Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-07-15


! ment. There is not an instant to lose
Where is the letter.
She darted across to a writing desk.
! unlocked it aud drew out long blue
envelope.
Here it is, Mr.. Holmes. Would to
heaven 1 had never seen it,
How can we return it," Holmes
muttered. Quick, quick, we must
think of some way! Where is the
dispatch boxY'
Still in his bedroom"
What u stroke of luck! Quick,
madam, bring it herer'
\ moment later she had appeared
with red, fiat box in her hand
How did you open it before? You
have a duplicate key? Yes, OF course
you have. Open it,
From out of her bosom Lady HiIda
had drawn q small key. The box flew
open. 1t was stuffed with papers.
Holmes thrust the blue envelope deep
down into the heart of them. between
the leaves of some other document.
The box was shut, locked and returned
TO the bedroom
Now we are ready for him. said
Holmes. We have still ten minutes.
1 am going far TO screen you, Lady
Hilda. In return you will spend the
time in telling me frankly the real
meaning of this extraordinary affair"
Mr.. Holmes l will tell you every
thing" cried the lady. 'Oh, Mr..
Holmes. l would cut off my right hand
before / save him a moRent of sor-
row! There is no woman in all Lon
don who loves her husband as L do,
and yet il he knew how l have acted
how l have been compelled to act-he
would never forgive me, for his own
honor stands so high that he could not
forget or pardon a lapse in another.
Help me, Mr. Holmes. Ny happiness,
his happiness, our very lives, are 1T
stake!'
Quick. madam; the time grows
Short
1T was a letter of mine, Mr.. Holmes,
an indiscreet letter written before my
marriage-a foolish letter, u letter of
an impulsive, loving girl. l meant no
harm. and yet he would have thought
it criminal. Had he read that letter
his confidence would have been forever
destroyed. 1t is years since / wrote
it. l had thought that the whole mat
ter was forgotten. Then at last l
heard from this man Lucas that it had
passed into his hands and that he
would lay it before my husband. l
implOred his mercy. He said that he
would return my letter if l would bring
him a certain document which he de
scribed in my husbands dispatch box.
He had some spy in the office who had
told him of its existence. He assured
me that no harm could come 10 my
husband. Put yourself In my posi-
ton, Mr.. Holmes, What was to do?'
Take your husband into your conf
dence."
Il could not, Mr.. Holmes, l could
not On the one side seemed certain
ruin; on the other, terrible as it seem
ed, to take my husbands paper; still in
matter of politics l could not I'M
derstand the consequences, while in a
matter of love and trust they were on
ly too clear to me. l did it, Mr..
Holmes! 1 took an impression of his
key. This man Lucas furnished
duplicate. / opened his dispatch box,
took the paper and conveyed it 10
GodOlphin street"
what happened there, madam"
II tapped at the door as agreed. Lu-
cas- opened 1t. l followed him into his
room, leaving the hall door aiar behind
me, for l feared to be alone with the
man. l remember that there was a
woman outside as | entered. Our bust
ness was soon done. He had my let
ter on his desk. / handed him the doe
p a.,
instant there was a sound at the door.
There were steps in the passage. Lu
cas- quickly turned back the drugget, |
thrust the document into some hiding |
place there and covered it over.
What happened after that is like |
some fearful dream. / have a vision of |
n dark, frantic face of a woman's !
voice, which screamed in French: My |
waiting is not in vain. At last, at last, |
/ have found you with herr There was |
d savage struggle. l saw him with a !
chair in his hand; knife cleaned in |
hers. l rushed from the horrible scene. |
ran from the house, and only next /
morning in the paper did 1 learn the |
dreadful result. That night l was
happy, for l had my letter, and had
not seen yet what the future would |
bring
1T was the next morning that l real
lied that l had only exchanged one |
trouble for another. My husbands an
guish at the loss of his paper went TO
my heart. l could hardly prevent my
self from there and then kneeling down
at his feet and telling him what / had
done. But that again would mean a
of the past. l came TO you
that morning in order to understand
the full enormity of my offense. From
the instant that l grasped it my whole
mind was turned TO the one thought Of
getting back my husbands paper II
must still be where Lucas had placed
IT, for it was concealed before this
dreadful woman entered the room. If
IL had not been for her coming.
should not have known where his hid