Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-03-05
sNTafor Reeha Thalfeve ,

GDllp14Ar4 me u the C4GlI5-
now sir, state your business" and
he glanced at me through his spy glass,
as though he would annihIlate me-
Not one whit troubled by his fierce
aspect, proceeded in my own way.
Il understand, Major, that you were a
friend OF the late DR.. Seabury."
He almost jumped from his chair.
what the deuce do you mean, sir,
giving me such a shock? I am a friend
Of DR.. Seabury, If that is what you
mean" he replied, with some asperity.
@When did you see him last?"
@TwentY-fOur hours ago"
@He was well then?"
Unusually so. We took dinner in
company in this house. By jove, young
sir, am I to understand anything has
happened TO him?"
-Dr. Seabury is deadl"
He seemed stunned for a minute.
~This is terrible When did he dep"
@AbOut two o'clock this morning"
at must have been very sudden"
Terribly So"
@Of what did he die?"
"The cOrOner's jury has agreed that he
came to his death by his own hand"
~Suicide?"
%Yes."
~The poor fellow must have lost his
mind. He was the last one in the world
10 do such thing"
~That may be so, Major. I am doc
tor who was called to his bedside in the
hope Of doing something, but the poison
was deadly and there was no hope. I
wish to ask you what you know Of the
Doctor
~We have been friends for, let me see,
possibly dozen years"
@Was there any mystery connected
with his past life?"
81 have heard such limited, but could
not say positively"
do you know his ward?"
~Leonore? Yes, have met her. She
is a charming girl"
thanked him mentally for that.
"What is her last name, Major?"
"Seabury, OF course"
HThen she was an adopted child?1
81 always understood she was the
child of his cousin, by the same name.
"Did you know her mother or father?"
81 did not"
"DO you know anything about her?"
Nothing, except that, while Seabury
over his shoulder at mention of the name
Leonore, as though some sudden fear
had come upon him."
My heart went down to zero.
One more question.
~MajOr, if I affirmed it as fact would
you believe il, that LeonOre has been
subject TO occasional spells of insanity,
during which, like most mad persons,
she sought to injure the one she loved
the best, and that it was this which
haunted DR.. Seabury day and night"
81 would believe it possible" he re-
piled, in the calmest of tones.
/ had no more to say in this regard.
"MaiOr, if you go TO the house to sec
the body of your old friend, please do not
say word of having met me, or what l
have talked about"
81 promise you, Doctor"
Shaking hands with the soldier, left
the hotel.
My first attempt, instead of bringing
a CLEAN of light, had added to the dark
ness
If this kept on, I would soon be com
PEELED to grope my way.
All my energies were now to be devot-
ed TO finding the party who had climbed
the vines on that night.
1 had but one elew to his identity.
A portion of his forefnger was miss
ing
Where should look for him?
The tool he had dropped seemed to in
dictate that he was burglar, and could
be found in dens frequented by such
Being possessed Of an adventurous
turn, had seen much of the great city,
Still, would have hesitated about en-
gaging in any such undertaking, had the
cause been an ordinary one.
All that influenced me was my deter
mination TO leave no stone unturned in
the endeaYOr to save Leonore from the
storm clouds gathering around her.
a feverish desire to do something was
upon ne
Obeying my first impulse, sought
again the strange house of DR.. Seabury.
Standing beside the wall at the point
where the party had climbed the wall in
leaving the grounds, looked about me.
Possibly there was some clew here
which had escaped my first hasty search.
examined the ground
People had passed to and fro, and all
traces of the footprints left by the man
tracked had long since disappeared.
Here and there little knot of women
were TO be seen talking together in low
tones, and casting mysterious giances at
the old house seen over the wall and
among the trees.
Already news of the suicide had gone
abroad.
A policeman stood at the gate.
Another walked the grounds, already
nearly dry from the warm sun.
As clambered over the wall he came
toward me, mOtioning angrily with his
club, but paid no attention to him.
When he came up I had merely to
mention that l was working with Mr..
Ketcham on this case, and he instantly
collapsed.
He had great respect for that name.
l found that the rain of the early
morning had almost washed out the foot
prints left by the man.
1t was not to examine these 1 had
come back.
Was there nothing else?
Again climbed up as the man had
done, through the brambles that had
grown in the breach of the half fallen
wall.
One Of the obtrusive twigs caught in
my pocket, and actually dislodged my
handkerchief.
bent down to pick it up.
Ali there was one of my letters also
that had been deftly snatched out of a
pocket by this self-same inquisitive
bramble bush
The deuce!
started as if shot, for, as picked the
envelope up, it felt cold and damp.
1t had come from my pocket, but had
lain there through the rain.
Quick as thought, 1 turned it over to
look upon the address. This was what
what greeted my eyes:
%THEoDoRE PARKER,
@New York City"
That was all.
Stay, there was the postmark up in
the right-hand corner. That might be
very important clew to me.
I could make it out distinctly.
@New York, June 6, p. m"
When I had read this, could not help
smiling