Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-08-03

pressed =.
on. no. sir, qeite the contrary
She left you, did she return
upstairs?"
Il think so, sir. At least. she started
10y the stairs. l stepped into the din
ing room for Il moment to make sure
everything was all right, and when l
came OF again she was gone
was there nyon else in the hali?"
NO. sir: l think not; not Just at
that moment. though of course people
We're passing back and forth through
it all the time
Did you notice Il man lettering abou.
"a stranger-middle-uged, dark COM
pleXioned, with a dark beard or NOUS
tache-rather striking in appearance
perhaps a little dissolutc?"
Nc. sir he answered, with a stare
OF surprise. II didn't see any ang
about the whole morning-nobody l
didn't know
! confess I was rather disappointed;
l had hoped that my shot would tell.
ADD you heard no unusual noise-no
scream, nor anything OF that sOrt?"
No. sir: though L was SO busy and
worried l dare say ] wouldn't nave
heard a caC!4oE-shut."
When did you learn that something
was wrong?'
II heard Mrs. Lawrence asking If
anyone had seer her daughter. Then
she sent some OF the servants to look
for her"
What time vas that?'
About 10 minutes after I had spoken
to her."
~"Yes-wllat Them
Well, l didn't a much attention at
first: but when the bridesmaids came
they raised such IL %hullabaloo that /
couldn't help but take notice.
What did Mrs. Lawrence do?"
why, she tried to quiet them-I
must say she was the coolest one in
the house--except one"
WHO was that
Miss Lawrence's maid. She just
sat there on the stains n glowered
and grinned and chewed her nails and
never said a word. She gave me the
creeps. I could swear she knew all
about 1t and was glad Of It,"
l repressed a chuckle Of satisfaction.
Here was better lucr than I had ex-
pected.
How was Miss Lawrence dressed
when You saw her?" I asked.
IAN in rlstly white. l judged it was
her wedding dress"
And you say she seemed quite as
usmal?"
Yes. sir; only. OF course, excited, as
any woman would be-though calm,
too, and with a sort of deep glow in
her eyes when she looked at you. l
cam describe It. sir: but l remember
thinking that h man Ii was to get
her was a mighty lucky fellow. Did
you know her. sir?"
NO" I said: i've never seen her"
"Ah." he added, closing his eyes for
an instant. "if you'd seen her then.
you'd forget il. l never will. !
never saw another woman to touch
her!!" and he turned away to his work.
with the vision he had conjured up
evidently still before him.
AS started along fhp hall I saw
through the open front door Il mail
carrier coming up the walk. I hastened
to meet him-this was another fortu-
nate chance.
How many deliveries do YOU make a
day out llere9" ! asked. as he came up
the steps With a bundle of letters in
his hand-I could guess the belated
congratulations which were among
them!
"Only two-morning ard afternoon
he answered.
What time in the morning?"
about 9 O'Clock. usually"
ut was about that time this MORN
ing"
Eyes. sir; maybe 30 minutes after
ninc.'
who took the mail?'
II put 1t in the box here in the vesti-
bule. as I always DO" he said, and
suited the action to the word.
watched him ms he walked away.
So 1t had not been a letterswhich had
caused Miss Lawrence's sudden panic.
That reduced the possibilities to two.
Either she had received q visitor or a
telegram. I must endeavor to-
A voice at my elbow aroused me.
Mrs. Lawrence wishes to sec you,
SIR 1t said.
I turned. to find standing beside me-
the woman who had brought the note
to Mrs. Lawrence J n the ibrary-the
mi whose attitude of malignant
triumph had SO startled me. I blessed
me to question her alone.
Every WE'LL" ] said. "Are you Mrs.
Lawrence's maid:"
mo. sir: I'm Miss Marc'a's maid"
"Ah!." I said, and permitted my
self to look at her more closely. She
over 30. She had ver.' black hair and
eyes. and her face. while not actually
repellent. had in 1t a certain fierce
ness and hardness far from attractive.
A fiery and emotional nature was EVIL
dent In every line of it-a sinister ma
ture. too. It seemed to me-and l re-
membered her as . a seen her stand
ing In the library door, exulting in an
others misery. I pictured her as the
decorator had described her. sitting on
the stair, grinning and biting her nails
in a kind of Internal triumph. Why
should Miss Lawrence have chosen
such a woman to attend her? AS /
looked at her. I saw the folly OF at
tempting TO win her COMMUNICATIVE
whip was the only weapon that could
touch her-and 1t must be welded
mercilessly.
"Mrs. Lawrence wishes to see YOU,
| she said again. and I fancied there was
/ defiance in the eyes she turned upon
| me for the merest instant.
I'm a moment. Was it you who found
the note your mistress left for Mr..
Curties?"