Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-05-09

she sat for a homer with eyes in
wa.dly intent.
There's one theory which might en-
plain it-part of it. Perhaps it wasn't
Miss Holiday at all who %returned from
Washington Square with the new maid.
Perhaps it was the other woman, and
the barred windows We're really to keep
Miss Holiday a prisoner. Think of
her there. i'm that place, with Martigny
for her ~jailer."
But she wasn't there!" 1 protested.
w saw her when we gave her the
money. Royce II saw her--so did
Mr.. Graham"
"yes~in a darkened room with a
bandaga about her forehead; so hoarse
she could scarcely speak. No Wonder
Mr. Royce hardly knew herr
stopped a moment to consider.
Remember, that would explain
something which admits OF 10 other
reasonable explanations" went on my
companion: the barred windows and
the behavior of the prisoner"
1T would explain that. certainly. I
admitted. though. at first thought, the
theory did not appeal to me. "You be-
lieve. then, that Miss Holiday was
forcibly abducted"
Undoubtedly. If her mind was 60
ing to give way at all, it would have
done so at once. and not two weeks
after the tragedy"
But If she had brooded over it," I
objected.
She wasn't br%ooding-at least, she
had ceased to roc You have Mr..
Royce's word and the buffers word
that she was getting better. brighter,
quite like her old self again. Why
should she relapse?"
Il ont know" / said helplessly.
The more | reason about it. the more
unreasonable it all seems. Besides that
affair last night has upset me so that
l can't think clearly. I feel that |
was careless-that / wasn't doing my
duty
II shouldn't worry about it: though.
of course" she added IA little severely,
you've realized by this time tina you
alone are to blame for Martigny's pres
ence on the boat"
But l had to so to the Jourdains,"
protested. and / couldn't help their 60
ing to him-to have asked them to not
go would have made them suspect me
at once"
oh. yes. but, at least, you needn't
have sent them. They might not have
gone at all-certainly they wouldn't
have gone SO promptly-if you hadn't
sent Them"
Sent thenn?" l repeated. and stared
at her IN amazement. doubling if 1
had heard Alright.
Yes. sent them she sale again. en-
phatically. why do you suppos they
went TO he hospital SO early the next
morning."
Il supposed they had become sus-
piciOuS of me-"
Nonsense! What possible reason
could they have for becoming sus-
picious of you? On the contrary, it was
because they were not suspicious of
YOU. because they wished to please YOU.
to air your room for you; because, in Il
word. you asked them to go-they went
after the key to those padlocks on the
had it,"
For a moment, 1 was too nonplussed
to speak; for 1 could only stare at her.
Then l found my tongue.
Well. l was Il fool. wasn't ~" I de-
manded. bitterly. TO think that I
shouldn't have foreseen that! II was
so worke up over my discovery that
night 1 couldn't think of anything else.
or course. when they asked for the kew.
the whole story came out"
Il shouldn't blame myself too Sc
verely." laughed Miss Kendall, as she
looked at my rueful countenance. II
myself think it's rather fortunate that
he's on the boat"
Fortunate? You don't mean that"
Precisely that. Suppose the Jour-
dams hadn't gone to him: ned have
left the hospital anyway i'm two or three
days-he isn't the man to lie inactive
when he knew you were searching for
the fugitives. He'd have returned.
then, to his apartment next to yours.
your landlady would have told him that
you had sailed for Europe. and he had
only to examine this boats passenger-
llst TO discover your name. So you see
there wasn't so much lost. after all
But. at any rate" l pointed out. ..he
would still have been in America. He
| r01lIdnff no v,0 ouch 49,
had a good start of him."
III couldn't have caugh. YOU. but a
cablegram would have passed YOU in
mtd-ocean. warning his co%nfederates
III they have time to conceal their pris-
oner. you'll never find her-your only
p Is in catching them unprepared.
And there's another reason-since he's
on the boat. you've another opportunity
why not go and have a talk with
him?" ~
I'D thought of that" / said: ..but
I'm afraid I couldn't play the part"
The part""
"of seeming not to suspect him. of
being quite frank n open with him
OF appearing to tell him all nv plans
I'm afraid he'd see through me in the
nrst and catch me trinninr
It's too great a risk"
The advantage would be on yo,,r
SIDE, she pointed out; you could tell
MIN SO many things which he already
knows. n which he has no reason 10
suspect you know he knows-it sounds
terribly involved. doesn't it? But you
understand" ~"
"Oh. yes: 1 understand"
And then. 1t would be the natural
thing for you to look him up as soon as
you learned he was i'll. To avoid him
VIII be to confess that you suspect
him."
But his name isn't on the passen-
ger list: II I hadn't happened to see
nm az ne came on board. I'd probabl.
not have known 1t ut ALL"