Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-09-05
: Alive or Dead?'
The Strange Disappearance Of
Gerald Rathbone.
~ THoRNE.
sy GUY rAoRNE.

room, and with piece OF Ice floating
In the liquid, Sir William took small
white tabloid from a bottle in his
pocket and dropped 1t into the glass.
| 1t fixed, spluttered, and disappeared.
| Then he raised the tumbler to his
| lips, and as he did so the floating ice
| tinkled against the sides Of the glass
like a tiny alarm.
Nerves gone" the stockbroking
gentleman close by said to his friend,
| with wink.
In five minutes or SO, after he had
lit cigarette, Gouldesbrough rose
and left the smoking room. He put on
his coat in the hall and went out Of
the front door.
1t was not yet late, and the huge
crescent of electric lights, which
seemed to stretch away beyond Hove
to Worthing, cleaned like gigantic
coronet.
It was clear night. The air was
searching and keen, and 1t seemed to
steady the scientist as he walked
down the steps and came out from
under the hotel portico on to the pave
ment.
A huge round moon hung over the
sea, which was moaning quietly. The
lights in front Of the Alhambra music
hall cleaned brightly, and on the
promenade by the side of the shore
lnnumerable couples paced and re-
paced amid subdued hum of talk and
laughter.
The pier stretched away into the
water like jewelled snake. 1t was
Brighton at 10 o'clock, bright, gay,
and animated.
Sir William was staying at the
Brighton Royal, the other great hotel
which towers up upon the front some
quarter Of a mile away from the Pal
ace, where Marjorie and Lady Poole
were.
He strobe through the crowds, see
ing nothing of them, hearing nothing
but the beat of his own heart.
Even for man so strong as he, the
last hour had been terrible. Never be-
fore in all hi life-at the moment of
realization when some great scientific
theory had materialized into stipend
GUS fact-when first Marjorie had
promised to marry him-at any great
crisis of his life-had he undergone SO
furious a strain as this Of the last
hour.
He came out of the Palace hotel
knowing that he had carried out his
Intentions with the most consunnmate
success. He came out Of it realizing
that not half dozen men in England
could have done what he had done,
and as the keen air smote upon his
face like a blow from the fiat of
sword he realized also that not six
men in England, walking the pleasant,
happy streets of any town, were so un-
utterably stained and immeasurably
perjured as he.
AS he passed through the revolving
glass doors of his own. hotel and the
hall porters touched their caps, he ex-
erted all the powers of his will.
He would no longer remember or
realize what he had done and what it
meant to him. He would only rejoice
In his achievement, and he banished
the fear that comes even to the most
evil when they know they have COM
mitted an utterly objectionable sin.
He did not use the lift to go to his
sitting room on the second floor; he
ran lightly up the stairs, wanting the
exercise as a means Of banishing
thought.
He. entered his own room, switched
on the electric light, took of his
coat, and stood in front Of the fire,
stretching his arms In pure physical
WEAKNESS.
Yes, that was over! Another step
was taken. Once more he had pro
crossed d step toward his desire. in
spite Of the most adverse happenings
and the most forbidding aspects Of
fate. N g & !. rs
The unaccustomed brandy at the
Palace hotel and the bromide solution
he had dropped into 1t had Gained his
nerves, and suddenly he laughed aloud
In the ricihs silent room, 4 laugh Of
pure triumph and excitement.
Even as the echoes Of his voice died
away his eyes fell upon the table, and
he saw that there was letter living
there, addressed to him. The address
was written In q wellknown hand.
writing. He took It up, tore open the
envelope, and read the communica.
ton.
! It was this:
/ I have been down here for several
/ days, trying to escape from London
+ and the thoughts which London gives
me. But It has been quite useless,
saw today, quite by chance In the
hotel register, that you had arrived
here. did not think that we were
ever likely to meet again except il
the most casual way. hope not,
Since 1 have been here the torture 81
my life has increased a thousand-fold.
and 4 have come to the conclusion
that my life must stop. 4 am not al
70 live. 4 do not blame you too much,
because II hadn't been 4 scoundral
and q wastrel all my lie / should
never have put myself In your hands.
Z, As lar as your lights go, you have act.
49,