Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-09
sereASHess-''ssv
a Mystery s
q ( L w o l
Continents s
BY !
BURTON E. G
STEVE NSCN I
Copyright. 1908, by /
Henry Holt and =
Company

"ren days; yes. sir"
Ten DAYS. What might not have hap
pened in that time! Or. Jenkinson $
theory of delnenta required to me, and
was more than ever inclined to credit
| it. How else explain this flight!
could see from Mr.. Royce's face how
| absolutely nonpiused he was.
WELL" said at last, for want o.
something better. well so With You
the house and see the man in charge
there Perhaps he can tell us some
thing more"
But he could toll us very little. Tel
days before a carriage had driven vi
| to the door. Miss Holiday and he
| maid had entered it and been drive!
away. The carriage had been called
! he thought. from some neishborinl
stable, as the family couchman had
been sent away with the other serv-
ants. They had driven down the ave
nue. toward Thirtyfourth street.
where he supposed they We're going to
the Long Island station. We looked
I through the house; it was in perfect
order. Miss Holidays rooms We're
| Just as she would naturally have left
| them. Her fathers rooms. too, were
evidently undisturbed.
"Here's one thing" 1 said, "that
might help" and / picked up photo
graph from the mantel You won't
mind my using it?"
MIR. Royce took it with trembling
hand and gnzed at it for a moment
at the dark eyes, the earnest mouth.
Then he handed it back to me.
mo" he answered, mot If 1t will
really help. We must use every mean
we can. Only
IL won't use it unless l absoutel1
have to-" | assured him. ..And whei
Pm done with 1t III destroy it."
every we'll" he assented. and l put
l It in my pocket.
| There was nothing more to be dis
covered there. and we went away, aft
err warning the two men to say not
word to any one concerning their mis-
tress' disappearance.
Plainly the first thing to be dom
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 carriage been ordered by
her. Had she ordered it herself from
a stable in some distant portion Of the
city for the purpose of concealing her
whereabouts, or had it been ordered
for her by her maid, and was she real
ly the victim of foul play? l 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
deliberately planned her disappearance.
Why? Well, began to suspect that
we had not yet really touched the bot
tom of the mystery.
We drove back to the Office and found
Mr. Graham there. l related to him
the circumstances of our search and
submitted to him and to our Junior one
question for immediate settlement.
"At the best, it's delicate case" l
pointed out Miss Holiday has plain
" laid her plans very carefully to pre-
vent us following her. 1t may be diff
fcult to prove that she has not gone
away entirely of her own accord. She
certainly has perfect right to go
wherever she wishes without consult
ing us. Have we the right to follow
her against her evident desire?"
For a moment Mr.. Graham did not
answer, but sat tapping hi; desk with
that deep line of perplexity between
u: I,0 cd
phatically.
Its our duty to follow her and find
her." he said Its perfectly evident
20 me that no girl in her right mind
would act as she has done. She had no
reason whatever for deceiving us-for
running away. We wouldn't have in
terfered with her. Jenkinson's right
she's suffering with dementia. We
must see that she receives proper med
lea. treatment"
cit might not be dementia," l sug-
gested, 80 much as undue influence
on the part Of the new maid, perhaps.
"Then it's our duty to rescue her
from that influence" rejoined Mr.. Ora
ham, land restore her to her normal
mentality.
Even If we offend her!'
1--WE can't stop to think Of that. Be
sides, she won't be offended when she
comes to herself. The question is how
to find her most speedily
"The police, probably, could do it
most speedily" l said, "but since she
can be in no immediate danger Of any
kind l rather doubt whether it would
be wise to call in the police. Miss
Holiday would very properly resent
any more publicity
But objected Mr.. Graham, 'if we
don't call in the police, how are we to
find her? | recognize, of course, how
undesirable it is that she should be
subjected to any further notoriety, but
is there any other way?"
l glanced at Mr.. Royce and saw that
he was seemingly sunk in apathy.
eff l could be excused from the
office for few days, SIR l began
hesitatingly. 81 might be able to find
some trace Of her II I'm unsuccess-
full. we might then call in the author
tiles s"
Mr., Royce frightened up for mo-
ment.
That's it." he said. LET Lester
look into it."