi tAhg MW h la
4riA*«wd wmw wfe*h aA I ha*w awAwnM
g ot-'-w s fhamrshitgt • thn mat*ne wttfet
Ay wwrfci tl a wm a hwM a mwh
dent #
•WAt r m getting at la thlfk* H#
held up the mNou«< rlpt. "‘rhla it Mr.
Sidney’s dlnry. I hate talked to Mra.
Sidney, She thinks, a* I think., that
you should read It,, You’ll probably
want to confirm what I iny. You'll
have to ask Mrs. Sidney. I know you
are Itching to rend It. I also know
that If one of your scruples Inter
vened, you’d let your itch go unscratch
ed. But this is <vhnt I came in for,
and here’s the manuscript.
wa 9 w mmm^m A Awa ami Ah Afe
hlWA A%aA I a w gPwww n
Ad
zctzr^
l«Ad At «Awad*h ad AfeAd A Adf AW
•A had Aww • fyvwd and t AtwAl
had erweit? It wmm mwWl g feaetfeMe
Ma at • HAW «hea I AWrh atnednd •
friend.
**A« we grew alder Richard*# dA
Ih4IcuI hahlta heratne only ahrewder.
not I etui assertive. He contrived the
moat Ingenious arhemes for fny tor
ment.- He humiliated me whenever
poralhle before other luiys, and, l*etter
for bln pur|M»se. before girls. *
“My father put us out to.school to
gether, and this suited Richard's pur-
j»ose ndtplrably. How 1 hated this
tiling thflt bore my name and my hloml!
It became an indomitable hate. It
^ on understand that in giving it ; ,. T j s t s to this day. No human being
to you 1 surrender unconditionally. I 1
know it, but I want friends. The only
one I had is dead; 1 must make other
ones.’’ f
The extraordinary fellow shook my
hand, left the manuscript in my lap
and went out, a more pathetic figure
of sorrow than I ever expected to
see In Jed.
. I went at once to Mrs. Sidney. Jed.
I said, hnd left the diary with roe.
Would it serve any useful purpose for
me to read It, or should It not g© di
rectly to the fire?
*1 think you should read It, John.’*
she said. *T told Jed so. He la very
shrewd. His Judgment and mine In
this case agree.**
ever was so hated by another ns my
brother Richard was by me—and is—
is to this moment and will be hated
while a breath remains In my body.
“When I was .eighteen my father
died, and Richard ami I inherited the
estate'under a trusteeship to continue
unyi I was twenty-one. Richard was
then twenty. In another year he at
tained his majority. He wus profligate
amT wild, a heavy drinker, a coarse,
cruel boor, a licentious young ruffian
who had suffered twice In actions
brought by weak and unfortunate
girls.
“Tt Irritated him liey«*nd expression
that he had to wait the slow pr**cew*
j of my condng of age before he could
I went back to the office, put a log nttiie into Ms share of the property.
• »n ihe tire and ant down to read the . constant demeanor toward roe was
Uiar).
chapter XVI.
•f l»M
"MV •*
mpmmm
ml 4 A
Ai 4 4
auMfeUil
UA fem*
tootoMk
•rnmmmmm ■■
■ mmm
• n
fll Mto
I ^
•tend to giro AofO
>e manuscript | read
(At night. It was
srtka* and mat a It I#a|
fm of Arthur CluAmt,
etafara a* ■Mr. h*4
ttra«ta fr%mm lit •
a trnilmm UrnpmrnHkm
rUdent. Several |lme« | tried to estab
lish the reafeonahle relation" w hlefi
• •tight in convention, to egtst between
hrotAm. It was uaRe h««fand
•uy hate for this IhuW esma be an
In •site pa*s9ua It resaaAs an a pas
I a
\
I
#*i
I w
»»
A4A9 A Ml At a* aaMPfekMO
■
00'* 00
■Au tfeu lasui ml omu# f 9
BHmi 1
fee**
1 AAMto AMA AftoMtoto
9 A
•f
Uu «MUHfeA"i 44 rhuueu4
0*9* |
+*» * ft|
HA
feufe a4fee*u4 uuMAuMtoto
mi ft*
000 m
» fe.
"m" * femu ■e*** % *au feUA 1
H|MH ftH
, -xefe to • a aa*4 *MMM
9m A
(■MSI
' *
Mto mmm Ytoufu Au * *9 I (
IMV fiku fuaMu ueutafe feu mm
m 0**0
•mBm
A aA
«toto 0
uaae*^ * t ■wu'U"'" mm* **0 pm
0 00t0
00000
4 BH
»a»»< feUH^xAA AuuuAhy
1 ftftftft
m* 00
vhm a 4NA0 AM 44m Mu" a
00 0}
00mm
♦
UfeU uu feuRfi '^•■u fetoA
mftip
*1*\
00m
•
t—« mmm* fe aBUM fefeu la mmp -
PBBBBP !
# ** ,i fe 11
H
atunu 4m guu"<feik Mu • fee
ptoAfm
. V mm
| ftPft
A ftfiB
uMo* fetoMU A*u Mur ^ ♦ <
ti0m**00
mft •
pmm
SftB
mmm t mmm A Uhfe la A
Mft PflB i
ftftm I
%0t* 0
pm
9 feu Ai a AHAHP fetofeafi
H>%fA# #
M | lb |
taiuA • OB Mfe *4 mmmt
lit li
► ■ Ha#
Mi A ofik M 40Ato AAto
ftl 009
00* I
MOUU'K
HPi
mmmm Aoalfe oMHAuu^oo*
AA hA
* ft 11 *4
•ft
mm mrn4 OuO kMuu * toA
1 4 A#
u* 9m
M9f
IMA of MX- AMUf Hi «
1 AA tfe*
4mmm
N#feA AA
' “$ | UUUfe feu4 0* UMM
v.
of lArfeAA mmspgaaama Mn
I «a aaM mi if aat fegsmaai imp
gAtagn a •
"I 4m aafe fefrna hew inag I msasA
aar lasiiaAi A srhaa I aaaha It
feMjr hats been tm. forty A feist> mln
u*em. It may hmtm tmaa an hour or
two When it aaa. consdoisnrws
brought an aching head and a dawn
Inc determination.
Life with Richard at Hartley house
hni become iniposslhle. 1 could no
longer control him, I could no longer
endure him.
“A, chance of escape and of revenge
was possible. I was, In Richard’s un
derstanding, dead. He had tried to
kill me. He might he made to think
he had. I had considerable money
w|th me. Richard, of course, had not
touched it. Each of us had been giv
en. that morning, five hundred dollars
by trustees. That had been the occa
sion of Richard’s murderous debauch.
If is strange—or Is It?—that I never
think of him as, or ever called him.
Dick. %
“I arranged the spot as well as I
could in the details to suggest that my
drunken and brutal brother hnd not
only killed me hut had disposed of
my body in the river. When I had
done this, relying for auooew* on hla
uncertain memory of the act which
already had terrified him. I left Hart
ley house—all Ita (ttlnful m«m«»ries
and brutal experience*, the unhappt-
n»-*« I had experienced there, the mla-
era We childhood, the wretched boy
hood and the young manb>**d. mme
to this furtive, malevolent end. And
1 there resolved (At If I got safety
•way and If Ay design woefcod out
■nrresifully. | AhowM return A the
set fan aw •feat some time fen live a Ja
vfeal life oAre life bad beww aa drear,
My ydaA* oeee amt y rfeef; my
1 ren *s"rss
my mMPigeneu f*w vbm
ig A lA asufed aefo
Ay feAmmm aaa hey sad
A tw aMAlAfeAa ad
sef aeosfemr one tsh*a
a f'fee* saeAaseoa aeoo
if feRhfl I Are AaA. Horn
I Man bay lA aid p—m I
tbal Riebafd tadmaf A I
seat Hfi’tsMs bat IMacal
A a p« fiit«Titlary rioae la tbe plaff
where I shall Ilea In t A dmtmataacws
which • great deal of money will aA>
able me to set up.
“That Is my natural revenga upon i
fletid who hapiwne*! to come of thf
same parents aa L Hate la a wonder*
ful friend." \
* A
•e#
fee feafeam
1 aa*. aim*
Amssw Aa
aA a
A
am* anymr* a^a
yf dk 4MI
yiAdf Umi ((
thn# ftp A A#
MHlftHB dHftl
9 aA# ftp fftpl
CHAPTER XVIL
Je<^ came Into the room again as 1
finished reading, and put another log
on the Ar£. Then he sat down In n
rocking chair by the fire.
“They met that night, you know,*
he said after he had rocked a while.
“They?” I said.
“Arthur and Richard Dobson," said
Jed. “Mr. Sidney and his brother,
who is over there In the peniten
tiary."
“They met what night?" I asked.
Jed was patient.
‘They met the night last fall," he
explained. *when you found Mr. ftld-
ney leaving the house, the night I
found ymi outside, tbe night wm pre
tended I was alck. the night be came
In here and had oa call the penitentiary
ta say a ruovrlet had ramped. That
sight. A met hla brother. Hla brodb
rr was (A caavlct.**
Jed was rocking and talking ta tba
ire.
Mr Kidney- AHhur II
Aid. “went eA A are lA
every anniversary ad bks |
fsond (A strung**fe *A A sowar ready.
dAswram I Imagine A might bnan
»vrd MMibar tear a wan M A bad
mat bad tbe sapramn** A had thfea
AX
"V haem X «as a rwa* iaA «ba«
• •• a yaw Mr WbAef aAss 1 A
~fm* a baA aa A bad!
t Mai anew f*uf |
am* If aa« •
I afe | A aat feme* to toad a «
I •*aas is he* Ak» I AMto Ar bat
*kfee raws A Aa ymsfe wssdf
• fer * was <d fem M-«e • tm am
I warn Adi I mmm* afeMk Am li
swr% ai atoauddafeS mrnmmm 4$
mrawgfh I a e* af*^ : *a ’*e mmw
*1 *mrn ye" 1 aan"- - » je-jm aifeoi
Hu aAaumd a feMumai m yaa
4. was
*9 4M
i gugAaaafe auWA
au fend was a*
n yfeb a fia
*A AA* feMSMaa
A SA tawauNfe mmmm
>wgMMmf mamMs "d
M I
> vea fem#
A am Via
•*«C.e. • .
Mr. Kblfiey, we f«*und. bn*l
* ut e\pMc|| direction* for li
TMs In (tie ea«c i>f a man
-o well eon*HvimI. was "tn
hla w idle's us "e found iImmii, were
*lni|’c .n«l startling. He was to be
bnrbsl by the rlxer. dost to the p.x»!
which h;it| be<‘ii Invested with the udo-
•P brief
burial.
'ill* life
ct. but
Mi
111
I
«.ld S*»
w«*rbl I e(iit
alwayw. and
you to b*
e a<>*n;
-eTn to n
"r too «|ecp. I
it n««t dug up.
• r*-«l • feature !•* a
ult my real c«hs1, nov
1 hope I do J|«M ve*'»i
sentimentally."
too
(V«* t
as
1 to
‘You to me to be wholly crazy J’
I said. “When you speak of Miss Sid
ney’* marriage to me, you are not only
Strawberry
PLANTS
FOR
SALE
Fancy Strawber
ry Plants, especially
.td.vptrd to this aoi
and climate.
B B Etortaffag*
■mA & Co
A -
'A fem4A"fe
f ma*Mu few
Mr Sidarf.
11
to
%v** w«*rr early in di«on|eny ways
Richard had a genius f*»r em«dty. \
owmnt b*»y Is ttketr to W thoughtle--.
but Itlebard vva* inventive In his cm*
-(ties. It was brutal. He liked to
tear tilings to piece* slowly, a fly If It
was all he could catch—a grasshopper,
a field mouse. I had a faithful little
dog which Richard staked out In the
ground and killed by vivisection. 1
s-;i\v the little animal when it was
breathing its last with iN bowels ex
posed and Its lungs laid bare.
“Richard destroyed birds’ nests fo^
pleasure. He liked to cut a leg off a
hen -and see It stagger about vainly
trying to walk. lie maimed dogs. Fie
tortured 1 cattle and horses. He killed
a fine carriage horse by driving It to
death purposely to see how long It
would live under the treatment he
gave It. ^
“I doubt that I wn« a more lovable
child, hut fit least I did not have the
4-HtlrllH»i*- of crtn-Rr. f* wg* not rttdx
>oiingt‘r but I was weaker pliyslrglly,
(* WR" fc«Mi*dt1v/* to fe degree which iiifedc
! H««- an *\*iW.!lru»r> victim A Itlrbanl
• *
t ,*
tfufe # Mi
*++■ • mmm m
•o* • ' ■*
auav. were
antbm" !••
*11) Ihe re«|M
In uirf* of
of •mr live*
t*»gether. as
•r te*
*TI»e "lory
I nwd It In the testimony of witne^o-M
who knew more of Us tern*rs than I
’iHHigbt nn>♦Ute knew, was terrific. It
would have dnnuicd any aggressor in
the opinion of any body of men. Ev
eryone w ho knew anything of the case,
RIHiaril htmaelf imluded. was <»>n-
viriced that 1 had h»«en murdered. The
doubt which remained merely served
to get J+rrfnrfd a life sentence Instead
of tlie gallows. r Popular psychology
condeiimed him. ’i’lie lack of essential
cvlrhmre wmv ignored.
“I waited until I knew what Ids
fate was, and then, rejoicing. I left
the country. T find no prospects and
few plan's, but my inclination was to
go to South Amerlea, and I followed
it
■ M v hat red t • t. It grew.
*» a |sts<*ioii. at first a disturbing <yie.
>4|t i"TM<*t«ir\ «»li« ,
o «»ii(T«-r Notfdi
ill proi^rty |*fe
I w HiiierLTiiin
I bat Ih- 1 can
r*4
***1*1*% )••or brother Arthur* mum! Mr
Sldnev. *Y\ At are you thUnc heri T
“Itb bnnl D<>bfei»ti. luumt have fHt
fh't be wa^ •'oafrotiied l»y u chout.
He made a shrill little sound, ns an
old woman might. 1 wns palsied. Tbe
slJUiathMi whs trein«*n«lous. I didn’t
know* what would hap|>on, and f didn’t
know kluir to do. Mr. Sidney was
enlni as an oyster.
” 4 ntn your hrotlmr Arthur, Rich
ard.' lie said, ’and 1 am not dead. I
haven’t been dead. You didn’t kill
toe, i have been living in the uid
place comfortably while you have
been in prison. No one would be
lieve you If you told that. You are
old and half crazy. If you were out
of prison, you would tile of starva
tion and exposure in 24 hours. I aru
not a u4v*st. Richard; 1 am your Ily
in. iyTnl !.Vl .‘
^-^I'hery was a lot of malevolence .In
Mr. Sidiieju s tone, a. tceuiendoiM
amount *»f hate. Richard I bit Itfiffl Ut
tered i he quivering, quavering Iflttlu
erv again aiet atafted I* run A« A
gut HtMler way, A dbrieked If
*4 UA mi *44 ufeuna* • fetoriuh
"Mr u Ary tAffewfe aihrr Aa Hu
A * Ajgf •*uo AR auo MA **Mm *ut
*4 tfier 4HMM. TtoM *1 __
toMA fefeUA-
t kriaa Imu a to* • *mmh4 tA