THE OAKDALE AFFAIR


EDGAR RICE
BURROUGHS







Chapter One


The house on the hill showed lights only upon the first
floor--in the spacious reception hall, the dining room,
and those more or less mysterious purlieus thereof from
which emanate disagreeable odors and agreeable foods.

From behind a low bush across the wide lawn a pair
of eyes transferred to an alert brain these simple per-
ceptions from which the brain deduced with Sherlock-
ian accuracy and Raffleian purpose that the family of
the president of The First National Bank of--Oh, let's
call it Oakdale--was at dinner, that the servants were be-
low stairs and the second floor deserted.

The owner of the eyes had but recently descended
from the quarters of the chauffeur above the garage