The Red Cloud chief., 1889-06-07
n.

| linen you Will Uell inc uOIuAuS SOOVt uSI:
"No, sir"
CHAPTER IL
The lady's father understood at once that
he would only lose time by insisting; he
| questioned the servants, went to the chief
Of police and gathered all possible informa-
ton.
The f~unctionary quietly explained that
there were every day women disappearing
from their conjugal domicile; he had even
the kindness to communicate statistics COM
| piled with great caro- by the head clerk Of
the bureau Of police showing that the an
nual average Of these disappearance was
/ much larger for women between twenty
and ~thirty-five than for women that were
older or younger.
The desolate father clamored against the
hypothesis which this communication i'm
piled; he answered for his daughters
moral character. and, besides, supposing
that she had left her husband willingly,
she would have made known her intention
or explained her fight; she would have car
ried with her some luggage, and, more
over, the husband would not have accepted
this departure with such incredible resig-
nation. But the chief Of police put to him
the following dilemma:
EITHER your daughter went away will
ingly; in this case I shall send you to an In
spector, who will put at Jour disposal some
of his agents who arc accustomed to make
these kind OF researches; it will cost you .
few hundred dollars; but I doubt Of the
success in the absence Of the clew. Or els
there has been . crime committed, - you
seem to believe. have not suficient
ground to order immediately q search to be
made; but you can address yourself to the
district attorney, who, upon your affidavit,
will put the wheels Of justice IN motion"
This Was very grave, but the unhappy
father, after having consulted his wife and
. few intimate friends, after having sen
to the family lawyer, who could obtain no
explanation, he thought he could not pass
in silence Leonora's disappearance. and he
decided to put the case in the hands Of judi
cial authorities.
The public prosecutor had the case ex-
planned to him. Mr.. and Mrs. Champion
were rich property Leonora was
their only daughter. They had made the
acquaintance Of Gustave Brownlow in the
country 1t the house Of . mutual friend.
0ustaye belonged TO IN honorable family
who had owned fortune, but had lost it
again Nothing wrong was known con-
corning him, il not that he wa without
money and without q position. They had
not encouraged his attentions to Mss
Champion; but the girl had fallen deeply in
love with the handsome gentleman. The
parents refused to give their consent to tho
marriage; the girl declared that she would
never take any man for her husband but
Gustave. They were obstinate ON both
sides, and when she came Of age she mar
ried her favofite sutton. Unfortunately,
Leonora, nee she had attained her MAORI
ty, enjoyed the free disposal Of q large fort
u which had been left her by IN aunt,
and the young man must have been &C
quainted with this fact. The marriage had
taken place against the formally expressed
will OF the parents, and since that time all
relations between the two families had been
broken OF.
1t was known through the servants and
the school friends of Leonora, who con-
t;nued to visit her, that there was trouble
in the house, that there were often violent
storms between the husband and the wife.
The absolute silence in which Mr.. Brown
low shut himself up justified any kind Of
supposition, for he had no interest in COW
ering up the wrong doings Of his wife il
there had been any, or to hide the motives
OF her absence II he knew them. or course
it was repugnant to lmpute q murder to .
man whose education and bringing up
seemed to prevent such suspicion. But it
was not impossible thata man Of secret
i've nature might have been carried away
by . moment OF anger and that once the
crime committed he had applied all tho 10
sources Of . cultivated and intelligent mind
to wipe out all traces.
Tho district attorney could hardly be-
lieve that Q mar Of position like Mr.. Brown.
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