The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-12-01
S0CIETY'S VERDICT

Talbot came laundering into my room
with the news, just US | was sitting
down to dinner. The old boy was nearly
out of his mind with excitement, aud
wouldn't stop for drink, or, what wits
worse, let me have one but dragged
ME downstairs and bundled me into a
cab.
The rest of the night was spent in driv-
ing about London to hunt up police i'll
spectors, statiOnmasters and news agen-
cies. Finally, at 8 o'clock in the morn
ing, we landed at his fiat in Earl's court,
thoroughly dead beat.
And the papers bristled with it. |
suppose 1T came as godsend in the
slack time, for most of them gave us
couple Of columns.
"Mysterious disappearance of Il titled
Lady Dolly Davidson. Mr.. Davidson
Interviewed. The police completely BAT
He'd and so on.
,,' The Journalists had done it thoroughly.
In; rrhHy gave a highly-decorated account Of
ialbot's private career, and an analysis
Of his character and disposition They
dld the same for his vanished wife, with
a precise account Of when and where
she disappeared. Then they speculated
as to the reason. Was it murder. rob-
berry. suicide or an elopement?
1T seems that Talbot arranged to meet
MS wife at Waterloo at i o'clock the pre-
vlo'1s afternoon, OH her return from a
country visit. When the train came in.
tue compartment in which she had truv-
eied contained Il magazine with her I'M
t!als lnscribbled on it, a novel, "Society's
Verdict small handbag, and an um-
brella-but not Lady Dolly. Talbot had
INQUIRED of the guard. That Intelligent
1unctlonary remembered the young lady
quite we'll, but had not seen her get out.
Then where the dickens is she?'' roared
Talbot: The guard looked under the seat,
ana referred him to the station master.
After wiring in every direction without
getting. any tidings except that she had
certainly, entered the train. Talbot con-
ciudcd that she was the victim of foul
play. There was no doubt that she had
Travelled alone, and that she had her little
jewel case with her. The jewel case was
now missing, while all the articles which
were practically valueless were undis-
tnrbed. The novel was lying open as if
she had been reading it, and had just
LAID it down, and the end of cigarette,
which Talbot recognized as one of her
favorite brand, lay on the floor of the
carriage. There was no sign of a strug-
gle. So Talbot drove down to my place,
dragged me away from dinner, and then
went to the police
IT. was a delicate case, because, al
though simple. minded. old Talbot was
quite certain it meant robbery, or per-
haps something. worse. and although the
police supported him, it seemed quite on
the cards that Lady Dolly. had disap-
peared by her own free Will To search
railway lines for a corpse is. waste of
time, If the supposed victim has gone
yachting.
The fact is. Talbot was the last man
on earth to understand Lady Dolly. He
was brainy creature. solidly and re.
specially ambitious, who studied law as
science, and nearly killed himself with
Lady Dolly was pretty, frivolous and
feather-brained. When Talbot met her
she was penniless widow. Society
was watching her closely. She was
making a desperate flutter to cling to her
position, and society was cynically
amused. Would she make a wealthy
match-which was her only chance
going, Woodworking Talbot. It's no
Eu,H tu !rs tv eAplufn why they married.
Talbot had fallen ridiculously in love,
like brainy men always do, and She
well. it's my opinion that the poor little
herself. Somewhere in her giddy nature
there was a dash Of common sense and
principle; she had snatched at respecta-
BILE poverty as Il safeguard against some
thing worse. But was it possible she
had tired of it: Had Talbot. meaning
Wei all the time, made life unhearable
for the gaudy little butterfly? Had she
principle, too self-restrained? It's the
kind Of subject you can't discuss freely
with man, even if he is your best chum
At any rate. it was just like Il woman
to leave everything except her trinkets,
and Talbot might be only making a fool
of himself in drawing attention to the
matter.
Il suppose there wasn't any little tiff.
or misunderstanding, between ycu?' /
asked, suggestively.
Net bit of it, he said heartily.
1--WE We're never so thoroughly united as
We were last Thursday when | saw her
off. In fact, old man. I don't mind tell
ing you that it's only during the last
month or two that we have begun to UNI
derstand one another. You haven't any
idea what good little woman Dolly is.
On the surface she seems to be trifie
ain-and-friyolous, but at heart she's
as true as steel. She wasn't very fond
of me when we first married-l admit it
but I'm certain it's all right now
Il suppose there were no money tlOu-
blesy' | said carelessly-
Nothing more than usual he said
with faint smile. LAS you know, my
her drop out of the set she has been used
to, because I don't think it would be
wise, consequently it's bit of pinch
to keep aioat.'
l guessed as much.
But that hasn't anything to do with
it, he said, warmly. "That little wom-
an has been decOyed away and robbed
I only hone M harm has come tn her
BY George! Cliff. give you my word,
Id sacrificp NY life to save hnrs'