The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-03-14
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
MISS HOLIDAY BECOMES Ca
PRECIOUS.
The body of Hiram Holiday. was
placed beside that Of his wife IN ms
grant mausoleum at WoodlaWn on
| the Sunday following his death; two
| lays later, his will, which had been
drawn up by Mr.. Graham and deposited
in the Office safe, was read n duly &C
| mitted to probate. AS was eXpectedS
he had left all his property, without
condition or reserve, to his
Frances. There were a few requests
to old servants, Rogers receiving a
handsome legacy; about half a mlilion
was given to various charities in which
he had been interested during his life,
| and the remainder vas placed at the
absolute disposal of his daughter.
We oun that his fortune a been
| overestimated, as is usually the case
with men whose wealth depends upon
the fluctuations. of the street, but there
still remained something owe four mill
lions for the girl-a prett .dowry. She
told US at once that she wished to leave
her affairs In our hands, IN hnan-
cial matters would be guided entirely
by our advice. Most Of this business
al conducted by u junior, and while,
Of course, he told me nothing, 1t was
evident that Miss Holidays kindly
feelings toward, him had suffered no
~diminuition. The whole office was more
or less conversant with the affair, and
wished him success and happiness.
So a week or ten days passed. The
utmose ~endeavors Of newspapers and
police had shed no new light on the
tragedy, and for the great public 1t
had passed into the background Of the
forgotten. But Tor me, at least. it re-
m;-ned of undiminished interest. Ind
r, va Tho v,H0,,on 40 rnf,,11y rnHyinrya1 fro
features to convince myself anew that
our theory was the right one. Only
one point occurred to me which would
tend to prove it untrue. If there was
an illegitimate daughter, the blow she
had dealt her father had also deprived
her Of whatever income he had allowed
her, or Of any hope of income from him.
So she had acted in her own despite
still. Godfrey's theory Of sudden pas
sion. might explain this away. And
then again, Miss Holiday could prob
ably be counted upon. her first grief
past, to provide suitably for her sister.
Granting this, the theory seemed to me
quite impregnable.
One other thing puzzled me. How
had this woman eluded the police? I
knew that the French quarter had been
ransacked for traces Of her. wholly
without success, n yet I felt hat the
search must have been misconducted,
SASS ootAS CIV Va LOA Woo1u oulSly
have been discovered. Miss Holiday,
OF course, rigidly refused herself to all
inquirers, and here, again, I found
myself on the horns of a dilemma.
Doubtless, she was very far from
wishing the discovery Of the guilty
woman, and yet I felt that she
must be discovered, if only for Miss
Holidays sake, in order to clear away
the last vestige of the cloud that
Swallowed her.
Then came new developments with
a startling rapidity. 1t was toward
quitting time n afternoon that a
clerk brought word into the inner office
that there was a without who
wanted to see Mr.. Royce at once. She
had given no name, but our junior, who
happened to be at leisure for the
moment directed that she be shown in.
l recognized her in an instant, and
so did he-it was Miss Holladay's maid.
l saw, too, that her eyes were red
with weeping, and as she sat down be-
side our juniors desk, she began to
cry afresh.
Why what's the matter?" he de-
manded. Nothing wrong with your
mistress?'
She amt my mistress any more"
sobbed the girl. "She discharged me
this afternoon
discharged you'll" echoed our Jun
Tor. why, I thought she thought so
much Of you"
And 50 did I, sir, but she discharged
me just the same.'
But what for?" persisted he
other.
That's just what I don't know sir:
I begged n prayed her to tell me.
but she wouldn't even see me. So 1
came down here. I thought maybe you
could help me-
We'll, let me hear about it Just as It
happened" said MI. Royce thi
Perhaps I a help you"
Continued Next Week.