Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-09


NH of his chair convulSively, and
remained for a moment
speechless under the shock.
Then he swung around toward me.
Come here, Lester" he said hoarse.
ly. II needed you once before, and
need you now. This touches me so
closely / can't think consecutively.
You will help. won't your
There was AN appeal in his face
which showed his sudden weakness
IN appeal there was no resisting. even
had not myself been deeply interest
ed in the case.
"Gludly." answered from the
depths of my heart seeing how over
wrought he was. "I'll help to the very
limit of my power. Mr.. Royce"
He saiA back into his chair again
and Dreaded long sigh.
II knew you would he said. Get
the story from Thompson. will you?'
| BROUGHT {; chair and sat down by
the old butter.
You have been in Mr. Hoiladays
family great many years. haven't
YOU, Mr. Thompson:' l asked to give
him opportunity to compose himself.
Yes. a great many years, sir-near-
Iy forty, | should say"
Before Miss Holidays birth, then?'
ooh. yes. sir; long before. Just be-
fore his marriage Mr. Holiday bought
the Fifth avenue house he lived in ever
since. and l was employed then, sir,
as an underservant."
'Mr. Holiday and his wife were
very happy together, weren't they"
questioned.
Very happy; yes, sir. They were
like lovers, sir, until her death.
l. seemed Just made for each other,
sir, and the trite old saying gathered
a new dignity as he uttered 1t.
paused moment to consider. This,
certainly, seemed to discredit the theo-
ry that Holiday had ever had liaison
with any other woman, and yet what
other theory was tenable?
"There was nothing to mar their hap
piness that you know of? OF course,
/ added, you understand, Thompson.
that I'm not asking these questions
from idle curiosity. but to get to the
bottom of this mystery if possible"
II understand, sir" he nodded. mo,
there was nothing to mar their happi-
ness-except one thing"
And what was that?'
"Why, they had no children, sir, for
fifteen years and more. After Miss
Frances came, of course that was all
changed"
"She was born abroad?"
"Yes, sir: in France. l don't just
know the town"
But you know the date Of her
birth?"
ooh. yes, sir-the 10th Of June, 1876.
We always celebrated it,
mir. Holiday was with his wife at
the time:'
eyes, sir. He and his wife had been
abroad nearly year. His health had
broken down, and the doctor made him
take a long vacation. He came home
q few months later. but Mrs. Holla-
day stayed on. She didn't get strong
again, some way. She stayed nearly
four years, and he went over every
few months to spend a week with her,
and at last she came home to die,
bringing her child with her. That was
the first time any of us ever saw Miss
Frances"
'Mr. Holiday thought great deal
of her?'
"You may we'll say so. sir. She took
his wife's place." said the old man
simply.
"And she thought a great deal Of
him?"
"More than that, sir. She fairly wor-
SHIPPED him She was always at the
door to meet him; always dined with
him; they almost always spent their
evenings together. She didn't care much
for society. I've often heard her tell
him that she'd much rather just stay
at home with him. 1t was he who
rather insisted on her going out, for
he was proud Of her, as he'd right
to be-"
Eyes" 1 said, for all this fitted in
exactly with what had always heard
about the family There were no
other relatives. We're there?"
.None at all, sir. Both MIR. Holla-
day and his wife We're only children.
Their parents, of course, have been
dead for years.
Nor any intimate friends?
..None I'd call intimate, sir. Miss
Frances had some school friends, but
she was Observation-Disclosures, sir"
Eyes" nodded again. and now"
l added, tell me, as fully as you can,
what has happened within the last
three weeks"
"Well, sir" he began slowly, after
her fathers death she seemed quite
distracted for awnile-wandered about
the house, sat in the library of even
;ngs. ate scarcely anything. Then Mr..
Royce got to coming to the house, and
she frightened up, and we all hoped
she'd soon be all right again. Then she
seemed TO get worse of sudden and
sent us all away to get Belair ready.
I got the place in order, sir, and tele-
graphed her that we were ready. She
answered that she'd come in a few
days. Ten days ago the rest of the
servants came, and i looked for her
every day, but she didn't come. tele-
graphed her again, but she didn't an
swer, and finally l got so uneasy, sir,
couldn't rest, and came back to the
city to see what was the matter. l