Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-08-30
xI-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
MISSING THREE QUARTER
Continued


ing dead upon the bed Her calm, pale
face. with dim, vide opened blue eyes.
looked upwards from amid great tangle
OF golden hair. At the foot of the bed half
sitting, half knce..ig. his face buried in
the clothes was a young man, whose
frame was racked by his sobs. So alb
sorh. was he by his biz. grief, that he
never looked no until Holmes hand was
on his shoulder.
Are you MIR. Godfrey Staunton9"
"Yes, yes. l am-but you are 100 late.
She is dead
The man was so tazcs that he could not
be made to understand that We We're any
thing but doctors who had been sent to
hts assistance. Holr.cs was endcavoring
to utter IA few words of consoation. and
to explain the alarm which had been
caused to his friends by his sudden ,lisap-
pcarance, when there was step upon the
stairs, and there was the heavy, stern.
questioning face of DIR. Armstrong at the
door
so. gentlemen. said he. YOU have at
tanned your end and have certainly chosen
/; particularly delicate moment for YOUR
intrusion. | wonl! NOT hrawl in the pres
encc of Death but ! can assure you 'hat
il We're younger man your monstrous
conduct would not pass WITH impunlty
"l.xcuse me. DIR. Ailnstro@s, think VIC
are a little d cross purposes" said my
friend. With dignity III You could step
j downstairs With W., W" may each he able
10 give some light TO the Other upon this
\ miserable affair.".
! \ minute latter the grim doctor and
\ ourselves were ~ the Sizing room below.
well So" sad he.
II wish YOU To understand in tho first
! place. that ann not omp.oyea by Lord
i Mo,;nt-James. aad that my sympa;hies
A in this matter are cutiralN against thar
4 noDcman. When man is lost ii is my
\ duty TO ascertain his fate bat having done
/ SO The matter end - far ~ ! am con-
cerlcd, and 50 long ~ ,he"e is nothing
1 criminal, / am nncn more alH.ous To
! hush vi, private scandals than 70 s,v.:
4 them publicity. IT, as | imagine, tholr is
no breach of tho law in This matter, you
4 ca absolutely depend upon my discretion
and my cooperation in ltoepin. The facts
out of the papers
4 DR. Armstrong took q quick step forward
/ and wluns Holmes by Tho hand
You are a good fellow. said ne II
had misjmdsed YOU. ! thank heaven shat
4 my compunctiom at leaving poor siaunton
4 all alone in th.s plight caused me 10 turn
! my carriage hack and 50 10 make Your
A acquaintance. Knowing as much as YOU
4 do the situation is vei,Y easily cNpained.
year ago Godfrey Shannon lodged in
London for a time and became passion
4 ately attached to his Ian. .aIN's daughter
4 whom he married. sihc Was good as shc
4 was beautiful, and as intelligent as she
was good No man need be ashamed OF
such a WIFE. Eut Godfrey MAS the hcii
to this grabbed old nobl.inali. as;d it WAS
quite certain that tho news Of is mariias
would have becii the end ot his inherit
lance ] knew the lad wcll, and iovcc
him for his manr excellent qualities.
did all could to help him to keep thing
straight. We did our best to keep III,
thing from everyone, for. when once sucl
a whisper gets about, it IS not long hutor,
everyone has heard it. Thanks to thi!
lonely cottage and his own discretion
Godfrey has up to now succeeded. Fhe
secret was known TO no one save to mn
and to one excellent servant, who has n
present gone for assistance to 1rumping
ton But at last there came a terrible
blow in the shape of dangerous illness u
his wife Ii was consumption of the mos
rilulcnt kind. The poor boy was hal
crazed with grief, and yet he had tn g
| to London TO play this match, for h
could not get out of it without EXPLAIN
tons which would expose his secret
tried to cheer him up by Wire and h
sent me one III reply, imporng me TO d
all 1 could This was the telegram whicl
you appear IN some ineXpicable way L
have seen | did not tell him how urgen
the danger was, for | knew that he coul
do no good here, but sent the truth {
the girls father, and he very injudiciousl
communicated it to Godfrey. The rcsul
was that he came straight away in stat
bordering on frenzy, and has RENAME
n the same state, kneeling at the end o
,er bed, until this morning death put a
end to her sufferings. That is all. MI
Holmes, and sure that can rel
lpon your discretion and that of you
freud
Holmes grasped the doctors hand
Come. Watson" said he, and we passe
from that house OF grief into the pa.
sunlight of the winter day.