Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-03
A Mystery /
O t I w O \
Continents | s
by \
BURTON E. 8
STEVENSON
Copyright. 1905, by
Henry Holt and Z
Company
9 be
II ollo day
Case


Didn't you tell him what was In the
note?'
"Not a word of 1t. 1 told him only
one thing"
| "And what was that3'
"That the person who wrote the note
didn't know that Rogers was color
blind. You are welcome to that state
ment too. You See I'm treating you all
alike"
| They stood about me staring down al
me. silent with establishment.
But" 1 added. II think Godfrey sus.
poets what was in the note"
"Why?'
"Well, his theory fits it pretty close
ly."
Ills theory What is his theory, Mr.
Lester?"
ooh, come" laughed. That's tell
ing It's good theory too"
They looked at each other, and,
| fancied, CRASHED their teeth.
He seems pretty clever fellow"
added. just to pile up the agony. 81
fancy you'll say so. too, when you see
his theory in tomorrow's paper"
"Cleyer." cried Rankin "Why, he's
very fiend of cleverness when II
,omes to case Of this kind We're moi
| in the same class with him. He's 9
fancy fellow-just the Record kind
You're sure you didn't tell him any
thing else, Mr.. Lester?" he added anx
ionsly. "Godfrey's capable of getting O
| story out Of fence post
mo, I'm quite sure didn't tall him
anything else. only listened to bis
theory with great interest"
/, And assented to it?''
II said l thought 1t plausible"
An electric shock seemed to run
around the room.
THAT'S it," cried Rankin. That's
what he wanted. Now, 1t isn't his
theory any more. It's yours. oh,
can see his headlines! Won't you tell
us what 1t VAST
| looked up at him.
"Now, frankly, MIR. Rankin" asked,
'if you were in my place would you
tell?"
i liz ucSilIlGu LUZ q LA0A1NAS 0AA SASA
held out his hand
NO" he said as l took It. ~
shouldn't. Shake hands, sir; you're all
right. Come on, boys; we might as
we'll be going"
They filed out after him, and heard
them go singing up the street. Then
l sank back into my chair and thought
again Of Godfrey's theory. 1t seemed
| to fit the case precisely, point by point
overland started at the thought
| to Miss Holidays reticense as to her
whereabouts the afternoon before. The
whole mystery lay plain before me. In
some way she had discovered the ex-
istence of her half sister, had secured
her address; she nau gone to visit her
and had found her away from home
! it was probable, even, that the half
sister had written her, asking her to
come-though, in that case, why had
she not remained at home to receive
her? At any rate, Miss Holiday had
awaited her return, had noticed her
agitation; had, perhaps, even seen GER
tain marks of blood upon her. The
news Of her fathers death had pointed
all too clearly to what that agitation
and those blood spots meant. She had
remained silent that she might not be-
smirch her fathers name, and also,
perhaps, that she might protect the
other woman. l felt that held In my
hand the key to the whole problem.
Point by point-but what snarl 1t
was! That there would be vigorous
search for the other woman l could
not doubt, but she had long start and
should easily escape. Yet perhaps she
had not started. She must have re-
NAMED in town, else how could that
note have been sent tn us? She had re-
NAMED, then-but why? That she
should feel any affection for Frances
Holiday seemed absurd. and yet how
else explain the note?
l felt that was getting tangled up
in the snarl again. There seemed nc
limit to its intricacies; SO, in very de-
spair, put the matter from me as
completely as could and went to
bed.
. .
The mornings Record attested the
truth Of Rankin's prophecy. l had
grown famous in night, for Godfrey
had in a measure made me responsible
for his theory, describing me with q
wealth Of adjectives which blush to
remember and which have even yet
not quite forgiven him. ] smiled as
read the first lines:
A Record representative had the pleas
ure yesterday evening Of dining with Mr..
Warwick Lester, the brilliant young at
torney who achieved such a remarkable
victory before Coroner Goldberg yester-
| day afternoon in the hearing of the Hol-
| laday case, and, of course, took occasion
to discuss with him the latest develop
| ments of this extraordinary crime. Mr..
Lester agreed with the Record in a the
ory which is the only one that fits the
facts of the case and completely and sat
isfactorily explains all its ramihcations.
The theory was then developed at
great length, and the article concluded
with the statement that the Record
was assisting the police in strenuous
endeavor to find the guilty woman.
Now that the police knew in which
quarter to spread their net, l had little
doubt that she would soon be found,
since she had tempted Providence by
remaining in town.
Mr.. Graham and Mr. Royce were
looking through the Record article
when l reached the Office, and ex-
planned to them how the alleged inter
..io.,- bod haon sacnred They Laughed