The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-02-16
CHAPTER XIII

NU next morning quite over
VI whelmed me.
Il never expected such com
plete and speedy success, Mr.. Lester,
he said warmly. you've done splen.
did work.
l pointed out to him that, after all
my success was purely the result of &C.
cident. Had l been really clever ]
should have instantly suspected what
that sudden seizure on the station plat.
form meant 1 should have hurried
! back to the scene and followed Mar
tigny-as / still called him in my
thoughts-to the hospital on the chance
Of securing his first address. Instead
of which, IL chance had not befriended
me, should have been as far as ever
from a solution of the mystery. l
trembled to think upon what a slender
thread my victory had hung.
But my chief would not listen. He
declared that a man must be judged by
his achievements and that he judged
me by mine.
Let us find out how our friend is"
said at last, so the hospital was called
up. We were informed that the pa
tent was stronger, but would not be
kble to leave his bed for two or three
days.
THE Jourdalns may tell him Of my
CALL" 1 said. They'll suspect some
thing when l don't return today, yet
they may wait for me day or two Ion
ger-they have my money-and one day
is all want It's just possible that
they may keep silent altogether. They
have nothing to gain by speaking-it's
plain that they're not in the conspiracy.
Anyway, tomorrow I'll be out of
reach"
Mr. Graham nodded
"Yes-that's plainly the next step.
You must follow them to France but
where in France will you look for
them? l didn't think or that before.
Why, the search is just beginning! /
thought 1t impossible to accomplish
what you have accomplished, but that
seems easy now beside this new prob
lem"
YES" 1 assented. "Still it may not
be so hard as it looks. We must try
to find out where the women have
gone, and believe Rogers can help us.
My theory is that they're from one of
the towns which the Holidays visited
when they were abroad, and Mr.. Hol-
laday must have kept in touch with
his Office, more or less, during that
time"
My chief spralg up and seized his
hat.
THE very thingr' he cried. There's
no luck about that bit Of reasoning,
Mr.. Lester. Come, I'll go with you"
"Only," 1 added as we went down to-
gether, 81 very much fear that the
search will lead to Paris, for Martigny
is undoubtedly a Partisan"
"And to find a person in Paris
l did not answer. l only shut my
teeth together and told myself for the
hundredth time that must not fail.
Rogers had been carrying on the
routine work of the business since his
employers death and was supervising
the settlement Of accounts and the
thousand and one details which must
be attended to before the business
could be closed up. We found him in
the private Office and stated our errand
without delay.
EYES," he said, "Mr. Holiday kept
in touch with the Office, Of course. Let
me see What was the dateY
LET US look for the first six months |
of 1875" suggested
He got down the file covering that |
period and ran through the letters.
eyes, here they are" he said after a |
moment. I'm January, he writes from
Nice, where they seem to have re-
manned during February and March.
About the middle Of April they started
north - here's a letter dated Paris,
April 1e-and from Paris they went to
a place called Dtretat They remained
there through May, June and July.
That Is all the time covered by this
file. Shall get anotherT
mo" answered, but wish you'd
make an abstract Of Mr.. Holidays
during the whole time he
was abroad and send it to our Office
not later than this afternoon"
Every well, sir" he said, and we
left the room.
"But why didn't you let him go far
therT' asked Mr.. Graham as we left
the building.
Because I think I've found the
place, SIR" answered did you
notice-the time they stayed at Etre-
tat covers the period of Miss Holla-
days birth, with which, I'm convinced,
these people were in some way con-
cerned. We must look up Etretat."
A map at the Office showed us that
Il was little fishing hamlet and sea-
side resort ON the shore OF the English