The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-25
THE HOLIDAY CASE
BY BURTON e. STEVENSON
,E7c
BY BURTON &. STEVENSON
ODDS WITH THE REGENT" "A SOLDIER VIRGINIA." ETC.
Copyri

tion of it showed me how easily Mar
tigny had eluded pursuit-he had only
to walk twenty feet, open door, and
even that small exertion had been too
much for him, and I turned away with
the grim thought that perhaps our
enemy would kill himself yet.
When 1 sat down, next morning, be-
side Miss Kendall, she closed her book,
and turned to me with very de-
termined air.
"Of course, Mr.. Lester,' she began,
eff you think any harm can come from
telling me, [ don It want you to say a
word; but I really think I m entitled to
$50 do IT, I agreed. "You We
proved yourself a better guard than I.
ia forgotten all about M Mart; was va
ferent-f had no thought of DANGER
"Nor had - she said quickly. NBut
I CHANGED to look up and see that dark
figure bending over them, and | cried
out, really, before had time to think
involuntarily.' 49,:
cit was just that which saved them.
If you ID stopped to think, it would
have been too late
wards I'd only to close my eyes, last
night, to see him there yet, peering
down at u.s. waiting his opportunity.
And then, Of course, puzzled more or
less, over the whole thing.'
EYou shan't puzzle any more,' 1
said, and looked about to make certain
that there was no one near: Then, be-
day, laid the case before her, step by
step. She listened with clasped hands
and intent face, not speaking till L
had finished. Then she leaned back in
her chair with, a lone, SIGH.
Horrible and dreadfully puzzling. You
haven't told me your explanation yet,
~ haven It any explanation said
theories, but they We ali been knocked
to pieces, one after the other: I don It
know what to think, unless Miss Holla-
day is a victim of hypnotism or
dementia Of some kind, and that seems
absurd.''
"sometimes she s nice and at other
and Mr.. HYDE doesn't it?''
eyes, it does; only, as I say, such
an explanation seems absurd. -
She sat for moment with eyes in
wardly intent.
"There IS one theory which might ex-
plain it--part of it., Perhaps it WASH It
N Miss IS, Holiday at all who returned from iron
Perhaps it was the other woman, and
the barred windows were really to keep
Miss Holiday prisoner. Think of her
there, in that place, with Martigny for
her jailer!''
"But she WASH It. thereto I pro-
tested eve saw her when we gave
so did Mr.. Graham.'
"Yes-in darkened room, with a
she could scarcely speak. No wonder
I Mr.. Royce hardly knew her!''
} I stopped a moment to consider.
"Remember, that would explain
something which admits of no other
companion; "the barred windows and
the behavior of the prisoner
cit would explain that, certainly
admitted, though, at first thought, the
theory did not appeal to me-. HYou be-
Fe.o;i then eRat that Miss Holiday was
"Undoubtedly. If her mind was 60
| ing to give way at all, it would have
done so at once, and not two weeks
after the tragedy
ssBut if she had brooded over it, ]
objected.
"She WASH It brooding-at least. she
had ceased to brood. You have Mr.
1 Royce's word and the butler s word that
she was getting, better, brighter, quite
like her Old self again. Why should
1tI don It know I said helplessly
ttThe more I reason about it, the more
unreasonable@it all seems. Besides; that
affair last night has upset me so that
can't think clearly. feel that I was
careless-that I WASH t doing my
duty
IT shouldn't worry about it; tho, Of
, course she added little severely
, you We realized by this time that yor
alone are to blame for Martigny'
presence on the boat. -
"But had to 60 to the Jourdains ,
I protested, and couldn It help thei7
going to him-to have asked them MOI
, to go would have made them suspect mt
at once.
Oh, yes; but, at least, you needn I
) have sent them. They might not have
: gone at all certainly they Wouldn'
s n u < = =