Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-04-27

day and his wife were only children.
Their parents, Of course. have been
dead for years."
Nor any intimate friendsY
"None I'd call intimate, sir. Miss
Frances had some school friends, but
she was s-well-reserved. sir"
"Yes." I nodded again. "And now"
I 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 quito
distracted for awhile-wandered about
the house. sat In the library Of even
ings. ate scarcely anything. Then Mr..
Royce got to coming to the house. anu
she frightened up. and we all hoped
she'd soon be all right again. Then she
seemed to get worse of n 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 got SO uneasy. sir,
I couldn't rest, and came back to the
city to see what was the matter. ]
got here early this morning and went
right to the house. Thomas. the sec.
ond butler, had been left In charge.
and he told me that Miss Frances and
her maid her started for Belair the
same day the servants did. That's oil
l know"
Then she's been gone ten daysT' /
questioned.
"Ten days; yes, sir"
Ten days! What might not have hap.
pened In that time! DR.. Jenkinson's
theory Of dementia required to me, and
was more than ever inclined to credit
1t. How else explain this flight? !
could see from Mr.. Royces face how
absolutely nonplused he was.
"Well." l said at last. for want OF
something better, well 90 with you to
the house and see the man In charge
there. Perhaps he can tell US some.
ching more"
But he could tell US very little. Ten
days before a carriage had driven up
to the door. Miss Holiday and her
maid had entered 1t and been driven
away. The carriage had been called,
he thought, from some neighborlng
stable, as the family coachman had
been sent away with the other serv-
ants. They had driven down the ave-
nue. toward Thirty-fourth street,
where he supposed they were going to
the Long Island station. We looked
through the house: 1t was In perfect
order. Miss Holidays rooms were
just as she would naturally have left
them. Her fathers rooms, too, were
evidently undisturbed.
Here's one thing" I said, that
might help" and picked up q photo
graph from the mantel. you won't
mind my using it?"
Mr.. Royce took it with trembling
hand and gazed at it for q moment
at the dark eyes, the earnest mouth.
Then he handed 1t back to me.
mo" he answered, mot IL 1t will
really help. We must use every means
we can. Only
II won't use 1t unless I absolutely
have to-" assured him. "And when
I'm done with it I'll destroy It,"
Every WELL" he assented, and put
It In my pocket.
There was nothing more to be dis
covered there. and we went away, aft
er warning the two men to say not
word to any one concerning their mis-
tress' disappearance.
Plainly the first thing to be done
was to find the coachman who had
driven Miss Holiday and her maid
away from the house, and with this
end In view we visited all the stables
In the neighborhood. but from none Of
them had a carriage been ordered by
her. Had she ordered 1t herself from
a stable in some distant portion of the
city for the purpose of conceallng her
whereabouts, or had 1t been ordered
for her by her maid, and was she real
~ the victim OF foul play? put this
question to Mr.. Royce, but he seemed
quite unable to reach conclusion. As
for myself, was certain that she had
gone away Of her own accord and had