Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-03-02

March q. Friday.-Miss Holiday returns
from drive. bringing new maid with
her and discharges old one
March q, Saturday. - Gives orders to
open summer house.
April 1, Tuesday.-Asks for 100000.
April 2, Wednesday.eGets it.
April s, Thursday.-Leaves home, osten-
sibly for Belair, In company with new
maid.
April H. Monday.-Butler reports her dis
appearance: Royce taken Ill; begin
my search
There I stopped. The last entry
brought me up to date. There was
nothing more to add. But it seemed
impossible that all the developments
of this mystery should have taken only
a month. For years, as it seemed to
me, had thought of nothing else.
I looked over the schedule again
carefully. There was only one opening
that 1 could see where it was possible
to begin work with the hope of accom-
plishing anything. That was in the
very first entry. Miss Holiday had
driven to Washington square; she had,
I felt certain, visited her sister; must
discover the lodging Of this woman.
Perhaps I should also discover Frances
Holiday there. In any event, l should
have a new point to work from.
The police had been over the ground,
I knew. They had exhausted every re-
source in the effort to locate Mr.. Hol-
laday's mysterious visitor and had
found not a trace of her. But that fact
did not discourage me, for I hoped to
start my search with information
which the police had not possessed.
Brooks. the coachman, should be able
to tell me-
Recalled suddenly to remembrance
of him, looked at my watch and, saw
that it was past his hour. I was pleas
ed to find him awaiting me when I
opened the office door three minutes
later. had only Few questions to
ask him.
"When your mistress left the, car
riage the day you drove her to Wash
ington square did you notice which
street she took after she left the,
square?"
Eyes, sir; she went on down West
Broadway"
''On which sideY
9Th left hand side, sir; tn east side"
sShe must have crossed the street to
get to that side" .s
eyes, sir; she did. 1 noticed per-,
tic'lar, for 1 thought it funny she
shouldn't we let me drive her on down
tn street to wherever she was goin'.
It's dirty place along there, SIR"
Eyes, know. When you drove her
out on the 2Sth-the day she brought
n CT,
'@ro Washington square again, sir"
"And left you waiting for her?'
Eyes, sir; just tn same.''
"And went down the same street?''
eyes, sir; crossed to tn east side
Just tn same as tn time before,
How long was she gomez" 80
"Over an hour, sir; an hour am a
half, I should say"
"Did you notice anything unusual in
her appearance when she came back?"
mo, sir; she was wearin' anheavy
veil. She had tn other womanp with
her, an she just said 'Homev 2aekind
o. hoarse voice as helped them into
th' carriage"
That was all that he could tell tme,
and yet I felt that it would help me
greatly. In the first place, it narrowed
my Investigations to the district lying
to the east of West Broadway, and
knew that the French quarter extended
only block or two in that direction.
And, again, it gave me point to insist
on in my inauiries-I knew the date
upon which the mysterious woman had
left her lodging, or, at least, I knew
that it must be one Of two dates. The
lodging had been vacated, then, either
on the 2Sth of March or the Sd of April
AS a last resource l had the photo
graph. I was ready to begin my search
and dismissed Brooks, warning him 10
say nothing to any one about the mys-
terry.
AS passed out the door to the pave
ment happened to glance across the
way, and there, in the crowd of bro
kers who always line the street, I
perceived Martigny. He was listening
intently to one Of the brokers, who
was talking earnestly in his ear-tell-
ing him how to make his fortune,
suppose-and did not see ne. For a.,
instant I was tempted to cross to him
and get him out Of danger. Then l
smiled at the absurdity Of the thought
1t would take a clever man to fleece
Martigny, and recalled his strong
face, his masterful air. He was no fool,
no lamb ready for the shears. He was
perfectly able to look out for himself
to WELD the shears with power and ef-
feet, If need be.
I turned west toward Broadway,
still, 1 suppose, thinking of him sub
consciously, for few moments later
some irresistible impulse caused me
to glance around, and there he was
walking after me on the opposite side
of the street! Then In a flash I un-
derstood. He was following me!
1t Is difficult to describe the shock
that ran through me, that left me
numbed and helpless. For an instant