Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-06-12
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Keeping close TO Mrs Bowen, she
walked lowly to the terrace one
glance was enough to satisfy her thai
the dead body found in the lake was
that of Gladys Rane. The face that
| not many hours before was so brIian.
In It's loveiness and bloom was low
white as marble, cold, and still,
What brought her here| Angela
asked herself Could it be that
Gladys had come in search Of her
anu that, in trying to make her way
to the Han, she had fallen ac-
cldcntally into the lake?
Every one seemed to agree that she
had fallen in accidentally. When
Miss Rane was last seen, she was
wearing valuable jeweIry; and costly
gems stiII shonc on her fingers, a
necklace OF gold clasptd the white
throat They had not been touched;
therefore it was evident there had
! been no robbery, no assault. As for
murder, no such thought was enter
| tanned. Who would have any interest
| in the death Of this beautiful woman
who everyone loved and admired? No
one dreamed that II was anything
worse that a terrible accident
Angela did not 20 near the little
knot OF gentlemen; but, seeing one
Of the Cudalc servants standing
| alone, she went up to him.
Docs any one know" she asind,
how the accident happened and
the answer was No"
Does any one know what brought
| the poor lady to the lake she asked
again; and again the answer was
! mo"
she must have come in search of
me-" thought Angela; and the thought
aaddcnod her inexpressibly
Suddenly she saw something ON the
bank which attracted her attention -
something saturated with water End
| lying in shapcloss heap, something
from which the water had taken the
gIistening beauty, leaving 1t n mere
! rag. She saw the CLEAN Of the sun
on the bright clasps, and in n moment
the truth flashed across her She hau
left her silycrgray wrapper in the
! field whore she had left Gladys Rane
She had thought Of il before
Now she remembered how she had I'm
fastened II, and how IT had fallen
from her shoulders, and how In lel
! sorrow and eXcltment she had come
away without 1t. Perhaps Gladys
ltnno was ON her way to bring It to
| her when the accident happened,
With great nrob of relief she re-
momhcrod that Miss Rane tad not
know where she was staying. SO that
! II was impossible she could have
como for the purpose Of seeing her,
| Besides, Miss RanC would never
| dream that she was staying at Bran
/ tome Han; it was the last place IN
the world whore she would think OF
| finding her Whatever motive HAD
| brought her there. 1t could not have
| been to see her, Angela felt fully as
surod. She remembered how she had
! gone in the opposite direction so as
| purposcly to mslcad her.
Then It occurred to her that Miss
Ranc, being a stranger in the neigh
borhood, might not have known the
way, and she relt keen pang Of
| regret that she had not thought ar
telling her Niyidly rose before her
the picture Of the folds aud the two
roads-the one to the left, narrow 0a6
shadeloss, leading to Culdale; the Dno
to the right broad and broderod with
tall spreading trees. Suddenly, as {
/ hy inspiration, Angela felt that she
| had solved the mystery Miss Ranr
had taken the wrong road! She had
walked to Brantomc instead of re-
turning to Culdale. But how the uh.
fortunate girl had fallen into Tho
water was as great n myrtcry as ever
! Still this would not have happened if
she had but thought Of giving nor
! the noCdtul directions, Angela stood
! ut distance while the men rcveroat-
/ ly raised the dead body and bore Il
away to Cudalc, She had hcsitatel
as To whether she should say what
/ she knew, but moments reflection
! convinced her that II would he use.
! less to do SO. II would only draw
public attention to herself and her
| story, which. for her own sake ana
! her mothers IL was better not to dc.
She watched the sad procession as
the men disappeared amongst ,ac
trees. Was II possible that this was
the last she should see of her
mothers rival, Gladys Rane? Was It
Gladys Ranc indeed that was carried
EA1l 4.