The Camp Fire Girls Solve a Mystery; Or, The Christmas Adventure at Carver House

pounced upon with an exclamation of joy the night before when she open

bout this room, Sahwah dear; I'm afraid I wouldn't have thought of opening it until spring. I remember now, Uncle Jasper had a paralytic stro

mation of dismay at the holes left in the mahogany casement. The Winnebagos were too much absorbed in the window which was revealed by the removal of the shutter to pay any attention to the damaged casement. Unlike the other windows in the room, which were of clear glass, this one was composed of tiny leaded panes in colors. It was so

ver a little arched gateway, the rich red and green tints of the flowers

bagos found their voices and broke into admiri

rchway! Did you ever see anything so beautiful? Don't you just long to go thr

it would get broken

shrewdly. "There would be more danger of the window's getting

d a bookcase in the corner. Slim gave him a withering glance, but did not deign to follow him

t shutters on the other wi

ely horror at such marring of beauty. "One set of holes like that is enough. Isn't it just like a man, though, to put screws int

use was the pride of your uncle's heart, and he never would let an

was a byword among the relations. He loved it as though it were his own child. Ho

me great and important reason for putting up that shutter? A reason th

l at once they seemed to feel that they we

was your uncle Jas

e never corresponded with any of his relations and never visited them nor had them come to visit him. Most everybody was afraid of him; he was so grim and stern looking. He couldn't have been very sociable here either, for none of the people of Oakwood seemed to have been in the habit of calling on him.

shutter for protecti

tain derisively. "A lot of protection that would be! Besides, do you

of any other reason

Hercules?" suggested

re? Of course he'd know. He was with Uncle Jasper all his life. I'll call him in and ask him a

rieving for Uncle Jasper; Sherry said it was the goat he was mourning for. At any rate, he was a pathetic figure as he hobbled painfully up the stairs one step at a time on his shaky, stiff old limbs. His eyes brightened a bit as he saw the door into Uncle Jasper's st

d glass window, and we're curious to know why it was put up. It seems such a pity to ha

pipe to the other side of his mouth. "Dat shutter's b

screws were rusted in," replie

terated the old man solemnly, still looking at

r impatience. "But why has it been there all

he said deprecatingly. "It's bin so long since. My memry's bin powerful bad lately, Mis' 'Lizbeth. Seems like I cai

that Hercules was trying to sidestep her questions. "Think, now. Twenty-five years ago Uncle Jas

ut of their own accord. Hercules seemed to be on the point of speaking; he cleared his throat nervously and shifted the pipe once more. Nyoda cast a triumphant glance at Sherry. In that instant Hercules shifted his gaze from her face and met another pair of eyes, eyes that seemed to look at him accusingly, and sent a chill running down his spi

iumphantly. "He just say, 'Herc'les, put up dat shutter,' and he ain't ever say why. I axed him, 'Marse Jasper, what for you puttin' up dat shutter over dat window?' and he say, 'Herc'les, you put up dat

ure as though expecting some token o

thing out of Hercules. Either he really d

," she said. "That's

of glass underneath the archway of the gate in the stained glass window. He stood still, seemingly lost in reverie, and quite oblivious to t

"dat folks don't want ter look at,

uffled out of the room and