Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-03-22

L
| plainly to this theory. The man who
discovered him, it was said. had found
note from the suicide upon his table,
| directing him where to look for his
body; but. added Holbin, while the
coroner had by a skillful selection of
| jury from among the family's friends
secured hasty verdict in accordance
with the theory of suicide, it was ap-
parent that the police were suspicious,
and 1t was said that some of them were
quietly searching for the woman who
had left the imprints of number two
shoes under the window of the wing
room. Such was the story.
Louise believed it implicitly The
horror Of her crime deprived her for
the time of her mental powers and
good judgment. She suffered herself
to be guided and directed by Holbin.
She was consigned to the care of an
elderly negro woman, and readily &C.
cepted her room as her prison. 1t was
not long before she was physically
powerless to leave it.
Raymond Holbin's most serious APP
prehension during the day which wit
messed the death of John Brookin
grew out of the fact that by infer
ence at least he had been charged with
crime in connection with Louise. His
common sense told him that something
said by Frances in her last interview
with her father had provoked the sud
den accusation. What did Frances
know of Louise and who was her in
formant! Gradually during the day
his Suspicious nature secured ascend
ancy over his common sense. A Sc
cret visit outside the window of the
wing-room betrayed the still distinct
tracks made by Louise and the fact
that the ivy had been disturbed.
From the moment of these discov-
cries Holbin was miserable man. It
is peculiar but well-known lido
syncrasy of the masculine nature that
whatever the man himself may bring
to the marriage altar he demands that
he shall meet there only immaculate
purity. The realization by Holbin
that fortune could be secured only by
linking himself for life to Frances.
who was thus proven to have COM
promised herself, was alone sufficient
to fill him with bitterness and hatred.
though it did not for a moment deter
him; but by not unnatural operation
OF the processes which were moldipg
his future he had found himself
strangely Influenced from the hour
Of their first meeting by this young
girl whose future was to be linked to
his. Fresh from school, her mind un-
formed. and with but vague ideas of
real life, Frances Brookin presented
that charming combination of knowl-
edge and ingenuousnexs which makes
the girl-woman forever irresistible to
men of experience. Himself accom-
plished and versatile, he set about the
pleasant task of winning her conf
dence, and he might perhaps have
succeeded but for over-assiduousness
and the wonderful intuition of the
feminine mind. The unwelcome re-
suits of his efforts were that within
two weeks he had fatally alarmed her
and as fatally involved himself. For
the first time in his life he was eenu-
inely in love.
1t was at this time that Dr. Brod-
mar, lowering around his aged patient.
discovered the drift of affairs, and, be-
coming aware of the infamy planned
Through the will, privately took con-
troll of Frances and revealed to her
the plot of which she was to be the
victim. From that moment Frances
turned from Holbin as from q Grim.
inal, and Holbin was piqusd to court
her with aercer jealousy.
It was to this heart, consumed by q
hopeless passion, that the revelation
made by Louise had winged it's flight
like shaft of fame. Try as he might,
he could not in the face of corroborat-
ing facts convince himself that she
spoke altogether falsely or labored I'M
der q 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 were many evidences of
scene which had defeated good order.
A Jaunty 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 were riveted in
stantly to an object that lay beside
book upon the comfortable, near
which stood an armchair. That OBJ
ject was slender cigar. He took it
up-answered. 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 jealous love. With in 4
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 Rraya faith