The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-04-05
CHAPTER y.
AN ASTONISHING DISAPPEARS

- aS ~ aRS 8NSe-sA WV - 49,
Come here. Lester. ne said hoarsely.
Il needed you once before. and l need
yuu now. This touches ME SO closely
rant think con%secutively. You Will
help. won't you?'
There was an appeal in his face which
showed his sudden w~eakness-an appeal
there was no resisting. even had not,
myself, been deeply interested in the
case.
Gladly" 1 answered from the depths
of my heart, seeing how overwrought
he was. III help to the very limit OF
my power, Mr.. Royce
He sank back into his chair again,
and breathed a long sigh.
Il knew you would" he said Get
the story from Thompson. will you?"
I brought a chair and sat down by
the old butler.
family a great many years, haven't
you, Mr.. Thompson" I asked. to give
him opportunity to compose himself.
Yes, a great nan years. sir-nearly
forty. I should say
Before Miss Holidays birth. them"
oh yes, sir; long before: Just be
fore his marriage. Mr.. Holiday bought
the Fifth venue house he lived In ever
since, and l was employed, then, sir, as
an underservalt.'
Mr.. Holiday and his wife were very
happy together. weren't they?" 1 ques-
toned.
Very happy; yes, sir. They were
Just like lovers, sir, until her death.
They seemed just made for each other.
sir" and the trite old saying gathered
a new dignity as he uttered 1t.
/ paused a moment to consider. This,
certainly seemed to discredit the theory
that Holiday had ever had al Jason
with any other woman, and yet what
h theory was tenable?
There was nothing to mar their
happiness that you know Of? OF
course" 1 added, you understand,
Thompson, that | am not asking these
questions from idle curiosity, but to get
% the bottom of this mystery, if pos
.sible.'
II understand, SIR he nodded. NO,
there was nothing to mar their happi-
1css-except n thing"
And h was that?"
Why they had no children, sir. for
fifteen years or more. After Miss
Frances came, of course that was all
changed"
"she was born abroad?"
Yes. sir; in France. I don't just
know the town"
.But you know the date of her
BIRTH"
ooh. yes, sir-the tenth OF June,
eighteen seventy-six-we always cele-
brated it."
MIR. Holiday was with his wife at
the time?'
Yes, sir; he and his wife had been
abroad nearly a year. His health had
broken down n the doctor a made
him take a 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
her: and at last she came home to
die, bringing her child with her. That
was the first time any Of US ever saw
Miss Frances"
mir. Holiday thought a great dea,
of herr"
you may we'll say so, sir; she took
his wife's place." said the old mar
simply.
And she though a great deal o,
hiGn?"
More than that, sir; she fairl,
.y Wors ddps II him maa She was always s a
with him; they always spent theil
evenings together. She didn't care
much for society-Ive often heard he
tell him that she would much rather
just stay at home with him. 1t wa!
he who rather insisted on her going
"a right to be-"
Yes" I said: for all this fitted ii
exactly with what I had always heart
about the family. There were n,
other relatives, We're there"
None at all. sir; both Mr.. Hollada.
and his wife were only children; thei
parents, of course, have been dead fe
years.
Nor any intimate friends?"
None I'd call intimate, sir; Mis-
Frances had some school friends, blu
she was ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sir"
I added, tell me as fully as you ca
what has happened within the las
three weeks
"Well, Sir" he began slowly, "afte
her fathers death, she seemed quit
distracted for a while-wandered abou
ings, ate scarcely anything. Then MI
Royce got to coming to the house
and she frightened UP, and we a
hoped she'd soon be alright again. The
she seemed to get worse Of a sudden
she seemed to get worse of a sudden an
sent us all away to get Belair read.
/ got the place in rider, sir, and tel
egraphed her that We We're read.
She answered that she would come i
a few days. Ten days s the rest c
the servants came, and 1 looked for he
every day, but she didn't come. I tele
.graphed her again. but she didn't an
swer, and, finally, l got so uneasy, 81
I couldn't rest, and came back to til
city to see what was the matter.
got here early this morning, and wer
right to the house. Thomas. the sec
ond butler. had been left in charg
and he told ne that Miss Frances ar
her maid had started for Belair tn
same day the servants did. That's &
know"
Then she's been gone ten aas5??'
questioned.
."Ten days; yes, sir"
Ten DAYS! What might have. hal
pened in that time! DR.. Jenkinson
theory of dementia REQUIRED to me, al
I was more thar aver inclined to cred
1T. How else explain this flight?
could see from Mr.. Royce's face no
absolutely nonplussed he was.
We'll" I said at last. for want
something better. well so with you
the house. and see the man in chart
there. Perhaps he can tell US some
thing more"
But he could tell US very little. .Te
days before, Il carriage had driven l
to tho door, Miss Holiday and h
maid had entered it and been drive
away. The carriage had been calle
he thought, from some neighbour
stable. "a saa family coachman he
been sent away with the other Sc,
wants. They had driven down IL
avenue toward Tnirty-Fourth stres
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