The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-10-24
CHAPTER II.
A CRY o HELP.

A CRY FOR HELP.
For three days Thompson's body lay
enthroned on its couch at the morgue,
but of the thousands Of people who
HE'D past 1t, not one could give a single
clew to its identity. Godfrey's ennis
docks, loitered in sailors saloons and
eating places. provided innumerable
drinks, but Nowhere did they meet any
one who recognized the rough, bearded
face which the camera had reproduced.
The officers Of every ship that had ar
rived within a week were interviewed.
but none OF them knew Thompson. 1t
would seem that he had dropped from
the clouds n that no one had wit
messed his descent. 1t was an alto
gether puzzling state of affairs, and
made impossible any further real prog
ress in the investigation of the crime.
The police worked In q desultory fash
ION along the usual lines. Various the
cries were built up and exploded: vari-
u clews were laboriously followed
and found to lead nowhere; various sus-
poets were arrested and afterward re-
leased; a close and utterly futile watch
was kept or the movements of Jimmy
the Dude. 1t was plainly apparent that
the authorities were all at sea, and it
seemed altogether likely that the affair
would soon be written down with New
York's other unsolved mysteries.
ublic interest waned and dwindled,
and passed on to other things. Even
with me, living at the very scene of
the crime, IT faded in an astonishing
way; 1t no longer occupied my
thoughts: over my evening pipe. 1t was
not the details of the mystery 1 con-
Jured up. but a vision OF a dark
face. :.
An inquiry of the janitor developed
the fact that 1t was my n%eighbors, Mr..
and Mrs. Tremaine. wAom 1 had met
n evening as l left the elevator.
They had the apartment just across
the a from mine, and l had thought,
OF course, that / must meet them fire.
quently; but three days had passed and
l had caught not a glimpse of them;
their hours for coming and going
seemed radically different from mine.
so 1t was with a sense of disappoint-
ment somewhat foolishly excessive that
L set In my room and watched the
smoke circle up around the chandelier
ana wondered at the whim which had
brought me to this apartment. Not
but that IL was comfortable enough;
yet l was vaguely restless, uneasy; I
had not that homelike sense of com
fort and quiet which had marked my
sotourn with Mrs. Fitch. There was
nothing TO he discovered here concern
ing the tragedy; the rooms had been
stripped bare Of evidence before my
arrival; 1t was absurd to
L heard the sudden opening of a door:
a scream. shrilI. full Of terror. =.
Rarely have l been so startled as I
was by that voice. In an instant, 1 was
In the hall. A red light streamed
through the open door OF the apartment
opposite, silhouetting a woman's figure,
staring. with clasped hands.
1 ,sprang past her, pulled down the
burning curtains, and threw them into
the hall. where Higgins. who had run
up the stairs, stamped out the flames.
The was full OF smoke but It
was evident that the fire had spread no
farther. / opened the window, and the
smoke was whirled away.
"Ihat was lucky" was Higgins COM
ment, as he stood painting I'm the door
way. BY cricky! I'm all in a tremble.
L thought 1t was another murder"
1 couldn't help laughing as 1 looked
at him sasping excitedly for breath.
You've got murder on the brain" I
sale. i hope there Won't be any more
at the Marathon"
so do l." he agreed, and gathering
up h fragments Of the curtains,
turned to go. -
"Ah, bon die!" cried Mrs. Tremsine
In a queerly broken, but very charming
mixture of French and English. what
a chance! What good fortune that Won
were In your room. missie!"
She had closed the window with a
HeTNous snlyer az the cold n then
stepped back into the full light 7
fairly gasped as 1 looked at her. Charm
Ing n had been gowned according to
the New York fashion: now she was
radiant in a costume whose gorgeous
ness seemed just the setting her beauty
needed. At the moment, 1t completely
dazzled me, but I was able afterwards.
crimson pe~tticoat, the embroidereS
chemise with its fold upon fold of lace.
showing through the silken shoulder
scarf; the necklace OF gold beads, and
bracelets, studs, brooches-what not.
The sight OF Higgins standing
starring at this vision with open mouth
brought me to my senses.
Il am very happy to have been there.
madame" 1 said, n started toward
the door.
But you win not co." she protested.
missile Tremaine will be here In a.
moment. He will desire to thank you"
The words were accompanied by a
smile there was no resisting. I faItered.
stopped.
Higgins was still staring from the
hall. Mrs. Tremaine stepped forward
and calmly shut the door In his face.
In that instant a quick SILVER ran
through me. as though I had suddenly
been imprisoned with a wild beast-a
shiver that had in 1t something fear
fully delightful. And let me add here
that the emotion which Cecily, for SO
l came to know her. raised I'm me was
not In the least admiration in the or
binary sense OF the term, but rather
an o~verpowering fascination, such as
one sometimes feels I'm watching a mag
nificent tigress pacing back and forth
in her cage. Such, / believe, was the
feeling she inspired in most men; even
in Tremaine himself.
She smiled at me again as she swept
past me to a couch in one corner and
sank upon II.
sit. missile" she said, and motioned
me to n chair close at hand. Il was
very lonesome: 1 was weary Of talking
u my own body"
/ cannot reproduce the soft dialect
she spoke! any effort to do so makes II
appear grotesque, 8 o / shall not try.
At first 1t puzzled me occasionally, but
1 o o came to understand her per-
fectly.
SO was l." 1 said, smiling al the
quaint expression. II was growing
very sick of my own body. Have you
been IN New York long?"
Less than a month, missile: and I
do not like TIT Ia too cold-too grey"
"Ah, you have come In a bad time"