Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-03-22
CHAPTER VIII.

"A hundred thousand dollars. e1acu-
lated Mr.. Royce, and sat staring at
his chief.
"A hundred thousand dollars! That's
a good deal for a girl to give away in
a lump, but she can afford 1t. OF course.
we've nothing to DO but carry out her
instructions. l think both of us can
guess what she intends doing with the
money"
The other nodded. I believe that I
could guess, too. The money, of course,
was intended for the other woman-she
vas not to suffer for her crime. after
all. Miss Holiday seemed to me in
no little danger of becoming an access
sorry after the fact.
She seems really ill.," continued our
senior. She looks thinner and quite
careworn. l commended her resolution
to seek rest and quiet n change of
scene"
when does she go, sir?" asked Mr..
Royce, in a subdued voice.
THE day after tomorrow, I think.
She did not say definitely. In fact, she
could talk very little. She managed to
catch cold-the grip, 1 suppose-and
was very hoarse. 1t would have been
cruelty to make her talk, and l didn't
try
He wheeled around to his desk, and
then suddenly back again.
by the way" he said, IT saw the
new maid. / can't say 1 wholly approve
of her"
He paused a minute, weighing his
words.
"She seems careful and devoted" he
went on at last, but 1 don't like her
eyes. They're too intense. I caught
her two or three times watching me
strangely. l can't imagine where Miss
Holiday picked her up, or why she
should have picked her up at all. She's
French, Of course-she speaks with a
decided accent. About the money. l
suppose we'd better sell a block of u.
p. bonds. They're the least productive
Of her securities"
Yes, / suppose So" agreed Mr..
Royce, and the chief called UP q bro
ker and gave the necessary orders
Then he turned to other work, and the
day passed without any further ref
erence to Miss Holiday or her af-
fairs.
The proceeds Of the sale were brought
TO the office early the next afternoon, a
small packet neatly sealed and dock-
eted-l00 thousand-dollar bills. Mr..
Graham turned it over in his hand
t~houghtfully.
john" he said to his partner. Lester
had better go with you"
So Mr.. Royce placed the package In
his pocket, a cab was summoned and
we were off. The trip was made with
out incident, and at the end of half an
hour, we drew up before the Holiday
mansion.
1t was one OF the old-style brown
stone fronts which lined both sides OF
the avenue twenty years ago; it was
no longer in the u~ltra-fashion-
q ME nlIQrTnF which 1aI $3.50 49,
toward Central Park, and shops of vari-
u kinds were beginning to encroach
upon the neighborhood; but 1t had been
Hiram Holidays home for forty years.
and he a never been willing to part
with 1t. At this moment all the blinds
were down and the house had a de-
serted look. We mounted the steps to
the door, which was opened at once to
ring by a woman whom l knew
~nstlnctively to be the new maid though
she looked much less like a new maid
like an elderly working woman
OF the middle class.
We've brought the money Miss
Holiday asked Mr.. Graham for yester-
day" said Mr.. Royce. I'm John Royce.
his partner" and without answering
the woman motioned us in. "Of course
we must have a receipt for It," he add
Il nave 1t ready here, and she
need only attach her signature"
Miss Holiday is too i'll to see YOU.
sir, said the maid. with careful enun-
citation. II will myself the paper take
to her and get her signature"
Mr.. Royce hesitated a moment In
perplexity. AS for me, / was ransack-
ing my memory-where had I heard
that voice before? Somewhere, I was
certain--a voice low, vibrant, repressed.
full OF color Then, with a start. 7 re-
menbered it! 1t was Miss Holladay's
voice, as she had risen to welcome our
Junior that morning at the coroner's
court | shook myself together-for
that was n~onsense!
II fear that won't do" said Mr.
Royce at last. THE sum is a consider
able one, n must be given to Miss
Holiday by me personally in the pres
ence OF this witness"
1t was the maids turn to hesitate.
1 saw her lips tighten ominously.
Very well. sir. she said. But / warn
you she is most nervous and it has been
forbidden her to talk"
she will not be called upon to talk.
retorted Mr.. Royce curtly; and without
answering the woman turned and led
the way up the stair and to her mis-
tress' room.
Miss Holiday was lying back in a
great chair with a bandage about her
head, and even in the half-light I could
see how changed she was. She seemed
much thinner and older, and coughed
occasionally in a way that frightened
me. Now grief alone. / told myself.
could have caused this breakdown; ii
was the secret weighing upon her. My
companion noted the change. too, OF
eourse-a greater change. perhaps. than
my eyes could p~erceive-and I saw how
moved and shocked he was.
My dear Miss Holiday" he began,
but she stopped him abruptly with a
little imperative motion of the hand.
Pray do not" she whispered hoarse-
ly. Pray do not"
He stopped and pulled himself to-
gether. When he spoke again it was
in quite a different tone.
II have brought the money you asked
for and he handed her the package.
Thank YOU" she murmured.
will you verify the amount"
"Oh. no: that is not necessary"
Il have O receipt here" and he pro-
duced 1t n his fountain pen. Please
sign it."
She took the pen with trembling fing-
evs. laid the receipt upon her chair arm
without reading n signed her name
With a somewhat painful slowness.
Then she leaned back with a sigh of re-
Iief. and buried her face In her hands.
MIR. Royce placed the receipt In his
pocketoook, and stopped hesitating.
But the maid had opened the door and
was awaiting uss Her mistress made