Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-02-09
He nodded eXu1tantIy.

thought was preposterous. 1t seems
almost equally absurd, however, to
suppose that Holiday could be mixed
up with any other woman. He GER
tainly has not been for the last quarter
Of century-but before that-well, it's
not so certain. And there's one strik-
ing point which seems to indicate his
guilt"
'Yes-you mean, of course, her re
semblance to his daughter
"Precisely. Such resemblance must
exist-a resemblance unusual, even
striking-or it would not for moment
have deceived Rogers. We must re-
member, however, that Rogers office
was not brilliantly lighted and that he
merely glanced at her. Still, whatever
minor differences there may have been.
she had the air, the general appearance,
the look, of Miss Holiday. Mere facial
resemblance may happen in a hundred
ways by chance, but the air, the look,
the altogether is very different-it in
dicates a blood relationship. My the
ory is that she is an illegitimate child,
perhaps four or five years older than
Miss Holiday"
l paused to consider. The theory
was reasonable, and yet it had it's
faults.
"Now, let's see where this leads u.s."
he continued. Let US assume that
Holiday has been providing for this
illegitimate daughter for years. At
last, for some reason, he is induced to
withdraw this support, or, perhaps, the
girl thinks her allowance insufficient.
At any rate, after, let us suppose, in
effectual appeals by letter, she does
the desperate thing of calling at his
Office to protest in person. She finds
him inexorable-we know his reputa-
ton for obstinacy when he had once
made up his mind. She reproaches
him-she Is already desperate, remem-
ber-and he answers with that stinging
sarcasm for which he was noted. In
an ecstasy of anger she snatches up
the knife and stabs him; then, in an
agony Of remorse, endeavors to check
the blood. She sees at last that it is
useless, that she cannot save him, and
leaves the office All this is plausible,
isn't itr
every plausible" I assented, look
ing at him in some astonishment. "You
forget one thing, however. Rogers tes-
titled that he was intimately acquaint-
ed with the affairs of his employer
and that he would inevitably have
known Of any intrigue such as you
suggest"
My companion paused for a mo-
ment's thought.
81 don't believe that Rogers would
so inevitably have known Of It," he
said at last "But, admit that-then
there Is another theory. Holiday has
not been supporting his illegitimato
child, who learns of her parentage and
goes to him to demand her rights. That
fits the case, doesn't it?'
"Yes," admitted. "It also is plausi-
ble.''
''It is more than plausible" he said a
quietly. whatever the details may
be, the body of the theory itself IS un-
impeachable-it' the only one which
fits the facts. I believe it capable Of
proof Don't you see how the note
helps to prove it?"
''The note?'
started at the word, and my suspi-
cions sprang into life again. I looked
at him quickly, but his eyes were on
the cloth and he was rolling up innu-
merable little pellets of bread.
''That note" he added, proved two
things One was that the writer was
deeply interested in Miss Holladay's
welfare; the other was that he or she
knew Rogers, the clerk, Intimately
more than intimately; almost as we'll
al
'I admit the first" I said. You'll
have to explain the second"
'The second is self evident How
did the writer Of the note know Of Rog-
ers' infirmity?''
''His infirmityT'
'Certainly-his color blindness. con-
fess I'm puzzled. How could any one
else know 1t when Rogers himself
didn't know itf That's what should
like TO have explained. Perhaps there's
only one man or woman In the world
who could know. Well, that's the one
who wrote the note. Now, who is II? p
But" began quickly, then stopped.
Should set him right, or was this
trap he had prepared for me?
His eyes were not on the cloth now,
out on me. Inere WAS Il ISQC III lQ6m
I did not quite understand. I felt that
! must be sure of my ground before
went forward.
1T should be very easy to trace the
writer of the note,' said.
''The police have not found it so.''
"NoT"
"No. 1t was given to the doorkeeper
by a boy-juSt an ordinary boy of from
twelve to fourteen years. The man
didn't notice him especially. He said
there was no answer and went away.
How are the police to find that boy?
Suppose they do find him. Probably
all he could tell them would be that
man stopped him at the corner and
gave him a quarter to take the note to
the coroner's Office"
HE might give a description of the
man." ventured
what would a boY's description be