Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-04-05
CHAPTER X.
AN ASTONISHING DISAPPEAR
ANGIE

AAANsA ~ ~ 1NNo
Come here, Lester" he said hoarsely.
Il needed you once before. and / need
YOU now. This touches me so closely |
can't think con~secutively. You viii
help, won't your"
There was an appeal in his face which
,howed his sudden weakness-an appeal
here was no resisting. even had | not,
myself, been deeply interested in the
case.
Gladly" i answered from the depths
Of my heart, seeing how overweight
le was. I'm help TO the very limit of
my power, Mr.. Royce"
He SAM back into his chair again,
md breathed a long sigh.
Il knew you would" he said. Get
he story from Thompson, will your"
/ brought a chair and sat down by
he old butler.
You have been In Mr.. Holidays
'amily a great many years, haven't
you, Mr.. Thompson" / asked, to give
Yes, a great many years, sir-nearly
'orty. l should say"
Before Miss Holidays birth, them"
"Oh, yes, sir; long before. Just be-
lore his marriage. Mr.. Holiday bought
he Fifth avenue house he lived In ever
,ince, and / was employed, then, sir, as
n underservant."
Mr.. Holiday and his wife were very
happy together, weren't they?" 1 ques-
Toned.
Very happy; yes, sir. They were
'ust like lovers, sir, until her death.
They seemed just made for each other,
sir" and the trite old saying gathered
4 new dignity as he uttered it.
i paused a moment to consider. This
certainly seemed to discredit the theory
.hat Holiday had ever had al Jason
with any other woman, and yet what
,ther theory was tenable?
There was nothing to mar their
happiness hal you know Of? OF
course" I added, you understand,
Thompson, hat / am not asking these
questions from idle curiosity, but to get
% the bottom of this mystery, If pos
sible."
Il understand, sir" he nodded. mo,
there was nothing to MAJ their happi-
less-except one thing"
And what was that? ?"
why they had no children, sir, for
ffteen years or more. After Miss
changed"
"She was born abroad?"
Eyes, sir; in France. / don't just
know the town"
But you know the date of her
oirthg~
"Oh, yes, sir-the tenth of June
eighteen seventy-six-we always cele-
rated IT."
Mr.. Holiday was with his wife at
he timer"
Yes, sir; he and his wife had been
abroad nearly a year His health had
broken down and the doctor had made
aim take q long vacation. He came
home a few months later, but Mrs
Holiday stayed on. She didn't get
strong again some way. She stayed
nearly four years and he went over
every few months to spend a week with
aer; and at last she came home tc
die, bringing her child with her. That
was the first time n of us ever saw
Miss Frances"
Mr.. Holiday thought a great deal
If herr"
You MAJ we'll say so, sir; she took
ais wife's place" said the old man
simply.
And she though a great deal OF
limT'
More than that, sir; she fairly
worshiped him She was always al
he cor to meet him; always dined
With him; they always spent their
evenings together. She didn't care
much for society-I've often heard hel
ell him that she would much rather
Just stay at home with him. 1t was
ne who rather insisted on her going
put; for he was proud of her, as he'd
4 right to be"
Yes" / said; for ali his fitted in
Exactly with what / had always heard
about the family. There were nc
,ther relatives, were there?",
None mt all, sir: both Mr.. Holiday
and his wife were only children: their
parents, OF course, have been dead foI
Tears."
Nor any intimate friends?'
None I'd call intimate, sir: Miss
Frances had some school friends. blu
The was always-well-reserved sir
Yes" l nodded again. And now
(. added, tell me as fully as you car
what has happened within the last
hree weeks"
We'll, SIR" he began slowly, "after
aer fathers death, she seemed quite
distracted for a while-wandered about
he house, sat in the library of even
ngs, ate scarcely anything. Then Mr.
Royce got TO coming TO the house
and she frightened up, and we all
hoped she'd soon be alright again. The.
she seemed TO get worse of q sudden q
she seemed TO get worse of a sudden and
sent us all away TO get Belair ready
got the place in order, sir, and tel
sgraphed her that we were ready
She answered that she would come In
A few days. Ten days ago the rest OF
he servants came, and / looked for her
very day. but she didn't come. / tele-
sraphed her again. but she didn't an
swer, and. finally, / got so uneasy, sir,
couldn't rest, and came back to the
:ity to see what was the matter. ]
got here early this morning, and went
light to the house. Thomas. the Sec
md butler, had been left in charge,
and he told me that Miss Frances and
Ter maid had started for Belair the
anne day the servants did. That's all
/ know"
Then shes beer gone ten days." !
questioned.
Ten days: yes. sir
Ten DAYS! What might have hap
pened In that timei DR.. J~enkinson's
theory OF dementia REQUIRED 10 me. and
was more than ever inclined TO credit
Il. How else explain this fight?
'sould see from Mr.. Royce's face how
absolutely nonplussed he was.
We'll" I said at last, for want CT
something better, well go with you to
the house. and see the man in charge
there. Perhaps he can tell us some
slfng more"
But he could tell us very little. Ten
lays before. a carriage had driven UP
o the door, Miss Holiday n her
maid had entered It and been driven
away. The carriage had been called,
ne thought. from or neighbor ing
table, as the family coachman had
oetn sent away With the other SER
ANTS. They had driven down the
avenue toward Thirty-Fourth street.
4, here. ne supposed. they wtre going To
me Long Island station. We looked
trough the houSS-~it fWas in perfect