The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-02-12
CHAPTER XIV.
The Answer to the Telegram.


The detective ran part of the way to
the village, he was so fearful that
the telegraph office was closed. He
stumbled and fell in the darkness,
but he pushed on and entered the
store where the telegraph was, Just as
the men was locking the door.
Il want to send a telegram" said
Loud, painting up the steps.
Too late. it's nine o'clock" turning
the key.
But | must, so don't delay longer:
open the door"
Loud spoke with such authority that
the man obeyed. but sullenly. He
went up to his desk and pushed a
y piece of paper toward Loud.
Hurry up. then" he said, snap
Loud wrote two messages to Phila-
delphia, one to fellow detective at
the Girard House. and one to the num-
Der on Locust street which Kate Pur-
cell had given him. Both messages
were the same.
WAS Vance Rothesay there on the
16th?"
IF he was there on the 10th he
could not possibly have reached Bos-
! ton at time the deed was DONE" was
the decision of Loud.
He knew that he could not get an
answer before morning, so he walked
| leisurely over the way back, musing
| on the things he had heard.
Notwithstanding his assurance to
Kate. he had strong suspicious that
this Rothesay was the guilty one. He
/ believed from the hsherman's story
I OF the blow at the depot that Rothesay
had an old feud with Ralph Caryl,
and that when Caryl came trying to
I fiirt with Kate Purcell IL was too
much for Rothesay to bear.
No doubt Caryl was an unmiti-
gated scamp" solilquized Loud, "but
I then we haven't the privilege of kill
\ ing these scamps. Yes, own, /
| strongly suspect Rothesay. Let us
| wait until morning and hear what The
! answer is"
So strongly interested was he that
| he found 1t hard to sleep as he ordi-
narily did while on such a search.
"Confound it," he said, more than
once In the night. "Confound It! l
wish | could get that girls face out
of my head. l begin TO wish for her
! alibi, and detective should have no
! such feelings.
He did not sleep so late, but he was
| up at the store before it opened. He
had addressed his telegram to an
officer in Philadelphia whom he knew,
and he was sure that man would
| discover the facts the same evening Of
receiving the message, and send an
answer the earliest moment in the
morning.
He waited an hour, and began
| secretly to fret although his
visage was very calm as he sat on
the counter swinging his legs and
reading the local paper.
| Finally, an imperative tick tick"
| from the operating room summoned
| the man. Loud did not know when he
had been so excited as he was then,
! waiting for the mysterious workings
/ of the wire.
ITO Henry Loud, Cotton; Mass:
| Vance Rothesay has not been at Gil
rard House, nor at Lauriat's for sew
| eral months. When last heard of was
1 i'll at Cotton, Mass"
| Loud felt his heart sink within him
/ as he took the paper on which the
! operator had scrubbed these lines. He
( turning away, when the click of the
telegraph instrument recalled him.
| "To Henry Loud, Cotton, Mass: II
you know anything of Vance Rothesay
for Gods sake send word instantly to
| Charles Lauriat."
Then followed an address on Chest
nut street, which loud thought to
4 be the business address of Lauriat
II was plain that LIQUIDS associate
officer had aroused the suspicious of
the father of the girl to whom
Rothesay was to be married-plain
/ that Miss Lauriat must have been
looking for the arrival of her lover,
! and that she could hear nothing of
him.
Certainly the case for Vance Rothe-
say was assuming a hard look. He
had started for Philadelphia, he had
told the Purcells that he was going
there, his expectant bride awaited him
but nothing could be heard from him.
desiring to be alone to think of this
new phase-which he had indeed,
half expected.
He walked slowly, with his head
bent, his hands ciasped behind him,
Il shall go back to that girl. I
will tell her this message and watch
her face. She really prevented me
from deciding whether she loves him
or not. OF one thing l am sure
that the girl whom Vance Rothesay
loves will know where he is concealed,
and I'm quite sure that girl won't be
Laura Lauriat"
Loud walked toward the beach
past the house where he had seen
Kate Purcell. The doors were open
and he saw her about her household
affairs.
Let US see how she looks by the
daylight" he muttered; "and now I
shall know surely whether she loves
him OF not"
He advanced. and paused at the
open door.
Woodworking Miss Purcell, I see
you are up early as well as l." he |
said.
He was struck by her pallor. by
the dark circles about her eyes. He |