pulps
Munsey's Magazine, November 1921
The Stonehill Mystery by Lee Thayer is a suburban mystery story opening at the Carrington estate overlooking the Hudson River. The narrative introduces Dr. Stuart Ogden Stafford (nicknamed "S.O.S.") dining with Morgan Carrington, his widowed sister-in-law Louise, and her daughter Patricia. Through dinner conversation, the family situation emerges: Patricia's father Hugo squandered the family fortune before his recent death, leaving Louise and Patricia dependents of Morgan's charity. Louise clings to Southern gentility and conventional ideas of womanhood; Morgan and Dr. Stafford advocate education and self-sufficiency for women. The conflict centers on Patricia's future prospects and independence. Domestic servants Sam and Lily provide comic relief through dialect exchanges. Dr. Stafford reflects on his late wife Mary while the group discusses life, work, and women's roles on the moonlit porch, establishing the story's emotional tensions before the mystery elements fully emerge.