Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-03-28
CHAPTER VIII.
THE MA11

i EII VIII
THE MYSTERIOUS MAID.
"A hundred thousand dollars." ejacu-
lated MIR. Royce. and sat staring at
his chief.
"A hundred thousand dollars. That's
a good. deal for a girl to give away in
n lump, but she can afford it. OF course.
We've nothing to do hut carry out her
Instructions. think both of us "A
guess what She intends doing with the
money"
The other nodded. / believe that
could guess. too. The money. of course,
was intended for the other woman-she
was MOTTO suffer fer HEP 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 o thinner and quite
careworn. l commended her resolution
to seek rest and quiet and change of
scene.''
When does she go, siro' asked Mr..
Royce. In n subdued voice.
The day after tomorrow. I think.
n die not say definitely. In fact. She
could talk very little. She managed to
catch cold-the grip. l suppose-and
was very hoarse. 1t would have been
cruelty to make her talk. and didn't
try"
~ "iiCGiSu siIOuIlu 10 HIS DESK. and
then suddenly back again.
BY the way" he said. IT saw the
new maid. 1 can't say 1 wholly approve
of her"
He paused a minute. Weighing his
words. 100
She seems careful and devoted" he
went on at last. but I don't like her
eyes. They're too intense. l caught
her two or three times watching me
strangely. can't imagine where Miss
Holiday picked her up. or why she
should have picked her up at all. She's
French of c~ourse-she speaks with a
decided accent. About the money. 1
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 a bro
ker and gave the necessary orders.
Then he turned to other work, and he
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-iG, thousand-dollar bills. Nh.
Graham turned it over in his hand
houghtfully.
You'll take 1t TO the house. of course.
John. he said to his partner. Lester
A''s cSSNCi 81 WIFI YOU.
So Mr.. Royce placed the q go in
his pocket. q 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 Holladay
mansion.
1t was one Of the old-style brown
stone fronts which lined both sides of
no longer In the ultra-fashion-
BILE quarter. which had moved up
toward Central Park. and shops OF vari-
ous kinds were beginning to encroach
upon the neighborhood: but 1t had been
Hiram Holidays home for forty wears.
n ne a never been willing to part
with 1t. AT this ONE 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 I knew
fnstinctively to be the new maid though
she looked much less like a new maid
than like an elderly working woman
OF the middle class.
We've brought the money Mic,
Holiday asked Mr.. Graham for yester-
da5." said Mr.. Royce. I'm John Royce.
MS partner" and without answerinr
the woman motioned US in. "Of course
we must nave a receipt for it," he add
ed. II nave 1t ready here, and she
need only attach her signature"
~ NOO vi 10 see Won.
SIR" said the maid. with careful en,,n'
citation. II will myself the D take
to her n get her signature"
Mr.: Royce hesitated a moment in
perplexfty. AS for me. I was ransack.
ing my memory-where had / heard
that voice before? Somewhere. i was
certain-a voice low. vibrant. repressed
full of color. Then. with a start. r re-.
membered 1t! It was Miss Holiadav va
voice. as she had risen to welcome our
junior that morning at the %coroner's
court! shook myself t~ogetherwfor
n was nonsense! 40
- fear that won't do" said Mr.
Royce at last. 1.-The sum is a cons;dar.
BILE one. and must be given to Misc
Holiday by me personally in ne nres.
ence of this Witness" US
IL was the maids turn to hesitate.
saw her Mpc tighten ominously.
Very well. sir. she said. But I warn
you she IL most and II has haan
forbidden her to talk" "ee
She Will not be called upon to "a >.
retorted Mr.. Royce CURLY; and wttho,,t
answering the woman turned and la
tho way up the stair and to her mis-.
tress' room. "
Miss Holiday was lying back IN +.
great chair with q bandaSe about her
head. and even In the half-light I Could