The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1911-08-24
XII.
AN OLD

Ito gain entrance to her presence and
persuade her to grant Burr Curtiss a
final interview.
There was another mystery about the
cottage which piqued and puzzled me-
What was the meaning of that light in
the cellar? What work had been going
forward there, hour after hour? Whose
WAS that shrill and violent voice which
had threatened me through the door?
And how had It been possible for the
on undisturbed through all that COM
motion? If Miss Lawrence were really
there, would she not have heard me?
I descended to the dining room, re-
1volving this problem in my mind, SO
intent upon it that I brushed into a
man at the door. I turned to apologize
and saw his face light up at sight Of
me.
why hello, Lester" he cried, hold
ing out his hand. This is luck!"
"Hello, Godfrey" I answered, return
ing his clasp with interest. Glad to
mot half so glad as I am to see you.
Come over here to this side table where
we can talk in peace. Quite like the
Studio, isn't it?"
I laughed responsibility at the mem
DRY Of that night when Jim Godfrey,
of the Record, for purposes of
his own, had kidnapped me and
S1hIS2l u VIII q SuPSAb $1,000 0S
the famous Sixth avenue resort. I had
met him occasionally since, n had
found him always the same genial, gen.
erous, astute fellow he a proved him
self then. Trained on the detective
force, he had been for some years the
Records star reporter and was en-
ployed only on what the newspapers
love to call causes celebres. OF course,
I knew instantly what cause" 1t was
had brought him to Elizabeth.
Here on ~business?" he asked, as we
sat down.
"Oh, I came down last night to write
up this -Curtiss affair. You've
heard about it?"
He was looking at me keen1y.
yes" I answered steadily. deter
mined to keep him from guessing my
connection with it; az read about it in
the papers last night. Queer affair,
wasn't it?"
Mighty queer. You haven't hap
pened to form a theory about it, have
your"
I laughed outright. He had come to
me for a theory once before, and here
he was at his old trick.
Il haven't enough data to form a
theory" I said.
well, maybe I can furnish you with
more. I did some pretty lively work
last night, and covered all the details I
could think Of"
Il haven't seen this mornings Rec
ord" I said. "Of course it's all there
mot quite all. I don't want to give
They're all tied up in a knot, now, and
1 var them to stay that way"
"The other fellows I are
your esteemed contemporaries"
"In plain English, my hated rivals
But I don't mind telling you. You
treated me square in the Holiday case.
The boys told me afterwards how you
refused to give me away"
"All right; fire ahead" 1 said, and
cut my steak.
Well" he began, II saw at once,
after I'd looked over the field and found
out that it was impossible to see either
Curtiss or Mrs. Lawrence, that the per-
sons who could probably tell me most
about the inside workings Of this affair
were the servants in the Lawrence
house. Evidently there must have beer
trouble Of some sort there; and it prob
ably would not escape the servants no.
tice. SO / went after them"
I nodded, but kept my eyes on my
plate. Here was luck, indeed!
There are five of them" he went
on; IAN outside man, who takes care of
the grounds and horses; a cook, two
house girls, and a maid. The outside
man is the husband Of the cook: they
and the house girls stay at the place,
and the maid lives with her sister in a
cottage just off the grounds"
And could they tell you anything? '
I asked.
Neither the man, the cook, nor the
house girls could tell me a thing
They'd all been busy preparing for the
wedding, and didn't know anything was
wrong until the maid, whose name is
Lucy Kingdom, told them Miss Law
renee had disappeared. The house
girls had been passing back and forth
all the time, and had caught a glimpse
of Miss Lawrence now and then, but
had noticed absolutely nothing unusual
had seen no stranger about the place,
nor heard any outcry. One of them
passed Miss Lawrence in the hall as
she was talking with the decorator, and
says that she was radiant with happi-
hess"
"But the maid?" I asked. anxious to
hear what he had got from her.
"Ah, she was different. She's been
with the family a long time. She seems
to be a iii of privileged character
trusted confidante; though why any one
should wish to trust her is beyond me
she's not an attractive woman, rather
the reverse"
IAN what did she tell you?,
"She didn't tell me anything" an
swered Godfrey, with some heat. "She
beat about the bush and finally poi
angry: But Tn sure of one thing. and
that is that she knows where Miss
Lawrence is. Indeed" he added. 'Tm
pretty certain that Miss Lawrence
passed the night in the Kingdom cot
tage."
"why?" 1 asked, with lively interest
at this confirmation of my own belief
81 don't know-iust a sort of intui-
ton. And then-they wouldn't let me
in to see."
"Oh-you tried to get in, did your"
Il certainly did-tried my level best
but couldn't make it. Those Kingdom
sisters are a pair Of Tartars. Both OF
them We're there. The elder one was a
beauty when h was young, 1 fancy
but she's seen some trying times since
to Judge from her face. She's got
mighty handsome eyes, ever yet-and
my! how they can flash. Well, they
sent me to the right-about as soon as
they learned my errand. I tried all
my wiles," he added. with a little rueful
smile, and In vain"
But intuition's hardly enough to &c
on I suggested.
"Of curse there's more than that