New Ulm review., 1906-06-20
6be
HoHadaY
Case



''Oh, yes; but at least you needn't
have sent them. They might not have
gone at certainly they wouldn't
nave gone SO promptly If you hadn't
sent them"
"Sent them p repeated, and stared
at her in amazement, doubling If /
had heard Alright.
Yes, sent them," she said again en-
phatically. why do you suppose they
went to the hospital so early the next
morning?'
"I suppose they had become suspi-
cious of me-"
Nonsense! What possible reason
could they have for becoming sus-
plcious of you? On the contrary, they
went after the key to those padlocks
on the window shutters. OF course
Mart1gny had it,
For moment I was too nonplused
to speak. 1 could only stare at her.
well, was fool, wasn't I7' de-
manded finally. "To think that I
shouldn't have foreseen that! I was
SO worked up over my discovery that
night that couldn't think Of anything
else. OF course, when they asked for
the key, the whole story came out"
II shouldn't blame myself too severe
ly," laughed Miss Kemball as she
looked at my rueful countenance. II
myself think It's rather fortunate that
he's on the boat"
'Fortunate! You don't mean thatw
"Precisely that. Suppose the Jour
dains hadn't gone to him. He'd have
left the hospital anyway in two or
three days. He Isn't the man to lie
inactive when he knew you were
searching for the fugittves He'd have
returned then to his apartment next
to yours; your land1ady would have
told him that you had sailed for Eu-
rope, and he had only to examine this
boats passenger list to discover your
name.'
'But, at any rate," pointed out,
"he would still have been In America.
He couldn't have caught US"
He couldn't have caught you, but
cablegram would have passed you in
midocean warning his confederates.
If they have time to conceal their pris-
oner, you'll never find her. Your only
nope is in catching them unprepared.
And there's another reason-since he's
on the boat, you've another opportuni-
ty. Why not go and have talk with
him-that battle of wits you were look
ing forward to?'
I'D thought Of that" I said, "but
I'm afraid I couldn't play the part"
''The part?'' e..
"Of seeming not to suspect him. It's
too great risk"
1.-THE advantage would be on your
stde," she pointed out. 'fYou could tell
him SO many things which he already
knows and which he has no reason to
suspect you know he knows. It sounds
terribly involved, doesn't It? But you
understandT' .
"Oh, yes; understand"
"And then it would be the natural
thing for you to look him up as soon
as you learned he was Ill. To avoid
him will be to confess that you suspect
him"
'But his name isn't on the passenger
list. If I hadn't happened to see him
AAS
have known it at ALL" s
perhaps he saw you at the same
time"
'Then the fats in the fire." I said.
IF he knows I know he's on board.
then he also knows that suspect him
II be doesn't know, why, there's no
reason for him to think that I'll find 1t
out, unless he appears in the cabin.
which doesn't seem probable"
perhaps you're right" she admit
ted. "There's no use taking any un-
necessary risks. The thing appealed
to me. I think I should enjoy a half
hours talk with him, matching my
wits against his.''
''But yours are brighter than mine,'
I pointed out. "You've proved it pretty
effectually in the last few minutes"
mo, | haven't. I've simply shown
you that you overlooked one little
thing. And I think you're right about
the danger Of going to Martigny. Our
first duty is to Miss Holiday. We
must rescue her before he can warn
his confederates to place her out Of our
reach"
The unstudied way in which she said
"our'' filed me with an unreasoning
happiness.
"But why should they bother with a
prisoner at all? They didn't shrink
from striking down her father
"And they may not shrink from strik-
ing her down at favorable moment -
she answered calmly, "It will be cas-
ier in France than in New York.
My hands were trem bling at the
thought of it. If we should really be
too late!
'But don't believe they'll go to- such
extremes, Mr.. Lester continued my
companion. I believe you're going to
find her and solve the mystery. NJ
theory doesn't solve it, you know: it
only makes it deeper. The mystery,
after all, is: Who are these people ?
Why did they kill Mr.. Holiday? Why
have they abducted his daughter?
What is their plot?''
"Yes," assented. And again I had
Of