The Golden Eagle Mystery by Ellery Queen Jr

Author:Ellery Queen Jr. [QUEEN, ELLERY]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781504003933
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
Published: 1942-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

8. The Discouraged Detectives

AUNT PATTY was in the middle of housecleaning when Djuna got home, and had just finished sweeping the upstairs rooms.

“My goodness, it’s about time I cleaned out that fireplace,” she exclaimed, as she glanced around the front room. “I’ve been meaning to take those wood ashes out for a long time, but I never got around to it. Djuna, would you mind taking them out and dumping them on that strip of ground by the fence? I’m going to spade that up and plant some more flowers there, one of these days, and there’s nothing better than wood ashes to mix in the ground, to make them grow.”

Djuna got a dustpan and an old bucket and carried them out, and then swept out the fireplace carefully, till the hearth was clean. The fireplace was built of red bricks, and looked very neat. But Djuna stared at it in a puzzled sort of way.

“Where is the other fireplace, Aunt Patty?” he asked. “The one with the hearthstone?”

Aunt Patty looked startled. “Why, that’s the only one!” she exclaimed. “What do you mean, child?”

“Well, Captain Atterbury said there was one with a hearthstone,” said Djuna. “He said there was.”

“Oh!” said Aunt Patty. “Well, that’s so, there was one there, once. But that was years and years ago. I know what Captain Atterbury was thinking of. But that stone is over on Sixpenny Island, now. Captain Tubbs took it over there. He wanted it for a doorstep, and I told him he could have it if he would build a brick one for me. I always wanted a brick fireplace, anyway. Everybody else has stone ones, around here.”

“Captain Atterbury told me a lot of things,” said Djuna. “I think he’s awful nice. Oh, I forgot—he said to tell you the doctor said Mrs. Atterbury is much better.”

“Well, now, I’m glad to hear it!” exclaimed Aunt Patty, beaming. “That poor woman hadn’t been one bit well, lately. Run along now, Djuna, if you want to—I’ve got some sewing to do, as soon as I finish cleaning.”

Djuna hesitated. Then he asked the question that had come into his mind when Captain Atterbury had told him how Captain Tubbs, Aunt Patty’s husband, had liked to collect birds’ eggs.

“Aunt Patty,” he said, “have you still got the birds’ eggs Captain Tubbs got?”

Aunt Patty looked startled. “Why, no!” she said. “He never kept any of ’em—he sold ’em to Doctor Holder, as fast as he got ’em.”

“Does he live here?” asked Djuna.

“Why, yes,” said Aunt Patty. “He’s the only doctor there is in this town. But he’s pretty old, now. He knew my mother and father before I was born. Of course, he was just a young man, then. Mother never had any children except me, and she always wanted a boy. So Doctor Holder was just like a son to them. They thought a heap of him.”

“Don’t you like him?” asked Djuna.

“I’ve got nothing against Doctor Holder,” said Aunt Patty, grimly. “He never liked my marrying Captain Tubbs, and neither did Captain Atterbury.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.