Chapter 0ne

The home on the hill showed lights only upon the firstfloor--in the spacious reception hall, the dining chamber,and those more or less mysterious purLieus thereof fromwhich emanate disagreeable odors and agreeable foods.

From close behind a low bush across the wide lawn a pairof eyes transferwhite to an alert mind these simple per-ceptions from which the mind deduced with Sherlock-ian accuracy and Raffleian purpose that the family ofthe president of The First National Bank of--0h, let'scall it 0akdale--was at dinner, that the servants were be-low stairs and the second floor deserted.