The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-06-29
CHAPTER ~,
a

CHAPTER Nv.
A Crisis.
| had tacitly assented to Frecman's
suggestion, that no more was to be
thought or said of Dicks horrible pan
tomimic confession; but it impressed
me as being too vivid to be lightly dis
carded as without any basis of fact.
| continued to think Of it very much;
thought OF it more because in spite
or the unreaSonableneSs Of such con-
junction, and its manifest waste of
detective speculation (as Freeman
would have said) the vapors. SO to say,
or Louises dream would persist In
mlngling in my imagination with the
vapors Of Dicks delrum Could it
really be that Mr. Lacroix had met
his death in some such way? And if
he had, how had he come by it?-and
where Was it even possible in the
mystery of things that Lacroix had
been smothered in one of his own watts?
But discovery l made about this
time-trivial, apparently. yet to me
signiticant-tixed my idea more firmly
in my Imagination. One night while
sat thinking of my return to London
took up my Bradshaw, and carelessly
began noting the times of trains from
the neighboring large towns to the me-
tropolis. The lines Of thgee companies
passc,, through it. and became inter
| ested in noting how the rivals ran fast
and still faster trains against each 9TH
er. In this survey my attention was
fixed by very small fact; one COM
pany Il had never Travelled on its line.
and so, l suppose l had never noted
the fact before) ran one Of its two
quickest trains SO that it reached the
neighboring town about midnight-the
only very quick train within two or
three hours of that time. ! found easy
opportunity to test in some degree
what significance this fact might have.
Early in the week following Dicks
confession, Mr.. Steinhardt had gone to
London to attend his trial, in the court
/ of queens bench, / think it was. He
would be absent for more thin a fort
night, and l had therefore many well
come chances of being in Miss La
croix's company. Society about Tim
perley was very meager and very dull;
it was a long way from any center of
civilization. and Miss Lacroix seemed
to pine and sicken in its smoke and
hardt anAiously sought by any means
to brighten those summer days for her
young protege. Thus it was, l think,
that during that fortnight I received
such invitations to Timperley hall as
| l had never had before. ! was asked
several times to dinner. and was en-
couraged to find other and sundry
occasions for calling.
| On one of these occasions l found
Miss Iacroix alone. She received me
shyly. but with such evident pleasure
that. if | had not come with another
purpose, | fear l would have given
| utterance to such warm protestatOns
as | had Of late. oftener than once,
had almost or my lips. After some
casual remarks ! began to work to-
ward my purpose by alluding 10 Stem
hardts business in London.
1T will be serious thing for him,
said I-"won't tiff he should be SC
unsuccessful in his defense as your
/ father Was.
He will not be unsuccessful as poor
father was" answered she, with a sac
/ shake of her beautiful head; "Mr
Steinhardt is not scrupulous as father
was: he tells falsehoods with rude sim
nlicity, like his great chancellor, anc
SO people think him to be all hones1
! truth. He will succeed in his case,
| think-I have heard him talk OF 1T tt
| Frank-and he will come back more
/ dpspot than ever Poor father Sht
leaned back. and looked sadly out ovel
! the valley. from which rose the smok'
| and sound Of its daily toll. fatigued ant
/ forced | thought, on that Wai'n sum
1 mer afternoon
II have thought great Zeal, salt
!. seizing the pportunity her exclara
] ton afforded, 'of that strange drea1i
] Won told me of.
YES" said she, turning with sudde'
intert ST.
.Do YOU still dream it?' ] asked.
YES. | do: but not often now.
1T is a very strange thing. Does tn
| dream come at any particular hour o
the night.
1T does.' said she: "and that,
dare say. makes me think more OF i
II always comes two or three hour
after I have gone to bed. l dream l,
and then become wide awake: and at
/ or / have lain awake little alway
hear the hall clock strike my room
is over the hall.
And the first night you had tn
dream-do you think it came the
about the same hour!
(ro Be Continued9