Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-08-31

more than that-she's a good woman
There's something M~adonna-like about
her"
Most of the famous M~adonnas,' he
said, smiling, however virginia. in APP
%pearance, were anything but Madonna
like in MISUNDERSTANDING del Sarto's,
for instance
With a little shiver. | remembered
Mr.. Royce's phrase--it was to the del
Sarto Madonna he had mpare her!
Could ] be wrong in my estimate OF
her. after all?
There's no other theory will explain
her flight he repeated. Presenting,
of course. that she was sane"
She was very sane" l said. in a low
voice. She was a self-controlled, we'll
balanced
"And that she still loves Curtiss."
I'm sure she does
Then you'll find I'm right. But
come" he added, rising, I've got some
work to do. I'll try to meet you as you
come away from the Kingdom cottage.
I'm curious to know what luck you'll
have
He left me at the hotel door and hur-
ritd away toward the business part of
the town. While I turned in the opposite
direction. Godfrey's confidence In his
theory weighed upon me heavily. He
was right in saying that it seemed the
only tenable one. and yet, with the
W NAiS /AN - pure ldCo
before me, l could not believe it. I
could no believe that those clear ewes
sheltered such a secret. Icould not be-
lieve that anything shameful had ever
touched her. She had kept herself un-
spotted from the world. And l would
prove 1t!
Az | reached the Kingdom house and
turned IN at h gate. l remembered
With q smile the resolution l had made
the night before to buy a revolver. It
seemed absurd enough in the light OF
the clear day-that l should arm my
self against two women!
There was q flower bed on either side
the walk. well kept and in \ riot Of
bloom. and along the hedges and about
the house We're Others. Evidently the
women who lived here not only loved
flowers, but a ample time to tend
them. AS / approached the house. 1
saw That the blinds We're drawn, M
there seemed no sign Of life about the
place. blu the door was opened almost
instantly in answer to my knock.
The woman who opened it, l knew
at once for the elder Miss Kingdom. and
my eyes were caught and my attention
held ~ the bold. virile beauty of her
face--a beauty which had, in a way.
burnt itself out by Its very flerceness.
She resembled her sister. and yet there
mas something higher and finer about
her. She gave me the impression of
one who had passed through a fiery
urnace-and not unscathed. WON
dered. as Godfrey had, at the dark
splendor of her eyes: 1 could fancy how
they would burn and sparkle once she
was reused to anger.
This is Miss Kingdom" asked.
She bowed.
IN going to ask a favor, Miss King
don," l said, the. favor of a few mo-
ments' conversations"
Are you a reporter" she demande
without seeking to soften the harshness
or The question. and in an instant l
knew that it was she who had threat
ened me through the door the night he
fore, for the voice was the same and
yet not the same. Then it had been
edged N broker by a kind of frenzy;
now IT was almost d~omineering in it's
cooi lnsolence. What vas it had so
shaken her? Fear at my knock at that
hour of the night? Yet She seemed
anything but a woman easily alarmed.
NO. I'm not u reporter" l answered..
smiling as we'll as 1 could to hide the
tumult of my thoughts. My name is
Lester, and I'm acting for Mi. Curtiss.
l nope you'll grant my request"
She looked at me more closely. and
her lips curved derisively.
Nv heard OF you,' she said.
Prom your sister. no doubt. / had
the pleasure OF meeting her yester-
uaN
/ could not wholly keep the irony out
Of my tone.
Il guess you didn't find out much
from her." she retorted.
Not half as much as she knew. /
hope you'll be more frank with me-
She hesitated a moment longer, then
stood aside.
Very we'll: come in," she said. and
as I entered, h pointed the way into
a room at the right.
1t was a large, pleasant room, well
furnished and In excellent taste. On
my first glance around. my Eyes were
caught and held by q portrait which
occupied the place of honor on the wall
opposite the front window. 1t was a
woman's head, life-size. evidently done
from life. crude enough in execution.
but Of a woman so brilliantly beautiful
that her face seemed to glow through
the canvas. to rise superior to the lack
Of skill with which the artist had de-
picted her. There was something ia
miliar about it. too--at least, I fancied
so-and then l shook the thought away
impatiently.
"Well?" asked a voice. ana / turned
to see that Miss Kingdom was waiting
for me to speak. sit down." she added
abruptly, and herself sat down opposite
that never wavered.
"Mr. Curtiss is naturally anxious"
| began Ito find Miss Lawrence and to
hear from her own lips the reason for
her flight. He even thinks he has u
certain right to know that reason. I'm
trying to find where Miss Lawrence ISL
And why do you come here she
asked with compressed lips.
Because" l answered boldly. II be-
lieve that Miss Lawrence came here
when she left her home. She went first
into the library, where she sat for a
Ny-h Ia ,,~fi1 h <1ani3n1 ~f~A -