The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-08-24

oNSi1 bhNN anu plti III tlt lNpHls Wllp
his hands behind his back and his head
bent forward upon his breast.
"Ah, there you are at last!" ex-
claimed the banker eagerly; go have
been waiting for you for over an hour"
HAS something new turned up?'
asked Sturgis.
Yes; read that"
At the same time Dunlap handed the
reporter letter.
Let me tell you about it first. After
leaving you this morning / went to the
morgue and saw the body. You were
right; it is Arbogast's. ] had been
only half convinced by your evidence;
but ! now saw that you were probably
right in all your other inductions, and
/ became anxious TO learn something
definite concerning the amount of Ar
bogast's defalcation. As ] could not
reach the books for some time. / called
upon Mrs. Arbogast, thinking might
be able to learn something from her.
You had not been to see her, had you?"
NO" answered Sturpis. Cravely, 81
did not think ii likely she knew as
much about this matter as we do, and
| shrark from the ordeal of revealing
to her the fact Of her husbands crime
and tragic death. wished. at any rate,
to exhaust all other means of obtain
ing information before resorting to
this one"
"Of course, of course" said Dunlap,
somewhat impatiently; "the woman is
OF 20 ,,ft Il. I
allow any sentimental consideration to
stand in the way of the discharge OF
my duty to our depositors."
"What did you learn from herr"
asked the reporter.
"When ] reached the house the maid
told me that Mrs. Arbogast had spent
the previous evening at her sisters
house in the country and had not yet
come back. | was about to leave, in
tending 10 return later in the evening.
when the lady herself arrived. Upon
learnin" who was she seemed some
what surprised. but invited me in. As
we pa. seq into the parlor the maid
handed her mistress letter, stating
that it had come by the mornings
envelope, but did not open it. At my
first cautious questions she seemed to
be very much surprised. Arbogast had
announced to her by telegram the pre-
vious day that he would be obliged to
go out of town for few days on bust
ness. He allowed her to infer that he
would soon return. and that his bust
ness was connected with the affairs of
the bank. She could not understand
how it happened that | knew nothing
of this trip. But said she, 4 have just
received letter from him, which will
doubtless explain matters She evil
IDENTIFY knew nothing of her husbands
peculation. Thereupon she opened the
envelope and took out this letter.
observed her closely. At the first
words / saw her cheeks blanch and a
look of agony pass over her features
as she instinctively pressed her hand to
her heart. | knew then that the let
ter contained some important revela-
tion, and | became anxious to obtain
possession of il. When she had done.
could see that she was laboring under
a strong emotions; but she controlled
herself, replaced the letter in its en-
velope and said, merely: This does
not tell me my husbands whereabouts;
but | shall doubtless have further news
of him i'm the course of Il few days |
saw that she was attempting to shield
him in the suppositiou that he was stil
alive. | therefore broke the news of
his death 20 her as gently as could
The first shoci, seemed 10 utterly un-