Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-19
CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.
When John Shil returned to his mag
nificent suite Of rooms in the Hotel
Bristol he poured himself out a strong
brandy and soda, and drained it to the
last drop. Then, with unsteady hands,
ne lit a cigar, and puffed at it
furiously till half the room was hid
den in blue cloud Of smoke.
Before two minutes had elapsed, he
had bitten off the end of the cigar. and
had thrown the piece into the fire.
place. He felt in his pocket for a
pipe, filled and lit it, and gripped the
hard vulcanite with his teeth. Then
Ringing himself into an easy chair, he
stared at the ceiling and tried to con-
troll the wild thoughts that coursed
through his brain.
In time everything resolved itself
into one solid fact Laura Vane, in
spite of all her protestations of love,
had not remained true to him, and was
now the wife Of another man. His
mind reverted to the day she had told
him she could never be his wife, to
the long slopes of the Stonewold Hills,
sparkling in the sunlight, to the heart
breaking sound Of her voice as she
told him that she could never be his
wife. He saw. as in a dream, the lit
tie village of Laverstone, grey and
clear-cut beneath him. the thin lines
of smoke rising in the frosty air. He
even thought he could hear the dis
tant bark of dog, and the rattle of
his horses hoofs, as the animal paw
ed the iron ground with Impotence.
1t all came back to him with horrible
reality. At that time-in the bitter
hour of parting-he had not realised
what 1t all meant. He could not under
stand why Laura had refused to
marry him, although she loved him.
Now he knew the truth. She was
married to another mana man she
did rot love
The r,ews of her disappearance from
Layerstone had come e him in the
person OF ojd Sam Vane himself The
distracted father, when he learnt that
his daughter had never reached her
aunts foUse. and when all inquiries
had failed to produce an inlorrAullon
beyond the TACT tina, the gil had ar
rived safely at Paddtngton, mad come
straight to his daughters lover, anG
had taxed ii,iu with aro? ledge Of her
hiding place.
,Ichn s:hil we'll rcnernGLied the pain
tnl seen" that had fcntNed. The old
mans feeLle fury, the white face and
trembling hands, the hot words OF
accusation, the indignant denial, his
own horror at the news, his offers of
help. How clearly it all stood out on
the pages of his life!
And then, scarcely fortnight after
wards, had come the cable from Amer
lea telling him that his cousin, Will
liam Shil, of Pittsburg, was dead, and
had left him large fortune He re-
membered how bitterly he had laugh
ed when he first heard the news. The
money had meant little or nothing to
him. He was earning a good income,
and was able to crafty most of his
simple wants But in few days his
views on the matter had undergone
marked change. He had realised,
on reflection, that this money would
place in his hands a great power, to
be used either for good or evil. 1t
would, above all, enable him to pros
ecute his search for Laura Vane by
every means in the power of mortal
man.
During the last six months he had
spent money like water. All the great
detective agencies of Europe had been
placed on the track of the missing
girl. Advertisements had been in
serted in hundreds of newspapers
John Shil himself had travelled from
place to place, making personal in
quiries, and following clue after clue,
till each thread had snapped in his
hands.
And then more than four months