As Old As Cain

✍ Scribed by Chaber, M. E.; Crossen, Kendell Foster

• Book ID: 112347529
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.
• Year: 1954
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 258 KB
• Category: Fiction

✦ Synopsis

When Crescent Pictures, of Hollywood, descends on the sleepy little town of Athens and proceeds to make preparations for the filming of a historical novel, dusty secrets are stirred up from across the centuries which had far better been left undisturbed. Milo March gets dragged into it much against his will, for he has more important business of a sweetly personal nature to attend to—his bride of a few minutes. But the picture company has gathered most of the precious antiques and historical relics of Athens under one roof and slapped a million-dollar policy on them; and honeymoon or no honeymoon the insurance company will have no one but Milo to check the security arrangements, and without a moment to lose.

When Milo, fuming, arrives in Athens, he finds a rich assortment of Hollywood types, among them Curtis Hoyt, the script writer. They are all supposed to be absorbing atmosphere, and Hoyt is rewriting his script in the light of an old diary which forms part of the exhibit. Hoyt seems particularly fond of this diary, which was written by the wife of one of the town fathers, Hiram Hanna, around 1800.

After checking the museum Milo can now write his report, send it off, and get back to his anxious bride; but before he is well started word comes that the museum guard has been murdered and the most valuable items taken—including the diary. Now starts a reign of terror, and it is not until Milo reconstructs a series of lurid events which took place 150 years ago that he is able to nail the unlikely culprit.