Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-02-22
The Holiday Case
BY BURTON e. STEVENSON. J
.-.-c copyright 1907. by Henry Holt s. Co "W - s
BY BURTON E. STEVENSON.
Copyright. 1903. by Henry Holt & CO @r -


OF EXPRESSION"
The witness hesitated.
II thought she was looking not quite
so we'll as usual" he said slowly. "She
seemed a little pale and worried"
Ali! 1t was dark in the office. was
1t not, at 5 o'clock yesterday after
noon?"
I'VE had turned on the lights hall
an hour before, sir"
rs your office well lighted7"
Il rave a light over my desk. sir
and there's another on the wall"
$50 you could not see your visitors
face with absolute clearness?"
mo, sir; but quite clearly enough
to recognize her" he added doggedly
Yet 0 thought her looking pale
and worried?"
Yes, sir, that was my impression
And when she asked for Mr.. Hol-
laday, did she use the words my IA
gest?"
Again the witness hesitated in the
effort at recollection.
mo. SIR" he answered finally. Her
words. I think. were, is Mr.. Holiday
engaged at PRESENT."
1T was Miss Holidays voiceT"
x could not say, SIR" answered the
witness, again hopping the %perspira-
ton from his forehead. II lave no
WISH 10 lnCTlInludle MISS f1Oildudy UNI
necessarily. I'm not sufficiently well
acquainted with her voice to swear
to It,"
We'll, when you answered her ques-
ton in the negative. did she hesitate
before entering the private Officer"
mo, sir; she went straight to It."
us there any lettering on the door?'
"Oh, yes, the usual lettering. Pri-
vate Office"
$50 that, even If she were not &C
quainted with the place, she might
still rave seen where to go?"
Yes, sir; I suppose So"
And you stated, too, l believe, that
you could have heard no sound OF an
alteration In the private office, had
one occurred?"
mo, sir; I could have heard moth
ing"
You have been with MI. Holiday a
long time, / believe. Mr.. Rogers?"
over thirty years, sir"
And you are intimately acquainted
with his affairs?"
Yes, sir
Now, Mr.. Rogers, have you ever, In
all these years, ran across anything
any item of expenditure, any corre-
~spondence, anything whatever-whlch
would lead you to think that Mr.. Hol-
laday was a victim OF blackmail, or
that he had ever had a liaison with a
woman"
mo, sir!" cried the witness. No,
sir! I'm willing to swear that such a
thing Is not possible. l should inev-
itably have found 1t out had 1t ex-
isted.'
THAT will do for the present." said
MI. Royce, II shall var to recall he
witness. however, sir"
The coroner nodded, n Roger
stepped down, still trembling from the
efforts Of his last outburst. / confess
that, for my part, 1 thought we were
very deep In the mire.
The office boy was called next, but
added nothing to the story. He had
gone to the chute TO mail some let
ters; the woman must have entered
the office while he was away. He saw
her come out again, but, Of course, did
not see her face. He had been en-
ployed recently, and did not know Miss
Holiday.
Then the physicians who had at
tended the dead man were called, and
testified hat the knife blade had pene-
trated the left carotid artery, and that
he had bled to death-was dead, indeed,
before they reached him. 1t would
take, perhaps, ten minutes to produce
such an effusion of blood as Rogers had
notfced-certainly more than Ave. so
that the blow must have been struck
before the woman left the inner Of
fee.
The policeman who had responded to
the alarm testified that he had exam
ined the windows, and that they were
both bolted on the inside, precluding
the possibility Of anyone swinging down
from above or clambering up from be-
low. Nothing in the Office a been dis
turbed. There was other evidence of
an immaterial nature. and then Miss
Holladay's maid was called.
Was your mistress away from home
Yesterday afternoon" asked the cor
oner.
Yes, sir; she had h carriage or
dered for 3 o'clock. She was driven
away shortly after that"
land what time did she RETURN"
About 6. sir; just in time to dress
for dinner"
did you notice anything unusual in
her demeanor when she ~returned?"
The maid hesitated, fearing doubtless
that she might say too much.
Miss Holiday had complained of a
headache II the morning." She said,
after a moment. she was looking
badly when she went out, and the
drive made her worse instead OF better.
She seemed very nervous and Ill. /
advised her to lie down and not dress
for dinner. but she would not listen.
She always dined with her father, and
did not wish to disappoint him. She
was in a great hurry, fearing that he'd
get back before she was ready"
There's no doubt In your mind that
she was really expecting him."
.'Oh, no., sir: she even went to the
door to look for him when he did not
come. She seemed very uneasy about
him.
That was one point in our favor GER
tainly.
And when the news of her fathers
death reached her. how did she bear
it,"
she didn't Deal It at all, SIR an
sweyed the maid, catching her breath
to choke back a sob she tainted dead
away. Afterwards. she seemed to be
In a kind of daze till the doctor came
THAT is all. Have o any questions
to ask the witness. Mr.. Roger"
''Only one,'' said my chief. leaning
forward. 1 knew what II was. and held
my breath. wondering whether II were
wise to ask 1t. do you remember the
gown our mistress wore yesterday art
e~rnoon?" he questioned.
''Oh, yes, sir" and the witness bright
ened. 1T was a DARK red ~broadcloth.
made very plain, with only a little
narrow black braid for trimming"
CHAPTER III.
THE COIL TIGHTENS.
From the breathless silence that fol-
lowed her answer. she saw that she had