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

ter? What did it contain?"
ooh, I can't tell Vol that, you know
It's none of my business"
But you ought to treat us all alike
he protested.
Il do treat you all alike"
But didn't Godfrey get it out OF
your"
Godfrey" 1 repeated. Get it out
of me?"
He stared at me in establishment.
D you mean to tell me, Mr.. Les
ter" he questioned, that you haven't
been spending the evening with jim
Godfrey, of the Record?"
Then in a flash, l understood, and as
1 looked at the rueful faces of the mer
gathered about me, 1 laughed until the
tears anne.
so it was you," I gasped. "whc
chased us VI Broadway"
He nodded.
Yes; but u horses weren't good
enough. Where did he take you?"
II the Studio-Sixth avenue"
"Of course." he cried slapping his
leg. I'VE might have known. Boys,
we'd better go back to Podunk."
We'll, at least, Mr.. Lester" spoke UP
another, you oughtn't to give Godfrey
a scoop"
But 1 didn't give him a scoop. ]
didn't even know WIZ ne was"
Didn't you tell him what was in the
note?"
Not a word Of i'll told him only
one thing"
And what was that?"
That the person who wrote the note
didn't know that Rogers was color
blind. You are welcome to that state
ment, too. You see, I'm treating O all
alike"
They stood about me staring down at
me, silent with establishment.
sTQ1yt ~ T o11n5 at %Li~1r r11f~a1,
suspects what was in the note"
"Why?"
We'll, his theory fits it pretty close
ly."
His theory! What is his theory, Mr.
Lester?"
ooh, come" I laughed. That's tell
Ing. It's a good theory, too"
They looked at each other, and,
fancied, CRASHED their teeth.
He seems a pretty clever fellow"
added, just to pile up the agony. II
fancy you'll say so, too, when you see
his theory in tomorrow's paper"
"Clever!" cried Rankin. why, he's
a very fiend Of c%leperness when it
comes to a case Of his kind. We're not
in the same class with him. He's a
fancy fellow-just the Record kind.
thing else, Mr.. LESTER" he added
~anxiously. "Godfrey's capable Of get
ting a story out of a fence post"
mo, I'm quite sure l didn't tell him
anything else. I only listened to his
theory with great interest,""
And assented to it,"
II said I thought it plausible"
An electric shock seemed to run
around the room.
what he wanted. Now, it isn't his
theory any more. It's yours. Oh, i
can see his headlines! Won't you tell
us what it was?"
l looked up at him.
Nov, frankly, Mr.. Rankin I asked,
IF you were in my place, would you
tell""
He hesitated for a moment, and then
held out his hand.
NO" he said, as I took it. II
shouldn't. Shake hands, sir; you're all
right. Come on, boys, we might as well
be going"
They filed out after him and I heard
them go singing up the street. Then
I sank back into my chair and thought
again of Godfrey's theory; it seemed
to fit the case precisely, point by point
-even-and I started at the thought
to Miss Holidays reticence as
to her whereabouts the afternoon
before. The Whole mystery lay plain
before me. In some way she had dis
covered the existence Of her half-sister,
had secured her address; she had gone
to visit her and had found her away
from home-it was probable, even, that
the half sister had written her, asking
her to come-though, in that case, why
a she not remained at home to re-
ce1ve her? At any rate Miss Holladay
had awaited her return, had noticed
her agitation; had, perhaps, even seer
certain marks OF blood upon her. The
news Of her father's death had pointed
all too clearly to what hat agitation
and those blood-spots meant. She had
remained silent that she might not be.
snairch her fathers name. and also, per.
haps, hat she might protect the othe,
woman. I felt that I held in nv nam
the key to the whole problem.
Point by point-but what a snarl /,
was! That there would be a vigorous
search for the other woman I co,,li
mo doubt, but she had a long start ant
should easily escape. Yet, perhaps she
had not started-she must have re.
NAMED in town, else how could tina
note have been sent to us? She had
remained, then-but why? That $
should feel any affection for France:
Holiday seemed absurd, and vet how
else explain the note?
l felt that i was getting tangled III
in the snarl ~again-there seemed nt
limit to Its intricacies; so, in very de.
L SPolAb = Pol LIE llidll6T GOWN from mi
as completely as I could and went t.
bed
The mornings Record attested tn,
truth Of Rankin's prophecy. I hat
grown famous in a night; for Godfre,
had, n a measure, made me responsible,
for his theory, describing me with {
wealth Of %adjectives which I blush t,
remember. and which, have, even yet
not quite forgiven him. / smiled as
read the first lines:
"A Record representative had tn,
pleasure, yesterday evening, of dining
with Mr.. Warwick Lester. the brillian
young attorney who achieved such
remarkable victory before Corone
Goldberg yesterday afternoon. in tn
hearing Of the Holiday case. and, o
course. too occasion to discuss witt
him the latest developments of this ex
t~raordinary crime. Mr.. Lester agree,
with the Record in a theory which i
the only one that fits the facts OF tn
case. and completely and satisfactorily
explains all its ramiications."
h theory was then developed a
great length and the article conclude,
with the statement that the Recor,
was assisting the police in a %strenuou
endeavor to find the guilty
Now that the police knew In whfcl
quarter to spread their net, / had littl
doubt that she would soon be found
since She had tempted providence b
remaining In town.