Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-08-24
CHAPTER 1x-icontinued.)
He seems to have left a large prop

erty."
Yes; r. of the largest in Elizabeth.
Mrs. Lawrence, of course, inherited her
fathers, also"
"Eoth she and her daughter are
members of your church?'
Two of the most faithful. They
give largely to charity; they are really
christian women"
We sat silent for a moment. To me,
at least, the mystery seemed deeper
than ever.
HAS it occurred to you, Mr.. Les
ter asked the clergyman hesitating-
ly, that perhaps Miss Lawrence dis
covered something in MIR. Curtiss's
YES" 1 interrupted. 81 put that be-
me there was nothing she could dis
cover. I'm sure he spoke the truth.
Besides, in that case. why should Miss
Lawrence fee? Why not merely dis
miss him? Her flight seems to argue
some guilt on her part
Yes" nodded my companion; yes"
Some guilt, too" l added. "of a
very remarkable kind. which she was
not conscious of until his morning and
which then appeared suddenly before
was her only resource. That seems in
conceivable, doesn't it?"
DR.. Schuyler dropped his head back
against his chair with a little sigh
WIllcH bespoke utter fatigue.
YES, he said. "inconceivable-the
whole thing is inconceivable. It's a
kind of horrible nightmare. can't
make anything of it. My brain is in
a whirl."
I'm taxing your patience too long"
4 protested, rising Instantly. "You
need rest. Only let ME thank YOU for
your Kindness
He held out his hand with a smile.
II seem only to have made dark
places darker" he said. IF you sue
ceed In ~untangling the snarl, 1 should
like to hear about it,"
You SHALL" I promised and took nv
Sell BACK to the hotel. l felt that there
was nothing more to be done that night
n SO mounted to my room.
AS l started to undress, 1 remembered
suddenly the envelope Curtiss had sent
me 1 got it out and opened it. and nv
heart leaped with a sudden suffocating
sympathy as / looked at the photo-
graph within. A Madonna, indeed. Mr..
Royce had chosen the right word, had
patd a hitting tribute not only to her
beauty but to the spotless soul behind
1t. For the ace was essentially girl
ASH, virgtnal-there was no shameful
secret back of that clear, direct gaze.
It was sweet, frank, winning-a strong
race. too. showing intellect and train
1hs' no woman, 1 told myself:
not one, certainly, to be swayed by
momentary passion, to yield to AN UNI
reasoning impulse. No, nor one to fan
victim to an adventures; for this was
q woman with ideals and high ones-a
woman whose clear eyes could detect
any specious imposture at a glance. 4
Httlng mate for Burr Curtiss-the am
pointed mate-and yet not his. NOT
nus! Snatched from him by a desperate
act. desperate. If /. IL man hardened
ny contact with the world. could feel
that, how much more gina mrst
she have felt it-with what horror must
she nave shrunk from it-with what
agony yielded!
AS i gazed at her. it seemed to me
Ina mere was something familiar ii.
the 1ace-ln the set of the eyes. the
shape of the Notwithstanding fa-
mlllar In the expression, in the noise
OF the head, which puzzled and eluded
me. a resemblance to her mother, /
oecldco at last, n so put the photo
graph away and went to bed
But sleep did not come easily. Ever
peIore my eyes there danced a vision
OF mat vine embowered cottage OPEN
ing from the Lawrence grounds. There
I Ielt. Jay the key TO the mystery; it
which would lead me out of this la Inv
rinth. There was some secret about
these Kingdom sisters which defied and
worried me. DR.. Schuyler's explanation
OF their connection with Mrs. Lawrence
Gtu NOT IN the least satisfy me. That
sSSH 1lCd IleT. ShnNAr
tnen with gifts, merely because of an
olo 1ondness for a cousin Of theirs
seemed TO me exceedingly im%probable'
Ihere must be some other reason some
more compelling one than that.
~ was much more likely. I told NV
eelI, remembering the passionate fierce
ice OF the younger sister, that the
glIts were intended to placate. not to
reward; that they We're the outgrowth
= o aeaI, no. OF anection. Fear OF what?
! could not even guess. Fear OF ex.
posure OF some secret, perhans-and
the thought stung me to a sudden at
tention. 1oueh at
Had the gifts been in vain? Had Tho
sxTet oeen exposed? Was it thew VIII
whispered In Marcia Lawrencess ear the
Story which had broken the marriage
caused her flight. ruined her futurs?
Was tnal their revenge for some old
naJury. mad they waited till the last
momen to make 1t more complete.
had SO avenged themselves wouiI ;
refuge? Would she not ra ahhm ba for
NED from them with lothing? ;
- felt that I was entangling mvself
IN a web OF my WI T mt
the problem from me, but it pursued
me even past sleeps portals. +
1reameo mat l was staring over the
M1teIhse at the Kingdom cottage, at a
IN the room. as I could see from the
ado thrown upon the blind. They
were walking up and down, seeminoIy
IN great excitement. 1 fancied thai :
cou!o near the u OF voices. hnf 7
could distinguish no words: Then
suddenly. two Of the women spranr nm.
on the third. She struggled Desperate