Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-03-07

1t was to this heart, consumed by q
hopeless passion, that the revelation
made by Louise had winged it's fight
like shaft of flame. Try as he might,
he could not in the face of corroborat-
ing facts convince himself that she
spoke altogether falsely or labored un-
der complete hallucination. Yet,
looking with the eyes of memory into
the open, pallid face of Frances, he
could not, he would not, accept the
inevitable conclusion, forced upon him
by Louise. Such was his frame OF
mind on the day of the funeral, when
he remained at the Brookin residence,
perhaps his only opportunity to make
an examination of Frances apart
ments. Before the carriages had
reached the cemetery he turned the
latch and entered her deserted bed
room.
The appointments of this room were
few. but tasteful. 1t abounded in the
little belongings of young girl. To-
day there We're many evidences of a
scene which had defeated good order.
A iaunty hat and bright ribbons were
hastily thrown aside, and the open bu-
reau drawers revealed dainty laces
and lingerie. But the eyes of the in
quisitive intruder took notice of none
of these things; they We're riveted in
stantly to an object that lay beside
a book upon the comfortable, near
which stood an armchair. That OBJ
iect was slender cigar. He took it
Unanswered He knew that in the
Brookin household he was the only
smoker-and he did not smoke slender
cigars. To the mind of this man, ever
open to suspicious and suggestions of
evil, that strange cigar was testimony
unimpeachable. 1t was the knife in
the heart of a jealous love. With in
expressible rage and with a fierce
hatred of every living thing. he placed
the weed in his own case, Here, then
he reasoned. had the man described
by Louise been sitting before the
dawn of that fatal day; here had the
little saint kneeled to place her arms
about him and say farewell. Wonder
was the window, straight ahead from
which Louise had fred Brave, faith
full Louise! His heart warmed towards
her, despite the fact that she had fired
to kill him. Somewhere in that Grim
son carpet was the blood of her vic
tim if her aim had been true. Was
it true? He glanced back over hi
shoulder; the ball would have strucl
| ~ L., ~, "a,
her aim, And there in the wall, ;
little out of line, it is true, was ,
small hole. Amazed, he hurriedly ex
amined it. ,Ebe shot, after all. hat
missed.
Then this doubt came to the actiy
mind: Why had the man been car
ried away if the shot failed?
Holbin went quickly to his owl
room, where he secured candle an
a powerful sun glass. Holding tn
latter over the perforation in the plas
tering, he discovered a slight re-
stain.
Blood" he whispered; ''she did no
miss!" Opening bis penknife, he care
fully cut section flpm the broke
plaster. ''Whoever the man was,> h
was struck in the head. Here is tn
hair"
For few moments holbin was dee
in thought. Then he crew from hi
pocket the pistol which he had take
from Louise and examined it>with til
eye of an army expert. APPARENT
, puzzled, he tried the depth of the hol
: in the plastering with a pencil an
. found that the perforation was con
: plete. He seated himself in the arr
chair facing the window. If France
: had been kneeling with her back
the window, the face of the unknow
y man must have been fully expose
/ The weapon did not have pow,
!. enough to fire bullet through tt
. head of man, an inch of plaster ar
+ lath, and to carry away hair al
4 blood-the bullet must have glance
from the side of the head. The pos
> ton of the hole indicated that Il
= right side of the mans head had bee
y struck.
+ Holbin's final conclusions were TIL
O. Ule SlTdHStT lldd Deeu only SUN lit
I His friends could not have conceal,
e his death, for no common man won
n have won the privileges of the roo
v nor would it have been possible f
5. Frances to have borne herself so cali
J. ly with the memory of murder FIRE
It in her mind. "a society man is mis-
/ ing from his club in Richmond
r. day!" he said aloud. "The mystic
n is half solved. AS for you, my love
o bride!"-he finished the sentence wi
If smothered oath.
II 20 ~.
g CHAPTER VII.
20 The influences of established pr
u- oir,lnc nnrrant nsSocia tionsa m