Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-12-14
6be
Holiday
Case


Of the street! Then in flash un
dcrstood He was following me!
1t is difficult to describe the shock
that ran through me. that left mo
numhed and helpless. For an instant
| stumbled on, half dnzcd: then grad
ually my sell control came back and
with it certain ficrc" Joy. a hot exul-
tation. Here ut last was something
definite. tangible. n clew ready to my
hand If only | were clever enough to
follow 1t up; Il ray of light in the dark
moss. ! could feel my cheeks burning
and my heart lcaping Mt the thought.
But what had been his part i'm the
affair? For n moment gropcd blind
~ IN tho dark. but only for n moment.
Whatever his share in the tragedy. he
had plainly been left behind to watch
us: to make sure that we did not fol
low I'll" fugitivps: to warn them in
case of danger. | understood now his
soicitulc for Miss Holladay-"in her I
take such an interest" II was i'm
portant that he should know the mo-
mont we discovered her absence. And
he had known he know that I was
even at this moment commencing the
search for her. MY checks redeemed
at the thought of my indiscreetness:
vet no was Il man to command conf
,lcncc Who would have suspected
him. And an old provcrh which he
had repeated ono evening flashed
through my mind.
"Silly Is ,hc sheep who TO the wolf
herself confesses." had translated it.,
with that painful litcralness character.
istc of the beginner. Well | had been
the sheep and silly enough. heaven
knows.
I had reached broadway. aud at the
corner ! paused to look at n display Of
mems furnishings in window. Far
down the street on the other side. al
most lost in tho hurrying crowd. Mar
tignv was buying paper of a news
boy. He shook it out and looked quick
ly Up and down It's columns. like q
man who il searching for some spccia,
item of news. Perhaps he was Il spec.
ulator: perhaps. after all. was dc
ceiving myself in imagining thai he
was following me. had no proof Of It:
II was the most natural thing IN the
world that he should be in this part OF
tho town. | must test the theory be-
fore accepting it. II was time | grew
wary Of theories.
entered the Store and spent ten
minutes looking ~ som" nrcktics.
When | came ont again Martigny was
just getting down from boot black $
chair across the street His back was
I toward me. and watched him get out
his little purse and drop dime into
the boothlack'S hand. | went on up
broadway. lettering sometimes. some
times walking straight ahead always
away behind me, lost in the crowd.
was ny pursjier. 1t could no longer he
doubted He was really following me,
though J." did it So adroitly. with such
cons,lniiuat" cunning. that | should
never have seen him. never have sus.
pcclcA him. hut for tllat fortunat" in
tuition at the start.
\ hundred plans flashed through my
brain | had this advantage he could
not know that suspected him. If
cou,d only ovcrnas,ar him in cunning
wrr.t his secret from n-anl then
rs rcnc.nhcrC the strong face. III,
piercing eyes, the perfect self control
realized how little possible it was
that could accomplish this. He was
my superior in diplomacy and deceit
Ii" would not pause now at any means
To assure the Sl,c""ss of his plot.
Yes. | could doubt no longer that
there was Il plot. whose depths | had
not before even suspected, ana drew
back from the thought with little
Shver. What was the plot: What in
tricate. dreadful crime WAS this which
he was planning: The murder Of tho
father. then. had been only the frs,
step. Th" abduction of Frances Hol
laday was the second. What would
the third be? How could we pre-
vent his taking it? suppose we should
be unsuccessful: And candidly. wha
chance of success could we have, fight
ing in the dark against this accom-
plshed scoundrel: lie had the thread
all in his fingers; he controlled III
situation: we were struggling blindly
snarled in net Of mystery from
which there seemed 10 escaping. NJ,
Imagination clothed him with super
human attributes. For moment
wild desire possessed Inc to turn upo
him. TO confront him. to accuse hin,
to confound him with the very cei
tainty of my knowledge, TO surprise hi
secret, to trnnplo him down.
But the frenzy passed. No, he mus
not discover that ! suspected him.
must not yield up that advantage.
might yet surprise him. mislend hin
set trap for him. get him to say NOR
than he wished TO say. That battle @
wits would come later on this yer
night perhaps-but for the moment
could no nothing better than carry ol
my frs. plan, yet lie must not suspet
the direction of my search. must thro,
him off the track. Why, this was 10
all the world just like the penny dreat
fulS of my bOyh0Ol. And | smiled 4
the thought that | had become an actC
, in Il drama fitted for n rod and ycllo,
cover
, My plan was soon made | crosse
broadway and turned into Cortland
street. sauntcring along II until the eli
waited doomed ahead heard the roa
/ of an approaching train and stoppc