University of South Carolina Libraries
3 v i— THIRD INSTALLMENT WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE ~ 7 ?” non Jwld, amateur detective, and t u 14 ^ art » * n undertaker, a^e viaiting i^rane, eccentric man of wealth, at the Drane place. Suddenly the household is shocked to find that John Drane has been murdered. .The dead man is first seen by Josie, the maid, then by Amy Drane and oimon Judd. The latter faints. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY When Simon Judd returned to consciousness it was largely be cause of the pain in the car and when he tried to move his head he could not do so. For a moment or two he was unable to remember where he was or how he came there what (< * for, close to his eyes, was wi seemed to be an enormous black pillar. It seemed to be, as his senses returned, a most unaccount able thing—a low black shoe out of which arose a phenomenally large ankle, and when he put his hand to his ear he was no longer in doubt, a foot was standing on his v ear. Someone was standing with one heel against his nose and the toe of the other foot on his ear* and he tried to push the latter foot away. “Lave be! Sthop it, you!” a hoarse voice whispered, but the foot removed itself from his ear and Simon Judd sat up. He found him self encompassed by skirts and he backed out from among them and got to his feet. He was in a group at the door of John Drane’s room; evidently he had been unconscious but- a moment or two, (or Amy Drane was still standing in horror on the threshold. The maid Josie still law where she had fallen, but there were now others peering into the room. Norbert, the colored house man, was there, and the big foot that had been pressed against Simon Judd’s nose was that o( the cook, a woman almost as enormous as Simon Judd himself. Behind the cook was a second maid, Zella, w ith her hands pressed against her cheeks, and Drane’s chauffeur was running up the stairs. To him Simon Judd turned. “John Drane’s been murdered,” Simon Judd said to the chauffeur. “I can’t look at him; I faint off at the sight of blood. Always did and dare say I alw'ays will. This here girl’s fainted, too. Help me get her onto a bed somewhere and out of the way or she’s like to be trompled. Here, you!” He touched Zella on the shoulder. A “You come and get this girl out of her faint,” he said. “Where we goin’ to put her?” “Here—this way,” Zella said, crossing the hall and opening a (door. * T Miss Amy’s room. Let me help you, George. You and me take her shoulders and he can take her feet. Go easy, George—she’s got heart trouble.” They carried Josie to the bed in Amy’s room and Simon Judd fol lowed the chauffeur into the hall. “If you know who the family (doctor is you better send for him, ’ Judd said. “You better send for the police, too; this ain’t my baili- jwick.” “Yes, TO do that,” the chauffeur •aid. He. at least, was efficiently businesslike. “You better \Dot let them touch anything in there, un less he’s alive yet.” “I know all that, young man,” Judd said. “I’ll take hold here; you get a move on.” “I’ll telephone,” the chauffeur •aid, and he started for the stairs, but the cook took his arm. “George! Ain’t it* awful? Ain’t It just awful?’’ she cried. ^Mighty bad, Maggie,” he said, "but don t you get excited about it. You keep calm; you don’t want to fetch on another of those spells of yours. You better go down and take a—take a drink of water or something.” “Yes, rll be doin’ just that,” she said. “It’s tumble, George; a murder right in the house. Who done it, a ye think?” “We can’t tell that yet,” he said. "Come on, if you want me to help you down, I got to ’phone the doc and the police.” Simon Judd turned toward the murdered man’s room. He put his hand over his eyes to hide the dead man from his sight. “Nbw, you see here, Miss Amy,” he said. “You better go downstairs awhile until the doctor comes; that man“bf'yoiirs t5' Sending for him— and for the police. There ain’t nothin’ to be done until they come.” “No, nothing to be done,” she said and turned, and then, suddenly, she broke into sobs and threw her self against Simon Judd, weeping tempestuously on his shoulder. “He was all I had!” she sobbed. "He was so good to me; he was so kind to me!” ‘There, there!” Simon Judd com forted her. “I know just How you feel, girl. You cry all you want to, it won’t do you no mite of harm. All of you keep out of that room!” he ordered, and then to the weep ing girl again! “I don’t feel right comfortable about that hired girl we put in your room; the other one •aid bow the has heart trouble. I don’t know but what you might help in there some, if you feel up to it.” “Josie?” Amy asked. “In my room? Yes, I’ll go to her.” She wiped her eyes and hurried across the hall, and Simon Judd looked after her. ‘There’s a real kid,” he said to himself. “If that’s a flapper she ain’t flapped none of the common sense out of her vet, anyhowl” He looked at those remaining at John Drane’s door. “Say, look here!” he said sud denly. “Where’s that other feller; the man with the whiskers. What did John say his name was? Dart?” The housekeeper turned. “Mr. Dart? Yes, sir. Why, I don’t know where Mr. Dart is. I made up the blue guest room for him. Mr. Drane said he was going to stay the night.” T left him down theer in the parlor, or whatever you ^ call it, when I come up to bed,” Simon Judd" said. “They had something said. “We’re going to have Brennen on this case, most likely,” the officer said. “They hand him rtost of these murders these days. He’s a good one; he’ll clear this up in no time if there’s any clear up to it. He’s the best man we’ve got on Long Island. Who’s that?” It was Dr. Blessington entering the house. He came up the stairs, a. small black case in his hand. “In here?” he said and entered John Drane’s room. Below, the second officer was telephoning headquarters. “Ah, good morning officer!” he said to the man in John Drane’s room. ‘Murder, is it? Too bad! This sort of thing is getting altogether too common. You might ask these folks to go downstairs. Well just close this door.” „ “And all of you hang around down there, see?” said the officer. ‘There’ll be questions to be asked.” “Come! We’ll go down,” said Simon judd and, as Amy Drane r. c WATSON Simon Judd beckoned the two officers into the house to talk over, seemed like. I guess mavbe they talked late; maybe he ain’t up yet.” “Sec, Norbert, if he’s in his room,” Mrs. Vincent ordered and the negro went. He came back at once. “No, ma’m,” he said. “He ain’t in his room; his bed ain’t been slep’ in. I guess he got so mad—” He stopped. ?*You guess what?” Simon Judd demanded. “I said mad,” said Norbert. “I mean mad. What I mean is I've got this cough on my chist and I been takin' medicine for it. The doc give me a medicine for to alleviate the cough, and he says take a swaller whenever the cough comes upon me, and last night I leaves the bottle down there. So when I starts to cough I go down to came from the room where the maid Josie lay, he stood back to make way for her. ‘'She doin’ all right?” he asked. “That’s good. The cop wants us to go down and wait; the doctor’s in there.” They went down. The servants went into the dining room off the hall and waited there,* and Simon Judd and Amy went onto the veranda. The girl sat twisting her hands, saying nothing, now and again wiping her eyes, and when the doctor came down the stairs did not arise. She held her hand kerchief over her quivering mouth. Dr. Blessington came out onto the veranda and set down his black case. His face was drawn into serious lines and he was frowning. “You are Mr. Drane's niece—his nen i starts to cougn i go uown ) get my bottle. Yes sirr “What time was it?” Simon Judd grand asked. “Well, I don‘ rightly know. Maybe one o’clock, maybe two o'clock. I ain’ look at no time- f iece, I jus’ starts down. And when get on the steps here I hear Mist’ Drane and Mist’ Dart talkin’ to gether, and Mist’ Dart he surely is mighty mad about it. Yes sir! swearin’ and cussin; yes, sir! Mighty mad! So I don’ go down. I comes up.” “What were they talking about?” Simon Judd asked. “Now, that I don’ know,” said Norbert. “I ain’’listen; it ain’ none of my business what gentlemans talk about. I jus’ comes up.” The chauffeur George came up the stairs. “I got Doctor Blessington,” he told Simon Judd. “He’ll He right out. And I got the police station; they’re sending men.” In fact the police officers arrived almost immediately, the local head quarters having telephoned to the station nearby. They came, two of them, on - popping motorcycles which they parked alongside the veranda, and entered the house to- S ether. From the top of the stairs imon JudaT)are HiefirW ddttt Up, “No one been in the room,” one of the officers asked as he saw the group at the door. “No one,” Simon Judd told them. “Not that l*know of, anyway,” and he told of having heard the scream of the girl Josie and of coming at once from his room. The officers entered the room.^ “Looks i like murder, Joe,” one said. “Sure is murder,” the other re plied. “Looks to me like a case tor Brenny.” "Yes; he ought to get on k right away, too. You better go down and ’phone headquarters: rll stay her* This man’s dead, all rifht. Any body sent for a doctor?" “One’s coming,” Simon Judd niece, I believe?” he said. ‘And this gentleman?” “Why, I’m just a feller that knew John when he was a boy,” explained bimon Judd. “Him and me used to f lay together back in Riverbank, owa, long before he ever came East—sixty years ago, anyway. I’m east on a sort of business and I telephoned old John yesterday, just for old time'* sake, and he aaya to come out and see him a day or so.” “How long is it since you saw him last, before yesterday?” Dr. Blessington asked. “Thirty-five years,” said Simon Judd. 'That is a long time; he is greatly changed since then, isn’t he?” “Well, yes,” Simon Judd admitted. “Yes, John had changed quite a bit. Just as bony as ever ai\d so on, but a lot older.” “Would you have known him if you had not known he was John Drane? Would you have'Tecognired him, for example, if you had met him on the street by chance?” Simon Judd rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. “Now, that’s a hard one, doc!” he said a length. “I might have, and I might not have. Maybe not It’s been so blame long since I saw John last. Why, what are you getting at anyway?’* Dr. Blessington turned to Amy. “I wanted to tell you this myself, kr Miss Drane,” he said, “for I know It will be a shock to vou. The ‘man’ up there in the bed, the mur dered ‘man,’ the ‘man’ we have known as John Drane, is not a man at all. ’He’ is a woman." Continued Next Week TV Cm ^ OVwVwtmMtntfmm M Ha* It* Aqmting Suit An amusing instance of war propa ganda in the form of an official com- ; munlque * which gave an astounding Spanish version of the battle between , Sir Francis Drake and the Spanldj^ armada, has jnst come W light In 1 London, Pierre Van Paassen records, in the Atlanta Constitution. This of- flrial Spanish proclamation, issued in {Madrid by the government of Philip II In September, 1588, tells % story which will astonish every schoolboy who remembers the story of the fs- mous game of bowls, and the sub- ' sequent trouncing of the Spanish fleet The Spanish communique re- | lates that the duke of Medina, in com mand of the Spanish fleet sailed up ' the channel as far as Plymouth, “where, having been notified of the enemy's presence, he mustered and placed in order an his warships; and. cruising along the channel, on August 1, they discerned some enemy sails, which the following day appeared to be sixty warships. These the duke : caught up and overtook, but they i would not give battle, although it was i represented to them.” From this point the Spanish version proceeds to re- I late that finally some of the English ships did engage in real battle, which resulted in fifteen of them being taken by the Spanish, including Sir Francis i Drake’s flagship, with the admiral j ! himself on board. What happened next ! the communique does not state, the imagination of the official writer hav- j ing exhausted itself by that time. Similarly, during the World war, some i communiques left troops at a certain point and never referred to them ; again. W111WU» Politics Sim Wiliixton, August 21.—Williston’s annual municipal politics began to simmer here tbjday when Dr. A. S. Blanchard, who was elected mayor a year ago, anndunccri for re-election. Two of the council men elected with him* Messrs. M. N* Ahl and G. W. Green, have declined re-election. The other two, Dr. Wallke Cone and J. B. Grubbs, are offering for re-election to council with six additional candidates: Messrs. W. Bryan Powell, C. L. White, W. C. Cook, J. ,W. Williams, C. L. Greene and W. R. Kennedy. A mayor and four members of council are to be elected at a general election to be held in Williston September 11th Visitor From Williston, August vis, son of Mr. and Mrs. is visiting his parents here, vs has recently returned fro of ten weeks in Honduras, count of the large banana nut farms there, the political situ and description of the country the equator is quite interesting, states there is little difference be tween summer and winter and that while the jd*y* are hot the nights are generally cool. After a visit heke ha will return to his former homo in St. Petersburg, Fla., where two brothers, Messrs. Jim and Correl Purvis also re side. COTTON! WISDOM! CHAS. G. HOUSTON COTTON FACTOR AUGUSTA, GA. COMMON SENSE! ARE YOU GOING TO USE EITHER? The old method of each person selling their own cotton by getting local buyers to make a bid, and then just taking the “Highest Pi Ice,” is recognised as bad buginesa For the simple reason the “Highest Bid” m^y be many dollars under the market value. How many people can grade cotton ? There are 26 different grades and the money difference between them is great. The present age demands COTTON! specialists and haying been in this business all of my hie, besides having “ be handl- Many Object* Given Name of Washington It Is no more than natural that the name of the first President of the United States, because of historical significance and popular appeal, should be used as a fitting name for this and that tree, or city, or build ing. Take, for example, the Washing ton cedar, the big tree of California. This Is Indeed a suitable memorial to General Washington. Or the famous Washington elm. that so long stood in Cambridge, Mass., under which he took command of the Continental army in 1775. On referring to Webster’s New In ternational dictionary we readily find other phrases, possibly less familiar, but fully as strong In showing the popularity of the name because of the tradition behind it There is the Washington Illy, found on the Pacific coast The Washington palm of Cal ifornia has even been more specifical ly christened the Neowashlngton. In the East there Is the Washington thorn, grown for Its brilliant red fruit and beautiful autumn foliage. More endeared among the young sters Is the Washington pie, which, in certain American localities, is a thick layer cake with cream or fruit- jam filling. And everyone knows of the Washington monument Itself, 555 feet high, completed in 1884 in Wash ington, D. C.—a symbolic testimonial of the grateful memories of the sons and daughters of the Father of His Country. a competent organization, I can assure you each bale sent to me will ed in such a manner you will get its FULL VALUE—and not just the “highest bid.” Liberal advances at any time. $1.00 covers the expense of selling each bale and if you hold your cotton, only 60c per hale per month is charged, which covers everything. ■/ , v ,a Settled Legal Quibble Some years ago an American died, leaving part of his estate to another to enjoy while he lived, with the privilege of devising It at his death to others whom he might select under his “hand and seal.” A document was exe cuted was contested by others claiming the property on the ground that the paper contained no seal after the signature and that the devise was therefore void. A wise judge, after a close scrutiny of the signature and a patient listen ing to the arguments of counsel, de- . elded that at the end of the signature thete Vfas an extra scroll or flourish . made with the peu with which the ' signature was made, and that this ‘ was sufficient in law to constitute a real seal. . To Prevent Sun Bum Into a fourth cup of water put ten drops of glycerine and apply to the skin with a soft cloth. Leave on five minutes then remove gently, and you will find this a good pro tection against jun burn. Don’t Fail to Read this Great Mystery Story in The People-Sentinel Each Week. Freth Water Cure* Duck* “Duck sickness,” such as occurs In various places In the semi-arid West, due to alkalf poisoning, can be pre vented by tba^ Introduction of fresh w*ater. This, however, is not always instances Is in collecting the sick birds before it is too late and placing them in fresh water, ^wch treatment haa been found efficacious and most of the birds affected are rapidly restored to health. Writ erf Peculiaritie* * A study of the master writers re veals one peculiarity common to many of them. The first draft of a manu script was often, made on very small pieces of paper. William Cullen Bry ant used the backs of old envelopes. Charlotte Bronte, besides cutting her paper small, use<D* diminutive writ ing board and wrohslp a minute band. Rousseau used playing oftls if noth ing else was ava!lable.~Mentor Mag- asipe. . Their Program "Howdy, Gaj) r saluted an acquaint ance. 1 “How s things going with the famblyr “Howdy, Newt!" replied Gap John son of Rumpus Ridge. "Aw, they’ve got tollable well along wRh their chlg- ger scratching, and their tkk picking Is just about over lor this City OftSMrii vou prefer a car built in the World's Most Modem ytomobUe Plant ? Today you demand infinitely more in your automobile than you did five years ago. In order to satisfy you, Oakland now builds the All-American Six and the Pontiac Six with, greater care than ever before. Oakland and Pontiac Sixes are built in fac tories constructed almost entirely within the past two years. — * Oakland is constantly discarding and replac ing equipment* content to use only the very newest* most accurate designs. Oakland in* spection standards are second to none. * Wouldn't you prefer a car built in the world’s most modern automobile plant with standards of precision such as Oakland employs? Drive an All-American Six or a Pontiac Six* and you'll find the answer in superior stamina and reliability. OmUmud All-American Six, $1043 to Si26$. $073. AU bricea mt factory. mmnffagy inCwtii&g lotKCgC heSftdU YOUMANS MOTOR CO.. AUendak OAKLAND -PONTIAC Movoas 30 Days’FreeTriat On Any MEAD Bicyle whether you buy from your Local Dealer or frwp us directs 5we*P(o*259 Prioisfron $ 2l M Up Get full particulars by mail today. Uab coupon below. SaMonApproval You are allowed 30 days’ actual rid ing test before sale kbinding*' name ol narat Mead Dealer. .1 [ IMmI Cyel. e*., eklMtit U. S. A. i PImm nod lull infornutioa and mum *t : to Sirmt or P.O.Bm 4 ’5?| 1409 ! Urn H tV . .... alrtsifi [! 1