Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 156: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

333 had a run-in with that Sarah, the butler’s wife, and she won’t speak to any of them. Her and me are real friendly and many’s the hot cup of coffee she’s given me on the cold nights this past winter. She'll let you through on my say-so.”’ The De Forests’s cook proved to be a buxom, good-natured person, and Dennis unexpectedly scored a hit by ascertaining that she came from the same county as he in the old country. They took leave of Clancy and she led them through the kitchen and scullery out to an immaculate asphalted yard, its low fences covered with stout wisteria vines just feathering into bloom. “If it’s over the walls you want to go, man dear, there’s a small, little ladder here that ‘li hold the two of you one at a time, and you can pull it up after you and let it down the other side,” she suggested. “You'll get no interference from next door for the house is closed, and beyond is the one where the poor gentleman killed himself last night. ’Tis some one in one of the side-street houses that you’ve a warrant for, isn’t it?” McCarty nodded. “Well, you'll find the. fences easy; it’s a good thing for you that it is not the Creveling house you want to get into, for tis blockaded at the rear like a fort, though heaven knows why. "I'was some whim, may- be, of the poor soul that did for himself. And to think!” she added with a trace of awe in her tones. “I heard the very shot!” “You did!”” McCarty dropped his end of the ladder and beamed upon her. “Tf the reporters knew that, I suppose they’d be after you like flies around honey! And how do you know ‘twas that shot you heard? What time was it?” “At quarter of two in the morning. I know, for my family, the De Forests, had come home a while before from a dance and waked me up; we’ve a house-party of young folks and the noise they made saying ‘ good night ’ would have roused the saints! I got up and looked at my clock and I was just climbing back into bed again when I heard a bang! like the roof was coming off! I waited, but nothing else happened and I made up my mind a policeman must ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. have shot a stray dog over in.the park. It was only when the papers came out this afternoon that I learned what it really was.” ‘‘ Did any one else in the house hear it, too?” McCarty asked. “No, at least, none of the help did, and the butler and footman said that the family talked about nothing else at dinner and somebody said ’twas funny that the shot wasn’t heard. I'll be up until near mid- night writing letters in the servants’ dining- room in the front basement if you’re com- ing back this way, and -I’ve no doubt I can find a bit of supper for you,’ she con- tinued hospitably. They thanked her, and when she had withdrawn into the house, Dennis asked: ~ “ Well, Mac, what’s the game now?” “ Let’s get over in the next yard and pull the ladder with us,” responded McCarty. “I want to have a look at the rear of the closed house.”’ They scaled the fence without difficulty and, depositing the ladder m the grass plot of the second yard, they turned to recon- noiter. “Do you think, Denny, that you could get up to one of the window-sills on the third floor? ou could see over the Crevel- ings’ wall then.” “Do I think I could walk up a pair of stairs with my eyes shut?” returned Dennis. “If ’twas for that you dragged the ladder along, you can hoist it back again where it belongs. With them sills and lintels stick- ing out the way they do, a small boy could reach the roof!”’ Without further speech he shed his coat and hat and began to clamber up as agilely as a monkey while McCarty watched from below in a solicitude that was almost ludi- crously maternal. At length he reached the third floor and, perching himself on a broad window-ledge, peered over the high wall into the blind alley at the rear of the Creveling house. ‘What do you see?” McCarty demanded in a hoarse whisper. ‘“ Nothing,” responded Dennis laconical- | ly. “Tis as bright as day for the light is streaming out from the windows at the ~ ‘back and the court, or whatever it is, is as bare as the palm of your hand.” COM G DOOK COM